Argent-Circus (1975)

The departure of Russ Ballard from the British band Argent meant losing not only one of their best songwriters, but also their lead singer and guitarist. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and this loss led the band's other leader, Rod Argent, to take the reins musically and steer the band in a direction and sound more in line with his preferences and musical tastes. To begin with, he recruited not just one singer and guitarist, but two at the same time: John Verity and John Grimaldi. This substantial transformation considerably changed Argent's style. "Circus" was the perfect excuse for Rod Argent to delve into more jazz-influenced atmospheres, while simultaneously crafting an album far more progressive and balanced than all their previous releases, completely abandoning the hard rock of their early records. Here, the Hammond organ (omnipresent on all previous albums) practically disappears in favor of the Mellotron, the mini Moog, and Fender Rhodes pianos, as demonstrated in the atmospheric "Clown". All these changes are also reflected in the great sense of dynamics and brilliant rhythmic shifts, as in the exuberant symphonic title track, the fiery progressive "Highwire", and the jazz-rock "Trapeze", which represent the album's most avant-garde moments. Meanwhile, the accessible sounds of yesteryear are present in the melodic "Shine On Sunshine" and the cheerful boogie-jazz "The Jester".