Argent

Argent was the name of a rock band founded in 1969 by Rod Argent after his previous band, The Zombies, broke up. The other original member was guitarist Russ Ballard, who c

Argent was the name of a rock band founded in 1969 by Rod Argent after his previous band, The Zombies, broke up. The other original member was guitarist Russ Ballard, who contributed to several compositions through the group's career (curiously some of Ballard's compositions became hits when they were covered by other bands, like Rainbow or Santana). Argent's biggest hit was Hold Your Head Up. They also recorded the original version of the rock anthem God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You, which was more famously covered by KISS. The sound of the band was a mix of rock and pop but probably their finest moment was The Coming of Kohoutek, an instrumental from their Nexus album, which steps on more progressive ground. When Russ Ballard left the band after "Encore", they took an even more progressive/fusion turn and signed to a new label (RCA) for the two final albums. By 2005, all albums, including compilations, has been re-released on CD, except Counterpoints.