Where is.....

Wishbone Ash?

Album of the Year 1971 (i think) *ARGUS* is def prog

Hello all... new member

Welcome  NyghtOwl good to have you here!

Agree entirely about Argus, excellent album. Phoenix from the first album was IMO also great prog. The remastered CD of Argus includes a live version of Phoenix as a bonus track.

My favourite wishbone Ash song is Persephone.  I go weak when I hear it.

Too bad they didn't play it on the 30th Anniversary DVD. I bought There's the Rub on CD last year just because of that one song.

NyghtOwl wrote: Thanks for the welcome lol... the first time I heard anything off Argus was on a really tacky rock video from an all-day concert somewhere or other in Germany (I think). It was chock-full of bands like warlock et al... then came on Wishbone ash at the end. They didn't really belong in the set-list but hey! they were awesome. What really grabbed me was The dual-guitars at end of "Throw down the Sword". If I remember correctly (I'm sure someone will correct me if this is wrong ) that dual-guitar solo was the fiorst of its kind on vinyl. Anyways.. Aye, only some albums of some bands are prog... but WA are worthy of inclusion.

Dual guitars go back a decade before at least in the UK - Nashville Teens (our local band and had the UK hit with Tobacco Road) started out like this. Pink Fairies toured (but I less sure recorded) with two drummers and two guitars - that was the line-up I saw the first time (but not the second). And of course in considering the bluesy rock element of the WA earlier records, similarly Canned Heat (although Al - Blind Owl - Wilson favoured being rhythm most of the time, if not playing some superb harp) Allmans and Derek & Dominoes. Traffic (Stevie Winwood and  Dave Mason) etc...........................

I think the first three albums are all progressive in some way- but 'Argus' is the best and proggiest of their albums. They may not have been the first twin guitar band, but they were one of the finest- 'Time Was', 'Throw Down The Sword' and 'The King Will Come' are ample testimony to that. For some reason though, the remastered/remixed CD seems to have remixed the cover too- there's no UFO on it!

After 'Argus', there's little in their catalogue I like as much- it's all rather undistinguished boogie rock to these ears that lost the complexity of earlier albums. However, in 2002, they made a superb album in 'Bona Fide', which is their best since 'Argus'- 'Come Rain Come Shine' is a very progressive song that's one of the best they've ever written. Only some lesser songs stop this one from coming close to 'Argus', in my opinion.