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Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
Posted: July 06 2015 at 04:56
I'm a fuss-pot when it comes to Prog - sure I give some 5-star rates to various albums many folks disagree with ...... Now, I do think Argus is utterly excellent, but Pilgrimage, and especially the Debut, are stronger. Currently listening to No Smoke Without Fire, and it's a solidly good album, not quite as strong as There's The Rub, but very good. I think that the overall production, that pays respect to each musician in the band (thank-you Derek Lawrence) makes this album very solid, not to mention the clever song-writing involved. I'm glad I chose this No Smoke album over several others.......
Joined: July 07 2015
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 305
Posted: July 08 2015 at 05:20
I think the debut is a little stronger than Argus, though the latter is a really good album. The debut has some nice entertaining rock songs which are not really prog but they're not boring as much blues-based rock music can be when you're into prog. But it also has Phoenix, which is a great emotional and almost epic (I'm rather careful about that term as it is used way too much in my opinion) rock song. Nothing on Argus can really compete with Phoenix though there's a track with different, but remarkable qualities on Argus, Leaf and Stream, which is perfect in its own way. After all, both are very good albums. Pilgrimage and There's the Rub are also something prog fans should check out. Too my embarrassment I'm not sure whether I know their fourth Album.
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
Posted: July 08 2015 at 06:01
^ Likewise - I only know the 'Fourth' album from the live cuts on the Concerts album. Handy will always be THE Wishbone track for me. And, although I haven't hear all their albums, I doubt I'd dig anything as much as the debut. There's just something really 'special' I get from that very first album.
Joined: January 19 2013
Status: Offline
Points: 1135
Posted: July 08 2015 at 07:07
I think the beauty of Argus is that all the hallmarks of Wishbone Ash, the twin lead, vocal harmonies and amalgamation of rock and folk vibes, all came together in an album that was almost a concept album. It's one of the few albums I've heard which contains no tracks I would skip.
Like Tom, I love Handy on the first album, in fact I've always preferred it to Phoenix. I am one of a group of people who keep badgering Martin Turner to play it live (probably a pipe dream. No lineup of WA has performed it live since about 1971).
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19627
Posted: July 09 2015 at 03:12
Intruder wrote:
I dig Argus.....but, man, I wish it were an instrumental album.
Though I'm not that much a fan of WA (I am, but not overwhelmingly so), I always thought that argus was in a class of its ow,n, because this is a big effort from bassist Martin Turner
Otherwise when the others are singing, I can do without vocals, but the whole albums as well (especially during the Wisefield years)
Joined: September 10 2010
Location: Earth
Status: Offline
Points: 6253
Posted: July 10 2015 at 11:13
Oh wow I love Wishbone Ash - Vas Dis [1971] starting from the bass and drums to every frickin' thing inc. the yodeling! This song is brilliant to date! Genius! <3
Joined: October 19 2011
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 5921
Posted: July 10 2015 at 19:39
I saw Argus in a friend's record collection in the Mid 70's, I liked the cover, never heard it a year ago, When I saw the high ratings on prog archives...Bought Argus off Amazon... I Listen to Argus once a month...I give it a 89/100! Smooth........
Joined: February 02 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 776
Posted: July 11 2015 at 10:28
I think Argus is the band's crown achievement. Pilgrimage is musically more proggy but Argus has a perfect flow of songs, twin guitar playing, beautiful melodies, epic story ...
Warrior and Throw Down the Sword are one of my all time favorite songs. There's somethink majestic, manly and heroic in these songs. It's like watching Braveheart.
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15916
Posted: July 11 2015 at 16:14
Warrior/Throw Down The Sword - the blue-print for Iron Maiden - listen to the rhythm and Turner's bass, particularly during the segue between the two. All it takes is a brief, but so inspired section to plant a seed in the right mind and then.............
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