Circus is the sixth studio album of Argent, released in March 1975 by Epic (PE 33422), and distributed by CBS. It was the last album as part of their contract with CBS Records and the first after the departure of founding member/lead vocalist/guitarist Russ Ballard. New lead vocalist John Verity was added at the recommendation of Ballard (Verity's band had supported Argent during their previous tour and had impressed Ballard).
| Circus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1975 | |||
| Studio | CBS Studios, Whitfield Street, London | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[1] | |||
| Length | 36:25 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Rod Argent, Chris White | |||
| Argent chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The album was recorded during an intense session after the new line up of the band workshopped and practised the material written largely by Rod Argent (bassist Jim Rodford wrote "Trapeze"). Prior to this album Argent had been working with his songwriting collaborator Chris White (the duo had written songs together and separately in The Zombies) on material for the band. The band quickly followed up with a second album Counterpoints the same year (1975) for RCA Records which has yet to be officially released on CD or in digital form.[3]
The album is a concept album using the circus as a metaphor for life. The album charted at 171 in Billboard. Circus received a CD release as an individual title and a two-album on one CD release from Wounded Bird Records in 2005.
Track listing
editAll songs composed by Rod Argent except where indicated.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Circus" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Highwire" | 9:05 |
| 3. | "Clown" | 5:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Trapeze" | Jim Rodford | 8:48 |
| 5. | "Shine on Sunshine" | 4:02 | |
| 6. | "The Ring" (instrumental) | 1:20 | |
| 7. | "The Jester" | 3:35 |
Personnel
edit- Argent
- Rod Argent – Fender Rhodes electric piano, acoustic piano, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, Hammond organ, vocals
- John Verity – guitar, vocals
- John Grimaldi – guitar, cover art
- Jim Rodford – bass, vocals
- Robert Henrit – drums, percussion
- Technical
- Mike Ross-Trevor – engineer
- Mark Williams – second engineer
- Martin Springett - inner sleeve illustration
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 171 |
References
edit- ^ Macan, Edward L. (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN 9780195098877.
- ^ Argent - Circus (1975) album rating, credits & releases at AllMusic
- ^ Sleeve notes, "Altogether Now"
- ^ "Argent Circus". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Argent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
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