D I S C O G R A P H Y
Argus: Through The Looking Glass (2008)
Released: October 2008
Label: Mystic
Martin Turner's memories:
"Touring with my band allowed me to fulfil a long standing ambition – to perform the whole of the Argus album on stage. Before we announced an Argus tour we decided to get together to rehearse the material, just to make sure we were actually able to pull it off. Prior to going to Liscombe Park to rehearse the music, my manager Martin Darvill said to me “While you are rehearsing the album in the studio, wouldn’t it be a good idea to record it?” I had a think about this and decided that if we were going to record Argus in the studio, then we should not just lay it down as a “live in the studio” recording, but actually take it on as a fully considered recording project. So, I went back to my band and announced to them of my plan to re-record Argus, at which point their jaws dropped and they all said “You can’t do that!”, to which I replied “Excuse me, why can’t I do that?”. They responded “Well, it’s a classic album!” I explained to them that I believed the recording could benefit from the modern technology available and eventually we all agreed to take it on as a project.
I think there was a bit of concern in the camp as to how close to the original we should make the new recording. My thinking was that since the original album was much loved, I wouldn’t want to stray too far from that and, as such, we only indulged ourselves in a few embellishments. I think I eventually managed to achieve the right balance between the warmth of the original album’s sound, combined with the quality of a modern recording. Achieving that balance was not an easy process and it took a fair amount of time.
Before we embarked on the Argus: Through The Looking Glass project, a lot of people advised me that no matter what we did with the re-recording of the album, we would get shot down in flames. If we had recorded the album exactly the same as the original, people would inevitably have asked “What was the point in doing that?” Yet if we were to make too many changes, we would have been lambasted for having the audacity to interfere with something that was regarded in an almost reverent manner – in other words, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Certainly I had no desire to set the new recording up as a replacement for the original version or to imply that it is in any way superior. It was more of a case of “This is our version – we think it sounds lovely and want to share it with you”. When the album came out the general reaction to it was very positive."
adapted from the book "No Easy Road - My Life and Times With Wishbone Ash"
