Argus by Wishbone Ash
Argus is the most commercially successful album for Wishbone Ash and is considered by many to be their high-water mark musically. This third album by the British rock quartet features a medieval-themed lyrical concept which is complemented by a musical blend of heavy blues, folk, and progressive hard rock. Further, with dual lead guitarists Andy Powell and Ted Turner, this album was one of the first to employ the harmonized lead guitars method which would later become popular among hard rock groups.
Wishbone Ash was formed as a trio in 1969 in Torquay, England by bassist Martin Turner (no relation to Ted) and drummer Steve Upton. When the original guitarist departed the group, they had a hard time deciding between the final two competing candidates, and ultimately they hired both Powell and Ted Turner to become a four-piece rock band. In 1970, the band landed on a tour opening for Deep Purple, whose guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore was impressed with their sound and helped the band sign a record deal with Decca/MCA Records. Both the albums Wishbone Ash in late 1970 and Pilgrimage 1971 received favorable reviews but less than favorable sales.
For the recording of this third album, producer Derek Lawrence teamed with Deep Purple’s engineer (and future big-time producer) Martin Birch at De Lane Lea studios in Wembley, which had just installed a state-of-the-art 16-track desk console. The album was recorded in less than a month in early 1972.
 Argus by Wishbone Ash |
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|---|---|
| Released: April 28, 1972 (Decca) Produced by: Derek Lawrence Recorded: De Lane Lea Studios, London, January 1972 |
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| Side One | Side Two |
| Time Wa Sometime World Blowin’ Free |
The King Will Come Leaf and Stream Warrior Throw Down the Sword |
| Group Musicians | |
| Martin Turner – Bass, Vocals Andy Powell – Guitars, Vocals Ted Turner – Guitars, Vocals Steve Upton – Drums, Percussion |
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While the songs on Argus are solid throughout, the best material is positioned on the original first side of the record. “Time Was” is a nearly ten-minute epic which starts with a long picked, acoustic folk section, building the tension nicely before the full band arrangement finally kicks in at around the 3:00 mark. From here, the song rocks quite aptly with no fewer than three guitar lead section, weaving between solo and harmonized guitars in between the verses and bridge section.
“Sometime World” features bluesy lead guitars over a solid, rounded bass line through this quasi rock/ballad. Like the opener, this song also takes a turn towards harder rock part way through with an energetic jam and good leads built on Turner’s prog-based bass riff. “Blowin’ Free” begins with a couple of coordinated, choppy riffs which work to create a really cool sonic pattern in the intro. Next, the drum rolls in to a thumping rhythm for the song proper and, working in the opposite direction of the previous two tracks on side one, the song breaks down to a fine, mellow mid-section before returning for a blistering guitar lead and the final verse.
Side two is escorted in with the marching drum and regal-like tones of “The King Will Come”. Unfortunately, the song proper here is much less interesting than the unique intro. “Leaf and Stream” follows as a pure folk song with the lead vocals accompanied by picked electric and a fine bass line. The album winds down with a mini-suite by Martin Turner and Andy Powell. “Warrior” has sparse vocals in between long stretches of atmospheric music before a full rock jam commences. “Throw Down the Sword” offers the perspective after the fight from “Warrior” is over. After a few brief verses, song and album complete with a duo guitar lead, leaving the listener on a high note.
The success of Argus propelled Wishbone Ash into the arena headliners and set the stage for further success through the mid seventies, before frequent lineup shifts chilled their momentum.
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Part of Classic Rock review’s Celebration of 1972 albums.
May 18, 2018 @ 6:58 pm
“The King Will Come”. Unfortunately, the song proper here is much less interesting than the unique intro…
Unfortunately, you are clueless. The King will Come is their signature song. They have played it everytime I’ve seen them. The last time (2018), Mark Abrahams absolutely nailed that original Ted Turner hook.
September 26, 2018 @ 7:23 am
Before I went into the Service in in 1973. I got the pleasure of seeing Wishbone Ash 3X. They opened for the Who in Minneapolis. The Who was a Theater Band in the vain of Alice Cooper and Kiss. I didn’t enjoy the Who concert in the least. I noticed the double stacks of speakers placed on either side of the stage. I noticed towards the end of the concert guitars being placed behind Peety T. The double stacks of speakers I figured out were non functioning. The guitars that had been placed behind Peety T where pieces of shit guitars. The theater part arrived toward the very end of the concert. The orgasm of fake rock music arrived and the band made a huge show of destroying the fake speakers and fake guitars. You remember the act right? Rock bad boys go crazy and destroy equipment. More like Rock bad boys play really really loud music and put on a play in their theater of the absurd. The Who sucked pig farts and Wishbone Ash gave me a concert. Who would you spend your money on? Music or an off Broadway extravaganza with music so loud you go deaf like Peety T. Music Music Music.
December 2, 2018 @ 1:44 am
i totally agree of the so loud u cant hear,i was at an aerosmith concert in offenback germany and i hated it,the wishbone is for my part the best band ever,they are so so so well the best i love them
October 4, 2019 @ 6:04 pm
Thank u..I was so dissapointed to read the review on this CLASSIC tube!
February 14, 2019 @ 8:59 am
Saw Wishbone Ash live many times & always brilliant, if in doubt listen to Live Dates released in 1973, recorded just as it was ,no added overdubs etc, superb musicianship.
March 31, 2020 @ 5:42 am
Argus is a top album and my first introduction to them was when I heard Argus in around 1973. I then followed on by buying the previous album, Pilgrimage, which I consider to be a perfectly good album, though something of a miss mash of styles.
Come 1977, aged 16, I went to see Wishbone Ash, the first professional gig I ever attended. They featured almost the whole of Argus and even with Laurie Wisefield in for Ted Turner, turned in a fantastic live representation of Argus.
It’s still one of my all time favourite albums and, though I followed the band for several more years following on from the first gig of theirs I saw, I don’t think they’ve ever matched the songs the wrote for Argus. That is not to say the standard dropped, it’s just that the benchmark was set so high, the spirit of the album, the innovation in sound and so much more just isn’t totally present in other later albums other that the odd song here and there. Argus appears to present a level of consistency throughout the whole; I would hesitate to say that there are any low points at all.
May 5, 2024 @ 1:48 pm
I bought the first 2 Wishbone Ash Lp’s Played side 2 of the first one to death! And played side one of the second! When Argus came out I was so impressed with it that I never bought another Wishbone Ash album! Not that it was so bad but it reminded me of Future Games by Fleetwood Mac! Which I felt only had one and a half songs on it! If they could have figured out what to do with (Sands of time) and find some way to end it they could have had a first rate side!) So in short I hate Argus because of Fleetwood Mac!