From the ashes of Argent’s final 1976 tour, the band Phoenix rose. Argent’s
strong lead vocalist and guitarist John Verity, drummer Bob Henrit and bassist/keyboardist
Jim Rodford initially formed H.R.V., pledging to play more straight-ahead music.
They changed their name to Phoenix, put out their first album, followed it with
another (and toured with Aerosmith), then recorded a third and final album.
The band’s self-titled debut, Phoenix, and their third, In
Full View, are now bundled together as a double CD set
“Easy” opens the first record nice and easy, showcasing a very
tight band, with some solid popping bass work from Rodford and distinctive guitar
noodling from Verity. I like the spacey keys (similar to the beginning of Pink
Floyd’s “Sheep”) on “Drowning In Tears,” though
the rest of this track meanders a bit too much with the echo on Verity’s voice,
an effect that outstays it welcome, being one of my biggest complaints. The
ballad “From The Ashes” showcase the talents of Verity, but “Winnebago”
and “Try A Little Rock n’ Roll” are perfect vehicles for this three-piece
outfit — a couple of upbeat numbers cast in the Foghat mode.
There’s a sweet change-up with the synth bass on Rodford’s “Mississippi
Neckbone” and a plaintive blues on “I’ll Be Back for More.”
The entire band comes across sticky tight groovin’ on the bluesy driven “Honey.”
And the smart pull-off riff from Verity on “I’ll Be Gone,” is as tight
a closer as you could ask for. All in all, this trio’s first attempt is rockin’.
For In Full View, the keys and sax on “Just Another
Day” may come as a surprise. With Rodford out of the band, this third
release was a far more commercial record. The powers-that-be cut back the echo
on Verity’s voice, but he’s still as effective. If nothing else, he comes across
as a real rock star here.
“Fooling Myself” simply rocks in that late 70s staccato, big guitar
way. The very poppy “Into Your Blood” should have gotten as much airplay
as any Foreigner tune did at the time. “Don’t Fool Me” sounds very
much like any other corporate late 70’s rock. You’d be hard pressed to determine
who this is actually; Phoenix was being molded on In Full View to sound like
just about anybody else out there at the time.
“I Don’t Mind” is a bit too redundant, but I do like the slightly
out-of-tune piano. Verity wails all over “I’m In Love” but things
are just too poppy at this point, and the songs all start to sound too much
alike. While it’s nice to have Phoenix and In Full
View in one collection, the group’s first album stands out with
a hard and unique sound while they fell victim to commercial malaise on their
subsequent release, added to that stack of forgotten gems dusted off every few
years.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
