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Argus dei Wishbone Ash, 1972 album.
Wishbone Ash is a British band from Torquay, Devon, founded in 1969 by Martin Turner (bass and vocals) and Steve Upton (drums). They were joined by guitarists Andy Powell and Ted Turner, and the band remained active until 1974.
Their self-titled debut album from 1970 already offered an interesting fusion of blues, jazz, and progressive rock, but their pinnacle came with 1972's Argus, their masterpiece and one of the seminal rock albums of the 1970s.
Ted Turner left Wishbone Ash in 1974, at the height of the band's success, primarily due to physical and mental exhaustion resulting from the fast-paced music industry, the pressure and fatigue that followed the success of Argus, and years of nonstop touring, especially in the United States. Turner felt exhausted.
Ted was replaced by Laurie Wisefield, but numerous lineup changes occurred, including the involvement of musicians such as John Wetton. To this day, the band continues to perform under the leadership of its sole remaining founding member, Andy Powell, in a lineup that includes Bob Skeat (bass), Mark Abrahams (guitar), and Mike Truscott (drums).
Their sound is a fusion of genres that set a new standard in 1970s rock, incorporating hard rock, progressive rock, blues, and folk, but above all through the adoption and refinement of the "Twin Lead Guitars," two lead guitars that play harmonized melodic lines and intertwine in complex counterpoint. Andy Powell and Ted Turner often harmonized their solos in thirds or fifths, creating a fantastic orchestral and choral sound. The guitars didn't just double the melodies, but also engaged in a dialogue, exchanging phrases and solos (trading licks). A style that laid the foundation for modern heavy metal, influencing bands like Iron Maiden (who made it their trademark), Thin Lizzy, and Metallica.
It frequently adopts typically progressive structures and compositions, with long, complex songs featuring frequent tempo changes and epic atmospheres, without sacrificing the power of hard rock and the influences of melodic rock and British folk.
Also noteworthy are the vocal harmonies and Martin Turner's bass, which played melodically, almost like a soloist alongside the two guitars.
This is the 50th Anniversary Box Set version of Argus (50th Anniversary Edition, Limited Edition Numbered Card Out of 5,000), which contains a wealth of material:
Vinyl, LP, Gatefold, Black
Vinyl, LP, Yellow
Vinyl, 7", Red
3 x CD
DVD
48-Page Booklet
Find all the contents in the Tracklist Section.
Argus is their most famous album; there are few albums like it in the history of rock.
Beautiful and poignant music, a unique album that anticipated something of heavy metal (despite being distant from it in style), folk, progressive, and hard rock, not far from psychedelic atmospheres at times. An absolute masterpiece, truly, the musical culmination of the work of a much-underrated and forgotten band. A long time.
It is one of the cornerstones of 1970s British rock, representing the synthesis of hard rock, pastoral folk, and progressive ambitions. The "twin guitars" of Andy Powell and Ted Turner and their harmonies on "The King Will Come" and the solo duels on "Throw Down the Sword" redefined the use of electric guitar. An exceptional rhythm section with Martin Turner's melodic bass and Steve Upton's drums, with a style bordering jazz and rock, are also featured.
A characteristic of the album is the almost total absence of keyboards, with the sole exception of John Tout of Renaissance's organ in the final track.
The tracks are each more beautiful than the last, starting with "Time Was," an epic 10-minute acoustic ballad that explodes into a rock instrumental.
"Blowin' Free" features splendid vocal harmonies and a boogie-rock thrum.
"The King Will Come" is an epic track with a splendid riff.
"Warrior" / Throw Down the Sword, two songs that narrate battles and redemption, with "Warrior" referring to the album's warrior, and "Throw Down the Sword" featuring one of the most emotional guitar solos I've ever heard.
The now iconic cover, created by Hipgnosis, depicts the warrior Argos gazing at the horizon where a UFO appears (visible on the back cover, picture below).
The collection also contains live recordings from 1973 at Alexandra Palace in London and 1972 in Memphis (the latter recorded for a radio program).
- Live at Alexandra Palace 12/22/73
- Memphis Radio Broadcast 8/21/1972
A band that was amazing live, too, with powerful bass and a unique energy.
In my opinion, this live LP was recorded live and without any studio reworking, so it's at least of acceptable quality, but no better.
The following text is taken in full from a 1973 interview on the band's UK website about a concert at the same venue a few months earlier, which gives a good idea of the band's live power (Alexandra Palace concert review - NME 11 August 1973 by Barbara Charone)
"There’s so much power in Wishbone Ash. Just watch Martin Turner start to play ‘Warrior’, slowly building he beats out a rhythm on his bass guitar, egging us on and making us wait for the musical explosion.
Steve Upton ignites the whole thing – wam, bam, thank you man – working close with Martin, laying down a firm foundation so Mr.Powell and Mr.Turner can show their wares.
‘Pilgrim’ was a nice addition, a typical Wishbone song that builds slowly, with guitars wandering about the melody before coming together and breaking out. Damn exciting music.
The set, basically in two parts with the first featuring music from Argus andWishbone Four while the second, much to the crowd’s delight, was some rock‘n’roll. So you though Wishbone couldn’t rock’n’roll? Ha!
For encores Wishbone brought out a four-piece horn section and pianist, just to convince those non-believers how very good they are. ‘ No Easy Road’ roared out at the crowd with impressive majesty.
There was no stopping the band as ‘Anyway You Want It’ steamed along with Andy and Ted singing together, all grins. ‘Where Were You Tomorrow’ came down on Ally Pally with uncontained joy.
It was Wishbone Ash alright, but like no one’s ever seen them before. It was the Wishbone of today, stronger than ever and presenting themselves as a high class, big time rock band."
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
ARGUS LP
LP1 - A1 Time Was
LP1 - A2 Sometime World
LP1 - A3 Blowin' Free
LP1 - B1 The King Will Come
LP1 - B2 Leaf And Stream
LP1 - B3 Warrior
LP1 - B4 Throw Down The Sword
ARGUS LIVE LP
Live at Alexandra Palace, London 22.12.1973
LP2 - A1 Blowin' Free
LP2 - A2 Sometime World
Memphis Radio Broadcast 21.08.1972
LP2 - B1 Time Was
LP2 - B2 Blowin' Free
LP2 - B3 Warrior
7" Single
7" - A1 No Easy Road
7" - B1 Blowin' Free
ARGUS CD
CD1 - 1 Time Was 9:47
CD1 - 2 Sometime World 6:59
CD1 - 3 Blowin' Free 5:21
CD1 - 4 The King Will Come 7:10
CD1 - 5 Leaf And Stream 3:56
CD1 - 6 Warrior 5:55
CD1 - 7 Throw Down The Sword 5:56
CD1 - 8 Time Was (Demo) 10:08
CD1 - 9 The King Will Come (Demo) 6:39
CD1 - 10 Warrior (Demo) 5:29
CD1 - 11 Throw Down The Sword (Demo) 4:33
LIVE AT ALEXANDRA PALACE 22.12.1973 (CD)
CD2 - 1 Blowin' Free 5:46
CD2 - 2 Jail Bait 7:28
CD2 - 3 No Easy Road 4:54
CD2 - 4 Baby What You Want Me To Do 6:27
CD2 - 5 Sometime World 8:32
CD2 - 6 The Pilgrim 11:36
CD2 - 7 Where Were You Tomorrow 10:58
CD2 - 8 End Announcement 1:33
LIVE FROM MEMPHIS RADIO BROADCAST 21.08.1972 (CD)
CD3 - 1 Time Was 6:53
CD3 - 2 Blowin' Free 5:27
CD3 - 3 Jail Bait 4:56
CD3 - 4 Warrior 5:50
CD3 - 5 The Pilgrim 10:11
CD3 - 6 Phoenix 17:03
CD3 - 7 Blind Eye 4:17
FRENCH & SWISS TV FOOTAGE (DVD)
Live From The Rainbow - French TV INA 10.01.1973
DVD - 1 Blowin' Free (Introduction)
DVD - 2 Backstage Interview 1
DVD - 3 The Pilgram
DVD - 4 Backstage Interview 2
DVD - 5 End Of Phoenix
BTS (RTS) - Swiss TV 5.01.1974
DVD - 6 Jail Bait (Introduction)
DVD - 7 Warrior
DVD - 8 Blowin' Free
DVD - 9 Snippet Of Phoenix
LineUp
Bass Guitar – Martin Turner (2) (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
Drums, Percussion – Steve Upton (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
Engineer – Martin Birch (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
Mixed By [Remixed By] – Martin Turner (2) (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
Producer – Derek Lawrence (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Harmony Lead] – Andy Powell (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11), Ted Turner (tracce: CD1-1 to CD1-11)
