Wishbone Ash
Argus

THE REVIEW

Here I am again to talk about a band that I can't find any trace of on the site... in the early seventies Wishbone Ash were the only hard rock group that managed to seamlessly marry the sound of two electric guitars, becoming indeed an authentic trademark.

The ensemble revolves around the figures of the two excellent guitarists, Andy Powell and Ted Turner, and, interestingly, they forgo the keyboard, an element that was fundamental at that time both in hard and prog contexts. Until then, the only attempt to have two soloists had been made a few years earlier by the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, but it had failed miserably. For Wishbone Ash, it worked out much better; they play and move on a hard frame where they insert many folk, country, and progressive references.

Following their self-titled debut (1970) and "Pilgrimage" (1971), "Argus" (1972) was released, an album unanimously considered their best.

The tracks on the album are rich and balanced, with direct and refined hard rock featuring magnificent masterclass solo highlights and many situations that would later appear in prog-metal of the years to come. All seven songs are noteworthy, but in my opinion, the ones that stand out the most are the opener Time Was, an acoustic track that flows into an edgy hard rock supported by splendid guitars. Other peaks include Blowin Free and Warrior, which would become their battle horses in the years to follow, and the monumental The King Will Come, an immense masterpiece of melodic hard rock with the two solo guitars evoking epic atmospheres.

In conclusion, I would add that some historical pairs of guitarists, including the duo from Iron Maiden (Smith-Murray) and Judas Priest (Downing-Tipton), have never denied drawing on the evolutions and styles of Powell and Turner, extracting the most significant aspects.