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Schoolgirl would have made a fine single and Liar went on to become a big hit for Three Dog Night. Its highlight, Dance In The Smoke, appeared on the classic CBS sampler album, Fill Your Head With Rock. Though it was well received by the critics, sales were muted, which was a great pity, as Argent was very much a close cousin to Odyssey And Oracle. Their self-titled debut fared well on the import chart, having been issued some three months before it eventually secured a British release in January 1970. They built up a small but enthusiastic following through their superb live shows, supported by influential DJs like Stewart Henry and Mike Harding, who both hosted BBC Radio 1’s Sounds Of The 70s.īy this time, their leader had grown his hair down to his waist, looking every inch the prog rock icon. Through the enormous popularity of Time Of The Season, written by Rod Argent, the band were soon offered a six-album deal with CBS, although the record company still wanted to market them as The Zombies.īut, no way, Argent it was – the band were sticking to their guns, and soon they were performing at all the key London underground venues such as the Lyceum all-nighters and the Implosion Sunday afternoon concerts at the Roundhouse. What were the new band to be called? Rob Henrit soon came up with the name Silver Surfer, but there were legal problems with the name, so Russ Ballard simply suggested Argent, in honour of its founding member, who apparently cringed at the idea, but Argent it was.Īrgent were the perfect pop/prog crossover band, capable of being heavy and experimental, with brilliant improvisation, but also extremely contemporary – a kind of Beach Boys meets Uriah Heep. They had also been the backing musicians for Adam Faith & The Roulettes, and when Adam quit, Russ assumed the leadership, resulting in The Roulettes’ now much sought-after Stakes And Chips album, valued at £500+. Jim recommended two guys who were playing the supper circuit in a band called Unit 4+2 (of Concrete And Clay fame) and were in desperate need of a more stretching gig: guitarist Russ Ballard and drummer Rob Henrit. He recruited his bass-playing cousin, James Rodford, who had played for The Mike Cotton Sound. By the late 60s the progressive rock boom was in full tilt and Rod, with his taste for classical and jazz, threw his considerable musical skills into it. Rod Argent, meanwhile, set out in a new direction. Zombie drummer Hugh Grundy also worked for CBS in A&R before becoming a pub landlord and concert promoter. Guitarist Paul Atkinson became an executive with the Dick James Music Publishing Group (The Beatles, Elton John) before re-joining his old label CBS in 1972, where he pulled off a master stroke by signing Abba for a £1,000 advance! He went on to work with Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, The Eagles, BB King, Aretha Franklin and Tom Petty. Bassist Chris White turned to songwriting and producing, setting up Nexus Productions for his former colleagues, and later helped to get Dire Straits off the ground. Singer Colin Blunstone pursued a solo career. But by then, The Zombies had gone their separate ways, although they were to re-form many decades later. The song, which also appeared on the legendary sampler, The Rock Machine Turns You On, sold over two million copies and re-ignited their reputation. Despite playing to ecstatic US audiences, subsequent singles fared less well and their album, Odyssey & Oracle, though hailed now as a classic of the hippy era, failed to make much impact, although Blood Sweat And Tears organist Al Kooper was so impressed he pushed for the release of the track Time Of The Season as a single.
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It is sometimes forgotten now, but 46 years ago The Zombies and their debut smash, She’s Not There, were right up there with The Beatles and The Stones as part of the British Invasion which took the USA by storm. But some truly fabulous sounds have emerged from the town in the shape of The Zombies and Argent, who were both led by keyboard virtuoso Rod Argent. Albans in Hertfordshire, just 20 miles north of London, may be one of Great Britain’s most renowned Roman towns, but it does not exactly register on the rock’n’roll Richter scale.