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Argus by  Released28 April 1972RecordedJanuary–March 1972Studio, London, England, , Length44:43 76:55 (2002 reissue)/ chronology
(1971)Argus
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Argus is the third album by the British  band , released on 28 April 1972. It is their most commercially and critically successful album, peaking at No. 3 in the .

Recording

Although not intended as a concept album, the album is -themed to a degree, particularly on the second side. The album features a blend of , , and , and is considered a landmark album in the progression of twin-lead guitar harmonisation, later adopted by bands such as ,  and . The sound engineer on Argus was , who also worked with , later with , Iron Maiden and other hard rock bands. The bulk of the lyrics were provided by bassist/lead vocalist , although all members are credited with the music and arrangements. The album was produced by .

Artwork

The album cover was designed by  and  of the album cover design company , and it features a warrior overlooking a landscape at the  in Provence, France. The warrior's costume was borrowed from the wardrobe of ’s 1971 film . Thorgerson and Powell had intended for the warrior to be holding a sword as well as a spear, and had rented the sword used in 's film , also from 1971. However, while they were selecting a location for the shoot, the sword was stolen, so the photographs were taken without it. The person dressed as the warrior was an assistant at Hipgnosis, Bruce Atkins.

It is rumoured that the warrior is the main inspiration for the character design of  in .  acknowledged this rumour although he himself cannot confirm if it is true. The cover also prompted  of  to contact Hipgnosis and ask them to design the cover for their 1973 album .

Release

Argus was released on  on 28 April 1972. It was later released on  in 2002, featuring a remix (by Martin Turner) of the original album as well as the three live tracks from the EP  promotional , recorded in the studios of WMC-FM.

In 2007, a 2-CD deluxe edition of Argus was released in Europe by . This included the 1972 mix as well as additional BBC Session tracks.

In 2008,  released a new studio recording of Argus entitled Argus Through the Looking Glass. Wishbone Ash released a live version of the album, .

Critical reception Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingSputnikMusic

Argus was named "Album of the Year" in the 1972 year-end issue of .

William Ruhlmann of  gave the album a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, praising the instrumentation and writing that "it set up the commercial breakthrough enjoyed by the band's next album, , but over the years it came to be seen as the quintessential Wishbone Ash recording, the one that best realized the group's complex vision."

Influence

In an interview with  in 2011,  from  said "I think if anyone wants to understand Maiden's early thing, in particular the harmony guitars, all they have to do is listen to Wishbone Ash's Argus album."

Track listing

Music by , lyrics by , except "Time Was" by  and Martin Turner, and "Leaf and Stream" by .

All lead vocals were performed by Martin Turner with Andy Powell, unless otherwise noted.

Side oneNo.TitleLead vocalsLength1."Time Was"T. Turner, M. Turner9:422."Sometime World" 6:553."Blowin' Free"M. Turner, Powell, T. Turner5:17 Side twoNo.TitleLead vocalsLength1."The King Will Come" 7:062."Leaf and Stream"M. Turner3:553."Warrior" 5:534."Throw Down the Sword" 5:55