Wishbone Ash – Argus (Analogue Productions) (2 x 45 RPM)

Wishbone Ash — Argus

180-gram 45 RPM double LP

Mastered from the original analog master tape by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings

Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing

Features the beloved fan favorite “Blowin’ Free,” plus “The King Will Come,” “Time Was,” “Warrior” and more!

“(Analogue Productions) superb treatment of Hipgnosis’ art, on an old-school tip-on jacket, had my spirits high. … ‘Time was’ is treated as the highlight it should be. … For better or worse, (Sean) Magee’s (mastering) treatment uncovers what was always there. … I’m pleased to report there isn’t a lick of surface noise on this run of Argus. Such should be expected of Quality Record Pressings wax. … The dynamics are there within the instruments; agile, while not being scrubbed too clean. Hi-hat is so delicate in the beginning of ‘Blowin’ Free,’ as if it was whispered into the record.” – Music = 7/11; Sound = 10/11 — Abigail Devoe, TrackingAngle.com. Read the entire review here.

Wishbone Ash reigned supreme through the 1970s — centered on inspired musicianship, joyful spirit and inventive songs. Their concerts were uplifting and their recorded work sublime. Argus remains a stunning high point in the band’s startling repertoire.

Argus was a 1972 tour de force, a hard-rocking masterpiece that has gone on to have a huge impact on rock bands moving forward. If you’ve never heard Argus, you’ve surely heard music that it inspired. The British quartet’s trademark harmony guitars became a touchstone for many: Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Opeth, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have all acknowledged an Ash influence, and tracks such as Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town,” Maiden’s “The Trooper,” and even Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” all have twin-guitar moments that hark back to Argus.

But Wishbone Ash were different from the start. They were never strictly a hard rock band; their soaring vocal harmonies and musical grandeur placed them close to progressive rock. But they weren’t strictly prog either: They had no keyboards, no real classical influence and weren’t into side-long suites. Their roots were in the blues, and their calling card was twin lead guitars in harmony (played in the original lineup by Ted Turner and Andy Powell). Even the hardest Ash rockers — like “Blowin’ Free,” the most famous track from Argus — had an ethereal touch. They could rock the big stages, but they did it with subtlety and grace.

This is reflected perfectly in the classic album sleeve by prog-associated designers Hipgnosis: The front cover shows a Greek sentry — the “argus” of the title — staring off into the distance. It’s a mythic, old-world kind of image until you look closely at the back cover, and see that he’s heralding the arrival (or perhaps watching the departure) of a spaceship. Two worlds colliding. Exactly what the band and album were all about.

Format : Vinyl Record

2 Lp