Argent - "Hold Your Head Up"

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Do they still play this song on the radio? I remember hearing it all the time on classic rock radio 10-12 yrs ago but don't think I've heard it since then. I'm not sure if it's good since I haven't heard it in so long but I've kinda been missing it. Use this thread to discuss either this song or the changing nature of classic rock.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 27 April 2003 20:32 (10 years ago) Permalink

There's a Soulwax remix on Futurism 2 which is excellent, I always wondered what the original was like.

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 27 April 2003 20:41 (10 years ago) Permalink

I've got the original, believe it or not, on a 33 rpm 'maxi single'. The a side runs for 6.16, which I'll always remember. There was a track on the b side I preferred actually.

― David (David), Sunday, 27 April 2003 21:02 (10 years ago) Permalink

It's pretty great for a song that steals its beat from Pink Floyd's "Let There Be Light". I have the All Together Now and In Deep lps but hardly play them. I'm a huge Zombies fan, and even though I love all manner of 70's style classic rock the Argent records are just kind of there. Too many lame Bach-isms in his playing. Still, Ii'm interested in hearing the first two lps; I saw the Argent/Blunstone tour last year and in addition to a pretty good version of "Hold Your Head Up", they a did a couple earlier Argent tunes which caught my ear.

Oh yeah, as far as I know it's still on regular rotation on classic rock stations, where they exist. What I think is more interesting is that 'classic rock' as a format seems as though it is being slightly phased out. When I moved to the Chicago area over a decade ago, there were two distinct classic rock stations. Both have since been phased out - one became a talk station, and one went to a present-day "modern rock" format. There is a relatively new station that refers to its format as "classic hits"; basically it's the old classic rock playlist made slightly softer. You'll still hear something like "Hold Your Head Up"; but whereas in the past you'd hear the occasional Deep Purple or Black Sabbath cut, now it's more likely to be the Climax Blues Band or Stealer's Wheel.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Sunday, 27 April 2003 21:47 (10 years ago) Permalink

haha - they're playing this song right now in Ottawa during the Senators/Flyers game.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 28 April 2003 00:18 (10 years ago) Permalink

Australian pub rock cover band The Party Boys released a version of this that was as rubbish as you would imagine.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 28 April 2003 00:21 (10 years ago) Permalink

those Argent LPs are k-boring

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 28 April 2003 01:04 (10 years ago) Permalink

Phish does a quicker, instrumental version live before and after their drummer sings because apparently the drummer hates the song.

― Aaron M (Aaron M), Monday, 28 April 2003 01:14 (10 years ago) Permalink

I actually heard it in the grocery store this morning, but as Sundar says, it seems to have fallen out of the standard 'classic rock' rotation over the last decade or so.

― Jeff Wright, Monday, 28 April 2003 01:19 (10 years ago) Permalink

someone who is not nickalicious beating me to the phish reference shocker! yes, phish has played an (almost always) abbreviated version of this song hundreds of times on stage.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 28 April 2003 03:19 (10 years ago) Permalink

8 years pass...

Hear this song on the radio today and it sounded awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=argent+hold+your+head+up&aq=0&oq=argent+hold

― deez m'uts (La Lechera), Monday, 2 May 2011 18:37 (2 years ago) Permalink

oops

― deez m'uts (La Lechera), Monday, 2 May 2011 18:38 (2 years ago) Permalink

i have a soft spot for these late-'60s/early-'70s tunes with chugging, repetitive, 'smoke on the water'-ish guitar riffs.

― omar little, Monday, 2 May 2011 19:04 (2 years ago) Permalink

i have a soft spot for this tune because caustic resin has an incredible cover of it on one of their records

― call all destroyer, Monday, 2 May 2011 19:07 (2 years ago) Permalink

― omar little, Monday, 2 May 2011 19:08 (2 years ago) Permalink

i didn't know jeff tweedy was in mr big

― deez m'uts (La Lechera), Monday, 2 May 2011 19:12 (2 years ago) Permalink

One interesting thing about this song is that it was written as a tribute to the women's liberation movement, as it was called at that time. The chorus is "hold your head up, woman" but because of the way it's sung the "woman" at the end is usually not noticed. Even many of the lyric sites on the web don't include it. I grew up hearing this song on the radio, never knowing it was a tribute to women until I read about it somewhere years later.

― bad fog, Monday, 2 May 2011 19:26 (2 years ago) Permalink

The chorus is "hold your head up, woman" but because of the way it's sung the "woman" at the end is usually not noticed.

Mr. Big seemed to have missed this finer point in their attempt to impress us with what skilled shredding musicians they were. Walken: Needs more guitar.

― Gorge, Tuesday, 3 May 2011 00:11 (2 years ago) Permalink

What a great clip La Lachera posted. I had never seen Mr. Argent's hair in action before.

― offee is for losers only, do you not c? (Abbbottt), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 01:27 (2 years ago) Permalink

The Soulwax remix was mentioned upthread but I thought I'd post it.

This is different from the one I have, which is odd, but I can't find another on YT.

― The Sunspots In Your Eyes Are Actually Cataracts, Mr. Rudich (AWALL), Tuesday, 3 May 2011 08:39 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

i have a soft spot for these late-'60s/early-'70s tunes with chugging, repetitive, 'smoke on the water'-ish guitar riffs.

and screemy vocals

― (REAL NAME) (m coleman), Monday, 21 May 2012 19:21 (1 year ago) Permalink

argent - "tragedy"

― (REAL NAME) (m coleman), Monday, 21 May 2012 19:23 (1 year ago) Permalink

11 months pass...

this song still rules

― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 18:37 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

Had never noticed the "woman" before!

― how's life, Wednesday, 8 May 2013 18:52 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

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