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.
You Rescue Me
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lay broken and destroyed.
When people on the earth have cut you down
The sky's the only place to hide.
And as I floated in the moonlit night
You arrived to take me home.
I kissed your hand and I came back to life
And all the wrong became all right.
In all of my dreams
You rescue me
It always seems you rescue me.
I was wandering down endless roads
A fallen angel in the cold.
You appeared before me like a vision
To whisper love I used to know.
So easily you gave to me secret promises
Like only magic words can flow.
In all of my dreams
You rescue me
It always seems you rescue me.
The lyrics of Wishbone Ash's song (In All of My Dreams) You Rescue Me reflects on a person who is broken and feels destroyed on the earth as people cut him/her down. Despite this, the person finds solace in the stars on 'this side of heaven' where he/she learns to hide from people's negativity. However, in the moonlit sky, the person finds a glimpse of hope as someone arrives to take him/her home. This person rescues the singer from the emptiness of the world, and the wrong becomes right. In the second verse, the singer specifies that he/she was a fallen angel wandering down endless roads who found love once again with the arrival of the person who whispered sweet nothings like only magic words can flow. Finally, the chorus repeats that this person always rescues the singer in his dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Among the stars on this side of heaven
I am feeling lost and broken, searching for a way to escape from the harsh realities of life.
I lay broken and destroyed.
I am feeling shattered and defeated, unable to find a way to pick myself up.
When people on the earth have cut you down
When people in my life have hurt me and brought me down,
The sky's the only place to hide.
I find solace in the vastness of the sky, where I can escape from my troubles.
And as i floated in the moonlit night
As I wandered lost and broken through the night, searching for something to hold onto,
You arrived to take me home.
You came to my aid, offering me a way out of my misery and pain.
I kissed your hand and i came back to life
I felt a surge of hope and renewal, as if I had been given a second chance at life.
And all the wrong became all right.
All the pain and hurt that had been weighing me down melted away, replaced by a sense of peace and healing.
In all of my dreams
Every time I close my eyes and let my mind wander,
You rescue me
I am saved by your intervention, your love, and your care.
It always seems you rescue me.
No matter how lost and broken I feel, you are always there to help me find my way back to hope and happiness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
goodbull80
Martin Turner is one of the most underrated bassists of all time. Huge influence on my playing style. 🤘🏻❤🤘🏻
Gordon Landreth
Watched him when they played live in SF , he was the backbone of their big sound .
1990
He was the main creative influence in the band, too. Plus, he had/has a great voice.
Ed White
they really did have it all....the playing ,the writing, the singing. the harmonies on lead and vocals. the EXCELLENT counterpoint bass lines....and the drums have such a great feel. they really took rock music to a new level.
S. K. S.
I agree on every point
Gordon Landreth
No doubt about it .
1990
One of my favourite Ash tracks on my favourite Ash album. Utterly brilliant.
Gordon Landreth
You got that right , this album I didn't get to excited about at that time , but now I appreciate it more .
1990
@Gordon Landreth You've got me playing it again, Gordon.
Gordon Landreth
@1990 Thanks 1990 .