REVIEW: ARGENT – Hold Your Head Up

 

ARGENT – Hold Your Head Up (1978)

Embassy

Some records are valuable for what is on the vinyl rather than for what they fetch in a collector’s guide. Hold Your Head Up is one of them. It is a ten-track compilation released in 1978 on CBS’s budget imprint Embassy. It is not a new Argent album. The band had disbanded in 1976, and this LP brings together songs from the group's most productive years.

Argent was formed in 1969 by former Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent, who brought together guitarist and vocalist Russ Ballard, his cousin Jim Rodford on bass, and drummer Bob Henrit. Former Zombies bassist and songwriter Chris White also played an important role in the band's early development as a songwriter and producer, although he was not a performing member. The band's biggest hits were "Hold Your Head Up", which reached No. 5 in both the UK and the US, "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", which reached No. 18 in the UK, and "Tragedy", which reached No. 34.

Argent's sound sits between pop songcraft and progressive rock, with a harder edge that grew as the albums went on. Rod Argent's Hammond organ is the signature instrument. It carries the melodies, drives the long solos and gives the band a sound that is immediately recognisable. Around it, Russ Ballard's guitar brings a riff-based, more direct rock approach, while the rhythm section keeps everything tight and song-focused.

The band had two distinctive songwriting voices. The Argent/White compositions, such as "Hold Your Head Up" and "Celebration", lean towards keyboard-led arrangements, strong vocal hooks and room for instrumental passages. Ballard's songs, such as "Liar", "Tragedy" and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", are punchier, built on guitar riffs and big choruses. Together, they gave Argent a mix that was catchy enough for the singles charts and ambitious enough to appeal to a progressive-rock audience. Louder described them as a bridge between 60s pop and the harder rock associated with Cream and Led Zeppelin, which is a fair summary of where they sit.

Side one opens with the full-length "Hold Your Head Up" (Argent/White, 6:15), rather than the shorter radio edit, and Rod Argent's organ solo is one of the reasons to hear it that way. "Liar" (3:14) and "Celebration" (2:52) follow, before Russ Ballard's "Tragedy" (4:46) and "Man for All Reasons" (4:44).

Side two begins with "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" (6:45), followed by "Thunder and Lightning" (5:05), "Like Honey" (3:15, Argent/White), "It's Only Money (Part 1)" (4:04) and "Highwire" (3:20, Rod Argent). The balance between the Argent/White compositions and Ballard's harder, riff-led songs shows why the band worked: two different songwriting voices pulling the same group in different directions, with Rod Argent's musical contribution providing a distinctive identity throughout.

The sleeve is simple and striking. Four fists hold up a white card that carries the tracklist, and the back cover repeats the design with the credits, including an illustration credit to Michal Bonora. It looks like a late-70s budget sleeve, and it works.

The song that gives this record much of its lasting reputation is "God Gave Rock and Roll to You". Written by Russ Ballard and recorded by Argent in 1973, it appeared on their album In Deep before being released as a single that year. It reached No. 18 in the UK, while in the US it peaked at No. 114 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart, just outside the main Hot 100. Its significance, however, extended well beyond its original chart performance. KISS recorded it in 1991 as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack, substantially rewriting the verses while retaining the recognisable chorus. The song subsequently appeared on their album Revenge (1992) and their live album Alive III (1993). It was also Eric Carr's final recording contribution to KISS. Although Eric Singer played drums, Carr contributed backing vocals, making the recording particularly significant in the context of his final months with the band. Ballard's songwriting reached other hard-rock audiences through different artists too, notably Rainbow, who recorded his compositions "Since You Been Gone" and "I Surrender".

This is a budget compilation rather than a rarity, so it is more interesting as a piece of musical history than as an investment. The tracks originally appeared on Epic during the early 70s, and those original album pressings are generally the ones collectors seek. A clean copy of this Embassy LP is an affordable way to own many of the band's best-known songs, including the longer album versions of its major tracks.

Hold Your Head Up is not the definitive Argent statement, because that is spread across their studio albums, but it is a very good introduction. It is full of memorable songs, held together by Argent's keyboards and Ballard's guitar, with at least two tracks that have enjoyed a long second life. For an inexpensive budget-label pressing, that is a lot of music.

Nick Parastatidis