Wishbone Ash

Though two albums beat Wishbone Ash to this blog before WA’s entries could be made, this group can claim credit as the sole reason why great-anonymous-albums.com was created.

One the greatest rock bands but also one of the most under-rated bands of all time, Wishbone Ash needs a resurrection if not just entries in blogs to be accepted as one of rock’s most important and innovative bands. At least Caravan’s entry was previously mentioned and later removed from the 1996 Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock but the tragedy is that the entry for Wishbone Ash doesn’t even exist. The Harmony Illustrated Handbook of Rock (1988) did mention them though. I am not sure if they are included in the current version of the popular encyclopedia but surprisingly Rolling Stone voted Andy and Ted into the list of the top 20 guitarists of all time.

Made just two years after “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles, “Wishbone Ash”, their self-titled debut certainly may not have matched the popularity of the former but it was a force to reckon with. Though initially “Wishbone Ash”, created a bang when it was lauchned in early 1970 it has gone unnoticed and faded almost into oblivion over the ages. Born was what Melody Maker called the Twin-lead-harmony guitar. For the first time rock fans listened to a harmonious blend of two lead guitars. This is not the usual one guitarist plays some lick while the other strums a chord thing. With Wishbone Ash you’ll hear both the guitarists playing their own lead tunes but fused so well it’s a beautiful harmony to listen to. On stereo you’ll hear Andy on one side (normally on the left speaker) and Ted on the other. Supported by Martin Turner on Bass and lead vocal and Steve Upton on Drums they were a great group of talented musicians. Andy and Ted would lend vocals too. When “Wishbone Ash” was being made most of the band members were just barely out of their teens. For an album of this standard and from an age group as theirs, “Wishbone Ash” is something phenomenal.

Twin lead guitarists at that time was not a novelty. Across the Atlantic “The Allman Brothers boasted twin lead guitarists. But none were like Wishbone Ash. Later bands that featured dual lead guitars include southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd and heavy metal rockers Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy, the last two inspired by WA.

Now for a review of the songs on the album:

Blind eye – The song that introduces the album and the band.  A rock n’ roll number, the hallmark start-stop playing is showcased. Steve Upton steals the show with brilliant drumming with his classic unconventional style of playing. Piano is used but later never to be heard again in any of Wishbone Ashs’s albums for a long time.

Lady Whiskey – Song reveals the beginnings of what’s to come. There’s plenty of good guitar and music with the guys flexing their music muscle.

Errors of my way – Childish, innocent, wanton-free singing by Martin and Andy. Starts with a slow melody and then builds into a great composition heralding what is to come in the other stellar compositions and then back to melody for concludion. For rock newbies this song is great for practicing and playing. Lovely lyrics too.

Queen of torture – Lovely rythm and guitar tune. I find a strange connection to the rythm of the song to popular rural songs in South India used extensively in movie songs.

Next come the two classics, songs that are so rare in the rock genre you wonder how they were missed and ignored by many a rock fan all these years. Both these songs are highly recommened for jamming and improvisation.  I am sure these songs also gave Wishbone Ash great joy while performing them live.

Handy – The finest song on the album. Every aspiring bassist must listen to this song for inspiration. Besides bassists it’s also a great song for aspiring lead guitarists and drummers. The song starts of as a bass solo by Martin and gradually joined by Andy and Ted with their trademark melody. The tunes are so beautiful you could cry. Joined with Steve they carry on beautifully for a while, and then Martin’s bass once again takes the limelight, this time he gradually changes the pace and sets the stage for a great solo. I think this time it is Andy. The guitarists take it to such a brilliant high you wonder why this cannot be the worlds greatest guitar solo ever played. At its peak Steve takes the limelight with a brief solo followed and concluded by some jazz. Jazz elements make up this song. Steve Upton’s roots were in Jazz. Watching him hold his sticks while drumming will explain that instantly. Hanky is one of the great rock songs ever made. A rare bootleg LP even features a 25 minute live-version of this song. Check out the following link. Rare Bootleg LP

Phoenix – Long before there was Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven (1971) and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” (1973) featuring the trademark starting slow and building up to a great climax, there was Phoenix. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitaring on Sweet Child in Time and the music of the song itself seems heavily drawn from this rock gem, or was it? Those of you who are familiar with Deep Purple’s “Child in time” released from the classic “In Rock” album also released in 1970 will find a resemblance to the guitar work and music of “Phoenix”, particularly the tune where Ritchie finishes his great solo on “Child in time”. It is not clear who inspired whom, Blackmore or Andy, but the fact is that Andy and Ritchie had jammed together. Thanks to a bold Andy who went on stage to jam with the guitar god from Deep Purple. It was this meeting that prompted Ritchie to recommend Derek Lawrence, the Deep Purple producer, produce Wishbone Ash’s debut.

With blow-your-mind guitar playing, hypnotic and soulful singing and adroit percussion, you cannot afford to miss this 10 minute plus classic.

Final words – If you haven’t listened to this album or any of the other Wishbone Ash’s early albums, you haven’t listened to rock.

Listen to MP3 clips of songs here.

Click here to purchase the CD from Amazon

Better still download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.

Wishbone Ash had come to tour India in the late early eighties. According to Steve Upton’s biography they had been to India thrice. They even performed in Chennai (then Madras). I remember seeing their advertisement in “The Hindu”. They toured with Bob Geldorf’s (yes, of 1985′s Live Aid fame) “The Boomtown Rats”. Steve Upton had written a delightful account of the band’s tour experiences in the orient and you can read it at the following link on the web, titled “A Pocket History of Wishbone Ash”. What a shame, I couldn’t go to any of their concerts then.

http://www.usash.com/band/history/pocket-history-1.htm

For more information on Wishbone Ash, band members bio, current information about concerts, discography and lyrics check out their official website at the link below.

http://www.wishboneash.com

Both the website and scores of others and the two annual AshCon concerts conducted in the U.S.A and U.K are doing their best to spread awareness of the band.

Video of Blind Eye/Lady Whisky performed back to back by the original band at a comeback concert in the eighties can be currently watched by following this link here. Ted sings Blind Eye and Martin does Lady Whiskey. Besides these there are other videos too.

In the Land of Grey and Pink by Caravan.

When I started this blog Caravan’s “In the Land of Grey and Pink” was my obvious first choice for two important reasons. 1. This is such a great album not many have listened to and, 2. Rolling Stone in their 1996 edition of the Encylopedia of Rock N Roll decided to remove Caravan from their listings. I wonder how they could keep one-hit-wonder bands such as “Bow Wow Wow” (remember that band from the 80′s) and XTC and remove Caravan who are listenable even after three and a half decades of In the Land of Grey and Pink’s release.

Considered their finest work “In the Land of Grey and Pink” is a milestone in progressive rock. Released in September 1971, “In the land of…” was the band’s third album and was considered “Perfect in every sense” and “Virtually flawless”. The line-up of the band that made this album was the same that existed right from the band’s inception, comprising Pye Hastings (Lead Vocals, Guitars), David Sinclair (Keyboards -organ/piano/mellotron), Richard Sinclair (bass, vocals) and Richard Coughlan (Drums). Other musicians Jimmy Hastings (Pye’s brother) and David Grinsted contribute on flute/trenor sax/piccolo and cannon/bell/wind respectively.

The striking feature of this prog-rock album from other albums of the same genre is that the lyrics are not cryptic or poetic or even dark as prog-rock lyrics tend to be. The songs are about love and the joys and pains in life and such. Even the music doesn’t sound dark, complex or mysterious. Instead what you get is some melodious and easy listening rock and with a touch of melancholy here and there. This album also established Caravan’s signature sound. For vocals both Richard Sinclair and Pye Hastings are wonderful in their own ways. The vocals are haunting, smooth and even funny at times. Richard Sinclair has written most of the songs except for “Love to Love you” which was penned by Pye. No screaming, noise or distortion from the vocals or instruments. The music is soft and mellow demanding consistently repeat listens from you. Songs and music sound ethereal and remind you of wide spaces, breeze, water, nature and even friends.

The songs on the original release were:

1. Golf girl (5:05) – A happy little love song with a dash of humour. Ends with some lovely flute.

2. Winter wine (7:46) – Lovely organ and guitar solo; Some lovely lines from the song go as follows:

…Life’s too short to be sad, wishing things you’ll never have

You’re better off not dreaming of things to come

Dreams are always ending far too soon

Sounds of a distant melody, once played, lost from memory

Funny how it’s clearer now, you’re close to me

We’ll be together all the time…

3. Love to love you (and tonight pigs will fly) (3:06) Smallest song on the album, cute one, with some more flute.

4. In the Land of Grey and Pink (4:51) melodious piano, great organ and guitar work, all that can give you a natural high; lines about “weed” and “smoke it tell we bleed and that’s all we need”.

5. Nine feet underground: (22:40)  – Yes, you read it right, 22 minutes long, this opus in five parts is a classic. The five parts, Nigel blows a tune, Love’s a friend, Make it 76, Dance of the seven paper hankies, Hold grandad by the nose, Honest I did!, Disassociation and 100% proof, bring out the best from the musicians stretching their music prowess without making it boring or tiresome. Towards the end, after 16 or so minutes comes “Disassociation”, one of the sweetest songs you’ll ever hear any prog-rock album. No wonder it and the finale 100% proof were chosen as a remix single on the new mastered album. Here are the lovely lines of Disassociation:

…There’s a place where I can go, where I listen to the wind singing

Songs of happiness I know, and it brings it all back again

Somewhere deep inside of me there’s a song I can sing

Jigsaw puzzles on a tree, and it brings it all back again

Will the day be warm and bright, or will it snow

There are people waiting here who really want to know

And sometimes I think of wind, songs and laughter flowing free

People talking all the time and it brings it all back to me

Can’t you feel it in the air? I wonder what it’s meant to be

It’s the thought that can’t be spared and it brings it all back to me

Yes it brings it all back to me…

The new songs of the remastered CD are:

6. I don’t know its name (alias “The Word”) – Beautiful love song and that too just after the heavy dosage of music from “9 feet underground” with a nice touch of melancholy. Lovely sax and organ work. Unforgettable lines from the album are:

…I remember still the colour of your hair…

…spend these lonely hours dreaming of your touch, I came to love so much

…i tell you that i love you, but still you do not hear

And in my dreams i find you but you disappear…

I am still searching for the lyrics and will post more of this beautiful song when I get them.

7. Aristocracy – Another small song. and not a bad one certainly.

8. It’s likely to have a name next week – The instrumental version of “Winter Wine” with Richard Sinclair just humming for vocals. This was the original “Winter Wine” song “sans” lyrics.

9. Group Girl – considered to be the original version of Golf Girl.

10 Disassociation -100% proof – The final two pieces of “Nine feet underground”. The first piece is certainly worth a second listen.

The remastered CD is the one you should go for. Highly recommended for every serious prog-rock fan.

To buy Caravan’s “In the Land of Grey and Pink” CD from Amazon click here.

Better still download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.

Caravan still rock for their avid fans. Original memebers include Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Their last tour including their 35′th anniversary concert took place in 2003 after their latest album was released just before the tour. For information on the band, check out http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/