Argent
Encore

Double live albums were essentially a trend of the seventies that no one could escape at the time. And even today, anyone who is passionate about those musical times is inevitably inclined to encounter and listen to several of them.

In that era of the legendary "Made in Japan," "Frampton Comes Alive," and many others, the live LP double album by Argent came out in 1974 with more modest commercial success. This London quartet, composed of bass/drums/guitar/keyboards, featured Russ Ballard and Rod Argent, both songwriters and singers. Guitarist Ballard nodded to pop, or at least to the clean and catchy verse+chorus format of songs; keyboardist Rod tended more towards Emerson-like sounds (while duly respecting the virtuoso distance from the late Keith) and spiced up his music with some progressive oddities, though not too many.

The track that opens the album is, in any case, 101 percent progressive. It’s an instrumental over ten minutes long, obviously signed by Rod Argent, with the then very topical title of "The Coming of Kohoutek." The perihelion of this luminous and spectacular comet occurred at the end of 1973, dragging behind it all the expectations, fears, ominous omens, and inspirations. In the musical realm, besides Argent, those who ventured to dedicate a song to this passing star included Kraftwerk, Journey, and out of time (ten years later) even R.E.M. The suite proceeds through time changes and atmospheres, dominated by the Moog, the organ, the bass, and the guitar in various phases. It is not at all a masterpiece, but it remains quite indicative of where a certain music of the time was headed—pretentious but free, naive but recreative.

Concrete traces of progressive are also recorded in the divided power ballad "God Gave Rock’n’Roll to You," this time by Ballard, which was successfully covered many years later by Kiss. It's a song that admits no half measures: you either love it or hate it, as captivating yet pompous as it is.

There is another track divided into two parts "part 1" and "part 2," namely "It’s Only Money," but here progressive has nothing to do anymore. It's just hard rhythm & blues with strong instrumental development, in the same manner as "Thunder and Lightning," another creation by Russ Ballard, an effective vehicle for showcasing his particularly tenor and bright voice.

Progressive entertainment returns in full force with Rod Argent in his "Music from the Spheres," where he showcases his lively piano skills. But Ballard also knows how to play and compose on the black grand instrument, as demonstrated here in his magnificent "I Don’t Believe in Miracles," a slow song with a commendable melody, among the best ever generated by this prolific composer for himself and others.

The fourth side of the album, or the last two tracks, is dedicated to the two most prominent pieces of the repertoire, namely "Hold Your Head Up," an irresistible riff-laden hard rock that serves as the concert's closing track, and then "Time of the Season," which functions as an encore ("Encore," indeed). The latter is actually a track by The Zombies from five years prior, but since they were Rod Argent's previous group before he went on to form this band under his own name, we're definitely within relevance. The track is all his, after all, and is characterized by an unforgettable, catchy vocal flourish at the end of the chorus, a rare seduction.

No post-production is present, errors and uncertainties are included in the price and make listening all the more appealing. Three and a half stars, tending towards four.