ARGENT/ RING OF HANDS

CD1 ARGENT: REALLY 3,91 (GOOD BUY! Good addition in your discography) CD2: RING OF HANDS: REALLY 3,55 (GOOD BUY! Good addition in your discography) THIS RELEASED: REALLY 3,73 (GOOD BUY! Good addition in your discography)

ARGENT: Good disk of adolescent prog. I should say that the songs listen to themeselves a lot well and this disk arrives at the end leaving a pleasant memory. Songs like the blues jazz of "Like Honey" or the beat of "Schoolgirl" (and it almost twins "Stepping Stone") listen to themeselves a lot well, because doing not weigh and are excellent when it is guided the car in a long journey. Dramaticer, like atmosphere, "The Feeling Inside", the extraordinary "Liar" and it almost cheerful "Bring you Joy". Not a masterpiece... But little us left.

RING OF HANDS: The songs of this album remember themeselves except for of those of "Argent", also because is a more relaxed disk, perhaps too 60's. Nevertheless "Cast Your Spell Uranus" is a piece of really extraordinary hard prog. A little one under "Lothloren" and "Chained". The other give back attractive the album, but nothing more.

THIS RELEASED: Good idea that of unite the first two album of argent, between parenthesis, are two twin album. Are you listen to themeselves a lot well, even if they give me the impression of to is a not too to the step with the times (are gone out in 1967 or 1968 would want to see where the prog would have arrived...). In conclusion I advise more this released that the two separate album.

No cause for Celebration

A straightforward pairing of Argent's first two albums. Perhaps they would not quite fit on a single CD (both albums are around the standard LP length of 40 minutes) but it does seem somewhat lazy to simply release them as a double CD package devoid of bonus tracks. With a little imagination, perhaps the band's excellent third album "All together now" could have been used to fill the great void on each disc.

Anyway, content grumble's aside, these two albums saw Argent very much finding their way. Unlike other bands who hit the ground running, Argent had a couple of false starts before they really hit their stride with the aforementioned third album. The first, self titled album is a collection of fairly naïve songs. They are highly enjoyable, but lean towards the sophisticated pop territory of 10CC rather than the prog the band explored on later albums. Only the organ drenched "Dance in the smoke" shows any significant indication of the type of music the band would later develop.

"Ring of hands" is a disappointing affair. Apart from the de facto title track "Celebration", there is little to recommend this turgid, rather jazz based affair. Whether Russ Ballard was having an off day, or Rod Argent decided to dominate the album, either way the album is more akin to the post Ballard Argent albums "Counterpoints" and "Circus" than to their classic years. Only the unsuccessful single "Celebration" is notable, but even this is a simple pop song.

Although this collection is the starting point for Argent, it should not be the starting point for those wishing to explore their music. Better to pass on by and go straight to the subsequent releases.

NOT A BIG DREAM FOR A NEW BAND OF OLD REINCARNATION... AND I I LIKE IT IT ISNLY BECASE THIS IS ONLY R'n'R!

Another 2 albums in one release. In this case 2 albums, the 1st and the 2nd Argent's albums in 2 CDs. This fact is good for me. Normally I bought this typpe of release because the final cost is minor for 2 separate releases. So I think that this release is extreme good.

But the music... Hmmm... The music is only R'n'R with great arrangements and for this motive the music is Prog. Argent is not bad band but the style is not so distant from Rock with Classic Music influences. Is this musical proposal aged in a good manner? Not all songs aged in a good manner but yes, the songs that aged in good manner are small masterpieces.

If please you the more pure Rock part of Prog, Argent is a great band. Otherwise I think it will be interesting to have a compilation like this out of pure curiosity.