ARGUS

[STworld]

ARGUS, by Wishbone Ash, is one of the best musical recordings of the 20th century. It is Wishbone Ash's finest hour. It is the album that I have listened to more any other. It should have been as popular as Dark Side of the Moon, as it is of equal quality. It was a band and music coming together at the right moment in time. This album tells a story and paints a picture in my head. I sometimes thought that I could actually see the guitar notes (there could have been another reason for that ).

It has a medieval feel to it and the album cover fits the music like no other. ARGUS is probably the biggest reason that many Wishbone Ash fans existed and flourish to this day.

Oh yeah... it's a good listen

[harmony]

As a music lover I was always searching for something new, something else to listen to. When I heard this I had a sense that "this is what I`ve been searching for". I saw the cover at a friends house and just had to hear it. Needless to say I was not disappointed. Perfect cover, perfect album. The start of a lifetime love affair.

[Annabel]

I don't review Argus any more. I grew up with it. I can't fault it. I'll never part with it.

Annabel x

[southern ash]

[SometimeWorld]

In 1992, As a young lad of 13, earning a lowly paperboy's wage of £4.50 a week plus £1.50 pocket money I would scour the bootsales of Cardiff for LP's of interest.
Having discovered a very early first love in The Stranglers and later Queen I very soon drifted into a more progressive rock influenced area of taste and soon Pink Floyd, Rush, Deep Purple LP's sat proudly next to my punk and Queen vinyl. At the time an LP could be picked up at a bootsale for roughly £1or £2 and being it the cheaper option than Cassettes (still popular at the time and in excess of £8 usually) and CD's being unthinkable, LP's were a winning option for me.
I went on to amass several LP's of bands from every aspect of the rock & punk genre, I would excitedly rush up stairs when I got home to put on my new 'findings' each week and immerse myself in sound via the 80s Phillips record turntable with its MASSIVE speakers & chunky Volume/Treble/Bass control knobs.
The fond memories I have of classic albums such as Black Sabbath's Paranoid, Rush's A Farewell to Kings, Deep Purple In Rock & Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (or Meddle), Led Zeppelin 2 but no memory stands out as vividly as the day I picked up the strange LP with a knight on the front and by a band I had never heard of...

I stood there at the stall with money burning a hole in my pocket, money that just for a couple of pounds would buy me new experiences and sounds, I looked over the gatefold LP, there was a flying saucer on the other side, this LP looked very interesting. A quick study of the sleeve made it apparent that this was a rock LP. Steve Upton Drums, Andy Powell guitar, Ted Turner guitar, Martin Turner Bass....a rockband with 2 guitarists as well.
The £1 was handed over and the LP went into my bag, a couple of hours later on a sunny Saturday afternoon my room was filled with the distinct crackle as the needle hit vinyl and then this soft guitar sound filled my room, whether it was the LP cover or not I had a strong sense of medieval feeling as the music I was listening to made me think of lone travellers in the country or knights merauding and so forth.

Then track number 2 hit me, 'Sometime World', this gentle song building into a crescendo before the blistering solo's reveal their faces and shake adrenaline into you and remind you that despite the dreamy ballad this song displays musicianship way beyond alot of what is even out there now, today!
So that was it, I was hooked, the album revisited the deck many time from that day on and eventually Pilgrimage also stood amongst my stack of vinyl's. Later on There's the rub joined my limited cassettes and then their first LP became my fourth addition to my growing WA collection.
My school excersize books adorned 'WISHBONE ASH' on the inside and outside covers next to the years old Pink Floyd and Stranglers art & clippings I had pritt-sticked in.
Despite all my fellow students critiscism's while they sat their with Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins & Green Day stickers (all good bands in their own right!) I was forthright in declaring WA as one of the best bands the world has seen!

Now, 17 years on, Argus remains to me as one of the freshest & most invigorating albums ever, just one listen sets me up for the day, the week or whatever I intend to do.

Here's to the illustrious & rich heritage the band has & all the great music we have been spoilt with over the years thanks to Wishbone Ash.

Andrew

[STworld]

[Nizzy]

Four young guys at the (early) peak of their powers, a sympathetic producer, great material and fantastic playing. Yep, I quite like Argus. Cool reviews, folks. It's definitely one of THOSE albums. I arrived late with WA and didn't even hear Argus till '79, but I must have played it a hundreds of times since. Nice to have been reminded just how special it is once again over the last few months.

[STworld]

Let's remember one thing. On the Album credits, Andy Powell is credited with lead guitar on 6 of the 7 songs. The one song that he is not credited with the lead, The King will Come, Andy plays that unmistakable and never duplicated rythym guitar. Argus is most known for the fantastic leads on Sometime World, TDTS, and others.

So whose "Baby " is this???

[Steven Koontz]

[simonatkinson91]