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.
Almighty Blues
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause I already know
Things could be better,
Not like this Broadway Show
Always a reason
There's no time to talk
I don't want you leaving
[Chorus]
Cause I never felt this way I feel before
Is this the blues? Almighty blues
I've never felt so lonely, since I lost my one and only
I can't go the distance
I can't close the door
Feel alone in a crowd
I can't take no more
[Chorus]
Don't need a reason
To be in your game
With a loser's luck
It's nothin' but a cryin' shame
[Chorus]
In "Almighty Blues," Wishbone Ash sings about feeling lost and alone in a relationship. The lyrics convey the singer's frustration and despair as he realizes that things are not going well and that he is struggling to keep the relationship together. He pleads with his partner not to leave, admitting that he can't bear the thought of being alone.
The chorus speaks of the singer's profound sense of loneliness and despair, his feeling that he has never felt this way before. The phrase 'Almighty Blues' seems to refer to his despair, which feels all-encompassing and intense, like a kind of biblical punishment. The singer hopes that his connection with his loved one will help to lift him out of this depression, but he realizes that he cannot force her to stay with him.
In essence, "Almighty Blues" is a powerful expression of heartbreak and the feelings of loneliness and despair that often come with it. The song's lyrics are heartfelt and emotional, speaking directly to anyone who has ever felt lost or alone in a relationship. The combination of the singer's vulnerable voice and the mournful guitar work creates an atmosphere of sadness and yearning that is hard to resist.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't tell me baby
I already know what you are going to say, so there is no need to tell me.
Cause I already know
I am aware of the situation; there is no need to explain it to me.
Things could be better,
The situation could improve; it is not ideal.
Not like this Broadway Show
It is a dramatic situation that is unnecessarily complicated, like a theatrical performance.
Always a reason
There is always an explanation for why things happen.
There's no time to talk
We do not have enough time to discuss the situation right now.
I don't want you leaving
I want you to stay here with me.
And I surely don't want you to walk
I do not want you to leave my side.
Cause I never felt this way I feel before
This is a new feeling for me; I have never experienced it before.
Is this the blues? Almighty blues
I am feeling very sad and lonely; is this what people call the blues?
I've never felt so lonely, since I lost my one and only
I have not felt this alone since the person I loved most in the world left me.
I can't go the distance
I am unable to maintain this level of effort or commitment for an extended period.
I can't close the door
I am unable to move on from this situation.
Feel alone in a crowd
Despite being surrounded by people, I still feel isolated and lonely.
I can't take no more
I am at my breaking point; I cannot handle any additional stress or sadness.
Don't need a reason
I do not require an explanation for why things are the way they are.
To be in your game
I am willing to take part in whatever you have planned.
With a loser's luck
Despite my best efforts, I always seem to fail.
It's nothin' but a cryin' shame
The situation is very unfortunate and disappointing.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GRANFELT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dianne Giannetti
they are so great, cant wait to see them again!!!!
Robby neal Zucker
Be at darrlys next Thurs so excited
Clairton Silva
Absolutamente maravilhoso! Que pedrada!!
Bellstanebird
Captures the atmosphere at the gig. Love it! Love it! Love it!
SENTINELREPORT
Will definitely buy DVD These guys deserve support.
Marc Moingeon
It's always a big pleasure to listen to this track, in this special live version with Ben Granfelt... and such a pleasure to see this band on stage. Don't miss them if you can attend a concert. They're really doing their best an dplay a wide array of tracks from their history, there are always a few surprises from their past catalogue beside the new songs and the inevitable classic tracks. PLus Andy Powell has become a good singer with age, really. :)
PithyProjects
Great! Love Wishbone ash in general, but Ben and Andy were the twin leads when I was fortunate to see them for the first time so it's always great to see footage of them playing together. I'm too young to have seem the 'classic' Mk I and Mk II lineups (respect to all those guys though!) but of the guitarist's I've seen gigging or guesting with the band Ben Granfelt has to be the best! You clearly have to be an excellent musician to play in WA, but Ben's playing is so vital it's just a cut above!
plizz ligh
this a trip out of blues ... with three true lovers of their guitar ...and , don't forg.Bob , as humble a bee to her sheers ...
sekrph
un-freaking beatable !! the REAL DEAL at its best !! this DVD is over the top !! don't miss one of the legendary classic rock bands touring the UK now!! BTW, THE 3 PART harmony riff at the 3:00 mark is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard !!
ARTIS FILMS
I love it!!!