Fitter Stoke
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Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 15:53
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Terminally uncool band. And wrongly so, as far as I'm concerned.
The first four, defining records ('Wishbone Ash', 'Pilgrimage', 'Argus' and 'Wishbone Four', not to forget 'Live Dates', one of the first great live double albums) are all belters: distinctive, melodic, twin guitar-driven hard rock devoid of both metal numptiness and prog excess. Sure, they clunked in the aftermath of punk - how many straight rock acts of that time didn't - but their early legacy sounds a helluva lot less dated now than many of their contemporaries.
Many line-up changes have ensued, to the point where there are now two Wishbone Ashes regularly treading the boards of a pub near you. Good, reasonably-priced entertainment is guaranteed from either line-up, though I'd plump for the Andy Powell one for authenticity's sake, he being the only member who's never actually left the band as such. And the mid-90's album 'Illuminations' is to my ears a truly unsung classic, even if it is a bit out of time.
Time for a reassessment, methinks.
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Gladwin
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:02
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Topically (on here, anyway) some bits of Opeth sound rather like Wishbone Ash.
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Moon Cat
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Edited Jul 27, 2010, 16:13
Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:02
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Always got a soft spot for the Ash. Shame there's a bit of a Hawkwind/BJH who is the real band fracas going on at the mo.
As you say, the first few albums are ace. The debut and,of course, Argus float my boat in particular.
And I like stuff like New England, Front Page News & Just Testing in a more commercial, melodic rock kinda way.
I think they lost a bit of their vocal clout when Martin Turner left but they still threw some good tunes together. In fact, I really like the relatively unheralded "Twin Barrell's Burning" with it's Ash go AC/DC muscular riffery. God awful sleeve though.
This is probably blasphemous to some, but I really, really liked the 90's drum n bass n trance album projects "Trance Visionary" & "Sonic Terrorism". Pretty adventurous and I really enjoyed playing some of the tracks to my dance loving chums and watching their jaws drop when I told 'em who it was!
Liked "Illuminations" although some of the more AOR moments made me wince a bit.
A good band with some beautiful and belting tunes in their catalogue and of course, their influence on subsequent twin-lead bands is huge.
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Moon Cat
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:05
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Gladwin wrote: Topically (on here, anyway) some bits of Opeth sound rather like Wishbone Ash.
Yeah, and I'm sure they'd be happy to aknowledge that. Mikael Akerfeldt is famously a massive 70's rock and prog head, even to the most arcane levels. In fact it was reading interviews with him got me into Comus and Linda Perhacs
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Squid Tempest
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:07
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Fitter Stoke wrote: Terminally uncool band. And wrongly so, as far as I'm concerned.
The first four, defining records ('Wishbone Ash', 'Pilgrimage', 'Argus' and 'Wishbone Four', not to forget 'Live Dates', one of the first great live double albums) are all belters: distinctive, melodic, twin guitar-driven hard rock devoid of both metal numptiness and prog excess. Sure, they clunked in the aftermath of punk - how many straight rock acts of that time didn't - but their early legacy sounds a helluva lot less dated now than many of their contemporaries.
Many line-up changes have ensued, to the point where there are now two Wishbone Ashes regularly treading the boards of a pub near you. Good, reasonably-priced entertainment is guaranteed from either line-up, though I'd plump for the Andy Powell one for authenticity's sake, he being the only member who's never actually left the band as such. And the mid-90's album 'Illuminations' is to my ears a truly unsung classic, even if it is a bit out of time.
Time for a reassessment, methinks.
They are proving very popular with my family. I've been gradually working my way through their back catalogue, starting with Argus, then Live Dates, then Four. I've now got the twofer of Where's The Rub and Locked In saved up for when I go on hols (it was cheap!). Really enjoying discovering them.
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Fitter Stoke
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:13
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Yeah, I quite like their 'Twin Barrels'/'Raw To The Bone' era too, despite the godawful - as you acknowledge - sleeves! Another goodie IMHO was the original line-up's reformation album 'Here To Hear'.
And I agree that it's sad when bands get into puerile feuding like Ash, Saxon, BJH etc. If only they'd take a leaf out of VdGG's book: "Let's do this again before we all start dying...!"
I wonder how many line-ups of the Drifters there are at the moment?
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Moon Cat
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:17
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I'm with you on the Andy Powell version being the 'real' one. Much as I admire Martin Turner it's a bit of cheek really. AP has been piloting the ship for all these years. Turner left and now, decades later, decides he wants to BE Wishbone Ash. I understand that initially, both parties had agreed for Turner to go out as "Martin Turner's Wishbone" which seemed like a fair compromise to me. Then, no, he's Wishbone Ash. Silly boy.
Whatever happened to Merv "Spam" Spence? ;^)
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Squid Tempest
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:30
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oh bugger. sounds like we're going to see the "wrong" Wishbone Ash at Weyfest then. Pity, I was looking forward to that 8-(
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Moon Cat
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:34
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Squid Tempest wrote: oh bugger. sounds like we're going to see the "wrong" Wishbone Ash at Weyfest then. Pity, I was looking forward to that 8-(
Nah! I'm sure it'll be great and aren't they doing Argus in it's entirety?
I just think Martin Turner has been a bit cheeky in suddenly seeking to appropriate the Wishbone Ash name decades after leaving and when Andy Powell has lead the band through loads of albums and gigs since.
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Squid Tempest
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Re: Wishbone Ash
Jul 27, 2010, 16:42
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Moon Cat wrote: Squid Tempest wrote: oh bugger. sounds like we're going to see the "wrong" Wishbone Ash at Weyfest then. Pity, I was looking forward to that 8-(
Nah! I'm sure it'll be great and aren't they doing Argus in it's entirety?
I just think Martin Turner has been a bit cheeky in suddenly seeking to appropriate the Wishbone Ash name decades after leaving and when Andy Powell has lead the band through loads of albums and gigs since.
I think I've seen that they may be doing Argus elsewhere, but I've seen no mention of that for Weyfest. Could be though.
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