Search - Argent :: Argent/Circus

Underrated then, ignored now

John R. Hodgkinson | 09/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(This reviews only the Circus part of the twofer, I leave the other album to the experts.)



The progressive rock meme had long since infected popular music by the time Argent released Circus in 1975. But musicians still couldn't decide whether they liked best the harmonic changes, the artsy orchestra, the jazz element, or the bombast. Bombast won, in case the 70s were before your time.



So Circus lacks the chops and big budget of "Tarkus" era ELP, or the bulging brains of "Lamb Lies Down" era Genesis. But, in a minimal sort of way, it's tasty nonetheless.



A standount for me is The Jester, where they don't take themselves too seriously. Dig the off-mike laugh before the bridge guitar solo and the witty, sloppy clincher (ragtime was not meant to be played fast).



Highwire hangs together, despite being one of those 9-minute "bring the band members into the studio on different days" tracks. Even sounds like they were all in the same room for the "getting dangerous" unison toward the end, to good effect.



Shine On Sunshine is just a knock-off of "Good Day Sunshine", but it turns out McCartney was going to be quite good at plagiarizing himself. No praise, no blame here.



Best avoided are the tracks where Argent personnel were starting to go their separate ways (Trapeze), or try too hard to recreate those quaint synthesizer-in-a-stadium solos (The Ring).



(As a sidebar, the circus meme was also rampant in the first half of the 70s - see the "radikally" different track Cirkus on King Crimson's 1970 album Lizard. There, by the way, jazz won.)



I've tried, but I just can't help but like The Clown - Pagliacci minus orchestra, jazz, and bombast - "and so I stand at last revealed a clown". So over the top, it actually rings true.

"

SUPERIOR 2008 JAPAN DSD-REMASTERS AVAILABLE

BOB | LOS ANGELES, CA | 07/12/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"
Sony Japan has just released the entire Argent Epic Records seven-disc catalog ("Counterpoints" was on a different label) in remastered, mini-LP sleeve format.



The 2008 Sony DSD-processed remastering trumps all previous releases, including the BGO, Edsel, Koch & Acadia-label CD's, not to mention the pathetic-sounding Collectables and Wounded Bird discs.



It is wonderful to finally have the primary Argent repertoire in dynamically-matched sound, as all the different releases (from the plethora of labels mentioned above) had varying audio levels, not to mention quality.



And, as always, the `sleeves themselves are fabulous, all being faithful replicas of the original gatefold LP record covers (except for "Nexus", which was a single-pocket LP design).



Unfortunately, however, Sony did not include two non-album tracks, "Kingdom", and "Closer To Heaven", which appeared on the "All Together Now" 2001-Koch & 2007-Acadia releases.



Curiously, though, Koch & Acadia also included as "bonus" tracks, songs that originally belonged to other Argent albums. These all appear in their proper place on the 2008 Japan releases.



Here are the links to the 2008 `sleeves:



Argent

Ring Of Hands

All Together Now

In Deep

Nexus

Encore

Circus



WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?



Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.



Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.



Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.



Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.



All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs."

Lost treasure

James J. Rossignol | 07/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Argent Circus is an overlooked gem from the seventies. It is my favorite Argent album and finds them at a mature peak. The songs are cohesive from beginning to end and full of energy. The musicianship is topnotch and the concept of the album is realized. The feeling of being at a circus is captured in all its glory. The band fails to miss a beat throughout the whole album. Unfortunately, the album was overlooked in the seventies by bigger bands. This release gives those who missed out the first time a second chance and gives me the chance to fill in a gap in my cd collection. This release was long overdue and ranks as an all-time sleeper hit. I never tire of listening to Circus as I am a die-hard rock and roll fan. The seventies was my decade and I am glad to relive the seventies one more time."