MT - Hi Dean, Our team acted in a consultancy role i.e.: liner notes, bonus tracks etc. I have met the guy who is doing the re-master and he is well up to the job. I’ve seen previous re-issues they have done for other acts and they certainly do a class package IMHO. I have not however had the pleasure of seeing or hearing the Argus package as yet.

MT - I played the Argus material extensively throughout the 70s and have featured various songs from the album with my new band since we started two years ago. I have been somewhat amazed at how fresh the songs sound on recent shows – it does seem to be the case that these tunes possess a “timeless” quality and I am constantly told by people out on the road, how much they love the songs and how they were inspired by them, complete with tales of how the music impacted on their lives. All very heartening and gives some real meaning to my role as a performing musician/song writer.

MT - It was conceived as a loose concept album, not exactly a rock opera as such but yes, I was very conscious of exploring themes which had fascinated me in my young life. I grew up in the post war era very much intrigued by tales of my father and his generation in the second world war. Any young red blooded male is going to wonder about war and conflict. The courage, the honour, the passion of fighting for a cause are all classic themes printed in the genes of testosterone laden male lads in their prime. At the same time I had spent my childhood singing in a church choir, becoming head choir boy, I clearly had a feel for music - I still love classical and religious music to this day. In writing the songs I wanted to explore the Christian religion theme (I have pagan/spiritualist leanings myself) as well as the ancient quality of young male warrior as mentioned before.

“Throw down the sword” has been cited as an anti-war song but I saw it at the time as embodying the sense of futility and utter weariness that must surely come at the end of conflict as peace dawns. It was a must to me as a Libran in order to balance the “Warrior” – “King Will Come energy”. I also felt that the core of the album was a bit dramatic and heavy so “Leaf and Stream” with Steve Upton’s help was put together to supply some light relief and I resurrected a song that I had written in the 60s – “Blowin Free” about a Swedish girlfriend which had an altogether “up” feeling of joy almost, and in a sense did not really belong with the other songs. It does however counterbalance the heavier stuff and has become a Wishbone anthem over the years.

MT - Yes, I think you have hit the nail on the helmet – we had done two previous albums and were soaking up recording experience, not to mention being able to afford decent instruments and amplification at this point. Ted Turner and Andy and Steve, myself too were operating at a peak around this period. As a bass player, I’m a whacky one, play with a pick, non orthodox, self taught, pushy, but always trying to be melodic, and very much part of the sound that I envisaged from day one as the identity that became Wishbone Ash. My quest nowadays after years of hearing pale, watered down versions claiming to be WA, is to rekindle that powerful spirit in the music which was always my vision and the real trademark sound of the band.

MT - Of course they were important. Derek approached us following a recommendation from Ritchie Blackmore, and was key in our signing with MCA/Universal in Los Angeles. He was a good Producer, not “hands on” Technical, but with an excellent feel for music generally. He knew Martin Birch was a hot, “up and coming” engineer and together we made a great team. We made the first three albums together and then there was a feeling in the band of wanting a change – maybe born of knowing that we could not really top Argus – which had huge critical acclaim and became so popular on the streets that it produced a self consciousness I would say.

So - instead of just trying a new direction musically we changed everything, new studio, engineer , Producer, and looking back it was probably a bit too drastic an over reaction. Wishbone Four never came out sounding quite right – the rock n roll power that it had in the studio just did not translate onto vinyl somehow, maybe it would have been better with the same team, its impossible to say, but change can stimulate creativity as we found when we started recording in the USA later in the 70s.

MT - I had spent a huge amount of energy over a period of a year putting this album together. At the time, three of us were living in the same house with the other one just around the corner so it was easy to get together and work the material. We were all still fairly young and unencumbered with mortgages, kids, dogs etc, so life was fairly simple and clean cut. When we eventually finished the recording I can remember listening back to the final mixes and feeling a huge sense of relief, I actually cried, the album sounded beautiful and was everything that I had conceived, even then my personal feelings could not take account of how important the album would later become.

MT - We decided to perform the Argus album in its entirety next year and got together at my manager, Martin Darvill’s studio last August to start rehearsal for the project. Things developed, like, well if we are in a recording studio we might as well record it, so it started to take on a life of its own. It was recorded over a three week period pretty much live – similar to the original really. At this point it is busy maturing in the vat and we need to go back, give it a listen, get some mixes and put the icing on the helmet so to speak. I have not got a clue how it will turn out – we will all have to wait and see. As usual I will just follow my instincts.

MT - I have talked on this earlier – I know we all felt that there was no point in trying to make another Argus – its been done, sounds good, now for something new.

Do you remember that we used to call albums “records” ? That’s what they are really – a record of what was going down at that point in time. I do not contrive songs to order, they are very much a record of what I am thinking and feeling at the time. I have learnt that despite the adulation and somewhat intense fantasies that people can project onto rock celebrities, the bottom line is: I am just a conduit through which ideas from the cosmos enter my subconscious and when I am properly tuned in I do have a gift of being able to express music and feelings which people across the world relate to. That is a wonderful thing but its also just my job, my role in this ever smaller world. I’m just doing my Martin thing, sometimes well, sometimes not so well, sometime world, sometimes world of Martina. I try to do my best and use the talent I was given but sometimes life gets in the way !

MT - Well if you are referring to Andy Powell’s use of the bands name for his band – I don’t think it has done a lot of good. I’ve been along to his gigs and seen the various changing line ups, although he is a fine guitarist I always came away feeling sad and disappointed that a bunch of well meaning unexceptional musicians were up there playing music I wrote which left me feeling there was something missing. I came to the conclusion that what was missing was me, and that realisation was the seed that grew into my band now. Most serious music people regard the band as having existed in the 70s only, and then when we reformed for a few years in the late 80s early 90s. The music press, bless their hearts, have short memories, tend to go with trends and a band like us that did not have hit singles all over the place are forgotten for them, whereas the public and other bands still have respect and admiration for the trail we blazed in the 70s.

MT - Aerosmith were a great bunch of guys starting out when we were touring together in the mid 70s. I was mildly amused when I saw them top a poll of hooligan rock n roll bands a couple of years back on MTV, thinking to myself hmmm, they learned some of that behaviour on the road with us. I rolled up at a soundcheck one afternoon and caught Tom trying out a Gibson Thunderbird bass, like I use, Oi, says I, what the f..k ? - Oh, yes, well I thought you get a good sound so I needed to check it out, says Tom. All done with a smile on the face you understand, I have always been very fond of Aerosmith, great front man in Steve, Joe - very creative guitarist, all round cool band, an American Stones if you like. Loved “Pump” especially “Janie’s got a gun”.

MT - The true spirit that was in the music of Wishbone Ash in the 70s, It was in me then, it is still in me now, check it out.

MT - I met Keith (guitarist) first on a Lucie Diamond session, we hit it off, he was keen to get involved and wanted me to go up and meet Ray and Rob the drummer. I drove up to the midlands to just meet with them and that day I had several magical signs which I will not go into here but I recognised them on a psychic level. They seemed like pretty regular blokes and I instinctively knew they were the men for the job and they have proved to be spot on in virtually every respect and I have grown to be immensely fond of all of them considering we hardly knew each other at first, it has come together in a very easy way which was clearly meant to be.

MT - Working with Andy would be difficult because of the history but there may be a way to broker some kind of re-union at some point. I have worked with the LSO and I can tell you that it is a hard task to just bolt an orchestra on to the side of a rock band. The only way it can work is to integrate the band into the orchestra and that is such a different culture it is almost impossible to make it work in a live situation. Rock music and Orchestral music are what they are, Both cool, but different really.

MT - I hope very much to start work on new material next year.  Most all of the original WA recordings have surfaced already although I do have a mountain of live tapes from the 70s which I have just started transferring from analogue to digital - it could be that there are performances that are worthy of release on CD, I need to find the time to work some wizardry on it all at some point.

MT - Just to ask people who are disaffected supporters of the band’s past to make the effort to come out and take a look at my band. It is not Wishbone Ash of the 70s but everyone seems to agree that it is the closest thing yet.

MT - Thanks to you too Dean