ARGUS

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I've always thought of this album as a classic of prog rock so I'm glad to see it on this site at last. Whilst Wishbone Ash became more of a guitar-based rock band later in their career, their first three albums are classics of prog rock and this is the best of the three. Most songs feature the excellent twin guitars of Andy Powell and Ted Turner and usually have two or three part vocal harmonies.

"Time Was" kicks the album off with an acoustic flavour and some nice harmony vocals, before changing to the rockier part of the song. Some nice guitar work here.

"Sometime World" again starts off slow, before breaking down before a chunky guitar riff appears from the mix and takes the song onto a different plane with some great bass playing from Martin Turner. Nice harmony vocals again.

"Blowin' Free" has an Allman Brothers kind of feel to it, with a country-ish guitar riff.

"The King Will Come" and "Throw Down The Sword" are similar to each other, in between we have the gentle "Leaf and Stream" and the awesome "Warrior". This song kicks off with a great guitar riff and ends with the fantastic "I'd love to be a warrior, a slave I couldn't be" chorus.

The bonus track on the 1991 release ("No Easy Road") is a pleasant enough rock song, but out of place here.

A prog rock classic - if you like the rockier, guitar-based side of prog then you'll love this.

This album is sensational and is Wishbone's masterpiece. Over 30 years after its release, it sounds as fresh and exciting as ever and, along with The Snow Goose, is my most played album. The guitar play throughout is breathtaking and melodic, Andy Powell and Ted Turner complementing each other and swapping solos and riffs effortlessly whilst Martin Turner contributes some sensational bass lines and Steve Upton's drums are sensitive and inventive. For the first time, they include keyboards, with Jon Tout of Renaissance guesting on organ in Throw Down The Sword. This adds an extra dimension and, subsequently, Graham Maitland (ex Glencoe) would tour with them. Are they prog? Probably, at least on this album; they have some definite prog characteristics but who cares when they're as good as this?

All seven tracks are an aural delight (ignore the CD's bonus track which has no place in such exalted company). Their previous albums were brilliant for the most part, but were somewhat flawed by rough edges and some undeveloped ideas. This is expertly constructed and produced. The tracks change between gentle acoustic passages to full blooded rock seamlessly. All seven tracks are highlights and still feature in their live repertoire to this day; it's amazing to see 17 year olds singing along to songs recorded long before they were born. I will refrain from describing each track; the best way to discover this album is to buy it and hear for yourself.

This album was voted best album of 1972 - ahead of Close to the Edge, Thick as a Brick and Foxtrot. Did it deserve this accolade? Without any doubt at all; excellent though those albums are, this is on a higher plane altogether. Very few albums deserve the title perfect: this is one. Essential to any collection.

While I'm not sure whether WISHBONE ASH should be more considered "art-rock" than "prog-related", "Argus" is their definite piece of music that stands the test of time. Of almost cult-like proportions, "Argus" is full of twin guitar interplays, acoustic passages, melodic bass hooks, long multi-part jams and slightly "romantic" or "sword and sorcery" lyrical images that should satisfy the average prog rocker's hunger for elaborative music concepts!

Although I have not heard much of their later work (what I heard is pretty thin!) I can freely assume that this album is their highest point. In digression, I was at WISHBONE ASH tour of 1982 when they also visited Sarajevo, ex-Yugoslavia. It was an excellent concert in spite of the fact that they largely promoted the then released and terribly bad album "Twin Barrels Burning". The concert set contained mostly the material from "Argus" and the audience was thrilled because evryone new the songs ("Argus" being licensed and released domestically and enjoyed a sort of "cult" status among the Hippies and Proggers).

All in all, this album is a masterpiece of classic rock of the early 1970s, even though WISHBONE ASH are not usually considered a prog band. I can but recommend this fine work to all prog lovers. You will not be dissapointed!

4,5 sdtars really!!!!

Unanimously recognized by all WA fans, Argus is also the main reason why the group is in our beloved Archives. One of the reasons for progheads liking this album so much is the absolutely superb gatefold artwork depicting a medieval soldier on a misty morning in a mountainous landscape observing a strange flying saucer. One of the more puzzling things about this album is that almost every single Cd re-issue has had that artwork duplicated without the spaceship, which remains a mystery to this writer about the whys of this fact. Much discussion about this album has occurred on whether it was a concept album (four tracks clearly allude to warrior- related issues, but this reviewer prefers to speak of a thematic album rather than a conceptual one. At most, only the second side of the vinyl is strongly thematic in its heroic-fantasy imagery.

Every little thing that seems not perfect on the first two albums here are completely absent and the album is close to flawless in this gorgeous set of tracks. From the 9 min+ stunning opener Time Was (and its quiet intro, and strong tightness of the group) to the catchy Blowin' Free (again returning more towards the tighter and more macho side of the group) and passing through the awesome Sometime World (with its superb intro and then the superb bass line supporting the now-famous scatting, great succeeding guitar solos), the first side of the album ends all too shortly (but time-wise this vinyl was anything but short). But I have only one regret: though, most of the songs ends in fade-outs - maybe the last little flaw in the songwriting, but that was the common thing to do back then.

The second side of the album manages to top the first one, with their seminal the King Will Come, with Ted turner playing his best solo in the five records (the double live included) he recorded with WA. Just as superb is leaf and stream with its beautiful arpeggios and that superb pastoral ambiance, a quiet and reflective track from beginning to end and a pure joy. Spine chills guaranteed!! Out comes one of the most awesome track ever written, Warrior and its message for force to become a free man. Throw Down The Sword is a fitting exit to an almost perfect album with both Powell and Turner playing so emotionally that one can only want to spin the album again.

Recent re-issues of this album have included as bonus tracks a rare live three track EP or in my case (the Japanese mini-Lp) the B-side to the Blowin' Free single - No Easy Road. In either case, the tracks are not a suitable addition to this great album and actually ruin a bit the feeling of mighty beauty once Throw Down The Sword is over. Most of this album is still played in concert thirty years after it was written and that fact speaks for itself, does it not?

Somehow it is so sad that they never did another album like that one, but maybe the group knew its strengths well enough not to want to try to repeat this album without cheapening it by making a carbon copy. Nevertheless every proghead is still crying at the sudden change of musical direction taken after this album, despite its wide critical acclaim and excellent commercial success.

The kings have come

While Wishbone ash" may fall into the "Prog related" category, there is little doubt that "Argus" stands as one of the finest prog albums ever. The band may not have had a full time keyboard player (arguably a pre-requisite for any prog band), but they more than compensated for this with the sounds and textures the twin lead guitars of Andy Powell and Ted Turner offered. Indeed, the guest appearance of keyboard player John Tout (Renaissance) on "Throw down the sword" perhaps seals the prog credibility of this masterpiece.

It is in fact difficult to categorise this album in terms of a sub-genre. The many acoustic parts convey a prog-folk feel, frequently accentuated by the mediaeval lyrics, while the strong guitars and vocal harmonies can perhaps be compared to bands such as Camel. While never overtly metallic, when the band work their way through a few strong bluesy riffs they offer comparisons with the work of Uriah Heep or Deep Purple.

The album opens with the 10 minute "Time was", which moves from the gentle acoustic introduction into a wonderful up-tempo number featuring some great licks by Powell. "Sometime world" has a similar structure, while "Blowin' free" is more of a fun number.

If side one of the album is classic rock music at its finest, it is arguably surpassed by side two. The feature tracks are set around the acoustic "Leaf and stream", a "Dusk" (Genesis "Trespass") like piece which like "Dusk" offers a peaceful haven amid the glorious epics. The side opens with "The king will come". Here, the twin guitars harmonise to wonderful effect while the lyrics portray a quasi Arthurian tale. This theme is perpetuated in the closing two part epic "Warrior/throw down the sword". While the guitar work throughout the album is exemplary, the track closes with a truly awesome solo, full of atmosphere and emotion.

There really is not a weak track on "Argus", it represents one of the finest albums of its era, a truly essential masterpiece.

In 2002, Martin Turner remixed and remastered the album. The remixing is the cause of some controversy, with some feeling it has not been done well while others take the view that it brings out the dual guitar sound well. The re-release comes complete with three bonus live tracks, of which the 17 minute "Phoenix" is particularly special.

What's progressive with "Argus"? It was on the threshold between rock and prog-rock in 1972 when it was released. Playing with two lead guitars (or "twin guitars") as Wishbone Ash did was uncommon and invented a new sound. Unusual and thrilling vocals like in the second part of "Sometime world" or in "Vas Dis" (from "Pilgrimage" 1971) were never heard before in this way and sure were no mainstream. Though the band doesn't go so far in their own appraisal to construct a relation with prog-rock. In the nice and informative booklet of the remastered Argus-CD they describe themselves as "thoughtful innovators of classic rock".

This is an early concept album which combines high variety in melodies and themes with consistency throughout the album. The topics of the seven songs linger around war, voyage, and time. Still one of the most entertaining albums of rock history with beautiful melodies and harmonies and one of the few I can listen to from the beginning to the end without a break.

However "Argus" marked the transition of Wishbone Ash to mainstream rock. The follow-ups like "Four" and "There's the Rub" were well-done but missed the brilliance of this album throughout. Later on the group suffered from ongoing personal changes and never could achieve former heights.

The remastering of "Argus" by founding member and bass player Martin Turner in 2002 made the sound crystal clear and makes one forget former editions. On their web site the band claims that there has been a remix but thank God I can hear no change at all of the original balance between instruments or voices and no emphasizing.

Up until a few months ago the name Wishbone Ash had never even crossed my ears. I was drawn to the band over the incredible hype over its adding to the prog-related category, and its subsequent string of five star ratings giving it a perfect score for a solid amount of time. So naturally I promptly ordered the album and awaited to be swept up by the sonic euphoria that was sure to come. Then to my puzzled surprise, the album seemed like generic classic rock; sounded like something that i had heard before, so natural to my ears. I was incredibly disappointed. But then...

Persistence paid off. I listened to this album time and time again and then it hit me, and I fell hard and fast. The melodic complexity of the album unfolded itself, and the variety of textures formed by the Ash's patented twin axe attack more than made up for the absence of a keyboard player in adding variety to the songs. The songs sounding familiar had nothing to do with them not being adventurous; instead the melodies were just so perfect like each note was destined to fall into the place Wishbone Ash put it. The dreamy, calming atmosphere this album produces is remarkable. Even when the album takes a break to be aggressive with its closing two tracks, the melody remains so strong and lush.

The musicianship here is top notch. The focus is obviously on the guitars but the bass still makes itself heard and plays an important part in the music often a hard thing to do in bands with two guitarist. The drumming is surprisingly powerful yet retains the album's dreamlike quality perfectly. The singing is nothing special, but fits the album much like Gilmour's singing on Meddle.

This album as well as any shows that an album can be a complete work without any filler or standouts dwarfing the other compositions. Those who lean toward the more adventorous side of prog will probably find little here, but the general prog fanbase should be pleased enough. The album lacks a certain something with its first few tracks for me to consider it a five star album even outside the prog spectrum, but it comes close.

This is as an essential offering to the progressive music genre as you will ever get. Argus is a classic 1972 composition from Wishbone Ash. Along with thier debut and perhaps Pilgrimage the trio of albums stands out as superb quality music. What is the formula which makes a mix of sound so successful and at the same time so damn progressive? A good blend of rock and roll, progressive rock and languid mournful lyrics that carry an air of mystery and grandeur. I reckon that is a pretty darn good cocktail to start with.The album kicks off with the epic ' Time Was' which builds nice and steadily to a raucous chorus, followed by ' Sometime world'. The slower numbers really are the most haunting ' The King will Come' and the beautiful ' Leaf and Stream'. ' Throw Down the Sword makes for a climatic end to the album also. Make no mistake there is tons of rock and roll on Argus too, but quality stuff which only compliments the overall message. The remastered version comes with three live tracks ' Jail Bait', 'The Pilgrim' and last but not least ' The Phoenix'. Ordinarily I would not mention bonus tracks and remastered editions but this package is so well delivered it is impossible to ignore the memphis gigs of 1972. Essential progressive music every step of the way.

The band of Andy Powell, Martin Turner and Steve Upton creates Argus, the crown masterpiece of Wishbone ash which, for me goes down as one of the best albums. The title, "Argus" comes from the Greek myth of "Argus" who is a giant with 100 eyes, it also can be used to describe a vigilant or observant person. With this name comes a conceptual album of war, time and history all of which are mentioned in "Argus." Even without listening to the album it is clear that "Argus" is based around warriors and war, the cover and song titles emulate this idea. "Argus" is an undoubtedly progressive album, changes in dynamics and tempo complement this claim as well as the epic concept surrounding the album.

Wishbone Ash developed their ideas to the point of perfection for the first and arguably only time and were rewarded with a number 3 charting in England, from which the band attained a moderate following, which remains to this day. "Argus" is a musical journey, taking the listener into a land of old, while still retaining an element of modern times, if you understand me. "Time Was" is a progressive song with time changes and extended song length as well as ingenious guitar work and lyricism. The song begins with a short acoustic section before moving into a fully blown rock/prog song with various guitar solos and lyrics. There is absolutely nothing dark about "Time Was" and it is actually an uplifting song and enjoyable to listen to. "Sometime World" follows "Time Was" and opens as a slow-ish song of a man waiting and lamenting basically. The song gradually gains momentum and eventually changes tempo and for the last four minutes of the song there is upbeat guitar work and supporting lyrics.

"Blowin' Free" is perhaps the most off-topic song, about the usual stuff. The songs takes on more of a conventional rock feel, but still retains progressive elements and tempo changes. Coming up next is "King Will Come" which opens with a instrumental jam consisting of a mainly a snare drum with guitar and bass overlay. The song follows on with the concept of history and talks of what will happen when the "King will Come" and various related propaganda. Next up is "Leaf and Stream" which reminds me greatly of 'The Church.' Anyway the song has a splendid atmosphere and a mellower feels than feel than the rest of "Argus", while still retaining great effect. Next is "Warrior" one of the best songs on the album, very infectious and just a great listen with stunning lyricism and guitar work. It really follows on with the concept of warriors and war. Last off is the legendary "Throw Down You Sword" whose guitar solo was named number 14 in Planet Rock's top 40 guitar solos. Once you listen to it you'll surely agree it is a entwined guitar solo from both Andy Powell and Ted Turner, amazing stuff which ends and amazing album and song.

1. Time Was (5/5) 2. Sometime World (5/5) 3. Blowin' Free (4/5) 4. King Will Come (4/5) 5. Leaf and Stream (5/5) 6. Warrior (5/5) 7. Throw Down the Sword (5/5) Total = 33 divided by 7 (number of songs) = 4.714 = 5 stars Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music

I posted my "Argus" review because at the moment the album is at around 4.80 (makes this review timeless, wink, wink<">) stars which is insanely good, the fact is it is a fair rating.The UK remaster of the album comes with three live bonus tracks, two of which run for over 10 minutes and are recorded live with great sound quality. I'd recommend "Argus" to all Art Rock fans and to all of you who love a good concept album. Also, a time less album.

Argus is without question Wishbone Ash’s magnum opus. That much is hard to argue. What’s less clear is whether this is a progressive rock band; a hard-rocking yet innovative group of skilled musicians; just four guys who got lucky; or something else. ‘Something else’ is probably the closest answer.

I have several other Wishbone Ash albums, and while a few of them are quite good, none exudes the kind of calm sense of confidence and self-assurance that this one does. The boys in the band must have felt pretty cocky when they laid down the last tracks on what they must have known would be considered a masterpiece.

There’s nothing particularly innovative about the style or arrangements of the seven songs which make up this album; heck, the Allman Brothers were doing the exact same kind of stuff but with a bit more flair, percussion, and soul far to the west of Devon about the same time. Country Joe & the Fish and Spirit were among many bands that predated Wishbone Ash in the realm of folksy, blues-tinted and guitar-driven mood music. There are easily dozens of similar bands that put out similarly inspiring sounds in the early seventies (Ramatam, Thee Image, Cactus, etc.), but none of these have left the kind of lasting impression that Wishbone Ash did with this album.

Every track is a self-contained expression of peace, nostalgia, longing, sadness, and beauty, all rolled into one and lain out like a bare soul for the reflection and enjoyment of all who have partaken of them. The twin guitars and poignant harmonizing vocals have stood the test of nearly thirty-five years time flawlessly. Brilliant stuff in every respect.

The opening track “Time Was” would have been enough to make this album worth picking up all on its own. The gentle guitar and mellow singing that lead off the song give the impression this is a folkish melody, but eventually the tempo picks up and this turns into a touching lament-turned-love song. The soaring guitar licks and driving beat work themselves into a full-blown jam for what seems like an eternity before finally bringing it home with a flourish. Every time I hear this song (really, every time I hear this whole album) I wish I was sitting behind the wheel of an old muscle car just cruising down a coastal highway taking in a cool summer breeze, free of all the world’s crap and with a busty blonde in a billowy dress at my side. Daydreams were made for this kind of music, and vice versa.

“Sometime World” evokes many of the same emotions, but I think this is the track that first got people calling this progressive music. It isn’t, maybe, but the tempo shifts from ballad-like crooning into driving twin-guitar intensity is an absolute rush if you hear it with the car stereo’s volume turned to eleven. Try it some time: if your dial doesn’t have an 11, paint one on. Feel free to sing along too, especially if you’re in that muscle car and screaming down the highway. No one will care. I really shouldn’t drive while listening to music, I think.

The timing of “Sometime World” seems designed to get one’s blood rushing to jut a little beyond the safety point just so “Blowin’ Free” can bring it back down to earth. Now that’s a great production technique! Still the twin guitars carry the rhythm, but this is closer to that folksy side of the band that makes them so endearing. I can think of a whole pile of ‘girl I can’t quite reach’ songs like this one from the seventies, but this one not only wears the scars of experience, it does it while seeming to celebrate the gut- wrenching experience of longing that so many of us have forgotten over the years. This one will bring those feelings rushing back, and will probably get you thinking about some old girlfriend as well. Enjoy.

“The King Will Come” is the rockingest song of the apocalypse ever made. At times it almost seems like a celebration. It just occurred to me that one of the great things about this album is that it makes the journey through the lands of a hundred human emotions, and it showcases each one with a knowing resignation that each of these emotions and experiences is essential to what makes us human. I wonder if these guys were into Zen or something? Maybe.

That wizened gristle can be heard in “Leaf and Stream” as well as anywhere else on the album. This acoustic and poetic folk ballad forms a peaceful interlude before the boys kick things up again with “Warrior”, a war-cry for any of a thousand races who have pledged their souls to secure the freedom of their own destiny. This one brings me back to the real point of the album, the loosely-coupled theme of struggle and conquest and finally peace.

The peace comes with the aptly-titled “Throw Down the Sword”, a reflective anthem of searching. The guitar work here is rather subdued and the vocals a bit discordant, full of the raw emotion of a weary soul. The sense of the uncompleted journey is completely intentional I suspect, and mirrors the unfilled search for meaning and conclusion that we all seem to live every day. A poignant ending to a brilliant album.

It’s kind of frustrating that Wishbone Ash never again was able to capture the combination of seamlessly precise musicianship and honest emotion that this album evokes. But I suppose if they had it would only have served to cast a shadow on this classic, which would have been unfortunate in some ways. This is a classic, and one that belongs in every music lover’s collection. Five stars, easily.

peace

4.5 stars.This is melodic rock at it's finest,with a twin lead guitar attack and vocal harmonies,making this extremely accessible. The record opens with "Time Was", that for 3 minutes is delicate and pastoral with beautiful guitar and gentle vocals,until the tempo speeds up and we have a guitar driven rocker."Sometime World" is a slower paced song with the focus on the vocals until, like the first song things accelerate 3 minutes in.The vocal melody is pretty cool with nice bass lines,but check out the last couple of minutes where there is this fantastic guitar solo that just goes on and on."Blowin' Free" is a fan favourite that features some slide guitar and three of the guys singing on this one.Again the guitar is so good!"The King Will Come" builds in the beginning with some great interplay between the drums and guitar.The lyrics are taken from the Bible and are great."Leaf And Stream" is like a beautiful folk song with some tasteful,intricate guitar melodies."Warrior" opens with a nice 1 minute guitar solo.The vocals are reserved and sad as the soldier in our story contemplates leaving home and family behind to go to war.The soundscape speeds up as he gathers strenght knowing he must fight to be free.This song blends into the next one "Throw Down the Sword" opening with some beautiful guitar melodies.This song becomes powerful and emotional as the war is over!And the guitar is soaring!A great way to end this amazing record. This is just a great listen, with no weak songs, that is highly recommended to all.

Here is one fine example of music that perhaps is not too daring or complex but it's excellent, enjoyable and still of interest for progressive rock fans.

"Argus" is considered as band's masterpiece by many, and while that fact is arguable (there are other WISHBONE ASH albums good enough to compete), it's definitely the finest example of band's sound picture.

This IS a great album. If we do individual vivisection of each track, the conclusion is that all the tracks are more or less straightforward rock tunes, with lots of solos and occasional escapes into the progressive territories.

The best tracks here are "Warrior" and "Thrown Down Your Sword", leaning perfectly one onto another, with epic feel, excellent guitar craftsmanship and occasional impressions of proto-metal. By listening to these, one could easily conclude where METALLICA picked their influences, among others respectable artists of the era.

My favourite track is "Sometime World", simply because of gorgeous vocals that remind me of CAMEL somehow.

The rest of the album is not to be underestimated, because they are all high quality guitar-oriented rock tunes, with many rewarding moments for the listener scattered all over the place - for example, the opening track is clocking at almost 10 minutes (it's not the most progressive one, though) and there is not a one boring moment at all.

One might blame the band because of their style, neither here not there: they weren't true prog band, but they were not a mainstream rock neither. However, it seems that band's formula worked perfectly (at least in the seventies), and this album is the finest example of it.

I don't understand.

Well, first, I don't understand why this band is here, as this seems to be just a typical rock album. I do not see any traces of prog here. This is just rock, and rock&roll.

Secondly, I just find the music mostly dull, repetitive, and uninspired. Melodically poor, harmonically simple, and the musicianship and vocals are just not very strong. The songs are long because they drag, not because they are multi-segmented mini-epics.

Third, this is a style of music that I really enjoy listening to, so It's not like I'm reviewing a neo-prog (sorry) album or an 80s pop album. So, I just find it very mediocre compared to similar artists like Led Zeppelin.

I'll discuss track by track why I consider the first half of this album very weak.

This Was: The album begins with a pleasant acoustic intro and decent (but not very good) vocals, but it keeps being like that with no variation for almost three minutes. The rest is extremely repetitive Rock&roll with an obvious Led Zeppelin influence throughout. There are a few moments where musicianship is great (the guitars), but that mediocre Led Zeppelin-style riff played forever ruins everything. Bad start. 2/10

Sometime World follows the same format: It begins as a decent yet not very interesting acoustic ballad is played for a long time with little variation yet turns into another pointless, repetitive, straight rocker for over four minutes. Sure, the soloing is pretty good, but the songwriting here is just terrible. It's just the same riffing for a long long time. 3/10

Blowin' Free: A more boogie-style number with a very uninteresting guitar riff played for a long time. It has a decent mellow section around the middle with nice guitar. Unfortunately, s ending is a disaster: it sounds like Led Zeppelin, but much worse than that band at its worst with an irritating riff and a kind of awful guitar solo. 2/10

Fortunately, none of the following 4 songs are bad.

The King Will Come: The riff-oriented repetitive nature of the album continues but this song is slightly more varied and at least the main riff is decent. The music is mid-tempo, rocking, and quite celebratory I could say (it just sounds positive). The guitar performance is pretty good and while the song is repetitive, at least it does not sound bad. Unfortunately, the vocals are not very good, like always. 5/10

Leaf and Stream: Once the ok vocals shut up for a bit, there is a very good clean guitar solo in the middle of the song. This song is more harmonic and much prettier than the mellow moments in the first tracks. It is however, playing the same acoustic pattern for 4 minutes. 5.5/10

Warrior: good song! Of course, it's repetitive and is based only on a couple of riffs, but hey, these riffs are pretty good and the soloing in the background is good too. At minute 1, there is a beautiful mellow riff. Of course, the not so good vocals come, but they don't really ruin that part. The ending would be so good if the vocalists had good voice. 5.5/10

Throw Down the Sword is my favourite song and despite the same intro riff being played alone for over a minute, this is possibly the least repetitive track here. After that riff, it is just a normal conventional song but what makes this song stand out is the last two minutes. What a brilliant climax! Two guitar solos playing simultaneously over a good instrumental backdrop. It is not something I hear everyday, and sounds very hard to do, but they pulled off the twin guitar solo perfectly. 7.5/10

Well, the second half of the album is pretty decent, if repetitive music and finishes with a glorious guitar performance in its last two minutes, but the first half is beyond poor. I just find it very hard to focus on that music as it seems to rock and rock and rock mindlessly for eternity with very little variation and few excellent solos.

I recommend to look for other 70s classic rock rather than here.

4,5 stars. Without doubt, Wishbone Ash´s best release ever. the album was very influential to a number of bands and artists, including a very young Steve Harris, who became obssessed to have the twin lead guitars sound for his new band, Iron Maiden. Argus stood very well the test of time and shows the prowness of tis english foursome to make some really advanced music.

Ok, it is not symphonic prog like Yes or Genesis, but then progressive music means much more than that. Prog rock meant expand rock´s horizons and bring up new levels to the music. And that Wishbone Ash did very well, Argos being the group´s best exemple. Songs like The King Will Come, Time Was, Sometime World, Warrior and Thrown Down The Sword are some of the songs that sounded like never done before. The guitar works of Ted Turner and Andy Powell is amazing and it is no wonder they have so many imitators and followers. Martin Turner´s bass playing is also very interesting and diferent. Steve Upton is a fine drummer. Their vocals, often usign two lead vocals in harmony is another highlight.

Make no mistake, this is prog rock music: alive, powerful, groundbreaking and very, very good. It proves that you can make a fine prog album without keyboards and with a lot of guts. Highly recommended!

A Timeless Masterpiece!

One of the most popular Prog rock albums of all time, "Argus" remains as profound and influential today as it did on its release. This is what Progressive rock is all about - its wonderful imagery, dramatic mythical themes of history and time, wonderful vocal harmonies and superb musicianship confirm its place as an archetypal Prog classic, the various musical styles on their previous albums came together to form the very cohesive material on "Argus".

This could indeed be described as a "crossover" album as it was and remains very popular with all rock and pop fans, many of the songs are still part of the Wishbone Ash live set, most latterly "Leaf and Stream". Recorded at Wembley's De Lane Lea studios in January 1972 and released on April 28th of that year, the album reached No.3 in the UK album chart. The first track "Time Was", about putting the past behind and moving on, is in two parts; introduced with an atmospheric acoustic section leading into a Who influenced (a band WA had toured with on many occasions) rock workout, sometimes played live as two separate songs. "Sometime World" contains some fine scat style vocals and a brilliantly fluid guitar solo from Andy Powell, the song also features some very catchy bass lines from Martin Turner, overall some great album highlights. "Blowin' Free", a whimsical love song reputedly about a beautiful Swedish girl Annalena Nordstrom, a former girlfriend of Martin Turner... the phrase "you can only try" was one of hers!

Side 2 begins with "The King Will Come", reputedly written about the Christian Biblical idea that when the world ends believers will be saved - I promise to be good...honest! A military-style beat with wah-wah guitar solo snaking around it introduces the song, breaking into a classic Ash guitar riff. "Leaf and Stream" is a beautifully atmospheric English folk song written by Steve Upton, his first lyrical contribution to the band. "Warrior", a rousing song about having to fight one's own personal battles, not being pushed around or country fighting country and "Throw Down the Sword", the battle won, healing wounds and a return to peace, are two songs but are often regarded as a two part mini-epic. These classic Prog songs are still part of the band's live set.

An essentially uplifting addition to any Prog collection!

As others have noted, labeling Wishbone Ash's Argus a prog album is stretching things a bit. These guys have as much in common with Foghat as they do with Yes. However, this is about as good as mainstream rock ever got, and there is a level of sophistication to these tracks that do nudge the album a bit into the prog realm. Then there's also the barely discernable UFO that was visible on the LP album cover: definitely progressive.

Argus starts off with chiming acoustic guitars on Time Was, after which the song takes on a decidedly louder character. The second track, Sometime World, follows somewhat the same approach: begin quietly and gently, then explode in a whirlwind of bass and dual lead guitars. The bass playing on this track particularly shows a Yes/Squire influence. However, the album probably gets its prog- related reputation from The King Will Come, Warrior, and Throw Down the Sword, all originally on Side 2 of the LP. These are all excellent rock songs imbued with a smattering of prog influences.

This album, unlike many of the era, still sounds fresh today. This is not your mindless boogie that was growing in popularity at the time; these guys are top-notch rock musicians. It's too bad that WA were never able to produce anything else that came close to it; this was the one classic they had in them. Much as I'd like to, I can't quite bring myself to give this album a 5, but it's certainly worthy of a 4. It should be of interest to anyone who wants to hear the influence that prog had on hard rock in general.

Similar to most bands, one album tends to stick out from the others for Wishbone Ash. The only remarkable thing is just by how much. Argus simply blows the doors off of at least 95% of classic and prog rock albums. I can't believe that I've never heard of these guys before frequenting ProgArchives. I think I'll blame it again on pathetic radio playlists, but I digress.

Time Was, Sometime World, Blowin' Free. The first side contains one boogie track (Blowin' Free), which is just fine, and two feature tracks that start slow, but it's only a matter of time before they set to rocking. Of course, the guitars lead the way (and they are an absolute treat to behold), but one thing that many reviewers fail to mention is the excellent bass by Martin Turner--most of the time, his contribution is basically a countermelody, which adds a richness to the music that is easy to overlook. This is just great rock.

The King Will Come, Leaf and Stream, Warrior/Throw Down the Sword. Let the prog begin--and make no mistake, the second side is indeed progressive. The playfulness is for the most part gone, and the music takes on a much more serious, pernsive quality. The King Will Come is a stately rocker, and catchy as can be, followed by the slower, absolutely gorgeous Leaf and Stream. As with most great albums, the best is saved for last, and the Warrior/Throw Down the Sword Suite does not disappoint! Majestic, powerful and captivating, these closing tunes are the perfect way to conclude the album.

Great stuff from Wishbone Ash--too bad there was nowhere to go but down from here. I actually hear some resemblence to a stripped-down early Kansas--plenty of boogie and rock, but also enough prog to keep you listening (though without the keys and synths). I put this up with some of the great classic rock and progressive rock albums--either genre fits nicely with this masterpiece.

Having just listened to some Steve Wilson I was feeling down and then I remembered this great album and thought: time to cheer up with superb uplifting harmony vocals and clean honest guitar.

Thank prog for music like this (especially when you've ahd a close encounter of the Steve Wilson kind). This isn't just great music it's positive therapy.

Let's tune in to Wishbone, see the important things in life, enjoy ourselves and move to Taos and live in an Earthship. OK there's a more than a hint of southern rock in here but every house needs a confederate corner. What else do you expect from an English band?

Who said prog can't be fun? I dare you to listen to this album and not smile.

A prog rock classic essential.

Though considered a classic rock album, I always saw WISHBONE ASH's 'Argus' as a generic rock album with one special trick: the twin-lead guitar.

The trick isn't actually very convincing. Plenty of bands double-tracked or multi-tracked their guitars and by 1972 had equalled or surpassed the twin-lead concept. Maybe the band was impressive live, but this is a studio album. The southern rock here is third-hand and very tame, with none of the fire of the ALLMAN BROTHERS, for example. There's a little folk to give the listener a break from the relentless, repetitive, limited-range guitar work, the plodding drums and the frankly dreadful vocals. Oh, and perhaps a light dusting of progressiveness.

The compositions offer little to compel repeated listens. The vocalist sings about the 'fury of the battle', for example, to a mundane beat and a gently strumming guitar. We're wandering dangerously close to amateur folk territory here: the conceit of the fantasy lyrics is undermined by the twee sweetness of the compositions. Not a moment of drama to be seen. I respect the views of other reviewers, but I imagine a significant minority of listeners to this album will wonder, as do I: what is the fuss all about?

Precisely the sort of music I listen to prog rock in order to escape from.

Argus is without doubt the peak of their career, reaching a status maybe never achived again by them, a classic of the '70's. Considered by many WA and not only them the best aalbum they ever reales, Argus stands today very well after almost 40 years of the first isseue - 1972. While the music is not very complex they manage to make the listner to stay focused on entire 49 minutes, leaving in the end the feeling that this album worth buying and investigate. This is maybe the most progressive album they ever done, more hard rovk twin guitar orientad music but with a good doze of prog elements here and there. In early '70's this kinda music was considerated prog rock- quite agree with that but at some point. Sometimes they remind me of Master's Apprentices or Blue Oyster Cult and other bands from that period who plays aswell this kinda of prog rock. Not a bad thig of course and they even creat with this album something that stands very well today, apart from other bands who or they disbanded and gone into oblivion or never reaches the same fame as their compatriots. Wishbone Ash is today a respected band with a lot of good to great albums from the impressive career of 40 years. Argus release in 1972 taken the name from a greek god who has no more no less than 100 eyes. The best pieces to me are:Sometime world, Warrior and Leaf and stream come, the rest are ok, nothing really chalenging but not a weak track here overall. I don't think Argus is a masterpiece, but a good album no doubt, there are much more intristing albums from thet period than this Argus, but as i said this is a strong release in their career and not only, this is their classic of classics album. 3.5 rounded up to 4, but for sure not a masterpiece, at least from my side.

Io, Check This Out!

Er... I was considering Dont Get Shot by the Messenger, Hera Wishbone Ash, and Argus It as alternative headlines, but settled for the one above - you'll be thankful that I didn't think up any plays on the name Hermes, I expect. Enough of Greek myths already - I'll assume you know them or how to use Google to find out :o)

Argus was Album of the year, 1972 (According to Sounds magazine). Hmm. Makes me think they hadn't heard Nursery Cryme... but it's a cracking listen, nonetheless, and a more-than-worthy follow up to Pilgrimage. As an album, it's far more consistent, and the overarching lyrical theme is of picking yourself up, leaving old ways behind and starting afresh - alluding to the new world order theme of the Argus legend.

Musically, we've got a more crystallised sound than on previous offerings, nostalgic flavours, genre blending and somewhat long songs - particularly the instrumentals - that are typical of Progressive Rock wrapped up in fairly standard song formats. The formula is in place; The songs are familar verse chorus constructs with easy melodies, and the extended instrumental sections (bridge and coda) are refined improvisations erring on the side of strong melody, harmony and dramatic colouration taking place at an unhurried pace whatever the actual tempo of the piece.

But take a listen to the style with which Wishbone Ash put these simple elements together - this album is all about style, which it has in spades. And there's a LOT less twin-guitar duelling than many reviews of this album I've read would have you believe.

Time Was Immediately the message is put across; I've got to rearrange my life, I've got to rearrange my world. A clean folk-styled section introduces the piece, and the twin-barrelled vocals weave around the intertwining lines, spreading like ivy on the forest floor. For somehow, there are the flavours of wooded English countryside infusing the whole piece. John Tout (Renaissance keyboardman) supplies great organ atmopsherics.

Almost 3 minutes in, there is a sudden change in tempo and key, like a new piece has been unskillfully appended to what was, in fact an extended intro - and we're soon into guitar solo territory. As ever with Wishbone Ash, this is not a case of two chords being noodled over for hours... OK, so there ARE two chords, and it is quite long, but there is pathos and dynamic, returns to the vocal sections and added blues guitar interjections. Then there's the big change around 5:40 which leads to many more changes into minor keys, breakdowns and all manner of dramatic bits and pieces which keep the piece interesting for the whole of the 9:40 odd - even though no new ideas are presented for the last 3 minutes or so, which may turn a few off.

Sometime World is vaguely reminiscent of Pink Floyd - a common influence on Ash's early material - except for the attention-grabbing opening chords, which set the listener up for something altogether more dramatic than the gently-shifting soft chord progressions that follow. The instrumental sections are things of real beauty, surpassed only by the Floyd themselves and Camel - a couple of slightly kludgy chord changes being the only let-down.

All is forgiven by the change to the second instrumental around 2:30 though, with its round bass sound and CSNY/Yes styled vocal passages - altogether like a bluesier Yes in many ways. Or maybe Yes sounded like a less bluesy WA - who knows? The lead guitar (presumably Powell) certainly heats up in this one, with some passages bearing a passing resemblance to Lynyrd Skynrd's Freebird, of the following year, but the bass driving, almost Squire-like until the fade-out.

We might expect a gear-shift downwards at this point, but instead, the music picks up some more for the bouncy Blowin' Free, which features guitar solos between and even during the verses. An unexpected tempo change gives way to another CSNY styled section, so that this piece feels like an extension of Sometime World, and this in turn gives way to an almost complete breakdown before we return to the bouncy music, and more Skynyrd-style soloing.

One of my favourite moments in this album has always been flipping the vinyl over at this point, to be treated by the warm yet slightly aggressive sound of The King Will Come. After the wah- drenched fade-up, and the intensifying introduction, the bass features even more of that Squier - or possibly Entwhistle - growl, emphasising the regal strides, with tempo and dynamic changes a-plenty... just listen, OK!

Leaf and Stream is a great acoustic flavoured interlude, in which the English countryside is painted vividly in the lyrics, and the scene is set for the Warrior, seraching for something new. There are unmistakable flavours of early Genesis in here, and maybe the odd nod and wink to Floyd and Fleetwood Mac.

The Warrior is the high point of the album for me - all the music previously having set us up for this song, which is a powerful, clean-lined rocker, strident and mighty - the peak of Wishbone Ash's musical prowess and everything that is great about them. No new musical devices or styles here - but listen to how the ingredients are mixed together to form exactly the something new that the lyrics speak of searching for. Around 3 minutes into the song, the halfway point, begins the ultimate journey into Ash's music. Simply stunning stuff - the sort of music that raises neck hairs from half a mile away.

And then Throw Down The Sword does it again - and you have to listen to the album again. Here we finally get the twin guitar soloing that everyone goes on about - but Thin Lizzy or Iron Maiden it is not.

Marvellous album - truly classic rock at its best, that flirts mischeviously with Prog Rock, but never really attempts to enter into the hallowed portals, instead, preferring to set up hallowed portals all of its own. They didn't make many bands like Wishbone Ash, and there have been very few since. If you only own one of their albums, this is the one to own (buy!). And I'm sure it will tempt you further into their back catalogue (and check out what they're currently doing!).

Excellent addition to any ROCK collection, progressive or otherwise.

Don't miss out.

One of my earliest LP memories occurred in 1974 when my brother brought home a WISHBONE ASH album with an odd cover, called "There's the Rub". With the exception of an olde Englishe styled folk song, it didn't do much for me. Over the years I occasionally would discover another WA album in a delete bin and, when in a more extravagant mood, might actually pick it up for a song, literally. For a long time I thought they were an American group with a passing interest in their Anglo heritage, because most of each album was given over to mid western cum southern rock of little distinction beyond dueling guitars, which is only "special" if you think in terms of WA as a progressive band.

My relationship with the band might have ended thus, although I admit to wondering now and then if all their songs of the "Lady Jay" or "Valediction" ilk might be collected on some nerdy "best of" just for folkies like me. Finally, with "Argus" being praised to the skies here, in stark contrast to all other WA productions, and available at a low sticker price, I decided to invest and give the group yet another chance. My conclusion: overall it's better and somewhat more progressive but with a persistent tendency to faceless 70s stylings, redeemed from some decidedly stronger tunes.

"Time Was" contains two rather lifeless segments, one mellow acoustic and the other raucous, but the effect of both is simply to mercilessly extend the drudgery. "Blowin Free" is even worse, sort of like STEELY DAN colliding with the DOOBIES and the ALLMANS, and sounding even worse. "Sometime World" starts off like more of the same, but the bass and vocal work after the halfway point showcase a vital aspect to the group missing in even their more melodic tracks. Among the latter, "The Leaf and the Stream" is a fine acoustic number, while "Warrior" utilizes one guitar for the most magical soloing and the other for rhythm. It changes pace here and there until the powerful chorus rumbles in. Although it is oft repeated, each incantation is separated by more lead histrionics. "Throw Down the Swords" end the album in fine fashion, and integrates the faux traditional and hard rocking styles well.

In the end, it is not so much the presence of two guitars that salvages this effort, but the absence of keyboards that, in the many high points, are not missed at all. So rarely can this be done outside a metal context that it is worth wishing for, and is happily attained often enough on Argus to warrant guarded praise.