Customer Reviews

Original Album Classics

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"Original ALBUM Classics" was released as a 5CD mini box set in March 2009 on Epic/Legacy 88697445472 and it breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 is "Argent" (40:39 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut album issued in 1970 in the UK on CBS S 63781 and in the USA on Epic BN 26525

Disc 2 is "Ring Of Hands" (42:52 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 2nd album issued in 1971 in the UK on Epic S 64190 and on Epic KE 30128

Disc 3 is "All Together Now" (41:42 minutes)"
Tracks 1 to 7 are their 3rd album issued in April 1972 in the UK on Epic S EPC 64962 and in the USA on Epic KE 31556

Disc 4 is "In Deep" (45:24 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 8 are their 4th album issued in 1973 in the UK on Epic S EPC 65475 and in the USA on Epic KE 32195

Disc 5 is "Nexus" (42:10 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 5th album issued in 1974 in the UK on Epic S EPC 65924 and in the USA on Epic KE 32573

Each card repro is a single sleeve - the UK gatefold artwork for "Argent", "Ring Of Hands" and "All Together Now" (including its 4-page insert) is NOT reproduced on these issues; while the "Nexus" title uses the 'US' artwork, which is different to the UK issue. However, Sony/Legacy have the full details and booklets for each title downloadable from www.musicmadesimple.info

As you can see from the song numbers listed above, none of the CDs contain extra tracks - in particular the 7" single edits of "Hold Your Head Up" and "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" or the unique US mixes of their first 2 singles "Liar" and "Rejoice". You have to buy those separately and they're all available on a USA 2008 18-track Epic CD compilation called ""Greatest - The Singles Collection" (it's also available via an iTunes download).

It doesn't say who's remastered what or where, but the sound is good overall - superb in some places ("All Together Now") - but unfortunately only mediocre in others. For instance, "In Deep" and "Nexus" got lumped together as 2 albums on one CD a few years ago which received bad reviews - in particular to do with its mastering (some even suggesting that vinyl was used). That's not the case on these versions of those two albums - tracks like "Losing You" from "In Deep" and "Once Around The Sun" and "Man For All Reasons" from "Nexus" (lyrics above) all have quite patches in them - but there's no clicking or popping here. What there is a certain kind of top-end muddiness - I think it's inherent to the way they were recorded. I'm afraid I've found a lot of Legacy issues like this (not all of course) - they're good - but hardly great.

And in that Seventies progressive kind of a way, some of the music is of course horribly dated too, but other portions of it (especially the excellent first 2 albums) is truly superb 70's rock well worth re-discovering.

Overall - a fairly good way of acquiring now quite pricey albums on original vinyl - and a revelatory jaunt down a not-so-familiar rock path.

Recommended.

Released as part of Sony's boxed set collections "Original Album Classics" collects the first five albums by Argent. It appears that the albums use the most recent masters for these releases (and "Argent" for example has the same amount of tape hiss noticeable on previous editions). Although the earliest albums are a bit bright sounding, that has to do with the studio where the album was recorded, mixed and mastered. In my humble opinion this beats the BGO of the first album as well as the Wounded Bird both of which I have heard (for the former I no longer have it). The clarity on the first album in particular beats the Wounded Bird which suffers from the brightness but lacks the clarity (probably due to a higher generation tape being used)and tends to be a bit muddy compared to the Sony. I'd suggest either way to turn down the treble a bit to tame the brightness of the recordings.

All five albums sound vary from exceptional sounding ("All Together Now" to good "Argent")but none of these albums have any booklets or credits (they are presented in miniature replicas of the original packaging although none of these are gatefold sleeves like the original vinyl releases). Sony's website musicmadesimple.info is no longer up and running which is strange given that it has only been two years since this was released AND that these are all still in print. If you want full album credits you'll need to go to wikipedia or allmusic to get the information on the respective albums.

A minor complaint: It would have been nice if they had included a picture of the band that PLAYED on these albums; the five piece line up appeared on the band's last two albums NOT included here--"Circus" and "Counterpoints"--it doesn't feature the line up which featured Russ Ballard who sang lead vocals, played guitar and wrote a number of songs for the band's first five albums.

The five albums have the following tracks from the original albums unedited:

"Argent":
Like Honey, Liar, Be Free, Schoolgirl, Dance in the Smoke, Lonely Hard Road, Feeling Is Inside, Freefall, Stepping Stone, Bring You Joy.

Of the first five albums by the band this one could easily have been the follow up to The Zombies' "Odyssey and Oracle". The songwriting is top notch.

"Ring of Hands":
Celebration, Sweet Mary, Cast Your Spell Uranus, Lothlorien, Chained, Rejoice, Pleasure, Sleep Won't Help Me, Where Are We Going Wrong.

The band's second album moves them in more of a progressive rock direction.

"All Together Now:
Hold Your Head Up, Keep on Rollin', Tragedy, I Am the Dance of Ages, Be My Lover, Be My Friend, He's a Dynamo, Pure Love: I: Fantasia/II: Prelude/III: Pure Love/IV: Finale.

Featuring their top 5 single "Hold Your Head Up" the progressive element becomes stronger here.

"In Deep"
God Gave Rock and Roll to You, It's Only Money, Pt. 1, It's Only Money, Pt. 2, Losing Hold, Be Glad, Christmas for the Free, Candles on the River, Rosie.

"Nexus" (which curiously has the U.S. cover if I recall correctly NOT the U.K. cover and, given that these were made in the U.K. for Europe, you'd expect it to have the artwork for the U.K. edition):
Coming of Kohoutek, Once Around the Sun, Infinite Wanderer, Love, Music from the Spheres, Thunder and Lightning, Keeper of the Flame, Man for All Reasons, Gonna Meet My Maker.

The final studio album to feature Russ Ballard, "Nexus" features a meadering but interesting instrumental and while this didn't generate any hits, many songs became very popular on FM radio at the time.

None of the single edits or any rarities are included in the set. Although the newest remasters from Japan may beat these (to be honest I haven't heard them as I've been pretty satisfied with this set), they are also a lot more expensive and given the nice mastering, wide dynamic range and clarity from the U.K. mastertapes used for this set (there aren't any mastering credits by the way), this set is a great place to get all five of the band's first albums for an inexpensive price.

Recommended.

This is a wonderful Argent 5-LP collection primarily because Argent reissues (not counting an issue of All Together released apart from this package) don't include bonus tracks so I don't need the missing liner notes that (I presume) come with the single disc remastered reissues. No matter how well I cared for the original Argent albums those soft keyboard and sparse vocal passages were starting to sound a bit rough on my vinyl and I loved the opportunity of replacing them at a great price.

For the completist one can get the version of All Together Now with 3 additional single versions (one of which is on the Argent singles collection) independently in conjunction with this set.

Each disc is contained in a cardboard sleeve 'replica' of the original album cover. I say 'replica' in quotes because the catalog number is new and the beautiful gatefold sleeves of the albums are not included so some artwork and interior copy is lost. I presume these interiors are available on the single disc CD reissues . . . ? Then the sleeves are inside one larger heavy-duty cardboard box with the tracks of all 5 CDs listed on the back.

If you aren't familiar with Argent, the first album especially sounds like The Zombies, and smokes in my opinion. A masterpiece of tasteful melancholy soft rock including Liar, which Three Dog Night would cover. The second gets a little more free formish and the band gradually moves more towards prog - though it can't decide whether to get more jazzy or heavy at times. Heavier choices would be their hit Hold Your Head Up and the song Kiss would make famous, God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You. A highly recommended set.