ARGUS

1972 was perhaps the most gratifying year for progressive rock.Among dozens of less known works,there's at least Trilogy,Foxtrot,Thick as a Brick and Close to the Edge.This list could go on forever with honorary mentions to Renaissance,Khan,Gentle Giant,Captain Beyond,Gnidrolog and many ohters,all of which presented us with great albums(many of them the very best of their creator's career).And there's Wishbone Ashe's third effort,released in that incredible year and chosen by Melody Maker's readers as the best album of 72.Quite honestly,I don't agree with them,but still,Argus is nothing short stupendous.

Probably because it reaches a very delicate balance of heavyness and complexity,this a very pleasant album to be heard,unlike other great albums from that year such as Thick as a Brick(brilliant as it is,it requires total dedication in order to be aprecciated).And that's exactly the album's magic:it breaks the most fundamental rule of prog,the demanding sound that many times intimidates.One might question how much prog there is here,given the album's strong appealing towards hard rock in the line of Sabbath or Zeppelin.Still,the genre's essence is present here in every track.

There's not a weak song in Argus.All the seven compositions are amazing,and coming to think of it,I can't remember a single album from that period that was as well recorded(and produced)as this one.Instruments are in perfect harmony,giving the song's an ultra-dramatic and highly melodic appeal.The whole thing sounds marvelously spontaneous,with well thought-off arrangements and timing.Albums such as this don't really need this,but if I had to pont out highlights from these magic 40 minutes,they would be the opener Time Was,Sometime World and Throw Down the Sword,one of the best album closers ever made.

My personal favourite tracks however are found halfway through:The King Will Come,a growing soundscape in the shape of guitar riffs and highly effectable melody,and Leaf & Stream,the album's silent climax.This song is consisted of intelligent yet poetic lyrics and a driving bass line in a very sad ballad.

Argus contains some of the best electric guitar soloing I ever heard.This instrument is the album's soul,it's impossible to imagine it without such a strong emphasis on guitars.Along with Captain Beyond's debut(also released in that year),this recording represents to me the perfect sum-up of what was being developed in rock msuic by that time,with a genious mixture of prog and hard rock.If you haven't heard this masterpiece yet,make it a priority.