ARGUS

As others have noted, labeling Wishbone Ash's Argus a prog album is stretching things a bit. These guys have as much in common with Foghat as they do with Yes. However, this is about as good as mainstream rock ever got, and there is a level of sophistication to these tracks that do nudge the album a bit into the prog realm. Then there's also the barely discernable UFO that was visible on the LP album cover: definitely progressive.

Argus starts off with chiming acoustic guitars on Time Was, after which the song takes on a decidedly louder character. The second track, Sometime World, follows somewhat the same approach: begin quietly and gently, then explode in a whirlwind of bass and dual lead guitars. The bass playing on this track particularly shows a Yes/Squire influence. However, the album probably gets its prog- related reputation from The King Will Come, Warrior, and Throw Down the Sword, all originally on Side 2 of the LP. These are all excellent rock songs imbued with a smattering of prog influences.

This album, unlike many of the era, still sounds fresh today. This is not your mindless boogie that was growing in popularity at the time; these guys are top-notch rock musicians. It's too bad that WA were never able to produce anything else that came close to it; this was the one classic they had in them. Much as I'd like to, I can't quite bring myself to give this album a 5, but it's certainly worthy of a 4. It should be of interest to anyone who wants to hear the influence that prog had on hard rock in general.