Argus 1972-2022 48pg Book

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Andy Powell: I said, “Don’t mess with it. It’s a gem.” People have said to me — they go, “Oh, well, obviously, if you remix it, you can correct the vocal pitching, and you can change all this other stuff too.” But I didn’t want it remixed because it’s such a recording of the time, and of the era. It’s something from the last century, for God’s sake! That’s the way records were made then, you know?

Mettler: I’m glad to hear you say that, because there is a tendency to want to “upgrade” vintage recordings these days as some people feel like they need to change things from how they were in the original mixes. I do admit that I like hearing alternate versions of some albums, but I also prefer having the “needle-drop” version too — the one we heard when an album was initially released. That said, this new edition of Argus sounds more like it did when it came out in April 1972 to me — which is exactly what you wanted to have happen here, isn’t it? When constructing the tour program, Pauline asked me to come up with a list of people to thank and the list just became so long, so many names – a tsunami of names – that it reinforced for me that I’m personally only one part of many, that have contributed to making the band the success that it is. E Pluribus Unum. Out of Many Comes One. Who said that? LPs: Original Argusreplica, remastered for this release + Argus Live on yellow vinyl(selected recordings from Alexandra Palace & Memphis). I am also appreciating that the Vinyl discs are different from the CDs, in that the live one is a unique disc of A/B (Basically same songs almost 1 year apart each on a side of the vinyl. nice concept), while the CDs are full recordings of each. CDs: Martin Turner’s Argus remaster, Live at The Alexandra Palace 1973 & Memphis 1972. Also features 4 previously unreleased early version demos.Wishbone Ash celebrate the 50th anniversary of their classic album Argus with a new 7-Disc multi-format Box Set Powell: I agree; I agree. We were into all that sequencing stuff. We would talk about it, and think about it. We always considered the dynamics of the music. A lot of our songs, they start soft and then they go on a journey, and then they get heavier towards the end of the song.

LPs: Original Argus replica, remastered for this release + Argus Live on yellow vinyl (selected recordings from Alexandra Palace & Memphis). Unfortunately, the other CD – Live in Portsmouth – has fallen foul of Brexit and the current fuel problems and won’t be available until later in the tour. Myself, Bob, Joe and Mark are hoping to bring to you a selection of songs from each specific era of the band’s long history as we make our way through the year. We’re pleased to announce, also, that Andy Clark will be joining us on tour in the UK with his unique brand of hi-def visuals to enhance this special tour. H’s recently worked with ELO, Yes and Asia, among others. Our loyal crew Daniel Vetter and Sean Dalton will also be working hard to bring the best sound both from the stage and out front. Mike Mettler: What were your instructions for the way the original tapes for Argus needed to be handled for this 50th anniversary box set release? Much has been made of the cover art for Argus that you’ll see throughout this story, a visual concept that was brought to the band by the late, great Hipgnosis guru Storm Thorgerson and his partner in design, Aubrey “Po” Powell (no relation to Andy, btw). “Those two guys were film-school student dropouts, so their album covers are very cinematic,” Andy Powell (shown jamming above) notes, “and you gotta try to put your mind into what it was like to be around at that time. We didn’t have Internet, we didn’t have iPhones, and we didn’t have all this imagery that assaults us every day. You were reliant on magazines and album covers to stir the imagination.”Some people go, “Oh, it’s a concept album.” I suppose, in some strange way, it kind of is — but like I said a minute ago, the material for Argus, as it was developing and evolving, kind of dictated the way we would have to present it. It was just in the creative moment at that time, and that’s all I can say. Talking about the release, founder member Martin Turner explains, “I looked after most of these tape recordings for decades, wondering when they would ever see the light of day and I am very glad that they will at last be available for everyone to hear. I wanted to mix the live performances myself, but being a busy chap and not famous for my speediness, we decided to give it all to the wonderful Pete Reynolds whom I believe has done a brilliant job of mixing and remastering a massive collection of work. It’s almost like having one’s whole musical life in one box. It certainly represents the most comprehensive Wishbone collection that I know of and I hope you enjoy it. Mettler: Argus is such a rich-sounding record, I totally agree. And I also like how conscious you were where the organ [played by John Tout, from the band Renaissance] comes in during the second half of “Throw Down the Sword.” It’s really a nice, complementary sound there. You really could have done organ fills on the whole record, but that sequence in “Sword” really seemed to be the best place to have it, as opposed to it just being everywhere. CDs: Martin Turner's "Argus" remaster, "Live At The Alexandra Palace 1973 & Memphis 1972". Also features 4 previously unreleased early version demos. Mettler: Lesson well learned, I’d say. Did you know “Blowin’ Free” was going to become such a breakout song in terms of the bigger picture for Wishbone Ash?

Powell: That’s absolutely right — and we didn’t have the technology that’s available today to do things like crossfades. We had to sort of imply that by pauses, dynamics, and gaps in the music. We only had limited things we could do in that respect. So, yeah, we were very conscious of how we were taking people on a bit of a musical journey there, for sure. One of the few albums ever that has a complete coherence between the cover art and the music. That by itself encouraged me to pay for that Art on a Boxset scale, the other one is The court of crimson king, and that art on the 50th anniversary boxset looks amazing and shining. Powell: Yeah, because it’s called a record for a reason. It’s a record of a moment in time where you were in that studio making that music, and that’s the recording of that moment in time — and that’s exactly where it should stay. LPs: Original Argus replica, remastered for this release + Argus Live (from Alexandra Palace & Memphis).There are 3 original live albums (Live Dates, Live Dates Volume Two & Live in Tokyo) and 8 previously unreleased live albums (on 11 discs) recorded between 1973 & 1980. But you’re right — it is a very profound statement, and it goes on to be this sense of, “Where am I? What am I? What is being human?” And then the whole album just opens up, and it gets expounded on — that idea of dislocation, and time and space, war and peace, why are people fighting each other, and how can we then make the peace?

LPs: Original Argus replica, remastered for this release + Argus Live (selected recordings from Alexandra Palace & Memphis). CDs: Martin Turners Argus remaster, Live at The Alexandra Palace 1973 & Memphis 1972. Also features 4 previously unreleased early version demos.DVD: TV footage, Live from the Rainbow 1973 & RTS Broadcast 1974. · 7” Single of ‘Blowin’ Free’ (1972 Single Version) CDs: Martin Turner’s Argus remaster, Live at Alexandra Palace 1973 & Memphis 1972 and 4 previously unreleased early version demos. Madfish presents the most complete edition of this album to date. Each "Argus 50th Anniversary" box set contains: Following decades of being starved of unreleased material from the true vintage years from Wishbone Ash, fans will soon be able to enjoy the long-awaited, remastered anthology from this esteemed and influential band in its pure quality in both musical and printed content. When you listen to Argus, it has a sort of a post-Vietnam vibe at a time when it was just baby boomers who ruled the roost and people like us coming of age, and all of that. You listen to that record and you go, “Man! That was what it was like to be free in America.” That’s where we were at.