Oh My Lord! May I please agree with other posters that I've never heard Argent's version of this song and I LOVE IT!!! I'm now 51 and I bought 3 Dog Night's version in 1971 (right?) when it first came out... bought it on a 45 from Mirabelli's Music City in Reno, Nevada when I was 11 years old! Thanks to TheRunner75 for this unexpected treat!!!!
Wow,learn something new after 53 years,never knew Argent did this song originally,i do like this version slightly bettter,but no complaints on either version
This version of "Liar"is undoubtedly the better version although Three Dog night's version is still pretty good. As far as Argent's albums go, "In Deep" is still a masterpiece in my opinion.
@TheBlackycat you get ahold of this album, plus "All Together Now", "Ring of Hands". Then add in "Encore", "In Deep""(my favourite) and "Nexus" and you will be happily suprised. yes music DID sound this good...once :)
@Sylphqueen1968 I have every one of those on vinyl except Encore. All of them are great albums. Ring of Hands was a particular fave of mine. Need to get them on CD.
I agree with the earlier comments about how good this album is. Really underrated.
I bought the vinyl albumin the early 1970s and realised then what a gem this bit of music was. Their later albums were way more commercial and of variable quality. If ya' want the BEST Argent album, this first one is their best. How many albums today can say that every song is strong and that there's NO filler crap?
Listen to this record and you'll have one such masterpiece, I shit you not.
@jamcgar I fully agree with you. The second album "Rings of Hands" is not bad but not as strong as that one. Many bands did their best albums before they came into fame... except the Beatles.
@jamcgar I dont remember where or when I first heard this but when I heard 3 dawgs version I thought "Jeez they screwed that one up" But then who could expect this much from people who have bull frogs for friends?.
I agree with the earlier comments about how good this album is. Really underrated.
I bought the vinyl albumin the early 1970s and realised then what a gem this bit of music was. Their later albums were way more commercial and of variable quality. If ya' want the BEST Argent album, this first one is their best. How many albums today can say that every song is strong and that there's NO filler crap?
Listen to this record and you'll one such masterpiece, I shit you not.
Gentlemen, you know what you should learn from this song? A (your) woman will lie straight to your face while looking you in the eye. Remember this or one morning you'll wake up crying your heart out and your nuts'll be missing. You've been warned.
From "The Zombies" to Argent, there must be something Rod Argent had to do with the production of these two groups. The production value is so incredibly high.. amazing recordings. Long live integrity. Plus, DUDE CAN PLAY!!! First love of B3 Organ.. Time of the Season.
Actually,I think Three Dog Night pretty much copied it straight.I had pretty much forgotten about this album,but I found a US 45 today of Liar and Schoolgirl today on US Date 2-1659.I had never seen any Argent on Date either,just Epic.Does anybody know if there is a US Date pressing of this album?
Back in 1971 I painted the Argent logo on my car! Their first two Albums (the 2nd being "Ring of Hands") are a pair of the greatest rock LPs ever. Rod Argent and his Zombies collaborator Chris White wrote most of the songs, but Ballard's contributions like "Liar" portend his songwriting talent - Santana's "Winning" and Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone" are two more of his you might have heard. [BTW - on the back of my original Epic album jacket drummer Henrit's name is misspelled "Hewit". ]
This is one of those songs that you can't help but do well. 3DN and Argent both captured eeriness of something gone wrong. Heard another version last week on 3WK underground and was just as good.
@TofuSoup91 Just out of curiosity, do you have a preference? Do you prefer the Argent original over the TDN cover? My experience was obviously the opposite of yours, and I can't truly say I prefer either because I love them both for different reasons, but I have been a fan of original rock before and had my heart broken when I heard it covered by a pop act, and let's make no mistake, I love them dearly, but TDN is a pop band (though their Liar cover is true rock).
@dcs002 I'll have to say that I like the original much better, although TDN did a good job. They didn't stray too much from the original, and did their best to try to "spooky" it up more. But the vocals of the original win me over. I also owned Harry Nilsson's "One" before the TDN version, but in that case the cover took the song in such a different direction that it equaled the original. I'm glad they covered these songs, otherwise they would be much less known
@TofuSoup91 As an amateur composer for community theater, I could think of no greater flattery than to be covered by a huge pop band. Not exactly the same situation, I know, but Rod Argent had the art, and Three Dog Night had the selling power. In my feeble mind I imagine Rod Argent being quite OK with the likes of Three Dog Night recording his masterpieces to share with the world. It made me aware of this great song, and for a composer, that's not too bad.
Thank you for posting this! I'm a huge Three Dog Night fan, and I know they never did their own music, and it's a real treat for me to hear the original like this! I'm actually surprised how closely they stuck to the original because they usually stylized their covers quite a bit. Argent certainly had that raw, rock purist sound that I love, and TDN was more highly produced. I refuse to rank them because they did different things, and I love both bands.
@funkychick60 3 dog night had 3 lead singers for 3 times the hot moves with the mike wire the piano sounds better on argents version I like 3 dog night some
I first listened to Three Dog Night and l recently found Argent's. I like both, but Argent's seems to have more feeling. I found this song while I was looking for 'Cast the spirit', Does anyone happen to know or have this song?
@Seabirdinflight7 You can listen to "Dance in the Smoke" I posted from the same album. I can post "Schoolgirl". However, you have to know that Sony bloked my 2 Argent videos in Germany and it might be the same for the next one from this album.
@Seabirdinflight7 They performed this at the fillmore east after the bomb scare that was the only time that happened there, then lee michaels performed then the moody blues .
This album got played extensively on my local underground FM station, including "Liar". So when 3 Dog Night had a hit with their watered-down version, it sure seemed like they were expoiting Argent's sonwriting abilities (did TDN write any of their hits?) by cherry-picking tunes, to the point that people now say "this is an interesting version of the TDN song", ala "Black Magic Woman" & Fleetwood Mac/Santana confusion. Argent was a rock band, TDN was for teenage girls.
@smokeemonkee TDN was mainly a cover band. I don't mind that too much--after all, the original songwriters still get paid. I once heard a similar criticism of Linda Ronstadt--unfair in my opinion. There are singers, and there are songwriters. She's a singer. After all, how many of his own songs did Frank Sinatra write?
@jefftamarkin True ! I bought it on sale for the first time on vinyl after discovering "Dance On the Smoke" on a French CBS compilation double LP called "Super Pop Session N°2" in the early 70s... and I really liked it at once.
i always thought it was a 3 dog song but i love this version i just heard it afew days ago 4 the1st time and ive listened to it about 20 times since then
oh wow, I like this one better! it's the first time I've heard it. I still like Three Dog Night's version tho---it's what's familiar to my ears. this is just awesome tho.
@Snicki1946 nah, there's no comparison to my ears......the vocals here and the instrumental tones don't hold a candle to three dog nights version........do dig the piano here though.
Argent definitely has the edgier, spookier version to me..almost like a stalker song. TDN slicked it up in the studio and added echoes for effect and an outstanding organ solo. Both versions stand on their own merit tho IMHO.
saturday night fever--- a direct rip off of this guitar riff. think of john revolta walking down the street at the beginning and this same guitar riff....liar cheater and thief .. i was here first!!!
Both versions of this song are absolutely beautiful! TDN version is much stronger vocally, but then Argent's version is much smoother. don;t mean to be wishy washy but it' s hard to pick the best. TDN wins.
I'm always surprised when I find out that a song I'm so use to hearing from one group is actually the cover of another group's song. This is the first time I've ever heard this version and I like it,too.
I agree. "Interesting" is the word. I definitely prefer Three Dog Night's hit cover. This I guess is more stripped down. TDN's version just has more power to it. Good on TDN for being able to find these gems and turning them into hits. They did it with Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not To Come'. Someone in that band obviously had a good ear and knew what would work for them.
Argent's first 2 albums are incredible!
artiebarnes 3 months ago
Admitting that I tend to like better, that which I heard first; I still prefer the TDN version
pantarkan7 3 months ago
I thought the Meters wrote this. Any song you think your favorite band wrote, it's really by Russ Ballard!
intuantu 5 months ago
Argent were a very underated band.....
ogrebattle22763 5 months ago
What was the name of the album?
maleruher 6 months ago
Wow!! I always thought this was TDN original! Cool tune , both versions, now I want to get this version, sob!!!
maleruher 6 months ago
Oh My Lord! May I please agree with other posters that I've never heard Argent's version of this song and I LOVE IT!!! I'm now 51 and I bought 3 Dog Night's version in 1971 (right?) when it first came out... bought it on a 45 from Mirabelli's Music City in Reno, Nevada when I was 11 years old! Thanks to TheRunner75 for this unexpected treat!!!!
jcckid1 6 months ago 3
Wow,learn something new after 53 years,never knew Argent did this song originally,i do like this version slightly bettter,but no complaints on either version
bigfez58 7 months ago
This version of "Liar"is undoubtedly the better version although Three Dog night's version is still pretty good. As far as Argent's albums go, "In Deep" is still a masterpiece in my opinion.
slainteism 7 months ago
It went somewhere with me - the only one that counts.
TheBeechingAxe 8 months ago
My Favorite Versions , 2 Me , Still " Three Dog Night " , and " Capability Brown " , was , IS , Still a great HIT !
cseaavalosroger 8 months ago
Awesome album!!!!!!! Screw 3DN. Okay, I need to get this and a bunch of their other albums on CD. I have this on vinyl from WAYYYYYY back when.
TheBlackycat 8 months ago
@TheBlackycat you get ahold of this album, plus "All Together Now", "Ring of Hands". Then add in "Encore", "In Deep""(my favourite) and "Nexus" and you will be happily suprised. yes music DID sound this good...once :)
Sylphqueen1968 8 months ago
@Sylphqueen1968 I have every one of those on vinyl except Encore. All of them are great albums. Ring of Hands was a particular fave of mine. Need to get them on CD.
TheBlackycat 8 months ago
@TheBlackycat You can get the 5 first albums in the box-set called "Original Album Classics" on amazon.
TheRunner75 8 months ago
@TheBlackycat yep you will be glad you did, and Runner75 hs made an excellent suggestion too :)
Sylphqueen1968 8 months ago
I agree with the earlier comments about how good this album is. Really underrated.
I bought the vinyl albumin the early 1970s and realised then what a gem this bit of music was. Their later albums were way more commercial and of variable quality. If ya' want the BEST Argent album, this first one is their best. How many albums today can say that every song is strong and that there's NO filler crap?
Listen to this record and you'll have one such masterpiece, I shit you not.
jamcgar 9 months ago 6
@jamcgar I fully agree with you. The second album "Rings of Hands" is not bad but not as strong as that one. Many bands did their best albums before they came into fame... except the Beatles.
TheRunner75 9 months ago 2
@jamcgar i had the original now i have the box set
laddeebleu 5 months ago
@jamcgar I dont remember where or when I first heard this but when I heard 3 dawgs version I thought "Jeez they screwed that one up" But then who could expect this much from people who have bull frogs for friends?.
FLHTP2007 5 months ago
I agree with the earlier comments about how good this album is. Really underrated.
I bought the vinyl albumin the early 1970s and realised then what a gem this bit of music was. Their later albums were way more commercial and of variable quality. If ya' want the BEST Argent album, this first one is their best. How many albums today can say that every song is strong and that there's NO filler crap?
Listen to this record and you'll one such masterpiece, I shit you not.
jamcgar 9 months ago 2
Gentlemen, you know what you should learn from this song? A (your) woman will lie straight to your face while looking you in the eye. Remember this or one morning you'll wake up crying your heart out and your nuts'll be missing. You've been warned.
smokiebird06 9 months ago
Comment removed
smokiebird06 9 months ago
This is THE version, imho.
Just an amazing song!
cjthemusicman 10 months ago
From "The Zombies" to Argent, there must be something Rod Argent had to do with the production of these two groups. The production value is so incredibly high.. amazing recordings. Long live integrity. Plus, DUDE CAN PLAY!!! First love of B3 Organ.. Time of the Season.
nycbassist 10 months ago
Actually,I think Three Dog Night pretty much copied it straight.I had pretty much forgotten about this album,but I found a US 45 today of Liar and Schoolgirl today on US Date 2-1659.I had never seen any Argent on Date either,just Epic.Does anybody know if there is a US Date pressing of this album?
blackvinylgrooves 11 months ago
Back in 1971 I painted the Argent logo on my car! Their first two Albums (the 2nd being "Ring of Hands") are a pair of the greatest rock LPs ever. Rod Argent and his Zombies collaborator Chris White wrote most of the songs, but Ballard's contributions like "Liar" portend his songwriting talent - Santana's "Winning" and Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone" are two more of his you might have heard. [BTW - on the back of my original Epic album jacket drummer Henrit's name is misspelled "Hewit". ]
wcdevins 1 year ago
Isn't this just great? It's not over the top anywhere. Simple & Beautiful. That's the way they did it back in the day. A true rock gem.
inindian 1 year ago
Isn't this just great? It's not over the top anywhere. Simple & Beautiful. That's the way they did it back in the day.
inindian 1 year ago
First time I've heard it, like many people. Always loved the TDN hit. I like them both.
vcx9dfne 1 year ago
I had NO IDEA Argent did this!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!!
yarekhunt 1 year ago
This is one of those songs that you can't help but do well. 3DN and Argent both captured eeriness of something gone wrong. Heard another version last week on 3WK underground and was just as good.
speedskiff2 1 year ago
I actually owned this version first, and was surprised to hear that Three Dog Night made it a hit. The exact opposite of everyone else's experience.
TofuSoup91 1 year ago
@TofuSoup91 Just out of curiosity, do you have a preference? Do you prefer the Argent original over the TDN cover? My experience was obviously the opposite of yours, and I can't truly say I prefer either because I love them both for different reasons, but I have been a fan of original rock before and had my heart broken when I heard it covered by a pop act, and let's make no mistake, I love them dearly, but TDN is a pop band (though their Liar cover is true rock).
dcs002 1 year ago
@dcs002 I'll have to say that I like the original much better, although TDN did a good job. They didn't stray too much from the original, and did their best to try to "spooky" it up more. But the vocals of the original win me over. I also owned Harry Nilsson's "One" before the TDN version, but in that case the cover took the song in such a different direction that it equaled the original. I'm glad they covered these songs, otherwise they would be much less known
TofuSoup91 1 year ago
@TofuSoup91 As an amateur composer for community theater, I could think of no greater flattery than to be covered by a huge pop band. Not exactly the same situation, I know, but Rod Argent had the art, and Three Dog Night had the selling power. In my feeble mind I imagine Rod Argent being quite OK with the likes of Three Dog Night recording his masterpieces to share with the world. It made me aware of this great song, and for a composer, that's not too bad.
Harry Nilsson Rocks! The end!
dcs002 1 year ago
superb. i found out argent was really good
LukasFin 1 year ago
Killer song.
ModGirl1967 1 year ago
Got this album.Agree, very underrated even back in 70.
leslielydia11 1 year ago
Good stuff. Wish we had more of this album
RevKJam 1 year ago
Thank you for posting this! I'm a huge Three Dog Night fan, and I know they never did their own music, and it's a real treat for me to hear the original like this! I'm actually surprised how closely they stuck to the original because they usually stylized their covers quite a bit. Argent certainly had that raw, rock purist sound that I love, and TDN was more highly produced. I refuse to rank them because they did different things, and I love both bands.
dcs002 1 year ago
@dcs002 i always did love the rawness of argent. i hate that they got lost to time?
hehnr 1 year ago
Was it the "cool" thing to cover an Argent song? Alot of bands have done it, I still don't think any have done it better than Argent did.
hogwild6161 1 year ago
Three Dog Night's version blows this away, sorry!!!
funkychick60 1 year ago
@funkychick60 3 dog night had 3 lead singers for 3 times the hot moves with the mike wire the piano sounds better on argents version I like 3 dog night some
spacepatrolman 1 year ago
@funkychick60 ummm not quite, although TDN DOES do a fantastic job with it along with Argent:)
Sylphqueen1968 1 year ago
Great song! My fave from this album is Dance In The Smoke.
thebec88 1 year ago
I first listened to Three Dog Night and l recently found Argent's. I like both, but Argent's seems to have more feeling. I found this song while I was looking for 'Cast the spirit', Does anyone happen to know or have this song?
journey60 1 year ago
@journey60 'Cast the Spirit" is on "At The Third Stroke" (Russ Ballard) from 1979, which I believe you can find at amazon :)
Sylphqueen1968 1 year ago
@Sylphqueen1968 Thanx 4 the info!
journey60 1 year ago
Cool, I never knew who the original was from.
dreamwithinadream68 1 year ago
Comment removed
shaamex2 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this. A friend gave this to me on cd. I still have the old scratched up wax on it. I agree Schoolgirl is a great song.
shaamex2 1 year ago
A fine track from a brilliant album. What on earth is a "confidential release", though?
TheOldHacker 1 year ago
COOL ,Thanks . Great memories great band .
TheChiFlows 1 year ago
Rock and Roll...........Argent ROCKS!
seventiesweregreat 1 year ago
I love Argent, however Three Dog Night has the best version..
tazlynn1965 1 year ago
Could someone post more tracks of this terrific album ? 'Schoolgirl' was my favourite track.
Seabirdinflight7 1 year ago 2
@Seabirdinflight7 You can listen to "Dance in the Smoke" I posted from the same album. I can post "Schoolgirl". However, you have to know that Sony bloked my 2 Argent videos in Germany and it might be the same for the next one from this album.
TheRunner75 1 year ago 2
@TheRunner75 So love Dance in the Smoke. Takes me back to good times ...
reincarnatedman 5 months ago
@Seabirdinflight7 They performed this at the fillmore east after the bomb scare that was the only time that happened there, then lee michaels performed then the moody blues .
spacepatrolman 1 year ago
This album got played extensively on my local underground FM station, including "Liar". So when 3 Dog Night had a hit with their watered-down version, it sure seemed like they were expoiting Argent's sonwriting abilities (did TDN write any of their hits?) by cherry-picking tunes, to the point that people now say "this is an interesting version of the TDN song", ala "Black Magic Woman" & Fleetwood Mac/Santana confusion. Argent was a rock band, TDN was for teenage girls.
smokeemonkee 1 year ago
@smokeemonkee TDN was mainly a cover band. I don't mind that too much--after all, the original songwriters still get paid. I once heard a similar criticism of Linda Ronstadt--unfair in my opinion. There are singers, and there are songwriters. She's a singer. After all, how many of his own songs did Frank Sinatra write?
DrSamba1 1 year ago
@smokeemonkee That being said, I also remember hearing the Argent version back in 1970, and I also prefer the original to Three Dog Night's.
DrSamba1 1 year ago
I usually like the original versions, but not in this case.
Threee Dog Nights Cover IMHO is best.
That being said, if it weren't for Argent, I would have nothing to say. ;)
Thank's for putting this up, it was enjoyable to listen to and know
the original artist. :)
badfinger11123 1 year ago
The whole album is this good.One of the most underrated recordings ever.
jefftamarkin 1 year ago 6
@jefftamarkin True ! I bought it on sale for the first time on vinyl after discovering "Dance On the Smoke" on a French CBS compilation double LP called "Super Pop Session N°2" in the early 70s... and I really liked it at once.
TheRunner75 1 year ago
@jefftamarkin Agree, absolutely agree,
mpurves98 1 month ago
do progresivo ao metal trilha do rock
programatrilhadorock 1 year ago
THE ORIGINAL AND BEST VERSION!
VancouverJames 1 year ago 3
very restrained dramatic piano. You hear all the pain of the song in Russ's voice.
nhbright 2 years ago 2
Both versions are great, but you gotta respect the original.
smokiebird06 2 years ago 3
I knew Russ Ballard wrote this but I never knew he was in Argent or that they recorded it. Awesome post!
godlessbob 2 years ago 5
Holy crap...I'm a huge 3 dog night fan and never realized Argent (Hold Your Head Up), sang this first!!!
RapIsDeadly 2 years ago
Great song ! Another great version is by a group called Capability Brown circa 1974... if you can find it .
MSPARKS 2 years ago
i always thought it was a 3 dog song but i love this version i just heard it afew days ago 4 the1st time and ive listened to it about 20 times since then
gabblerachett 2 years ago 3
oh wow, I like this one better! it's the first time I've heard it. I still like Three Dog Night's version tho---it's what's familiar to my ears. this is just awesome tho.
Snicki1946 2 years ago 9
@Snicki1946 nah, there's no comparison to my ears......the vocals here and the instrumental tones don't hold a candle to three dog nights version........do dig the piano here though.
posthumanhero 5 months ago
Argent definitely has the edgier, spookier version to me..almost like a stalker song. TDN slicked it up in the studio and added echoes for effect and an outstanding organ solo. Both versions stand on their own merit tho IMHO.
rowdymax1 2 years ago 20
saturday night fever--- a direct rip off of this guitar riff. think of john revolta walking down the street at the beginning and this same guitar riff....liar cheater and thief .. i was here first!!!
cshargeit 2 years ago
Interesting version of the Three Dog Night classic...love the vocals & guitar solo.
SugarBear0199 2 years ago
isn't it the other way around?
caseydont 2 years ago
Both versions of this song are absolutely beautiful! TDN version is much stronger vocally, but then Argent's version is much smoother. don;t mean to be wishy washy but it' s hard to pick the best. TDN wins.
cindybarfield1 2 years ago
fantastic audio...sounds as good as the vinyl right out of the sleeve..........
kiloxray1 2 years ago
I never got used the 3 dog version heard this one first and it is a better version.
kiloxray1 2 years ago 2
I think I like this one better, no disrespect intended,
superbeauthy 2 years ago
I'm always surprised when I find out that a song I'm so use to hearing from one group is actually the cover of another group's song. This is the first time I've ever heard this version and I like it,too.
smokiebird06 2 years ago 4
Very interesting version!!!
Farrah300 2 years ago
I agree. "Interesting" is the word. I definitely prefer Three Dog Night's hit cover. This I guess is more stripped down. TDN's version just has more power to it. Good on TDN for being able to find these gems and turning them into hits. They did it with Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not To Come'. Someone in that band obviously had a good ear and knew what would work for them.
ShelterDogs 2 years ago
This version isn't too bad though. I'm just very used to the Three Dog Night version.
Farrah300 2 years ago 2
*****
cjthemusicman 2 years ago
This is vintage 70's rock, classic!!
3811iberis 2 years ago 7