The collection is a fine reminder of the potent classic rock created by the group in just six short years.
Hold Your Head Up is housed in a six-panel digipak which also includes a 12-page booklet with notes by Alan Robinson. Sadly, Jim Rodford passed away in 2018 at the age of 76. Rod went onto solo recording and collaborations with artists ranging from The Who to Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the original four-person Argent lineup reunited a number of times in 2010-2013. This line-up isn't given short shrift with four tracks here including the hypnotic ballad "Clown" with a cosmic sensibility, rock feel, and harmonies worthy of The Beach Boys.įollowing Argent's split, Rodford and Henrit would spend a dozen years with The Kinks in 2000, Rodford joined Argent in a reconstituted Zombies. The group even weathered the departure of Russ Ballard as of 1975's Circus Rod Argent, Rodford, and Henrit pressed on with two new guitarists taking his place, John Verity and John Grimaldi. Though the anthemic likes of "Hold Your Head Up" (with Rod's still-blazing Hammond B3 solo), "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" (later adapted by KISS with additional lyrics from Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Bob Ezrin), and the rollicking, shoulda-been-a-hit "Celebration" defined Argent, the band's sound was much more stylistically diverse as exemplified by the selection of tunes here. 102, U.S.) and the swaggering hard rocker "It's Only Money, Part 2" with its quote of "Money (That's What I Want)" (No. chart entries are included in the non-chronological sequence: the bluesy "Sweet Mary" (No. In addition to Argent's three hits, the band's other two U.S. Ballard came into his own as a songwriter during his time with Argent - he would later pen such hits as America's "You Can Do Magic" and Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone" - and his compositions provided a solid complement to Argent and White's co-writes. While markedly heavier than The Zombies, Argent didn't shy away from softer material including Ballard's "Schoolgirl" which bore more than a passing resemblance to "Time of the Season" and even "She's Not There." Another Ballard tune heard here, "Liar," is perhaps better-known today to American listeners via Three Dog Night's 1971 rendition. Every one of the group's studio albums except for their last one - the 1975 RCA release Counterpoints - is represented on the compilation. Jim Rodford had hailed from The Mike Cotton Sound while Ballard and Henrit worked together in both Unit 4 + 2 and in Adam Faith's backing band The Roulettes. The members came together quickly but played like a well-oiled machine, likely due to their wealth of collective experience. While far-removed from the baroque pop sound of The Zombies, Argent deftly blended muscular pop and rock with progressive tendencies and jazz flourishes mainly thanks to Argent's keyboard prowess. As Hold Your Head Up features the original, full-length album versions, it's also a fine companion to Varese Sarabande's Greatest: The Singles Collection (2008) which featured the shorter 45 edits. It's the first Argent anthology since 2010's budget Camden release God Gave Rock and Roll to You: The Greatest Hits and the most expansive. Edsel has collected 28 tracks from Argent on a new 2-CD compilation, Hold Your Head Up: The Best of Argent. 34 U.K.) - are still fondly remembered today. and U.K.), "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" (No. While Argent only lasted for seven studio albums and one live set between 19, their major hits - "Hold Your Head Up" (No. Joining Rod in the line-up proper was his cousin Jim Rodford on bass, Bob Henrit on drums, and Russ Ballard on guitar and vocals. Out of the ashes of The Zombies came Argent, the band named for keyboardist-singer Rod and also featuring ex-Zombie Chris White as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer.
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