All Together Now [Extra tracks]

It's good to finally see this album back in print again, and it sounds great.

If you have the 1997 Koch disc, and are wondering about any difference in remastering between the two, I have compared them both: Don't waste your money, because both discs are nearly identical.

Also, the Koch disc has three more tracks, albeit that exist elsewhere in the currently available Argent CD catalog.

I heard a slight, and I mean SLIGHT, additional clarity in Rod Argent's organ opening of "Hold Your Head Up", but you're only going to hear this thru really good headphones, and then, again, only minimally.

I did find "I Am The Dance Of Ages" to be slightly more dynamic on the Koch, but the clarity of both were virtually the same, so the effect could be duplicated on the new disc by just adjusting the bass upward.

So, again, I don't see any reason for buying this release, as all the five bonus tracks on this edition are also on the Koch CD, if you already own it.

And, seeing what the OOP Koch edition is going for used, you would want to buy this one, and spend the money you save buying "Nexus" & "In Deep".

I have always found myself listening to "Nexus", with the fabulous Kohoutek suite, more than this album. "All Together Now" is certainly not a bad album, I just happen to prefer "Nexus".

JULY 2008 UPDATE:

Sony Japan has just released the entire Argent catalog in the guise of remastered mini-LP sleeves.

The 2008 DSD-processing on these titles is superior to all previous remastered releases, including the Edsel, Koch & Acadia-label releases, not to mention the pathetic-sounding Collectables discs.

Unfortunately, however, Sony missed a few bonus tracks which appeared on the two prior "All Together Now" Koch & Acadia releases, "Kingdom", and "Closer To Heaven", of particular note.

Here are the links to the 2008 mini-sleeves:

Argent
Ring Of Hands
All Together Now
In Deep
Nexus
Encore
Circus

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

I'll be reviewing a couple of versions of this albm. The album deserves 5 star for content but the Acadia for presentation does not. Read further for more info.

Argent's biggest selling album "All Together Now" remains one of their best albums. There are numerous editions of this all sound quite good but the Acadia edition has a massive drop out on track five "Be My Lover, Be My Friend" (which is probably why there are quite a few used ones floating around). To the best of my knowledge it wasn't repressed with a correction so you should probably avoid that one (unless you are picking it up for the b-sides "Closer to Home" or "Kingdom" which are non-album tracks).

The Koch (which can be found used) also has a nice transfer but different bonus tracks than the Acadia; it features four songs from other Argent albums "God Gave You Rock 'n' Roll" (a hit for the band and for KISS), "Rejoice" and "It's Only Money (Part II)". "Christmas For Free" appears here as well and is the same mix (it appears on the Acadia as well and is pulled from another Argent album).

The edition in the Argent boxed setOriginal Album Classicssounds quite nice but there aren't any bonus tracks and neither does the the Japanese remasters (both editions in mini-sleeves).

"All Together Now" has also appeared in a remastered DSD edition which sports a higher quality transfer (although it is still "dithered" down to 16 bits, i.e., you're NOT getting a full 24 bit transfer because a regular CD can't deliver it)that also sounds quite nice.

In short: The Koch-Sounds good but includes key singles from other albums as bonus tracks--The Acadia-A major drop out at 17 seconds of "Be My Lover, Be My Friend" BUT has the non-album b-sides "Kingdom" and "Closer to Home" both essential songs (good enough to have been album tracks)--Japanese remasters probably sound the best of all of these but no bonus tracks if that matters.

Choose wisely.

ALL TOGETHER NOW is the best CD Argent ever released. It includes the band's (and leader Rod Argent's, whether with the Zombies or Argent) finest moment ever, "Hold Your Head Up", a song which inspired me to recover faster whenever I had any type of illness. However, there are other great moments here, too, and, along with the self-titled debut and RING OF HANDS, forms one-third of the essential Argent trilogy. This CD is one which you must own if you're into high-class pop-rock or progressive rock.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars