In an absolute class by themselves. They came on REALLY late at this recording and as an audience member it was worth the patience to witness one of the really great and uniqe bands. Not surprisingly, Rod Argent, all these years later, is still at the top of his game! That's a r&r miracle you can believe in!
According to drummer Bob Henrit's autobiography, singer & guitarist Russ Ballard was suffering from bad bouts of depression- "black moods", as he put it. This was the reason Ballard departed Argent, after the recording & mixing of the "Encore" live album set. Sounded like it was debilitating for Mr. Ballard at the time & no one could help bring him out it. It rings familiar of Robert Fripp during certain times; with the "Islands" era band and again during the recording of "Red". No doubt, some of these guys suffered even when in their prime. I'm sure being in a touring band has it's way with everyone at one point or another...😟
Thanks for that bit of information. I thought maybe Russ just wanted to move on as a songwriter, but glad he got through the dark period, as he is still with us all these years later.
