THERE'S THE RUB

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First of all, a caveat: be warned that my above four-star rating is not meant to suggest that this album is an "excellent addition to any prog music collection" (as that rating would normally imply here). While THERE'S THE RUB is an excellent album, it is by no means progressive rock, but a straight-forward rock and roll album. Many long-time prog devotees enjoy Wishbone Ash, granted, but I can't in good conscience recommend this one to "any" prog fan, as there are doubtless those among us who eschew any and all unadulterated rock in favour of its "progressive" offshoots. That "disclaimer" out of the way, on to the review proper:

In 1974, veteran English rockers Wishbone Ash recorded their fifth studio album, THERE'S THE RUB. (The title is both a quote from Shakespeare, and a reference to the Hipgnosis cover photo of a cricket player rubbing a cricket ball clean on his trousers, in preparation for a pitch.) By '74, original second lead guitarist Ted Turner (brother of bassist/lead vocalist Martin) had left the band. He was replaced by guitarist/vocalist Laurie Wisefield, who ably fills the departed Turner's shoes here, and thus the group's trademark dual lead guitar sound (accompanied by fine vocal harmonies) survived intact.

I first bought this album in the year of its release. It was my first Wishbone Ash album (but not to be my last!), though I was already familiar with the band, thanks to my "cool" older sister, who had a copy of their masterwork ARGUS. I was led to my purchase through a glowing review in Circus (I was a devoted reader of that old rock mag), and when I got the album home, I found that the reviewer had not steered me wrong. This is a tasty slice of classic rock and roll, have no doubt!

Followers of the band (or of 70s guitar rock in general) should find plenty to please them here. The opening track, "Silver Shoes" is a near-seven minute portrait of an aging groupie, told via Martin Turner's plaintive vocals: "Silver lady, lost in a haze - regretting what you are. The memory of your claim to fame has left a bitter scar. It hurts when people know you're not a movie star. It's harder now than yesterday, as the lines begin to show." The song is somewhat slow in tempo, but it grows in power, and certainly rocks. The accomplished twin guitars make their presence felt right away, and Turner's crunching, floor-shaking bass is especially solid - as it is on entire album.

Next up, "Don't Come Back" jacks up the pace. This rocker, which gives the "kiss off" to an unfaithful lover, has some particularly good axe work. Turn it up, and break out the air guitar!

"Persephone" slows things down through a melancholy, yet musically-powerful look at a fading beauty and actress. We get some pretty, evocative mandolin from guitarist Andy Powell, as well as some truly soaring lead - very nice indeed!

Track four, "Hometown," is another out-and-out rocker, and a joyous celebration of how it feels to travel back to one's long-missed place of origin. (I can relate..) This one is also a great candidate for dusting off the old air guitar!

"Lady Jay" is my overall favourite. The lyrics (based on a Dartmoor folk legend) tell a moving, tragic tale of forbidden love across class lines, leading to jealousy, suicide and heartbreak: "She found Death's open arms, and lay in them in grace - I watched as icy fingers clawed her lovely face. far beyond the sand, I will take your hand - the spirit of our love will live forever. Far beyond the clouds, we will laugh aloud - the spirit of our love will live again." Some banjo in the mix (courtesy of Wisefield) helps give this magnificent song added depth and an appropriate folk-like feel, while some Spanish-flavoured lead imparts stirring beauty and emotion. I can honestly say this is one of my favourite Wishbone songs, and easily able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything from their catalogue.

The album closes with "F.U.B.B." (Rumour has it the initials stand for 'F***ed Up Beyond Belief.") (Ha!) If that is so, this nine-and-a-half minute instrumental opus certainly doesn't suit its title. The piece starts out slow, with throbbing, gutsy bass, ringing guitars, and hard-hitting -- yet precise - drums, then gradually builds in power. About two-thirds of the way through, there's a transition to a funky end section with rhythmically-strummed guitar, singing lead, precision high hat, and chugging bass. (In '74, disco was a force in the land, but if that sappy, repetitive dance music had ever sounded this good, I would have been a confirmed fan, instead of a committed member of the sneering, resignedly-seated "disco sucks" brigade.) Great fun, and a fine selection for the highway!

Thus, THERE'S THE RUB is a terrific classic rock album, and a deserving addition to any Wishbone Ash fan's collection. Put it on, crank it up, and ROCK OUT!

3.5 stars really!!!

After the obviously uninspired Wishbone Four album, Ted Turner left the band to pursue (to my knowledge) non-musical issues in life. In came second guitarist Laurie Wisefield and to the result of the album, his input was actually quite positive as TTR is a vast improvement on its studio predecessor. Not that the album brings you back to the awesome grandeur of Argus, far from it, but this is clearly the best post-Ted Turner album in WA's lengthy career. A rather strange and bland artwork about crickett (the same year that Roy Harper would release HQ also about the same weird gamesport) is "gracing" the sleeve.

But , please do not expect the same sound as on their first three albums (or anything really progressive for that matter) that most progheads appreciate so much: rather now we have a much more compact and concise unit playing a hard rock with the band having a hard time finding its definite stride on the first side of the album: with only the brilliant Persephone as a highlight, the rest of the tracks are of the same calibre as their previous WF. However the second side shines in all its glory with the two solar tracks: the moody Lady Jay and the back-to-the-roots FUBB (Fµcked Up Beyond Belief) where the Ash kicks you ass as much as on their debut album. Truly an enjoyment.

If this album seems like the new start for WA, I can only say that I was quickly disillusioned when the following Locked In and New England arrived. But between those two albums and this one is a huge time-gap (18 months I believe) where the band proceeded to conquer the US market and actually resettled there. And while their success would climb to them being a fixture on the Stadium Rock circle, their will to do aventurous albums will gradually completely disappear and their output will be simply run-of-the-mill everyday business-as-usual.

Although remaining one of their four best album in their lengthy career, this album is hardly essential to progheads, but will certainly still please them, still.

This album was my entrance to the world of WISHBONE ASH, and trust me, it's a good and rewarding start. It contains six longish compositions, all of them utilising excellent guitar duet interplays - a band's trademark.

"There's The Rub" is more rocky and less conceptual compared to the band's masterpiece "Argus" but it provides really enjoyable experience of listening: relatively simple structure of the songs is driven by good rocking bass lines and drums, augmented with flashy guitar virtuosity without being too pretentious: rockier "Don't Come Back" and excellent driving song "Hometown" are the two fine examples. "Lady Jay" and "F. U. B. B." have slightly epic feel.

Band's technique and soundscapes are rising on a new level here: among the band's trademark - two guitar playing in thirds - you can find traces of Hendrix's style; expressive slides and bendings, and the reinforcement with other instruments is worth mentioning too: mandolin fits nicely (in "Lady Jay", and reminds me a bit of ZEPPELIN of the same period), and there are occasional touches of synthesizer, but don't expect any Wakeman here: just a few backwards-played-like sounds to enrich the musical picture, most notably on side B.

"F. U. B. B." is an excellent closer for the album, a long instrumental piece with nice bass work, and guitars that got warmer during the increasing dynamics of the composition, reaching the climax in heavy panned guitar solos in stereo field. Brilliant. The album ends with a lion's roar. Maybe useless, but remarkable.

The only compliant I can address is not about the very ingredients of the album; personally, I think the title (and a front cover with slightly sexual implications accordingly) is just a cheap joke or perhaps it was aiming at the market, but it had nothing to do with the major feeling of the music itself, really. I'm strongly advising you to avoid (or reluctantly digest) the cover and the title of the album, and then to listen to the album with open mind.

This is the band and the album that both well deserve to be called prog-related; even if it's not a progressive rock in a strict sense, no purist should overlook this one easily.

Really, really nice job indeed. Especially if you're into seventies rock.

To be or not to be a good album? That is the question.

With "There's the rub", Wishbone Ash endured the first line up change of their career. Out went a disenchanted Ted Turner, to be replaced by guitarist Laurie Wisefield. Wisefield had been in the band HOME who had toured with Wishbone Ash, his contribution to HOME's superb third album "The alchemist" being of particular note.

The album title is taken from Hamlet's "To be or not to be.." soliloquy in Shakespeare's play of that name. This becomes a pun in the sleeve imagery of a cricket player preparing the ball before a delivery.

To address the all too obvious production issues which arose with "Wishbone Four" which the band produced themselves, Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk (20,000 points in Scrabble!) was brought in. The band relocated to Florida for the recording sessions at Criteria Recording studios, also used by Eric Clapton and the Bee Gees.

The differences are immediately apparent on the opening "Silver shoes". An otherwise fairly ordinary guitar rock song is exploited to the full through the crisp production. The song represents the album well. The prog influences of "Argus" are largely left aside (as they were on "Four") in favour of high quality rock songs. Most of these are certainly extended, but the structures remain relatively straight-forward.

Occasionally, such as on "Persephone", we have something more meaty. This slower number is vaguely similar to "Everybody needs a friend", with some fine twin guitar work and a strong melody. The other slower track of the album is the folk influenced "Lady Jay", the lyrics of which were inspired by an English west country folk legend. The song is a sort of cross between "Warrior" and "Leaf and stream".

The final track, "F.U.B.B." takes its title from a variation on the US army term SNAFU (one internet dictionary describes it as "Fouled Up Beyond Belief"). This lengthy instrumental builds from a solo bass guitar intro through a series of fine guitar workouts. The early part of the track tends to plod along a bit, until the pace is raised and a more dynamic element is introduced, with the album closing on a high.

"There's the rub" restored much of Wishbone Ash's credibility after the lacklustre "Wishbone four". Unfortunately, the record company seemed to have lost faith, and without the appropriate promotion the album failed to sell well. Not a great deal for those looking for traditional prog here, but a fine well produced album nonetheless.

Whether Wishbone Ash should be seen as progressive rock or just plain rock has been bandied about, tossed, sliced, spliced, analyzed and been even dragged through an MRI. That their brand of dual electric guitar attack preferred a more British flavor than the American versions (the Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd come to mind) is abundantly clear. The previous "Live Dates" was one of the greatest live albums ever and of any category, loaded with extensive guitar jams that were simply astonishing. "There's the Rub" signaled the replacement of Ted Turner with Home's Laurie Wisefield, which frankly didn't exactly revolutionize their already original style. It was also recorded in Miami, Florida with the eminent producer Bill Szymczyk (not that scary: "Shim chick") with stunning Hipgnosis artwork (ah, those yellow pants!) and some sunny material that could really please any rock fan. "Silver Shoes" provides an acoustic intro that slowly develops into a classic Bone boogie with both axes laying down some intricate criss-cross patterns, Martin Turner's high-pitched vocals are pleasant as always, while his adept bass rumbles on unafraid. Steve Upton is your steady yet classic British rock drummer (à la Chris Slade, Roger Taylor or Paul Thompson). Obviously, Andy Powell steers this into a mid-section with a whopping solo, careening wildly, searching out with Laurie those speedy notes that chill the spine. "Don't Come Back" has a little boogie component that makes their rock 'n roll so attractive, a good driving tune that has little proggy frills but gets the job done, again focusing on some multiple simultaneous fret leads, the main solo a fiery explosion that shudders and simmers with intense fury. The third track is the first of two absolute progressive jewels that must be heard by all progfans, the quality so complete: "Persephone" is a soaring lullaby that would of fitted nicely in the Camel catalogue, a gentle lilt that builds on a majestic melody that is created to build up to a crescendo, a chorus that has emotion and power, colored by some guest organ and synthesizer ornamentations but also featuring a brief mandolin stroke , just before the first two massive electric guitar solos that would rival all the Gilmours, Hacketts and Latimers. Martin Turner's vocal actually does sound like Sting's (when he was still teaching class though). The third axe flight that ends this epic track is sheer genius, sizzling with unbridled intensity, a luminous laser in the night sky. "Hometown" is a return to the rock club approach, with a distinctive "southern" feel (a nod to the two hometown rebel boogie bands mentioned above), lots a "gueetar fixin's" abound, a fun track that will not stun or disappoint. "Lady Jay" is a more European take with lyrics based on Dartmoor folk legend (Dartmoor "ain't in Georgia, ah, ashure ya"), a lumbering serenade to a lady that again focuses on some inspired medieval "chanson de geste" playing but with decidedly electric instrumentation (a bit like a harder John Barleycorn Must Die) and again a swerving dual solo. "F.U.B.B" is the second masterpiece, a mammoth bass groove-led steamroller that is impossible to resist, an immediate mind stunner that offers no excuse to explore some scintillating guitar swaths with utter disdain, imperial in its authority and devastating in its delivery. The two guitars propel this rhythmic arrangement into various sonic pockets, but always ultimately returning to that familiar and pitiless groove. As good an example of progressive "in unison" guitar work ever recorded. Just when you think the track is over, it suddenly kicks into a second life conga-infested supernova, with both Powell and Wisefield ripping their hot guitars with manic bravado, screeching towards that elusive musical hysteria we all love and rarely find. A fine old distraction from all the recent heavy prog. 4 biscuits.

Wishbone Ash Four was a great album but hard to expect another solid release so soon after, especially with a line up change of Laurie Wisefield on vocal and guitar on There's The Rub. In many respects Laurie Wisefield was a very clever addition which helped cement WA's foothold through the turbulent mid to late 70's. Silver Shoes is an unusual start to the album with a slow start and tinkling keys but it eventually gets going after a couple of minutes sharing a great chorus and shifting riffs, trademark Wishbone Ash.' Don't Come Back' is another stereotype rock and roll number but the next song Persephone is a classic ballad like number sharing Wisefield and Martin Turner amongst the credits. Hometown returns to more rock and roll before Lady Jay brings the ballad sound back. ' F.U.B.B closes the album off with arguably the most progressive song on this release. There is a definite consistent sound on There's The Rub and is definitely one of Wish Bone Ashe's strongest studio releases regardless of their change in direction.

The Folk-Country-Blues-rock of Silver Shoes opens this great but underrated album. The beautiful, almost epic ballad Persephone and the experimental, funky instrumental F.U.B.B are also among Wishbone Ash's very best and most progressive pieces ever.

The intro to Don't Come Back is also great, with fantastic guitar work and a very loud and bottom bass sound otherwise heard only in Symphonic Prog. However, after the intro the song settles into a boogie grove that would have made the song boring if it wasn't for some good breaks along the way. Hometown is also not too interesting from a prog perspective. But a decent rock song.

Lady Jay, on the other hand, is a very nice folky semi-ballad that grew on me a lot since I first heard it. As usual on Wishbone Ash albums the guitar work is amazing. One thing that stands out on this album, however, is the strong presence on several tracks of mandolin, banjo and steel guitar. This gives the album a very nice folky, sometimes country feel. There are also some simple keyboards in the background on some parts, but never in the foreground. The bass guitar is loud and has a really great bottom sound. It is also true, I believe, that this album is better recorded and produced than their earlier albums. It sounds really good!

For me this is the best Wishbone Ash album!

There's the rub is fifth studio album of this legendary band. While they never reaches again on any record they releases through the years the tightness and greatness of Argus, Wishbone Ash manage to come to the shore with another good album after kinda diseppointing prior album from 1973. This album was my introduction to the bands releases along with Number the brave in 1998. Still enjoy very much both recordings today, and considered that this album is no doubt a good one but I don't know if must be called progressive. In those days maybe was considered prog rock but if you listen the album today after 35 yers is no more that progressive as it was then, neverthe less a good album who desearve attention. In that period one of the main composers of the band left them - Ted Turner. He was replacd by Laurie Wisefield who plays guitar and vocal parts here, also he integrate very well in Ash's sound and become short after an respected musician in the band. The music as I said is not progressive as we know today, is more towards hard rock with some prog leanings her and there. The best pieces are to me: Silver shoes and the instrumental one FUBB (Fucked Up Beyond Belief) clocking around 9.30 minutes shows the talent of this band and specialy of the twin guitarists Powell and Wiesefield, great tune, among their best piece in that period, the rest is ok , not bad but neighter something special. Sometimes they remind me of Blue Oyster Cult, but less heavier . Any way There's the rub desearve without hestation full 3 stars, more like 3.5, a good album in Wishbone Ash career but apart from other bands releases from that period this album is not an excellent one, is only good. Anyone intrested to discover or rediscover the '70's classics must try this one, not really recommended but worth investigate from time to time.