Argent (band)

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Argent were an English rock band founded in 1969 by Rod Argent after his previous band, The Zombies, broke up. The other original members were drummer Robert Henrit and bassist Jim Rodford (later members of the Kinks) and guitarist/keyboardist Russ Ballard, who contributed to several compositions through the group's career (curiously some of Ballard's compositions became hits when they were covered by other bands, like Rainbow or Santana). When Russ Ballard left in 1973, his place was taken by guitarist and vocalist John Verity and guitarist John Grimaldi and there followed a period of intense recording and touring until the band decided to come off the road late in 1976.

Argent's biggest hit was Hold Your Head Up. They also recorded the original version of the rock anthem God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You, which was most famously covered by KISS. It also became a Contemporary Christian Rock anthem and was twice covered by Petra in 1977 and again in 1984, albeit with new verses. The sound of the band was a mix of rock and pop but probably their finest moment was The Coming of Kohoutek, an instrumental from their Nexus album, which steps on more progressive ground. When Russ Ballard left the band after "Encore", they took an even more progressive/fusion turn and signed to a new label (RCA) for the two final albums. By 2005, all albums, including compilations, have been re-released on CD, except Counterpoints.

[edit] Discography

• Argent (1970)
• Ring of Hands (1971)
• All Together Now (1972)
• In Deep (1973)
• Nexus (1974)
• Encore: Live in Concert (1974)
• Circus (1975)
• Counterpoints (1975)
• The Best of Argent - An Anthology [Compilation] (1976)
• Hold Your Head Up [Compilation] (1978)
• Music From The Spheres [Compilation] (1991)
• BBC Radio 1 In Concert [Live] (1995)
• The Complete BBC Sessions [Live] (1997)