COUNTERPOINTS

I apologise in advance for writing a review that drasitcally counteracts earlier reviews on an album that is almost unavailable, thus not giving people the chance to hear what I am writing about. I don't think, and I would love anyone to put me right on this, that Counterpoints was ever transferred to CD. I do own the LP but have no means of playing it so it was a delight for me when I recently aquired a CDrom of this treasure. This album was a fundemental influence on my progres into progressive rock when I first plsyed it in the late 70's. 'Counterpoints' is all too quickly discarded as part of the collapse of an extremely popular prog band. I don't expect anyone to be able to do this straight away but if you do manage to get an opportunity to lay your hands on Counterpoints I urge you not to pass the opportunity to buy it. It is most certainly an aquired taste, a good single malt whiskey. What I mean by this is it will not sit easily with you initially. Argent fans will have the biggest problem as it is a mile away from the earlier works that pick up good ratings and this is where some of it's problems lie - misinterpretation! This is just not the same genre as the earlier Argent albums. In the same way that fans of early Genesis fans reject the later 80's pop sound heavily influenced by Phil Collins, so the same happens here. The differance is that 'Counterpoints' is technically far superior to anything Argent did previoously. People could not accept that an Argent without Russ Ballard could be taken as seriously. Wrong! If anything the music begs to be taken more seriously. It is a minor masterpeice.

The album has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In other words it has an opener, 'On My Feet Again' and a finish, 'Road Back Home' with plenty of great middle content. The irony of my earlier referance to Genesis and Phil Collins is that If my memory serves me correctly Mr Collins played on a large part of 'Counterpoints' and although not credited in the line up he is mentioned on the sleeve notes. One of the likeable things about this album, once you settle down to the strange jazzy feel (a feel missing from early Argent), is the link up between some of the tracks my favourite being the bridge between 'On My Feet Again' and 'I Can't Remember' Where after a slow beginning followed by something not unlike The Who, we move into some clever jazz ronck that would not have been out of place on a Brand X album (oh dear there's that Collins link again!). The 'bridge' though is like a rif taken from church or hand bell ringing that gradually slows down to the changed rythm of the next track and this orks very well. Then there is the very unusual but extremely effective and funky 'Be Sure' where there is an excellent peice of keyboard inventiveness about a third of the way through which touches a nerve when it first screams in. Rod Argent's lead vocals are unusual to say the least but once you get used to them you realise that the vocal style suits this music vey well. Another pleasing aspect is that every track starts in a unique way and 'Time' is no exception with it's gentle accoustic guitar beginning. The musical structure of 'Time' is also quite strange but once again after several listenings you suddenly just 'get it'! The techincal brilliance of 'Waithing for the Yellow One' is next. Rod Argent shows us why he was one of the most respected keyboard players of his day. There are excellent percussion and guitars as well. 'Be Strong' has another great keyboard solo, a moog if I'm not mistaken. For me this is probably the weakest track but not a bad one by any stretch. Following this we get back to that traditional 'Argent' sound with 'Rock & Roll Show'. The final section has 'Butterfly' linking up with 'Road Back Home'. 'Butterfly' is an example of something that is repeated a lot in this album where it serves up a sound you are not expecting. A little medievil tune that fuses with a jazzy piano solo seamlessly. Strange but amazingly effective. Then another wonderful link up with 'Road Back Home' which is like a 'time to go home' affair. This ends the album perfectly with a slow jazzy ballad. This ballad is probably one of my favourite prog ballads (if that is not a contradiction in terms!)ever. Great harmonies, lovely laid back feel, and one of Progs best guitar solos (but totally unapreciated).

I finish this reveiw by asking people to give this work a second chance and see it for what it is, a fine example of rock and jazz fusion with some great feel good moments to be had. I urge a record company to transfer this to CD as it deserves to be heard by more people. It doesn't need much in the way of remastering as it sounds just great. In my opinion this is a vastly underated clasic and I never tire of hearing it.