Argus - An Appreciation

Wishbone Ash, 'Argus' - An appreciation

In a dusty red all in one moulded plastic cassette tape box, a bit like the ones that people kept in there cars back in the 1980's to house music, before things thinned down again... sits a rather battered and scratched up plastic tape case... not as it happens, an all clear one with the slimline look and shiny curved edges we may all remember from the 90's, but rather a boxed square shape with the black acrylic back and clear front, giving away somewhat the origin of it's age...  Through the clouded, finger marked scuffed surface of the tape case you can still just about make out the Hipgnosis cover artwork for the album hiding inside, it's Wishbone Ash's 1972 magnum opus 'Argus'...

The red dusty tape box with all it's contents is a part of a time travelling experience back at my parents and my old bedroom. We are currently in-between moving from our flat to a house and so my Mum and Dad have been invaded by us, we will be with them for the next two months. Going back to where you grow up opens up so many great memories. It's funny because we are a close family and so visit all the time, but now living back with Mum and Dad has allowed for a bit more exploration of old books, comics and albums...

There are so many classic albums that came out in the seventies, in fact when I first considered writing this piece it seemed more obvious to cover something on 'Wish You Were Here', 'Rust Never Sleeps' or perhaps 'Volume 4' but Argus is a bit more forgotten about and it really is time that it made it back into every music fans record collection. As with everything, albums come and go, some stick around for a while starting at the top of your CD pile and slowly moving down giving way to all new replacements. Others just get stored away, forgotten, waiting to be re-discovered building up layers of dust over the years. Some however keep coming back, like a kind of musical magnet and that is the relationship that I share with Argus, it's timeless in it's sound and song cycle, it's also extremely profound and ultimately gives back (as all truly great music does) so many special memories.

Wishbone Ash began life as a collection of other bands (including 'Tanglewood') and line-ups but by 1970 they released their first album known simply as 'Wishbone Ash' - the album employed the twin guitar interplay of Andy Powell and Ted Turner. Although there was nothing new as such with the idea of two lead guitars in a band (It had been done  before namely The Allman Brothers and to some extent with Neil Young and Stephen Stills) Wishbone Ash brought in a sound and dynamic that was very much their own. Taking in blues, hard rock, prog rock, classical music, acoustic and folk. They built upon their reputation as a superb live act as well and even included a live track, the 10:23 minute long 'Where Were You Tomorrow' on their second album - 1971's 'Pilgrimage' which focuses more on the folk, acoustic and jazz side of the Wishbone sound. They also began bringing in vocal flourishes, especially a four part harmony on the track 'Valediction' a hint perhaps at a CSN&Y influence and also towards what they would go on do next with their third offering...

Argus opens with the epic 9:46 minute long track 'Time Was'. It's a statement of intent, sending a message out that you're about to hear something very special. With it's gentle acoustic beginning, the melody flows around your head in it's mellowness, then out of nowhere just when you think that you have a soft gentle ride on your hands a great up tempo riff comes in and with a time change similar to something that Stephen Stills or David Crosby might have done on 'Déjà Vu', it's off we go! It's a progressive track taking you on a trip, a lament on life itself, both uplifting and thought provoking at the same time! The follow on track 'Sometime World' has a similar feel with a beautiful haunting guitar refrain. Then it's bang! - a fantastic production technique, where your emotions are left behind with the gentleness and at the same time fired forwards on a rocking rollercoaster into the next track... 'Blowin' Free' which is probably the closest track to being radio friendly but it fits perfectly into the space it's given on the album - Wishbone Ash take influences from Southern Rock here, but blend them with their own sound and in doing so create something quite unique, it's a piece that gets your head and your heart thumping! in the same way that Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Freebird' does. To go through each song on the album might just be giving to much away, in fact there may already be too many spoilers within this text, the album as with all albums needs to be heard and the individual to be surprised by what they hear... If you will allow me though, I would like to talk about one final track, It's my favourite song on the album, if a favourite on this album is possible... all the songs are so good and they should be viewed as a whole, but 'The King Will Come' is mind blowing! - with a riff that lasts way after the track has finished. It's impossible to get it out of your brain, the song builds from a kind of marching drum to some truly exceptional intertwined guitar work, it's biblical in it's size, stature and lyric! - it will rock you to your very core! & then there is Leaf and Stream with it's pastoral... Oh so sorry I'll stop there, it's just so difficult to not keep talking about it all...

Recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, Argus was produced by Derek Lawrence noted for working on Deep Purple's first three albums, he also produced Wishbone Ash's first three as well, Martin Birch was the sound engineer, he later worked with Black Sabbath and other hard rock bands... Depending on if you own a vinyl or the CD version of the album you may notice discrepancies with the artwork. The vinyl gatefold contains an extra part of the story in that it depicts the warrior on the cover (as with the CD) but also that the warrior is looking upon a flying saucer in the sky... as to why the UFO is missing on the CD artwork, it still remains a mystery...
Hipgnosis created and designed the alluring artwork, the photograph was taken by Barry Wentzell (famous for taking many classic shots of rock musicians) it's a very powerful composition of the warrior overlooking the Gorge of Verdun with a sunburst outlining him. Argus isn't depicted as such, or at least the Greek 100 eyed sentinel isn't, which is where Steve Upton took his inspiration for the name of the album from but Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell as with many of their classic album covers capture the mood of the music perfectly. I've spent hours just looking at the cover wondering where the warrior might be travelling to, who might be coming to meet him, is he surprised by the UFO.... so many questions, the artwork tells a story just like the music does...

There are many debates as to what Argus is... is it progressive music, is it art rock, is it classic rock... these discussions will go on for ever and ever and really the truth is that it doesn't matter, Argus is an album that has and will continue to stand the test of time... Wishbone Ash made 'Wishbone Ash' music in much the same way that Pink Floyd made 'Pink Floyd' music and to try and label it to any one genre seems pointless and takes away the mystery and the art of what those great bands did. Argus is an album for both the heart and the mind as if someone were baring their very soul and reflecting on all the happiness and sadness that life brings, all emotions are weaved within the timeless music that Wishbone Ash created... 

So if you have an old dusty cassette box or a shelf full off vinyl that you can't remember the last time you looked at, double check to make sure you don't have a copy of 'Argus' tucked away in a dark corner. It really is an album that needs the cobwebs blown off it and it's epic twin guitar, medieval, pastoral, mythological, romantic, fantasy, hard rockin', thoughtful, ethereal, Arthurian, heroic, escapism to be let out and rediscovered!

Wishbone Ash - Argus line-up

Andy Powell - Guitar Vocals
Ted Turner - Guitar Vocals
Martin Turner - Vocals, Bass
Steve Upton - Drums
Jon Tout - Organ on 'Throw Down The Sword'

Wishbone Ash: http://wishboneash.com


Wishbone Ash went on to create many other great albums and also to influence bands such as Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy...