NEW ENGLAND

Wishbone Ash is a band that never really made it as a prog band for me. There are several albums in their discography that contain great progressive rock songs, but they always insisted on including at least a couple of straightforward boogie-rock'n'roll-type songs on almost every album. New England is not really different in that respect. Still, it is a good album with some well hidden progressive tendencies. But these tendencies are not as strong but more evenly spread over this album than they were on the great There's The Rub album, for example. You certainly won't find a F.U.B.B. or Persephone, or for that matter a The King Will Come, but what you will find is a consistent and well put-together album of some well-crafted melodic rock.

As always on Wishbone Ash albums, the guitar work is great throughout. If you like Argus and There's The Rub you will probably like this as well. However, it took me more listens to appreciate New England; I didn't see its good qualities right away. This is probably because it is a little bit subdued compared to some earlier (and later) Wishbone Ash albums. It is not in your face, you have to actively search for its beauty.

The last four tracks are not really an epic or anything even if the short instrumental tracks Prelude and Candlelight nicely bookend the last half of the album.

Good, but hardly essential. Not the best place to start with Wishbone Ash.