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.
Alone
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sunlight that touched your face, and told you not to go.
Where, oh where, you search your heart - how much do you need?
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
Stay where your fellowship have watched you hide inside,
Don't you alarm the path where danger's arrows fly.
Places everywhere that seem to have no other days,
Calling out from what could only still be all alone.
Rain falls into your life, and leisure steals away,
Love and wishes floating down under today.
Sit by the river's edge, and watch the water flow,
Sunlight that touched your face, and told you not to go.
Where, oh where, you ask yourself - how much do you need?
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
In the song "Alone" by Wishbone Ash, the lyrics describe sitting by the river's edge and watching the water flow. The singer talks about how the sun touched their face and told them not to go, but they search their heart and wonder how much they really need. The song implies that the person is feeling alone and is trying to escape it, perhaps by seeking out dangerous situations or wishing for love or companionship.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of melancholy and sadness. The lyrics suggest that the person is struggling with feelings of isolation and is yearning for something more. The repetition of the line "All the things that take you far away from being alone" emphasizes this desire to escape loneliness.
The phrase "Rain falls into your life, and leisure steals away, Love and wishes floating down under today" highlights the fleeting nature of happiness and how easily it can slip away. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of longing and a desire for connection and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Sit by the river's edge, and watch the water flow,
Take a moment to pause and observe the consistent flow of life like the continuous movement of the river.
Sunlight that touched your face, and told you not to go.
Reminding you to hold on to the present moment, for it is temporary and fleeting.
Where, oh where, you search your heart - how much do you need?
You question your own desires and wants in your heart, wondering how much you truly need to be fulfilled.
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
You realize that everything you do is an attempt to escape loneliness or aloneness in some way.
Stay where your fellowship have watched you hide inside,
Stay where your companions have witnessed you retreat within yourself emotionally.
Don't you alarm the path where danger's arrows fly.
Do not disrupt the course of things, for it may lead to unwanted consequences and harm.
Places everywhere that seem to have no other days,
Situations that feel like they will never end and there is no other future than what they present in the present moment.
Calling out from what could only still be all alone.
Despite being surrounded by people and things, you feel alone, and that feeling calls out to you.
Rain falls into your life, and leisure steals away,
Problems arise in life when you are not expecting them, taking away your leisurely moments.
Love and wishes floating down under today.
Hopes and desires that you had for today that have been lost or forgotten.
Where, oh where, you ask yourself - how much do you need?
You question your own desires and wants in your heart, wondering how much you truly need to be fulfilled.
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
You realize that everything you do is an attempt to escape loneliness or aloneness in some way.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW POWELL, DAVID TURNER, MARTIN TURNER, STEVE UPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stratocruising
Looking at the lyrics, I can see where "Leaf and Stream" on Argus came from
Sit by the river's edge, and watch the water flow,
Sunlight that touched your face, and told you not to go.
Where, oh where, you search your heart - how much do you need?
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
Stay where your fellowship have watched you hide inside,
Don't you alarm the path where danger's arrows fly.
Places everywhere that seem to have no other days,
Calling out from what could only still be all alone.
Rain falls into your life, and leisure steals away,
Love and wishes floating down under today.
Sit by the river's edge, and watch the water flow,
Sunlight that touched your face, and told you not to go.
Where, oh where, you ask yourself - how much do you need?
All the things that take you far away from being alone.
@jurgenseibert1200
Perfect and unterated. Wishbone Ash is one of the best bands of all times.
@adamdeex-eq9rj
I'm sure I am not alone in saying how proud I am having the wonderful Wishbone Ash in my top echelon of favourite bands .
@boomer3150
Me too, since 1970.
@richardtriance4338
Perfect in every way
@nk296
フルバージョン、素晴らしい‼️
こんなに素晴らしい曲だったんですねえ😃
@philipharrigan8791
love wishbone ash. I was in high school when I first heard Queen of Torture. Loved them since. They bring me back to my youth. One of the greatest bands of all times
@tonyanderton3521
Just perfect, those twin lead guitars playing off each other in that delicious long outro. Wishbone Ash at their melodic best.
@mikedavies395
This is fantastic
@stanmenshic2997
Brilliant harmonic rock, thx a mill for posting!
@marcelacervantesmartinez8488
this is one of the best Albums, I love it, greats songs.