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WISHBONE ASH

Prog Related • United Kingdom


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Wishbone Ash biography
Founded in Torquay, UK in 1969 - Still active as of 2017

The history of WISHBONE ASH goes back to 1966, when drummer Steve Upton of the 'Scimitars' joined bassist Martin Turner and Martin's brother Glen in the band 'The Empty Vessels'. The trio named themselves 'Tanglewood' and moved to London. Glen Turner quit soon and was replaced by Ted Turner of Birmingham band 'King Biscuit'. The line-up was finalised by guitarist Andy Powell (Ex-'Sugarband'). The two guitarists developed a melodic twin guitar lead style that would become the trademark of 'Wishbone Ash'.

In 1970 WISHBONE ASH released their self titled first record, establishing a mixture of Blues-Rock, Jazz and English Folk, that the band would elaborate on in their following records. The production work by Martin Birch was excellent and the record contains the masterpiece 'Phoenix', that would become a 'Wishbone Ash' live classic and give way to elaborate improvisations on stage. At the same time the band would start to use lyrics and imagery drawn from mythology and fantasy. like 'The King will come', 'Throw down the sword', 'Persephone' & 'Argus'.

In 1971 'Wishbone Ash' released 'Pilgrimage' and a year later 'Argus', both records bringing the WISHBONE ASH sound to perfection by introducing elaborate vocal arrangements and sophisticated instrumental passages. Both records are masterpieces. In 1973 the band released their fourth LP, 'Wishbone Four', and toured Europe, documented by their live release 'Live Dates' (1973) and followed by an extended America Tour. In 1974 Ted Turner left and was replaced by Laurie Wisefield (Ex-Home) who added steel guitar and banjo to the 'Wishbone Ash' sound on their 1974 release 'There's The Rub'. During the rest of the seventies the new line-up recorded a series of good but less interesting records.

In 1987 the original line-up re-united for a series of records, including the all instrumental 'Nouveau Calls' (1988), before going again though a series of line-up changes. At the end of the 90's the band found a new stability with founding guitarist Andy Powell, bass player Bob Skeat and drummer Ray Weston, joined in 2004 by Finnish guitarist Muddy Manninen.

'Pilgrimage' and 'Argus' are highly recommended.

Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com : 'Wishbone Ash' mixed Blues-Rock, Jazz and English Folk in a progressive way.

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WISHBONE ASH discography


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WISHBONE ASH top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.89 | 334 ratings
Wishbone Ash
1970
3.62 | 324 ratings
Pilgrimage
1971
4.24 | 811 ratings
Argus
1972
3.11 | 232 ratings
Wishbone Four
1973
3.91 | 251 ratings
There's The Rub
1974
2.10 | 135 ratings
Locked In
1976
3.20 | 146 ratings
New England
1976
2.98 | 123 ratings
Front Page News
1977
3.59 | 133 ratings
No Smoke Without Fire
1978
2.95 | 121 ratings
Just Testing
1980
2.79 | 95 ratings
Number The Brave
1981
2.05 | 76 ratings
Twin Barrels Burning
1982
1.81 | 73 ratings
Raw To The Bone
1985
2.95 | 83 ratings
Nouveau Calls
1987
2.98 | 58 ratings
Here To Hear
1989
2.66 | 52 ratings
Strange Affair
1991
3.69 | 79 ratings
Illuminations
1996
1.70 | 36 ratings
Trance Visionary
1998
1.57 | 33 ratings
Psychic Terrorism
1998
2.98 | 46 ratings
Bare Bones
1999
3.67 | 51 ratings
Bona Fide
2002
3.03 | 61 ratings
Clan Destiny
2006
3.18 | 68 ratings
Power Of Eternity
2007
3.29 | 31 ratings
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash: Argus - Through The Looking Glass
2008
3.62 | 68 ratings
Elegant Stealth
2012
3.50 | 59 ratings
Blue Horizon
2014
4.04 | 16 ratings
Martin Turner: Written In The Stars
2015
3.02 | 32 ratings
Coat of Arms
2020

WISHBONE ASH Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.41 | 121 ratings
Live Dates
1973
4.54 | 26 ratings
Live In Tokyo
1979
3.81 | 64 ratings
Live Dates Volume 2
1980
3.64 | 11 ratings
BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert
1991
3.42 | 15 ratings
Live in Windy City (USA 1992) [Aka: Live in Chicago & Living Proof]
1992
4.40 | 5 ratings
Live in Chicago
1992
3.42 | 12 ratings
Live in Geneva
1996
3.40 | 5 ratings
Live - Timeline
1997
1.95 | 2 ratings
Their Greatest Hits
1998
2.04 | 4 ratings
Mother of Pearl
1998
3.17 | 20 ratings
Live Dates 3
2001
2.48 | 3 ratings
Runaway
2001
4.00 | 2 ratings
Live in Bristol
2002
3.83 | 10 ratings
Almighty Blues - London and Beyond
2004
3.49 | 5 ratings
Time Was... The Live Anthology
2004
4.00 | 4 ratings
Live on XM Satellite Radio
2005
4.00 | 10 ratings
New Live Dates, Volume One
2006
3.92 | 12 ratings
Live In Hamburg
2007
4.00 | 14 ratings
New Live Dates, Volume Two
2007
2.30 | 11 ratings
Argus Then Again Live
2008
4.00 | 6 ratings
40 - Live In London
2009
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live at the Grand - Road Works 1
2010
3.88 | 8 ratings
The Life Begins Tour
2011
3.86 | 5 ratings
Live in London 1978
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live In Hamburg - Road Works 2
2012
4.00 | 3 ratings
Martin Turner and Friends ‎- The Garden Party
2012
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live in Germany - Road Works 3
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live at Ashcon '14 - Road Works 4
2014
4.50 | 2 ratings
Live at Metropolis 16/05/15
2015
4.00 | 1 ratings
Access All Areas
2015
4.00 | 1 ratings
Across The Airwaves - The Legendary Broadcasts
2017
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live in Sacramento - Road Works 5
2018
3.83 | 6 ratings
Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash - The Beauty of Chaos: Live at the Citadel
2018
3.09 | 2 ratings
Live at Glasgow Apollo 77
2019

WISHBONE ASH Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Live
1990
3.96 | 9 ratings
Classic Rock Legends (DVD)
2001
3.05 | 5 ratings
Inside Wishbone Ash 1970-2004
2003
3.09 | 3 ratings
Live Broadcasts
2003
4.40 | 5 ratings
Almighty Blues: London & Beyond
2004
4.25 | 8 ratings
Phoenix Rising - Classic Ash: Then & Now
2004
2.46 | 7 ratings
25th Anniversary Of The Marquee (DVD)
2005
3.19 | 13 ratings
30th Anniversary Concert (DVD)
2006
4.00 | 5 ratings
Rock Milestones Wishbone Ash : Argus
2006
5.00 | 3 ratings
Live at the Spirit of 66
2006
4.71 | 7 ratings
Live in Hamburg
2007
4.45 | 11 ratings
40th Anniversary Concert - Live In London
2009
3.94 | 8 ratings
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash - The Life Begins Tour
2010
4.50 | 4 ratings
Live in Paris 2015
2015

WISHBONE ASH Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.50 | 2 ratings
Best of Wishbone Ash
1975
3.59 | 13 ratings
Classic Ash
1977
3.11 | 9 ratings
Hot Ash
1981
4.50 | 2 ratings
The Best of Wishbone Ash
1982
4.50 | 2 ratings
That's Wishbone Ash
1982
3.00 | 1 ratings
Time Was - The Wishbone Ash Collection
1993
3.00 | 1 ratings
The King Will Come
1993
4.68 | 10 ratings
Distillation
1997
3.05 | 3 ratings
The Millenium Collection
1999
3.60 | 5 ratings
On Air
1999
0.00 | 0 ratings
In Concert
1999
3.00 | 2 ratings
Wonderful Stash
2000
3.00 | 1 ratings
Twin Axe Warriors
2000
4.00 | 1 ratings
Wishbone Ash (The Primo collection)
2003
2.33 | 3 ratings
The Collection
2003
3.25 | 3 ratings
Warriors
2003
2.41 | 10 ratings
Lost Pearls
2004
0.00 | 0 ratings
Backbones
2004
3.05 | 3 ratings
Tracks
2004
3.50 | 2 ratings
Tracks 2
2004
3.00 | 1 ratings
Dejavu Retro Gold Collection
2004
2.10 | 2 ratings
The King Will Come
2005
0.00 | 0 ratings
Mystery Man
2005
3.65 | 14 ratings
First Light
2007
3.50 | 2 ratings
Tracks 3
2007
2.33 | 3 ratings
Tender
2008
2.50 | 2 ratings
Tough
2008
2.05 | 2 ratings
Rocked Up Beyond Belief
2008
3.00 | 1 ratings
Melodic Sounds
2009
4.15 | 11 ratings
Sometime World: An MCA Travelogue
2010
4.00 | 1 ratings
The Essential Collection
2013
5.00 | 1 ratings
Road Works
2015
4.50 | 2 ratings
New Live Dates: The Complete Set
2016
3.00 | 1 ratings
Road Works - Junctions (The Best of Road Works)
2018
5.00 | 1 ratings
The Vintage Years 1970 - 1991
2018
0.00 | 0 ratings
21st Century Collection
2018

WISHBONE ASH Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
Blind Eye
1970
4.00 | 1 ratings
Jail Bait
1971
4.00 | 1 ratings
An Evening Program with...
1972
5.00 | 1 ratings
No Easy Road / Blowin' Free
1972
2.80 | 21 ratings
Live From Memphis
1972
4.00 | 1 ratings
Blind Eye
1973
4.00 | 1 ratings
So Many Things to Say
1973
4.00 | 1 ratings
Rock N' Roll Widow / No Easy Road
1973
4.00 | 1 ratings
Hometown / Persephone
1974
3.00 | 1 ratings
Silver Shoes / Persephone
1975
4.00 | 1 ratings
Outward Bound
1976
3.00 | 1 ratings
Moonshine
1976
3.00 | 1 ratings
Rest in Peace
1976
3.00 | 1 ratings
Goodbye Baby Hello Friend
1977
4.00 | 1 ratings
Blowin' Free
1977
4.00 | 1 ratings
You See Red
1978
4.00 | 1 ratings
You See Red
1978
4.00 | 1 ratings
Come On/Fast Johnny
1979
4.00 | 1 ratings
Helpless / Blowin' Free
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
Helpless
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
Living Proof / Jail Bait
1980
4.00 | 1 ratings
Get Ready
1981
2.00 | 1 ratings
No More Lonely Nights
1982
3.00 | 1 ratings
Engine Overheat
1982
2.00 | 1 ratings
Me and My Guitar
1983
3.00 | 1 ratings
People in Motion
1984
3.00 | 1 ratings
Cell of Fame
1985
4.00 | 1 ratings
In the Skin
1988
4.00 | 1 ratings
Cosmic Jazz
1989
3.00 | 1 ratings
Keeper of the Light
1989
1.00 | 1 ratings
Reason to Believe (Dance Mix)
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Reason to Believe
2011
3.00 | 1 ratings
Reason to Believe
2014

WISHBONE ASH Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Coat of Arms by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.02 | 32 ratings

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Coat of Arms
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by PapaPork

1 stars I am very new to Wishbone Ash. The early albums quickly caught my ear, this one however has not. I am currently listening to it for the very fist time as I type this. It isn't bad music, I am halfway through and everything has sounded mediocrely average. The singer sounds sleepy, if someone wanted to call this album boring. I would give it to them. However, if you can enjoy David Gilmour's solo albums, you might like this one. Gilmour in PF is a class act, but as a solo artist, I find his music boring(save a few tracks). Like Gilmour's music, this album needs energy because its putting me to sleep! Who knows, maybe the next time I play it something could change. Enough perhaps to give it a two star rating. But for now, this is something I would not show to anyone. You can find music of this caliber in your local bands.
 Argus by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1972
4.24 | 811 ratings

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Argus
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Ligeia9@

4 stars "Argus", the third album by British rock band Wishbone Ash raises a lot of questions which can all be traced back to that one key question: why do many consider this record from 1972 a masterpiece? I will try to explain why.

Everything on "Argus" fits together so beautifully and that starts with the title and the evocative cover. The album is named after the mythological figure Argus, the man who kept a close eye on everything with his hundred eyes. On the cover of the album you can see a medieval soldier keeping watch at the top of a large valley. You may wonder what danger he expects and what he wants to do against it with his harpoon. It is an atmospheric image that can also be seen as your personal guard due to the fact that the man has been photographed from the back. The cover carries a certain romanticism in it and that fits well with the mixture of progressive rock, folk and hardrock that the band shows on the album.

On "Argus" it's a back and forth of dreamy acoustic passages and steaming rock full of two-part guitar lines by Andy Powell and Ted Turner, without getting really intense anywhere. The often two- or three-part vocals also have this layering. The one who makes everything strongly connected to the drums of Steve Upton is the phenomenal bassist Martin Turner. For example, this "Argus" is a deluge of subtle sophisticated rock that sounds especially contagiously tasty. Seven songs that each in turn have a place lyrically in the overarching theme 'seeing'.

Opener Time Was has a nostalgic text about looking back on an ended relationship. The more than nine-minute song shows exactly how Wishbone Ash conquers the hearts of many on this album. For fifty years this song continues to have its effect due to its acoustic beginning and a long passage of rock. The subsequent Sometime World has the same structure, but is about looking ahead to the future. It has a steaming glow where the driving bass guitar and the Yes-like vocals stand out. The album continues with the bouncy Blowin' Free which indicates how much variation the compositions have been put down with and also lyrically they always know how to choose a different perspective. Blowin' Free is about the desire for a hopeless love for example.

It is amazing how closely Wishbone Ash with its delicious guitar rock manages to match the look of the cover and then the B-side has yet to start. Two songs, entirely in Ash-style, are magnificent and I don't know if it's because I grew up with them but I think they're classics. I am of course talking about The King Will Come and Throw Down The Sword with a guest role by John Tout (Renaissance) on organ. Hugging to death is fortunately not possible, they continue to resurrect. "Argus" is an above average good album that always reminds me of my fine childhood years. And then that meager bonus track presents itself. No Easy Road, the B-side of the single Blowin' Free, is not even close to stand in the shadow of the soldier on the cover of the masterpiece that "Argus" is.

Originally posted on www.progenrock.com

 There's The Rub by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1974
3.91 | 251 ratings

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There's The Rub
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Nickmannion

4 stars Take it from someone who was there back in the day, this (band and album) would have been 'filed under' Progressive, as some record shops did and that should end all debate on the matter. This album has a sophistication that a lot of 'prog' bands of the time would have given their right arms for...though that tends to ruin your bass/guitar playing especially so not the best idea perhaps.

As long haired music was so hard to get to listen to back in 1974 (you young uns have no idea!) there was a Radio 1 rock show fronted for a time by a guy called Michael Whale and he used FUBB from this album as his 'talk over' tape. Of course you had to ask your mates has anyone any idea what/who that is and eventually I found out. Yes I had heard of Wishbone Ash and had a friends copy of Live Dates on tape but this was my first purchase...oh ffs 49 years ago???...and since then have added everything up to Number The Brave plus 70's live archive releases. But this remains my favourite.

I now know that a guitar player had left and Laurie Wisefield (best guitarist they ever had) was new in from the band Home...who also supplied AC/DC with their long term bass player too. Maybe this was why this feels fresh and full of energy and moves on from the blues based influences of the first 2 albums and the folkier feel of Argus. They were never blessed with a stand out singer but the harmonies work well on the opening track Silver Shoes. Lyrically it always reminds me of the film Sunset Boulevard but it has a good guitar melody line and plenty of air/space which 2 guitar rifferama bands didn't seem to have but a guitar/keys line up did. Don't Come Back is very riff based and I nominate for 'the most riffs used in an outro' award and the next prog oscars! Persephone has been one of my all time favourite tracks and might sneak on to my desert island ten. I used to think it was because I had a 'from a distance' crush on a drop dead gorgeous hippie chick called Stephanie (you can see what I did in my head with the lyrics huh?) but when had grown out of it (ok ok you never do....!) the song still has an atmosphere...and cue echo on the guitars...and minor chord melancholy that works to this very day. Lady Jay nods back to Argus , which is no bad thing, but this was a band determined to move on and the beast that is FUBB strides into view. Epics should be about dynamics but the slow burn build of this is almost tantric. The bass leads and the restrained but haunting guitar harmony takes us deep into that place where rather than chuck the kitchen sink at it, we get the taps...and the plug...and maybe the washing up bowl first before the lope turns into a gallop (well you weren't the first were you Iron Maiden..) and the actual sink itself shows up. And praise the lord...no vocals!! The earlier mentioned dj only used the lope part as his talk over track btw so it came as a welcomed surprise to hear it go full on heavy when I finally bought the album.

So the tricky bit of a rating. No I can't give it a 5 even with 2 of my all time favourite tracks on it yet a 4 seems tight fisted. So it is 4.5+ but sticking with the criteria.....a 4 it has to be.

 Argus by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1972
4.24 | 811 ratings

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Argus
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by alainPP

3 stars 1. Time Was launches the LP with the sound that will characterize them, soft vocals and duo-stereo guitars; 3 minutes in arpeggio as an intro before the real start, rock, hot bluesy from the US and a raw sound that leans on Caravan-style convolutions, on prog from the day after tomorrow; Andy and Ted play together and form a new framework with these two guitars, at first it smells like the Lou Reed afterwards, then we can feel the side of the future Thin Lizzy with these well-stocked guitars, in short we were there 2. Sometime World direct attack for an early bluesy slow if we take Deep Purple's signature slow as a reference; its delicate, crystalline, airy, more advanced one could think of the future in Gary Moore; halfway through and the progressive convolution comes suddenly with backing vocals; the guitar drift makes me understand instantly how prog could have been born, how it could have disappeared with these long solos which no longer make us dream now! Wrong or not, there were fewer album releases, we could really take the time 3. Blowin' Free and its intro which reminds us of the future of Status Quo, yes that's how it is; sound with the heavy bass and Andy's vocals up front; his guitar on a good old Velvet Underground; a rock but a rock which gives pride of place to guitars and which leads to the de facto prog edge, to future prog metal with these guitars which squirt everywhere, setting fire

4. The King Will Come beautiful crescendic intro with Andy and Ted, yes this trademark which will be emulated; on the Judas Priest, on the Iron Maiden, on the Thin Lizzy, groups above all hard ultimately, was Wishbone Ash one of the fathers of hard rock in fact? The solo is stunning, the purity of the time when we still played with only 10 fingers; Camel tune, Boston rhythm, yes innovators 5. Leaf and Stream guitar arpeggio on soft vocals, a bucolic ballad like Led Zeppelin was able to release with 'The battle of evermore' for example; the melody flows without interruption and it is good to have a peaceful air 6. Warrior with this guitar that tears off your right ear... A strong tune, not heavy, a gripping tune, on the verge of hard, yes for me Wishbone Ash is indeed one of the fathers of hard; a musical touch that I will find later on Deep Purple, when the latency of the air simply gives rise to a sound. The ambient, progressive finale is transmitted on 7. Throw Down the Sword yes, you have the two titles linked together and almost 12 minutes without interruption; a minute of rise for a folk tune then the piece that turns my head the most with the guitar association which splits into a solo for two without interruption, one of those that every proguous fan, metallic or otherwise must have secretly playing on his Fender neck or his broomstick... Huge finale indeed. In short, a UFO before its time!

 Nouveau Calls by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1987
2.95 | 83 ratings

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Nouveau Calls
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Greta007

4 stars A highly enjoyable and melodic album with good musicianship. The band maintained its integrity in the pop-dominated 1980s, a time when prog and rock bands tended to flounder.

Miles Copeland produced a number of these instrumental albums on his No Speak label. The music is generally not prog, but instrumental rock, with most tracks in the 3-4 minute range. There's many surf rock motifs backed by funky, 80s style rhythms. Poor Steve Upton was playing four on the floor for much of the first half of the album, and he can do so much more. But that was the 80s, wasn't it?

The second half of the album is more Wishbone Ash-y, more 70s. Tunes like The Spirit Flies Free and Something's Happening in Room 602 are recognisably WA tunes. Johnny Left Home Without It is probably the most proggy track, with some tasty textures and variations. Real Guitars Have Wings brings back the band's famous twin guitar harmonies.

 Nouveau Calls by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1987
2.95 | 83 ratings

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Nouveau Calls
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by SR000

2 stars This album sounds stuck in the late 1980s when there was a movement toward instrumental rock albums. It had a stronger curiosity factor and held more interest then. But it did succeed in getting the original lineup back together and the subsequent Hear to Hear which had vocals was more accessible and one of the band's more solid commercial-type songwriter ventures (even if not commercially noticed). Nonetheless I get a sense that Nouveau, being on Miles Copeland's new label venture, did make some publishing money. Tracks from it were regularly played between innings at Oakland A's games and I heard it once during an NBA game as it cut to a commercial.
 Blue Horizon by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 2014
3.50 | 59 ratings

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Blue Horizon
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Heart of the Matter

4 stars Very often along the years, it has been noted the peculiar (and fundamental) role that the twin lead guitar approach plays in the music of Wishbone Ash. This is also true for this record, although the fact is not so simple, but involves more than one manifestation: the mentioned twins provide not only riffs, leads and solos, but elsewhere you can find them in textures that in another context could be left to synths, or installing ambient and atmospheres, or collaborating with the vocals in setting the appropriately vast space for the expansion of the overall sound by resorting to reverb and the right chord sequences.

All that is here, and is backing a great set of songs. Anything else? Oh yes, Andy Powell is here and sings just great

 Live Dates by WISHBONE ASH album cover Live, 1973
4.41 | 121 ratings

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Live Dates
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Sacro_Porgo

4 stars There are few bands as fundamental to the history of rock and roll, as influential to its future, yet as woefully obscured by time as Wishbone Ash. Their lack of prolonged mainstream success or even cultural re-evaluation makes it all the more jarring to hear the raucously adoring crowd fade in at the start of Live Dates, and continue all throughout. Clearly those who knew about Wishbone Ash knew there was a lot to love about this band.

The double live album craze of the 70s hadn't really hit its stride yet in 1973, with classics such as Kiss Alive and Frampton Comes Alive still a few years down the road. However in the world of progressive rock, where songs stretching at least over six minutes were par for the course, double live records must have made a lot of sense right from the start (or in the case of Yes and ELP, triple live records). The fact that Live Dates spreads its eleven tracks over two discs seems then to make a statement about Wishbone Ash as part of the prog rock canon. While not as technical and flashy as their more widely recognized prog contemporaries, Andy Powell and crew are clearly aiming to take rock and roll somewhere new...or rather somewhere ancient.

While many bands were already dabbling in medieval themes, Wishbone Ash conjure up uncompromising visions of knights and farmers, kings and cornfields, witches and wars, all cast in a chilly gray haze. Not content to simply tell tales of battles and myths, their lyrics turn philosophical, almost spiritual, on many songs, including the opening 1-2-3 punch of The King Will Come, Warrior, and my personal favorite, Throw Down The Sword. This isn't just some soundtrack music for your next reading of Tolkien or round of Dungeons And Dragons (though it certainly sets the perfect mood for both of these activities), it's great music to sit and watch the leaves turn colors in the fall, or to watch a pond freeze over in the winter, or to watch flowers bloom in spring. This is music that will have you looking to the sky and pondering the passage of time and the dream of peace.

Yet Wishbone Ash aren't just a group of wandering minstrels teleported into the 1970s, they're a real rock and roll band, and they know how to conjure up a fine brew of bluesy, early 70s rock. Cuts like Rock N Roll Widow, Jail Bait, and Blowin' Free are perfect for the live setting because of their inherent, jammy nature. The cover of Baby What You Want Me To Do clearly shows where these players' roots lie. But of course a good jam needs some great lead guitar work, and that is precisely what the band gives us through all of these more rocking numbers. Trading one sizzling solo after another, Andy Powell and Ted Turner prove over and over the awesome benefits that double lead guitars provide. Certainly Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden were all taking notes. But the pair truly shines on the more progressive side of things, weaving together hazy harmonized riffs which immediately cement themselves into your memory. Throw Down The Sword is the perfect example of this, a rather simple minor key melody from one guitar gets harmonized by the other as it fades in, the the rhythm section breaks in and carries the progression into its B-section before it all turns around to support the plaintive lead vocal in the first verse. Speaking of harmonies, though the group's vocals aren't necessarily the strongest of their peers, they make up for this with impressively catchy melodies sung in harmony most of the way through. The softer tone of the lead vocals also aides in creating the mystic atmosphere which surrounds their music.

Of course I would be remiss not to mention the 17 minute closing track, The Phoenix, and the nearly ten minute disc two opener, The Pilgrim. The former is an aural journey taking the listener through a passionately performed series of moods and dynamics, dropping out almost to nothing at one point before bringing things back around to the vocal to close out the record. One might compare its construction to the Lizard suite from King Crimson, being not so much comprised of distinct sections as it is an engulfing, evolving piece. The Pilgrim on the other hand is similar in its coherence, but takes its time in its first half building up a beautiful instrumental before getting to the meat of the song in its second half, somewhat like Rush would do on Xanadu some years later. Both of these are fine progressive pieces which serve to bookend disc two of this live set quite well.

There is one moment on the record which stands out to me as the most transcendent though, and that is the climactic lead at the end of Throw Down The Sword. The studio version of this song is famous for featuring two simultaneous guitar solos overlapping one another to great psychedelic effect, but my heart lies with this live version, in which one single guitar summons forth a melody so righteous, so full of life and color, that it inadvertently makes the rest of the record pale in comparison. If one ever needed inspiration to pick up a flying V, let this solo be a testament to that particular axe's legend and quality.

 Coat of Arms by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.02 | 32 ratings

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Coat of Arms
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Heart of the Matter

3 stars There are certain artists in the Archives, whose reason to be here may not be related so much with their "progressiveness" as with their iconic status as "classic rock heroes". And I think that such thing is not bad, at all, since it allow us to reconsider some sacred cows like, let's say, The Who, or in this case, Wishbone Ash. An what may be the result of the present reconsideration?

In the first place, like I implied above, this album can't be deemed as "progressive" in any plausible sense of the term.

Not less discouragingly, the first half of the album pass like a continuous and somewhat monotonous jigging festival.

Fortunately, the second half, beginning with "Drive" gets much better, proving their recuperation with good melodies and nice guitar interweaving, as it's expected from this historic band.

 Argus by WISHBONE ASH album cover Studio Album, 1972
4.24 | 811 ratings

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Argus
Wishbone Ash Prog Related

Review by Kempokid
Collaborator Prog Metal Team

4 stars While the bulk of my experience with early 70s prog comes more from the more symphonic and jazzy sides of things, I still hold an appreciation for the style that Wishbone Ash has, feeling more like hard rock with proggy overtones, fitting more cleanly into the vein of classic rock while still clearly being something a bit more complex and often grandiose. Of the albums I've heard from this band, Argus is the one I'd consider their true masterpiece, being the album with the most well-realised sound, carrying some folkiness and medieval atmosphere that feels very core to their identity here, as opposed to just another element tacked on for the sake of it like I feel some prog bands can fall into the trap of. While this alone already makes this quite an entertaining album in its own right, it's the fact that this is couple with some exceptional songwriting and some of the best guitar work I've heard, these amazing elements coming together to complement the already promising sound that the album had going for it.

Time Was is your fairly typical prog epic in a lot of ways, but it's a pretty great one regardless, with the way the first few folky minutes then break into more energetic rock that reminds me of Rush, especially in the interplay between the guitar and bass, especially during solos. The song doesn't really hit any grand peaks like a couple of later tracks, but continuously shifts around extremely distinct sections, all of them paced quite well in order to give a very clear and satisfying sense of progression as everything keeps speeding up. Funnily enough, the song after this, Sometime World ends up following a lot of things that the opener accomplishes, but executes it so much better despite being about 3 minutes shorter. Once again, the song starts off being primarily acoustic, but this time around it's so much more emotional, the vocal melody and delivery being incredibly heartfelt as the hints of electric guitar just amplify the emotion. It's once this part ends that the song is elevated even higher however, with an incredible bassline backed up by one of the most epic sounding choruses I've heard, without even a hint of exaggeration, and it just doesn't feel like it stops, just keeps going with it until it erupts into an extremely triumphant, powerful guitar solo that floors me every time. All of this makes it one of the absolute pinnacles of 70s prog rock for me. It's unfortunate that this masterpiece is followed up by what's easily the weakest track on the album, and just a painfully mediocre one in general, sounding more like some generic hard rock than anything else, not really going anywhere interesting or having anything I'd personally consider enjoyable to listen to.

It's fortunate that things get back on track relatively quickly with The King has Come, which while having less of an overall impression on me than some other songs here, also has some of my favourite instrumental work on the album, especially in the intro, which builds up perfectly into a very memorable riff. The rest of it is a bit tamer than most of the album despite being one of the ones to most prominently make use of the electric guitar, overall another good song. After the reasonably decent, pretty Leaf and Stream, highlighting the folk aspects of the album exquisitely and creating a great atmosphere, the album closes off with the amazing one - two punch of Warrior and Throw Down The Sword, which once again return to the purely epic nature of Sometime World. Warrior in particular impresses me, especially with the vocal harmonies during the "I have to be a warrior" section, really just sounds amazingly powerful once again, especially once the guitar starts to interweave with the gaps in the vocals. Throw Down Your Sword brings things to a close perfectly, still having the sense of grandiosity, but with a sense of quiet triumph to it all. If Warrior was a song about an army going into battle, Throw Down the Sword would be the result after victory was achieved, and it closes everything off perfectly.

I find that the mix of prog and hard rock is that potentially can end up sounding rather generic or just uninteresting if not handled properly, leaning firmly into the aesthetic of one side too hard, which is something that I believe Wishbone Ash did right here, being able to avoid such pitfalls and using these 2 sounds to make something truly interesting and distinct. This is definitely an album that I'd 100% recommend to fans of artists such as Uriah Heep or Rush, but more broadly just to fans of hard and progressive rock in general, taking the best aspects from both of these genres and making something that I could easily see fans of either of them liking quite a lot. I'd rate this a bit higher even, but I personally do believe that Blowin' Free detracts from the album enough to give it a slightly lower score in the end.

Best tracks: Sometime World, Warrior, Throw Down the Sword

Weakest tracks: Blowin' Free

Thanks to alucard for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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