More pastoral than the legendary Ed-bangers in Iron Maiden that their dual guitar leads would inspire, Wishbone Ash’s medieval masterpiece found their blues, folk, and prog influences working in harmony. Andy Powell and Ted Turner’s stellar strumming — especially on side one standouts “Sometime World” and “Blowin’ Free” — paints as vivid an image as the striking Storm Thorgerson spear-bearer on the cover. Side two’s Arthurian quest impresses even more. No surprise this was engineered by Deep Purple/Black Sabbath sound-definer Martin Birch. For something whose subject matter could feel silly, he brings out the required grandeur in their tales of kings, warriors, and the cost of glory.