About time we had an ABA thread on this great band. First a preface: I will attempt to steer us through all the studio albums & (major) live albums. There are so many of the live ones I don't think I'd be able cover all of them but we'll see. There are also some interesting rarities that were officially released years later we should try to touch on as well. Bear with me because my work schedule is pretty exhausting & I don't have much free time - there may be gaps of about a week or two in between albums but I will try to keep things moving. We'll get there in the end but this may take a while - there are probably around 40 (?) albums to cover. There are many Ash "anoraks" up here with much knowledge to share so I look forward to them chiming in as we go. I expect there should be a lot of interest & comments for the early albums with the original "Mark I" lineup, but then about 50% of the crowd here will bail with no interest in what came later, and as we move through the Mark II lineup and beyond I might be the only even left! But that's OK. Within their original timeframe I am going to try to include some of the later released unearthed treasures like First Light (recordings from 1970 but not released until 2007) or Lost Pearls (rarities from the Mark II lineup in the late 1970's that came out in 2004). If I forget to include something don't hesitate to make mention of it. Many of these albums have been issued & reissued multiple times with different masterings, even mixes, bonus tracks, you name it. For the most part I am just going to present the original albums and let you folks weigh in on all the different releases with your sound quality recommendations (and anything else you want to say). I'm not intending to give a song by song review of each album but may make mention of some personal faves/dislikes or other observations. This thread is really yours though, tell us what is on your mind about each release, I am just here to steer us through as we go. I would be remiss if I did not make mention of my Finish friend Rainer's very comprehensive all-things-Ash website that should be considered an excellent reference guide to all this stuff - if you don't know about it, then you need to check it out: WISHBONE ASH -DISCOGRAPHY » So here goes.... (I should probably start with the CD entitled "First Light" since it was recorded prior to the first album itself, but I'd rather we start with what is truly their first release then we'll explore First Light next.) Wishbone Ash (1970) Andy Powell - lead guitar, vocals Ted Turner - lead guitar, vocals Martin Turner - bass, vocals Steve Upton - drums Oddly wikipedia also has this credit: Tony Randall (guitarist) - guitars, vocals I have no idea what that is about (did Jack Klugman play on this too?). I think at some point in another thread here (or elsewhere) I did bring this up but I can't remember what the explanation was. Tracklist & timings from wikipedia: Side one "Blind Eye" – 3:15 "Lady Whiskey" – 6:13 "Errors of My Way" – 6:56 "Queen of Torture" – 3:23 Side two "Handy" – 11:37 "Phoenix" – 10:26 My rating: 8 out of 10 I love this album. The vinyl especially was cool the way side one had the "short songs" and side two had the epics. Being a guitar junkie myself Ash are the perfect band for me with two wonderful guitarists playing off each other and even doing harmony lead sections. Andy & Ted blended together really well. And to have not one but TWO plus 10 minute guitar feasts on one album is heaven to me. Phoenix has become their most signature epic (we'll get to some others later) and that was the song I most wanted to hear the first time I saw them live (in 1983). Just a spellbinding triumph of a song. One that remains in most of their setlists to this day (they did it at Sellersville when I saw them just a few months ago). Handy is a wonderful instrumental workout (with some scat vocals from Martin Turner towards the end) that afaik has never been performed live - anyone know? Everything else on this album has been done live at one time or another IIRC. Errors of My Way is a favorite of mine, and one I was ecstatic to see done live in the 1990's with Roger Filgate giving it the best building in intensity and passion of a lead guitar solo for it I have ever heard. No diss intended on Andy & Ted or any other Ash guitars who have tackled it over the years. Listening to this album again now (I am spinning the 1994 BGO CD release) I notice something that I did not recall (probably just forgot) and that is a piano playing on the opening track Blind Eye. Who did the piano? Is that something just brought to the forefront in this BGO release (is it a remix)? I await a real expert's answer. A final observation from me about this album is that I did not hear this until about a dozen years after it's release, and was blown away by it. I did not discover Ash until my college daze in the late 1970's, and that was with Argus and Live Dates. There was MUCH music to discover in my youth and although I liked Ash, they were not at that time at the forefront of my musical tastes (I moved into a more metal direction) - and NONE of my friends at the time had even heard of them (well that is much like today actually). However at my first real job after college there was a guy there who played guitar, owned a Flying V, was a major Ash nut, and he worshipped on the altar of Andy Powell. He got me into re-exploring Ash and one day while out at lunch on a workday I paid a visit to a local used record store and found a pristine Decca rainbow label pressing of this album - for only $2.50! I brought it back to work and my friend was pissed (that he didn't snag it first).
A promising start, but still somewhat tentative in places. Features two undisputed Ash classics, though - Errors of My Ways and Phoenix.
As a 15 year old in 1980 Friday night was "The Friday Rock Show" on radio 1 with Tommy Vance. He had a series of flashback shows where he played 2 hours of music from one year and in October it was the turn of 1970. After a bit of Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and Free amongst others, on came this band I'd never heard of - Wishbone Ash with Phoenix. I was hooked immediately. The next day I was off to the local record shop and came home with the first album. Side 2 with the two long tracks was my favourite - loved both those tracks. Side 1 Blind Eye was a great opener. Lady Whiskey took a while to grow on me, probably because it was a bit heavier than the other tracks on the album and more riff based. Errors Of My Ways was another brilliant melodic track. Queen Of Torture was similar to Lady Whiskey. The next step would be to buy the next Wishbone Ash album. No Spotify or Wikipedia in those days to some homework, just the record sleeve to grab your attention and the publishing date to give a clue as what order they were released in. For anyone interested in what was played on the Friday Rock Show Flashback 1970 see 31 October 1980 »
My favorites on the first album are the riff rocker Lady Whiskey and more sublime Errors Of My Way. Blind Eye is a good rocker to start off the album and Handy is one of their more underrated rated early tracks. I have never been that big a fan of Phoenix. It tends to go on a bit too long for my taste but I can understand why people like it and it has become one of their signature tunes. I agree with the 8 of 10 rating and it is a very good debut album.
YEAH!!! This is one of my favorite bands, and probably the one I've seen the most in concert. I'm going to get a little hazy once we get past There's the Rub, but that'll give me an excuse to pull out some of their lps that I've not listened to with the same frequency as the first 6. If there could be anything like a house band for our Chicago neighborhood, Wishbone Ash would have been it. I KNOW we were playing their first three albums regularly (ok, excessively) by the time of Argus' release. One of the first concerts I ever attended was the Chicago Kinetic Playground gig with Joe Walsh and Vinegar Joe on the bill (the tour that produced Live Dates) I'm a big fan of their debut album. I think that it just rocks from start to finish on side 1, and that the jazzy Handy is a great prelude to the epic Phoenix on side 2. Lady Whiskey is probably my favorite song on side 1. I love the way that as the song develops the disparate paths that the two guitars and bass take one by one, come together until all three are basically playing the same riff. I saw them live a couple of years ago and it was the first time I could remember them playing Lady Whiskey since those early 70's shows...they killed it!
I like the early albums from Wishbone Ash and plan to explore their later albums as well. I have a US Decca vinyl pressing of this album. It is a solid first album and Blind Eye is an obvious choice to start off the album. Scott
Great album. There's only one mix if this album, the one from 1970. The piano is on Blind Eye...not sure whom plays it. My guess is either a non-band member or one of the band members overdubbed it. I have a US Decca, and it sounds good: Not a weak track on this album, in my opinion.
Great debut album by Wishbone Ash. I'll probably be in the minority, but I actually prefer side one. Probably because I'm more of a hard rock/blues guy than a progger. I favor the live era versions of "Phoenix" much better. But my favorite on here is the heavy riff rocker "Lady Whiskey", especially the middle guitar solo where it really takes off. For people new to the Ash, check this great song out and make sure to play it nice and loud!
Sounds to me like someone who knows his way around piano. On subsequent albums piano and organ were played by guest musicians. I don't think that would have been necessary if there was someone in the band who mastered keyboards well.
$2.50 is a steal...I got mine for free...thanks Dad...plus, it has a bit of crackle, but virtually no surface noise
A fine debut IMO. Already shows off how broad their influences were and their potential. Classical, jazz, folk, rock all mixed into one.
Inarresting (a Neil Young version of the word "interesting" that I like to use) that you mention Chicago. I think they must have had a strong fan presence out there and knew it (?). I say that because long after I thought Ash were kaput I was shocked to see a new live album by them called "Live In Chicago" on CD (recorded at two Chicago gigs in '92) at an ultra-cool music store in downtown Philly (called 3rd Street Jazz). It was actually through that album (it had a fanclub address in it to write to which I did) that I was able to make some cool Ash connections, and about a year later in March of '93 myself and two friends tried to fly to Chicago to see two Ash gigs, but our flight never got off the ground due to a massive nor'easter & we got snowbound in a hotel in Newark, NJ for the entire weekend, quite a long story in and of itself btw. Anywho, by any chance were you either at the Live In Chicago CD '92 gig(s) or the ones I missed in March '93? I think one of the gigs we missed was actually at the same venue that Live In Chicago was recorded at (we were even bringing a Philly pizza out for the club owner, who asked for one & was expecting us!).
Bear, do you have any of your usual insightful guitarist observations to share with us about this album? Anything especially cool/remarkable to comment on regarding the compositions or playing?
Great idea for a thread, can't disagree with anything already said. 8 out of 10 only because there has to be room to go higher for what's to come. Favorite tracks: Lady Whiskey, Error of My Ways, and Phoenix with Blind Eye and Handy close behind, in other words the whole album. Always liked the cover too.
Although I'd seen them several times in the 70's, they kind of fell off the map for me in the 80's and 90's. By 2001 however, I began to seek them out and started attending their shows in Chicago again. By now they were doing smaller clubs (like the ones where "Live in Chicago" was recorded), and it became a great opportunity to reconnect with the old Ash fans from the neighborhood. Wishbone Ash fans are a wandering lot. They like to follow this band all over the place. A guy I grew up with who went by the name of California Dan on the WA forums, traveled the US, England, and the high seas to hear them. Back on track; I wasn't at those particular shows that made up the "Live in Chicago" cd, but I do have it, and after attending that 2001 gig, I've seen them almost every time they've been back here. A couple of weeks ago, they were in suburban Chicago playing a 1000 seat theater, a step up from their usual club shows. Also on the bill was Sweet of "Barroom Blitz" fame. WA did their usual knock down, drag out set and had everyone jumping up and down and screaming their lungs out. Their set over, many of us left. Sweet completed the night to a half empty theater. Here's an open view of that first S/T album...
Thanks great thread and overdue. I was nuts for WA up thru There's the Rub. My interest waned as their writing suffered IMO after that. I was first exposed to them in August 71 when they opened for the Who in Bloomington MN. That was also my first big concert. I finally got oked by parents to drive up from southern MN. The Ash were great but I was really there for Pete and the boys. I didn't own any WA until after that but had heard the records from a couple friends in a band I was in. Guitarists who were big Allman Bros freaks and stumbled on them. Side two of the debut was my brain ticket and the start of a love affair for MK 1. Still have my original US Decca bought in late 71 and an early UK pink label in stunning condition acquired about 15 years ago when I started to see them again each time they've come to Twin Cities doing club dates. The early Deccas are good. Heck it was our only reference for ages. But once you hear a clean UK MCA first pressing you won't go back. Cue up the intro to Handy and prepare for brain melt.
Great thread...and long overdue. I am glad you started it. As for the piano on Blind Eye, if I remember correctly it was Matthew Fisher from Procol Harum, who happened to be in the studio at that time according to Andy Powell.
Thank you for this piece of interesting information! I have often wondered who the piano player is, but never have bothered to look for an answer.
Ah, one of my favorite bands from that era, though I admit once the Mark I lineup changed, I didn't have the same interest. Way back when this one came out I was listening to the Allman Brothers and just beginning to realize what 2 lead guitarists in a band could do when they worked together and more importantly for me, how to work with another guitarist in terms of playing style, tone and taste. A friend of mine told me to get this album. He said it was essential listening. He was right. It turned my head around. Even though the textures on this LP weren't as intriguing as they would get by Argus, they were intriguing and eye/ear opening to my young guitar-centric mind. I spend a lot of time with this and Pilgrimage (as I got into them only after Pilgrimage came out, so I had the pleasure of going right on to number two after finishing this one. I remember spending hours listening to Handy and Phoenix. I learned a lot about musical development of an idea/motif from these guys and their writing/playing approach, as well as dynamics (okay, The Allman's were pretty good there, too, but this stuff went into many different directions). The only song I ever covered from this Lp was Lady Whiskey, a truly great little riff rocker with lots of fun parts. I was also in two bands that covered the WA version of Brother Jack McDuff's Vas Dis from Pilgrimage. My only regret is that I only saw them once, during the Live Dates tour (with Focus on the same bill). I loved the Ted Turner / Andy Powell interplay. And, they had those huge Orange amps.
Nice to see the Allman Brothers comparison. Both bands achieved (and then lost) greatness in their careers, but truth be told there were times, especially in the early years, when I actually thought WA was better than the Allmans. Apples and oranges in hindsight. You really should watch their website for a Boston appearance. They are very, very good, and I know you'd have an enjoyable experience seeing them today.
I find the later versions of Wishbone Ash a hard listen. For me so much of their appeal lay in Martin Turners vocals & also his bass playing had its own individual style.
I agree with some of that assessment (although there IS plenty of new stuff that is very, very good). But their live shows are such a great mix (plenty of classic tunes and many new ones that compliment well) that I believe you'd come away very happy.
