Argent
In Deep

One of the least explored aspects of progressive music, perhaps because it is less alluring to the ears of enthusiasts and at the same time less annoying to those of detractors, is the so-called progressive-pop, a crossover which received undeniable recognition even in the eighties (with Asia, for example), but whose peak splendor was achieved between the late sixties and early seventies, thanks to people like Procol Harum, Deep Purple (mark I, before the advent of Ian Gillan), Moody Blues, Rare Bird, Curved Air, the Electric Light Orchestra and the early Supertramp, the first 10cc, as well as our own New Trolls and Orme.

These Argent were also part of the aforementioned congregation of moderate progressives. They were a quartet of guitar/keyboard/bass/drums, with both soloists being composers and singers. Their history was essentially a tug of war between the organist and pianist Rod Argent (the guy lounging in the pool, on the Nirvana-style underwater cover) and the guitarist Russ Ballard. The issue was that the former leaned towards progressive, long instrumental parts, the "let's make it strange" approach, while the latter leaned towards melodic and accessible rock, seeking catchy choruses and straightforward, linear rhythm.

Argent won, after all, the band was named after him, and Ballard left in 1974, destined for a decent solo career, not at the forefront but supported by a considerable and lucrative success as a songwriter for others: songs penned by him ended up in the albums and concerts of Rainbow, Kiss, Roger Daltrey, Nightranger, Frida of Abba, Uriah Heep, America, Santana, Brian May, Stratovarius, and many others.

"In Deep" sees the two roosters still in the same henhouse: it was released at the beginning of 1973 as the fourth album of the seven released in their career. Ballard starts with one of his most ambitious and later covered numbers: the pop suite "God Gave Rock'n'Roll To You", a real melodic tour de force that unfolds through various sung, choral, and instrumental sections, totaling almost seven minutes. It was also released as a single, heavily edited and shortened, making a good impression in the charts of the time. The title is already a whole program to stimulate the imagination and grandeur of convinced rockers, both those on and off stage; not for nothing, the Kiss appropriated this sort of rock ode, making a pompous and slightly modified version (enough to add their names to Ballard's credit...), bringing it back to the charts in 1992.

The slender and bespectacled London guitarist/singer also expresses himself at his best in the curious "It's Only Money", a track divided into "part 1" and "part 2" (decidedly different in rhythm, arrangements, and atmosphere, but with a common lyrical theme) placed consecutively on the album's tracklist, while his inspiration seems more modest in the concluding ballad "Rosie".

The central part of the album is occupied, and dominated, by Rod Argent's very progressive compositions and his voice, rounder and softer, and less powerful than the penetrating and high delivery of the guitar colleague. Without exaggerating like Emerson, Wakeman, and company did in those years, there are plenty of Hammond organ riffs and piano pounding in "Losing Hold", "Christmas For The Free", and in the interminable "Be Glad" and "Candle On The River". In these episodes, Argent instantly loses that commercial appeal ensured by their guitarist's vein, creating music that is then conspicuously progressive but unfortunately without the visionary and conceptual capability, originality, and personality of the best in this field.

Final and necessary remark: the CD, or at least the copy in my possession, suffers from poor mastering, that is, low dynamics, little presence, high background analog hiss. It's a shame because, in this way, a fair part of the retro and somewhat naive charm it holds is lost.