Wishbone Ash

Certif1ed · 09-03-2009, 10:57 AM

Argus is a great album, but Pilgrimage, its predecessor, was soooo much greater. Not as slick, granted, but straight from the soul progressive rock and roll.

Do your ears a favour and get it. It's a must-hear-before-you-die album.

And hearing takes several listens.

;0)

sidewinder · 09-03-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Certif1ed

Argus is a great album, but Pilgrimage, its predecessor, was soooo much greater. Not as slick, granted, but straight from the soul progressive rock and roll.

I disagree. The songwriting isn't nearly as interesting, some tracks sound too much like generic blues rock ("Jail Bait" bleh), and overall doesn't inspire the emotional reaction that Argus does for me. I should still give it another listen soon, but I'd place Argus, Wishbone Ash, and There's the Rub ahead of it, even though There's the Rub also has a couple of not-so-good tracks, the strong ones are stronger than those on Pilgrimage. It is better than Wishbone Four though.

Unknown Soldier · 09-03-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Certif1ed

Argus is a great album, but Pilgrimage, its predecessor, was soooo much greater. Not as slick, granted, but straight from the soul progressive rock and roll.

Do your ears a favour and get it. It's a must-hear-before-you-die album.

And hearing takes several listens.

;0)

Like Sidewinder said, I didn`t think Pilgrimage was that good, sure it followed on from the first album but nowhere as solid as the first. Argus remains their definitive work.

Certif1ed · 09-05-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

I disagree. The songwriting isn't nearly as interesting, some tracks sound too much like generic blues rock ("Jail Bait" bleh), and overall doesn't inspire the emotional reaction that Argus does for me. I should still give it another listen soon, but I'd place Argus, Wishbone Ash, and There's the Rub ahead of it, even though There's the Rub also has a couple of not-so-good tracks, the strong ones are stronger than those on Pilgrimage. It is better than Wishbone Four though.

I don't find the songwriting more interesting on Argus, just slicker - ie with more epic direction and purpose. It's like they tamed the wild beast of Pilgrimage, and that taming to me is a weakness.

The debut is much weaker by far - you definitely need to re-listen to Pilgrimage, as it's one of those that's easy to write off as "generic blues rock", as you put it.

I need to relisten to "There's The Rub", as I find it almost unlistenable wallpaper after Argus - but then I only added it to my collection recently, so haven't had a chance to familiarise myself with it.

The beauty of Pilgrimage lies not so much in the songwriting, but in the gut musicianship - the pure rock and roll animalicity of the album. It lacks the pretension of epic songs like "Warrior", but therein lies the charm to my ears... or in this case, my gut.

Here are some reviews I wrote on the first 3 - maybe you'll find them interesting (Obviously, I can't post proper URLs yet);

hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=211967
hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=212568
hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=212203

Unknown Soldier · 09-05-2009, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Certif1ed

I don't find the songwriting more interesting on Argus, just slicker - ie with more epic direction and purpose. It's like they tamed the wild beast of Pilgrimage, and that taming to me is a weakness.

The debut is much weaker by far - you definitely need to re-listen to Pilgrimage, as it's one of those that's easy to write off as "generic blues rock", as you put it.

I need to relisten to "There's The Rub", as I find it almost unlistenable wallpaper after Argus - but then I only added it to my collection recently, so haven't had a chance to familiarise myself with it.

The beauty of Pilgrimage lies not so much in the songwriting, but in the gut musicianship - the pure rock and roll animalicity of the album. It lacks the pretension of epic songs like "Warrior", but therein lies the charm to my ears... or in this case, my gut.

Here are some reviews I wrote on the first 3 - maybe you'll find them interesting (Obviously, I can't post proper URLs yet);

hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=211967
hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=212568
hxxp://progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=212203

Another person recommending Pilgrimage, looks like I`m going to have to wipe the dust off my Wishbone Ash records and give most of their stuff a listen. Always saw Pilgrimage as the weak album sandwiched between a very good album and a classic album.

sidewinder · 09-05-2009, 11:35 PM

I listened to Pilgrimage again a few hours ago. My original opinion (and 3/5 rating) still stands.

Vas Dis - pretty bad 2/5
The Pilgrim - good one I really enjoy 4/5
Jail Bait - I hate this boogie stuff 2/5
Alone - pretty good short instrumental but seems a bit insignificant, no real faults though 3/5
Lullaby - good smooth instrumental 4/5
Valediction - another very good track with great guitar playing and vocals 4/5
Where Were You Tomorrow - long blues rock/boogie jam I don't enjoy 2/5

So yes there are some good songs, but 3 out of the 7 songs I don't like at all, adding up to a mediocre album. The songs I like the most are ones with smooth and beautiful guitar work akin to those on Argus. That's just my preference when it comes to Wishbone Ash, which I suppose is the opposite of what attracts you to the band, Certif1ed.

Certif1ed · 09-07-2009, 04:08 AM

Indeed - taste is always a big factor when it comes to music, as you highlight with references to "hate" or "enjoy" without being particularly specific, so it's not really clear why you don't like the particular tracks. Not that it matters, it's just interesting when debating the various merits of what I call "quality" music, as opposed to disposable pop.

You'll note that I gave both Pilgrimage and Argus 4 stars, for different reasons - but for me, Pilgrimage is the better album.

I really like Vas Dis - reminds me of Ten Years After

Unknown Soldier · 10-29-2012, 05:25 PM

Three measly pages since 2006 for one of the most talented and best bands to have ever come out of the UK.

Not too many bands can make songs as brilliant and timeless as this.

This is breezy driving music at its best.

Wishbone Ash - Sometime World - YouTube

09-05-2009, 11:35 PM	#26 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	I listened to Pilgrimage again a few hours ago. My original opinion (and 3/5 rating) still stands. Vas Dis - pretty bad 2/5 The Pilgrim - good one I really enjoy 4/5 Jail Bait - I hate this boogie stuff 2/5 Alone - pretty good short instrumental but seems a bit insignificant, no real faults though 3/5 Lullaby - good smooth instrumental 4/5 Valediction - another very good track with great guitar playing and vocals 4/5 Where Were You Tomorrow - long blues rock/boogie jam I don't enjoy 2/5 So yes there are some good songs, but 3 out of the 7 songs I don't like at all, adding up to a mediocre album. The songs I like the most are ones with smooth and beautiful guitar work akin to those on Argus. That's just my preference when it comes to Wishbone Ash, which I suppose is the opposite of what attracts you to the band, Certif1ed. __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

09-03-2009, 10:57 AM	#21 (permalink)
Certif1ed Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 194	Argus is a great album, but Pilgrimage, its predecessor, was soooo much greater. Not as slick, granted, but straight from the soul progressive rock and roll. Do your ears a favour and get it. It's a must-hear-before-you-die album. And hearing takes several listens. ;0)

09-07-2009, 04:08 AM	#27 (permalink)
Certif1ed Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 194	Indeed - taste is always a big factor when it comes to music, as you highlight with references to "hate" or "enjoy" without being particularly specific, so it's not really clear why you don't like the particular tracks. Not that it matters, it's just interesting when debating the various merits of what I call "quality" music, as opposed to disposable pop. You'll note that I gave both Pilgrimage and Argus 4 stars, for different reasons - but for me, Pilgrimage is the better album. I really like Vas Dis - reminds me of Ten Years After