Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

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.