Argus

Argus is the third album by the British rock band Wishbone Ash, released on 28 April 1972. It is their most commercially and critically successful album. It peaked at No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart. Recording Although not intended as a concept album, the album is medieval-themed to a degree, particularly on the second side. The album features a blend of progressive rock, folk, and hard rock, and is considered a landmark album in the progression of twin-lead guitar harmonisation, later adopted by bands such as Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. The sound engineer on Argus was Martin Birch, who also worked with Deep Purple, later with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and other hard rock bands. The bulk of the lyrics were provided by bassist/lead vocalist Martin Turner, although all members are credited with the music and arrangements. The album was produced by Derek Lawrence. Artwork The album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson and it features a warrior overlooking a landscape at the Gorges du Verdon in Provence, France. The costume was borrowed from the wardrobe of Ken Russell’s 1971 film The Devils and to this day, the identity of the person wearing the costume remains unknown. For many years, it is rumoured that the warrior is the main inspiration for the character design of Darth Vader in Star Wars. Andy Powell acknowledged this rumour although he himself cannot confirm if it is true. Release Argus was released on vinyl record on 28 April 1972. It was later released on CD in 2002, featuring a remix (by Martin Turner) of the original album as well as the three live tracks from the EP Live from Memphis promotional EP, recorded in the studios of WMC-FM.