Wishbone Ash gave rock one of its most enduring sounds: the soaring, interlocking harmonies of twin lead guitars. Formed in 1969, they blended rock, folk, blues and progressive ambition into something melodic and distinctive, and in 1972 they made one of the great British albums of the decade. Across a long career they have ranged from suite-like epics to sturdy melodic rock. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of a core selection of their classic era.

The short version

For the heart of Wishbone Ash, start with Argus, Pilgrimage, Wishbone Ash, There’s the Rub and Wishbone Four. Between them they hold the band’s masterpiece and the best of their twin-guitar prime. The full ranking is below.

The twin-guitar pioneers

Wishbone Ash’s signature — two lead guitars weaving harmony lines around each other — was a genuine innovation, one that bands from Thin Lizzy to Iron Maiden would build careers upon. Let us be honest about where they sit: they were more a melodic hard-rock and folk-rock band than a strictly progressive one. But the folk and jazz textures of their early work, and above all the ambitious, suite-like songs of their masterpiece Argus, place them comfortably in the genre’s rockier wing. A note on the catalogue: it is large, spanning more than twenty studio albums and five decades, and the eleven here are a core selection of the classic 1970–1981 era, with the band — still led by founding guitarist Andy Powell — active to this day.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, playing and how each album has aged. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — though on the album at the very top, there is unlikely to be much argument at all.

The essential five

At the top, and not remotely in doubt, is Argus (1972) — their masterpiece and one of the finest British rock albums of its era, blending folk, prog and twin-guitar majesty on “The King Will Come” and “Throw Down the Sword”. Pilgrimage (1971) is the jazzy, adventurous second album, and the self-titled debut Wishbone Ash (1970) announced the band’s sound fully formed, crowned by the epic “Phoenix”. There’s the Rub (1974) is the strong first album with new guitarist Laurie Wisefield, and Wishbone Four (1973) is a solid, more song-focused set that closed the original line-up’s run.

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Reliably great

The next tier holds some underrated gems. No Smoke Without Fire (1978) is a welcome return to a harder, guitar-driven sound and a genuine late highlight; New England (1976) leans into a brighter, more American rock feel with fine moments. Front Page News (1977) is a smoother, more melodic album that rewards a sympathetic ear.

The interesting middle

Here the catalogue is more variable. Locked In (1976), produced by the legendary Tom Dowd, pushed the band toward soul and R&B in a divisive experiment; and Just Testing (1980) is a decent, professional album from a tougher commercial climate.

For completists

At the foot of the list sits Number the Brave (1981), where the band chased the sounds of the new decade with diminishing returns. It has its moments, but most fans place it well below their classic work — one for the dedicated.

The classic era, in order

A core selection from the classic era, 1970–1981, in chronological order — with a much larger catalogue beyond it. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Argus — there is no real alternative. It is the band’s masterpiece and one of the defining albums of British rock, the perfect showcase for their twin-guitar sound. From there, Pilgrimage and the self-titled debut Wishbone Ash offer more of that early magic.

Prefer to own them? Find these on Amazon: Argus · Pilgrimage · Wishbone Ash

The players

Wishbone Ash were built on the interplay of two guitarists — founding member Andy Powell, the band’s ever-present leader, and Ted Turner, whose harmonies with Powell defined the classic sound until his departure in 1974, when Laurie Wisefield stepped in. Bassist and frequent vocalist Martin Turner (no relation to Ted) and drummer Steve Upton completed the original quartet, a rhythm section supple enough to follow the band from hard rock into folk and jazz. Powell has carried the name onward through the decades since.

Why they still matter

Wishbone Ash’s twin-guitar harmonies became one of the most influential ideas in rock, echoing through hard rock and heavy metal for generations. And in “Argus” they left behind a bona fide classic, a record where progressive rock ambition and melodic rock power met perfectly. Alongside folk-leaning peers like Jethro Tull and melodic kindred spirits like Camel, they showed how much beauty a guitar band could reach for.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Wishbone Ash songs, see every Wishbone Ash album in order, find your way in with our where-to-start-with-Wishbone-Ash guide, or dig up the most underrated Wishbone Ash albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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