Wishbone Ash can trace its origins back to Torquay, Devon, England, a seaside resort in the southwest of the country. It was there that Martin Turner and Steve Upton first performed together; Turner on bass, Upton on drums, before moving to London in 1969 to seek fame and fortune. In the capital the decision was made to place an advertisement for a keyboard player and a lead guitarist. The resulting audition threw up two guitar leads, but nobody could decide who to choose and the trademark twin-lead sound of Wishbone Ash was born.
Ted (David) Turner and Andy Powell soon went through the poverty and growing pains of a new band, but were fortunate that Miles Copeland was championing their cause and a fairly rapid progression was achieved. The first Album, Wishbone Ash, was released in December 1970 and their second, Pilgrimage, surfaced just six months later to reach #6 in the NME charts. Great things were just 11 months away with the release of Argus (1972) -- possibly the band's best album; certainly their most commercially successful -- which reached #2 in the UK charts and went gold. Argus is considered to be one of the great rock classics of all time. The next album, Wishbone Four, only 12 months later, went silver.
After these early highs, Ted Turner decided that he had had enough, and left the band to be replaced by Laurie Wisefield. Although Laurie’s style was not to everyone’s taste, he was generally well liked by the fans and brought a slightly harder edge to the folk-tinged progressive rock that was the Wishbone Ash formula. Wisefield was a dynamic player and became an excellent partner to Andy -- they were to play together for a very successful 11 years and the MKII version of the band is very well thought of for most of its output. About this time the band became more influenced by America and would eventually move there.
The next album, There's The Rub (1974), was recorded in Florida and produced by Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk. Once again it was to do well, achieving silver disc status. There's the Rub included the instrumental piece F.U.B.B. Steve Upton was arrested in New Zealand for announcing at a concert it's full title. In New Zealand, swearing in public is a criminal offense, and when Upton announced the title at an outdoor concert, a woman sunbathing in her garden nearby complained to the mayor. Upton spent the night in jail, and the album reached #3 in New Zealand due to the publicity.
It was inevitable that a turkey was due and to fans Locked In (1976) fit this bill. This record was not released -- it escaped! Fortunately things were much better with the quality of the following albums and although the high chart positions were gone, the fans were enjoying some competent, well-crafted output.
After 11 years in the band, Martin Turner decided to leave. This move began a period of frequent changes of bass player with the likes of John Wetton and Trevor Bolder being two of the better known; however, Wishbone Ash always has attracted musicians of the highest order. A much more controversial move was the introduction of Clair Hamill to fill in some of the vocal talent Martin had taken away with him. Clair was not popular with the fans which was perhaps a little unfair. She had contributed backing vocals on Just Testing (Turner's last album (1980), which he had also produced) and had co-written the excellent Living Proof, which is still a crowd favourite today. Her stay was short-lived with Andy Powell taking on more vocal duties. Wisefield left in late 1985 and the band continued to tour with various replacements, but were very much in limbo until 1987 when a miracle occurred. Miles Copland persuaded the original lineup to reform for a project for a music charity that he was helping, and a Hammersmith Odeon concert which the BBC recorded resulted. The project produced an instrumental album Nouveau Calls (1987), which was very well received. Even better received was the fact that three years of the original lineup were to follow.
Just when things were going so well, Steve Upton decided to quit the business entirely in 1990, to be replaced by Ray Weston. Martin Turner carried on for another year before leaving to pursue a solo career, and Ted left two years later. The next five years saw lots of personnel changes, but eventually resulted in a good period of stability with Ray Weston returning and Bob Skeet joining on bass in 1998.
The new millennium has also seen stability in respect of Andy's guitar partner, with the last 6 years being filled by Ben Granfelt and subsequently Muddy Manninen, both of whom come from Finland. 2005 saw Wishbone Ash celebrate their 35th year. 2006 heralded the new album Clan Destiny (the first featuring Muddy as guitarist). 2007 saw the exit of long-term drummer Ray Weston, due to the increasingly hectic pace of band life. Joe Crabtree (formerly of The David Cross band) stepped up to fill his place. With regard to new releases, 2007 saw First Light, which features original recordings of the songs featured on their debut album, as well as some outtakes. Also released that year was the new album The Power of Eternity (partly featuring Joe Crabtree on drums), which coincided with the Autumn tour.
Wishbone Ash are still performing 150 gigs a year in the U.S. and Europe. They get very supportive crowds with good numbers turning out all over Europe -- the U.S. tends to attract smaller audiences, but very committed fans. If you want to hear classic Wishbone Ash, get ahold of Argus. Visit their web site www.wishboneash.com, where tour dates and albums, etc. can be obtained.
Front Page News
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After all this time,
Welcomed me home
With my name in lights,
Took me by the hand,
Shook away my fear,
Brought back the memory
Of those earlier years.
Everybody's talkin', front page news.
Gotta help you get up
And get rid of your blues.
Cheatin' the devil, or whatever you choose,
Even if you've got nothin', boy,
You've got somethin' to lose.
You've got the...
Eatin' out of your hand.
Got the answer if you've got the time.
Can't go on forever in lotus land,
Don't end up doing one night stands.
I've seen your face in every cloud,
I've followed the sun
Which brought me back to your side.
I've lived some time
By what the fortune-tellers say,
But now I know in love with u.k.
Everybody's talkin', front page news.
The opening lyrics to Wishbone Ash's song "Front Page News" detail a sense of returning to the limelight after a long period of time in isolation. The singer of the song is welcomed back with open arms, with their name in lights and memories flooding back of earlier years. The surrounding world takes notice, with everyone talking and making it front page news. The song simultaneously warns against the danger of getting too caught up in the limelight, however, as the singer urges themselves and others to get rid of their blues and not fall into the trap of fleeting one night stands.
The chorus, with its repeated line of "Everybody's talkin', front page news," evokes a sense of both excitement and pressure. The singer has made it back into the public eye, but they're also aware that this newfound fame could be lost at any moment. They hold their success, and indeed their entire identity, in their own hands, hence the line "you've got the [world] eating out of your hand."
As a whole, "Front Page News" portrays the ups and downs of achieving success in the public eye. The singer is grateful for the opportunity to return to the spotlight, but they're also acutely aware of the risks that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
You made me feel good
You brought happiness to my life
After all this time,
Despite the amount of time that has passed
Welcomed me home
Warmly received me back into your life
With my name in lights,
Celebrating my success publicly
Took me by the hand,
Guided me and provided support
Shook away my fear,
Helped me overcome my worries and apprehensions
Brought back the memory
Recalled the past and reminisced together
Of those earlier years.
Remembrance of the happy times gone by
Everybody's talkin', front page news.
Everyone is talking about our success, it's in the news
Gotta help you get up
I need to help you stand up again
And get rid of your blues.
And help you overcome your sadness
Cheatin' the devil, or whatever you choose,
Defying odds and achieving greatness
Even if you've got nothin', boy,
Even if you think you have nothing
You've got somethin' to lose.
You have something worth fighting for, worth keeping
You've got the...
You have the power to control the situation
Eatin' out of your hand.
You have influence and control over others
Got the answer if you've got the time.
There's a solution if you're willing to put in the time and effort
Can't go on forever in lotus land,
You can't live in a fantasy forever
Don't end up doing one night stands.
Don't settle for temporary or fleeting experiences
I've seen your face in every cloud,
I think of you even in tough times
I've followed the sun
I've been on a journey
Which brought me back to your side.
Which ultimately led me back to you
I've lived some time
I've had some experiences
By what the fortune-tellers say,
By relying on predictions and beliefs
But now I know in love with u.k.
But now I know I am in love with you, the United Kingdom
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDY POWELL, MARTIN ROBERT TURNER, STEVEN UPTON, LAURIE WISEFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind