Wishbone Ash - Argus (Remastered) (1972/2025)
Vinyl FLAC (tracks) - 299 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 103 MB
45:02 | Hard Rock, Folk Rock, Prog Rock | Label: Analogue Productions
Vinyl FLAC (tracks) - 299 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 103 MB
45:02 | Hard Rock, Folk Rock, Prog Rock | Label: Analogue Productions
180g 45rpm Double LP! Mastered from the Original Analog Master Tape by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios! Pressed at QRP! This item not eligible for any further discount offers! 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.
By the time of Argus, Wishbone Ash were stars in England and cult heroes among Anglophiles in the US. What made Argus a step forward was its flow of moods. The songs don't run together, but there's an emotional connecting thread from the album's somber beginning to its heroic end.
The band insisted at the time that lyrics were something of an afterthought: Shortly after its release, main lyricist Martin Turner told NME that he wrote them mainly to fit the mood of the music: "The music that was coming out was very English, very medieval, and the lyrics had to reflect that." Added Powell at the time, "The expression comes out in the guitars. We wouldn't play it if it didn't express something."
Now, Analogue Productions has applied all of its vaunted craft and technical expertise to make this epic album shine! Two 45 RPM LPs pressed on virtually silent 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings make the remastered audio sparkle. Quieter lyrical sentiments and softer musical passages are rendered precisely, while majestic riffs and fist-waving anthems fully reveal the energy of the music!
Argus isn't just another rock record — it's a journey through a sonic landscape rich with depth, emotion and technical prowess. It's the album that solidified Wishbone Ash as masters of twin guitar harmony. Discerning audiophiles will find Argus an essential addition to their record collection. It's a masterclass in sound engineering that fully captures the intricate interplay of dual guitars with pristine clarity and a warmth that only analog recordings can provide.
Features
100% All-Analog
180g Vinyl
45rpm
Double LP
Mastered from the Original Analog Master Tape by Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios
Tip-On Old Style Gatefold Double Pocket Jacket by Stoughton Printing
Tracklist
1 Time Was
2 Sometime World
3 Blowin' Free
4 The King Will Come
5 Leaf And Stream
6 Warrior
7 Throw Down The Sword
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DON'T MODIFY THIS FILE
–––––––––––-
PERFORMER: auCDtect Task Manager, ver. 1.6.0 RC1 build 1.6.0.1
Copyright © 2008-2010 y-soft. All rights reserved
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ANALYZER: auCDtect: CD records authenticity detector, version 0.8.2
Copyright © 2004 Oleg Berngardt. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2004 Alexander Djourik. All rights reserved.
FILE: 07 - Throw Down The Sword.flac
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Conclusion: CDDA 100%
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Size: 42140361 Hash: DF4FB7B929B42AB4424083FB5ABDCFD9 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 99%
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Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 992E3F0D35E30613BBC31E08B29788FFB5BEE582
FILE: 04 - The King Will Come.flac
Size: 50112993 Hash: E52E8802259E15B2E4DC79F4D40DFFD2 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
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FILE: 03 - Blowin' Free.flac
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Conclusion: CDDA 99%
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FILE: 01 - Time Was.flac
Size: 67041283 Hash: FCE5D59E9539C6E38ACCCEF4EA3BB059 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 24FE88B58C3A886921A900A6D26B96258C78008A
DON'T MODIFY THIS FILE
–––––––––––-
PERFORMER: auCDtect Task Manager, ver. 1.6.0 RC1 build 1.6.0.1
Copyright © 2008-2010 y-soft. All rights reserved
http://y-soft.org
ANALYZER: auCDtect: CD records authenticity detector, version 0.8.2
Copyright © 2004 Oleg Berngardt. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2004 Alexander Djourik. All rights reserved.
FILE: 07 - Throw Down The Sword.flac
Size: 38784616 Hash: 4F0500C0369E87EC354908AEA2D78DC7 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: B6E5E8BBAFC7A1F05445D8DF65D2E5D07E26F5F2
FILE: 06 - Warrior.flac
Size: 42140361 Hash: DF4FB7B929B42AB4424083FB5ABDCFD9 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 99%
Signature: 76FAFF7F7F2A77238ACF18764CC97391CCAFBD46
FILE: 05 - Leaf And Stream.flac
Size: 25975187 Hash: BBDDD4BE6C17AEA44D63221C968F2D10 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 992E3F0D35E30613BBC31E08B29788FFB5BEE582
FILE: 04 - The King Will Come.flac
Size: 50112993 Hash: E52E8802259E15B2E4DC79F4D40DFFD2 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 39CA6A128456A96F51704800842E6F6E49C10EAF
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Conclusion: CDDA 99%
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Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 7BEC9BE29275B4125063C62CC9850C2192B28E13
FILE: 01 - Time Was.flac
Size: 67041283 Hash: FCE5D59E9539C6E38ACCCEF4EA3BB059 Accuracy: -m40
Conclusion: CDDA 100%
Signature: 24FE88B58C3A886921A900A6D26B96258C78008A