Wishbone Ash: Difference between revisions

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	The band began to fall apart after the Just Testing tour. Pressued by MCA to make more commercial music, the band wanted to bring in a lead singer and relinquish Martin Turner's duties to bass guitar only. After 11 years, the band's frontman and co-founder was forced out of Wishbone Ash. Martin was so much more than just a bass player, as he basically represented the face of Wishbone Ash to many. It would prove, for the most part, to be a mistake ont he part of the band.		The band began to fall apart after the Just Testing tour. Pressued by MCA to make more commercial music, the band wanted to bring in a lead singer and relinquish Martin Turner's duties to bass guitar only. After 11 years, the band's frontman and co-founder was forced out of Wishbone Ash. Martin was so much more than just a bass player, as he basically represented the face of Wishbone Ash to many. It would prove, for the most part, to be a mistake ont he part of the band.

	Turner was replaced by the legendary ], formerly of ], ], and several other classic groups. The band would take even more missteps by limiting the creative control of Wetton. Most of '']'', released in 1981, was written before Wetton joined, but he was still not allowed to sing lead vocals on any of the songs except one. Clearly a superioir vocalist to Andy Powell or Laurie Wisefield, Wetton grew disillusioned with his "session man" status, especially considering he was one of the most respected bassists/singers/songwriters in the world. Before the tour began, he quit Wishbone Ash and formed ], selling nine million copies of their first album, which contained songs Wishbone Ash could have used if they treated Wetton as an equal.		Turner was replaced by the legendary ], formerly of ], ], and several other classic groups. The band would take even more missteps by limiting the creative control of Wetton. Most of '']'', released in 1981, was written before Wetton joined, but he was still not allowed to sing lead vocals on any of the songs except one. Clearly a superioir vocalist to Andy Powell or Laurie Wisefield, Wetton grew disillusioned with his "session man" status, especially considering he was one of the most respected bassists/singers/songwriters in the world. Before the tour began, he quit Wishbone Ash and formed ], selling nine million copies of their first album, which contained songs Wishbone Ash could have used if they treated Wetton as an equal. Wishbone Ash was dropped by MCA the same year.

	Wetton was replaced on the '']'' tour by former ] bassist ]. Also joining the band was a female bacing vocalist, ]. who had sang on both the '']'' and '']'' albums. The new WIshbone got mixed reviews, as Martin Turner was sorely missed, as was John Wetton, who many in attendance thought they had paid to see. In 1982, the band went heavy metal and released the lackluster '']'' album. Clearly an attempt to ride the coattails of the ], the album sounded more like an LA strip metal band than the legends of the twin lead guitar. The band is virtually unrecognizeable, though there are a few bright spots along the way.		Wetton was replaced on the '']'' tour by former ] bassist ]. Also joining the band was a female bacing vocalist, ]. who had sang on both the '']'' and '']'' albums. The new WIshbone got mixed reviews, as Martin Turner was sorely missed, as was John Wetton, who many in attendance thought they had paid to see. In 1982, the band went heavy metal and released the lackluster '']'' album. Clearly an attempt to ride the coattails of the ], the album sounded more like an LA strip metal band than the legends of the twin lead guitar. The band is virtually unrecognizeable, though there are a few bright spots along the way. Once again, the band depended on their still successful live shows to bring home the bacon.

			Disillusioned witht he state of the band, ] left the group in 1983, to be replaced by ]. ] was a fantastic lead vocalist (much like ] of ]) and acted as the frontman from the 1984-1986 period. The group continued with heavy metal on 1985's '']'', which became the first Wishbone Ash album not to make the charts.

			The band suffered even more disappointment when Laurie Wisefield quit the band after 11 years of service. He was replaced by ]. Months later ] quit as well, to be replaced by [[Andy Pyl

			Considered by many to be the lowest point in the band's history,

Revision as of 00:03, 21 April 2005

Wishbone Ash are a British classic rock band, formed in Devon, 1969, forming out of the ashes of the groups as The Empty Vessels, then Tanglewood.

History

Wishbone Ash was formed in 1969 by bassist Martin Turner and drummer {{Steve Upton]]. After an extensive search for a guitar player, the band could not decide between the final two candidates, Andy Powell and Ted Turner. Powell suggested that they try both guitar players "just to see what it sounds like." Unbeknownst to Powell, he was helping to pioneer a brand new technique in rock: the "Twin lead" harmonizing guitar sound. Coincidentally, across the ocean in America, Dickie Betts and Duane Allman were utilizing the same technique as The Allman Brothers Band was formed around the same time in Macon, GA. Though both bands were heavily rooted in the blues, the Wishbone Ash twin lead sound also included strong elements of folk, progrssive rock, and classical music.

In early 1970, the band scored an opening spot for rock legends Deep Purple, who were on their way to becoming one of the most popular bands in the world. During soundcheck, Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was warming up alone onstage when a very bold Andy Powell walked up, plugged in, and began jamming along with Blackmore. Within 24 hours, Blackmore hooked the band up with legendary producer Derek Lawrence and helped them secure a record deal with MCA Records.

The band's self-titled debut album, released in 1970, was a huge success. Fans and critics alike praised the album, which contained a raw, roguh bluesy rock sound as well as extended jam sessions and twin guitar flights that displayed the band's impressive musical skills. The haunting "Phoenix," clocking in at nearly 13 minutes, closed aout the album and is considered by many to be the definitive Wishbone Ash song. The group also displayed early signs of heavy metal with the pummeling riffs of "Queen of Torture" and "Lady Whiskey."

One year later, the group released Pilgrimage. Reactions were mixed, as there was extreme pressure on the band to surpass their highly praised debut album. Regardless, Pilgrimage was a strong effort, and remains one of their finest studio recordings. However, most of the tracks on the album were instrumental, as there were only a few songs with vocals and solid song structures.

The band struck gold in 1972 with Argus, without question their commercial and creative peak. The album was voted by the readers of Sounds magazine as the best rock album of the year. Argus contained epic themes, brilliant vocal harmonizing, instrumental precision, and the best songwrting of Wishbone Ash's career. The impact of Argus was enormous. A potent blend of folk, progressive rock, and classical, Argus was a truly original album that helped propell the band to superstar status. The band was now one of the most popular rock bands in the world, and was getting international acclaim for their live performances.

The band was now headlining major arenas on their own and starting to make a huge impact in the United States. In a move that Wishbone Ash would unfortunately repeat time and time again throughout their career, the group released a lackluster follow-up to Argus that put the brakes on their rise to the top. Wishbone Four was the band's first record without producer Derek Lawrence, as the band decided to produce the album themselves. It was as if Argus never happened. None of the lush harmonies, folky elements, or epic songwriting was present, and most of the trademark twin lead guitar was missing. However, there were some absoulte classics on the album, including the beautiful "Ballad of the Beacon" and the underrated rocker "Doctor."

Regardless of whether Wishbone Four captivated audiences, the band still had a reputation as a fierce live act. Therefore, in 1973, the band released a double live album entitled Live Dates, which truly captured the band at their peak of their live performance. Bands were releasing live albums left and right in the early 70s, so Live Dates, although successful, did not recieve the popularity and attention it should have.

Just as the band's popularity was continuing to rise on the strength of Live Dates and the now legendary status of Argus, the band suffered a serious blow with the departure of guitarist Ted Turner, who retired from music and moved to the English countryside. After replacing Turner with new guitarist Laurie Wisefield, the band relocated to America and recorded the critically acclaimed There's the Rub album.

Widely considered one of the band's strongest albums, There's the Rub contained several classics, including the druggy instrumental epic "FUBB (Fucked Up Beyond Belief)" and the haunting, gorgeous ballad "Persephone," one of the group's best songs. American influences began creeping into the band's sond as well, as the album contained the first hints of the mellow, softer side the group would embrace later in the decade.

However, the band almost didn't make it to the latter part of the decade, as their next album nearly killed their career. Locked in, produced (and extremely overproduced) by Tom Dowd, was a critical and commercial disaster. Virtually unrecognizeable as a Wishbone Ash album, the album nearly derailed the band's career as fan backlash was enormous. The group even began touring with a keyboard player; not only was the album panned, but the shows were slagged as well. The entire Locked In experience was seen as a complete disaster.

The band returned with a newfound focus on 1976's New England, and the Americanization of Wishbone Ash was now in full effect. A huge step forward, the band was also beginning to mellow out in a big way. Aside from a couple of rockers, most of the album is floaty and breezy, bringing the band's great vocal harmonies even more to the forefront. The laid back, mellow trend continued with Front Page News (1977). Many fans proclaim that the group's vocal harmonizing was never as fully realized as it was on Front Page News. A truly unique album which divides fans to this day, it acts almost as one constant, flowing number in the soft-rock vein, but without the cheesy elements. A highlights is the airy intstrumental "714," which includes strings int he background (a first for the band).

Despite recovering from the Locked In debacle with two fine albums in the mid 70s, the band's record sales were slumping. It was the erea of punk and disco, and the hard rock giants of the early 70s were now seen as hasbeens only a few years into their careers. However, the groups remained a strong live attraction that was still able to pack large venues.

In 1978, after years of experimental albums, the band decided to return to its roots with No Smoke Without Fire, the band's heaviest album since There's the Rub and the first to be produced by Derek Lawrence since the Argus masterpiece in 1972. The album contained many songs written solely by Laurie Wisefield, including the masssive epic "Way of the World" and the gorgeuous harmonic ballad "Ships in the Sky" (one of the only elemetns till left from the Front Page News era; most of the album was classic Wishbone Ash). However, the band had long lost the ability to have a high charting album release, especially considering the trends of the time.

However, the band soldiered on and spent over an entire year making the next album, Just Testing. Released in February 1980, the album was the strongest Wishbone record in years. Containing mostly Martin Turner material, the album allowed Wishbone to try new musical trends and still retain the classic Wishbone sound. The album contained less frills with a stronger emphasis on vocals and chorus, coming through nicely on tracks like "Insomnia" and the classic opener "Living Proof," one of Wishbone Ash's best songs of all time. "Lifeline," Another "Way of the World" style epic, closed out the album and unfortunately, an era.

The band began to fall apart after the Just Testing tour. Pressued by MCA to make more commercial music, the band wanted to bring in a lead singer and relinquish Martin Turner's duties to bass guitar only. After 11 years, the band's frontman and co-founder was forced out of Wishbone Ash. Martin was so much more than just a bass player, as he basically represented the face of Wishbone Ash to many. It would prove, for the most part, to be a mistake ont he part of the band.

Turner was replaced by the legendary John Wetton, formerly of King Crimson, UK, and several other classic groups. The band would take even more missteps by limiting the creative control of Wetton. Most of Number the Brave, released in 1981, was written before Wetton joined, but he was still not allowed to sing lead vocals on any of the songs except one. Clearly a superioir vocalist to Andy Powell or Laurie Wisefield, Wetton grew disillusioned with his "session man" status, especially considering he was one of the most respected bassists/singers/songwriters in the world. Before the tour began, he quit Wishbone Ash and formed Asia, selling nine million copies of their first album, which contained songs Wishbone Ash could have used if they treated Wetton as an equal. Wishbone Ash was dropped by MCA the same year.

Wetton was replaced on the Number the Brave tour by former Uriah Heep bassist Trevor Bolder. Also joining the band was a female bacing vocalist, Claire Hamill. who had sang on both the Just Testing and Number the Brave albums. The new WIshbone got mixed reviews, as Martin Turner was sorely missed, as was John Wetton, who many in attendance thought they had paid to see. In 1982, the band went heavy metal and released the lackluster Twin Barrels Burning album. Clearly an attempt to ride the coattails of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the album sounded more like an LA strip metal band than the legends of the twin lead guitar. The band is virtually unrecognizeable, though there are a few bright spots along the way. Once again, the band depended on their still successful live shows to bring home the bacon.

Disillusioned witht he state of the band, Trevor Bolder left the group in 1983, to be replaced by Mervyn Spence. Spence was a fantastic lead vocalist (much like Jon Anderson of Yes) and acted as the frontman from the 1984-1986 period. The group continued with heavy metal on 1985's Raw to the Bone, which became the first Wishbone Ash album not to make the charts.

The band suffered even more disappointment when Laurie Wisefield quit the band after 11 years of service. He was replaced by Jamie Crompton. Months later Mervyn Spence quit as well, to be replaced by [[Andy Pyl

Considered by many to be the lowest point in the band's history,