To those who have been long time fans of Wishbone Ash, the music from this album has its own and special character. Although only the leader of the group and its co-founder, Andy Powell (lead guitar) is the only remaining member of the band that made this great recording back in 1974, the rest of the present members of Wishbone Ash can still sound not far off from the original recording. Muddy Manninen (vocal, guitar), Bob Skeat (vocal, bass guitar) and Joe Crabtree (drums) brought their great input to the originality of “Argus” from the times of respectively Ted Turner, Martin Turner and Steve Upton. Anybody expecting the music being played note-in-note after almost 40 years would be disappointed. But fine guys can very well emulate fine music in very fine way.
Wishbone Ash on stage of the Venue, “Argus” concert, Vancouver, Canada.
The Venue was a poor venue for this concert. Why? Wishbone Ash plays very fine rock music that must not be associated with any loud, decibel’s loaded loudspeakers the Venue was equipped with on Wednesday night. The rock band that took the stage before, was a trio of mediocre musician that had nothing to do with the music of the Ash that was about to be played afterwards. Maybe the audio technicians didn’t tune their funky digital stuff to what was characteristic to “Argus” and kept their settings from the pre-band unchanged – I don’t know.
Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell (lead guitar), Joe Crabtree (drums) at the back, and Bob Skeat (bass guitar), “Argus” concert, Vancouver, Canada.
Their audio/acoustic technicians (pardon my French) screwed up the entire show and general idea behind the music of “Argus” and loaded the audience with something that finally made both vocals and music hard to distinguish one from the other and mixed everything with the noise that the normal man’s ear couldn’t bear. They just missed and misunderstood what it takes to be in tune, that was it all! I know that almost for sure when having a
similar concert in Warsaw (Poland) in mind I went to 2 years ago. Similar music sounded just perfectly.
Wishbone Ash’s Muddy Manninen (guitar), Andy Powell (lead guitar), and Joe Crabtree (drums), “Argus” concert, Vancouver, Canada.
Sorry Wishbone Ash, you just hit the very wrong and poor moment in Venue of the guys who never understand what it takes to enjoy your music at the time when you recorded “Argus” a few decades ago and levelled your fine, outstanding and very sublime music to some kind of flat crap that prevails everywhere on the radio and TV you can hear it on so called “top 40” – whatever it means.
Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell (lead guitar), “Argus” concert on smoky stage of the Venue, Vancouver, Canada.
And these smokes on stage – hey, people!, couldn’t you just avoid the outdated cliché that now can be easily abandoned, stopped or replaced with something else? The time of wearing white socks to dressy shoes is now very long time past gone era, have you ever noticed? If nothing else is in your mind, then don’t smoke over the stage, goddamn!
The Venue didn’t understand the main idea of the show – sorry A. Powell, M. Manninen, B. Skeat and J. Crabtree, sorry Wishbone Ash, you were great at your music and you always will! The next time avoid the venue in the Venue.
Wishbone Ash’s Andy Powell (lead guitar), “Argus” concert, Vancouver, Canada.
