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.
Bad Weather Blues
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I said I been away for so long.
Tell me, have you,
Have you done me wrong?
Can I tell by the look that's in your eyes,
Have you kept your loving locked away inside?
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Take away these bad weather blues?
I done laid this high-class babe out in the hay,
Spent half a year in the jailhouse all alone -
This never would have happened if I'd stayed at home, oh no.
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Take away these bad weather blues?
Come on everybody, then, clap your hands in the air.
Come on, a little bit louder, a little bit louder,
Come on everybody. I'll teach you, come on,
We want to hear you. louder, louder!
We want you all to join in with us -
When we say "yeah", when we say "yeah",
We want you to say "yeah". you got it?
Come on, are you ready? can't hear you!
That's better, here we go.
Say yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Can you shake the dust, can you shake the dust,
Can you make me shine?
Can you shake the dust and make me shine
Like they do in sheffield all the time?
Been everywhere around the world,
Seen every, every kind of girl, yeah.
But it moves me the way that I think I know,
And it weakens me, so make your loving flow.
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Take away these bad weather blues?
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Take away these bad weather blues.
The song "Bad Weather Blues" by Wishbone Ash is a bluesy and upbeat track with lyrics that touch on the themes of love, betrayal, redemption, and longing. The song starts with the singer admitting to being away for a long time, and questioning if his lover had been unfaithful to him. He wonders if the look in her eyes can give him an answer, and if she had kept her love locked away. He then sings about the bad experiences and mistakes he's made, such as spending half a year in jail after being carried away with a high-class lover. However, he conveys a sense of hope and optimism, asking his lover to shake the dust from his shoes and take away his bad weather blues.
The song then shifts to a call-and-response section where the band invites the audience to join in and clap along. They break into a chant of "yeah, yeah" while encouraging the audience to respond with the same phrase. The final verse returns to the singer's desire for his lover's love and affection, with the repetition of the line "Can you shake the dust from off my shoes - take away these bad weather blues?" adding emphasis to his plea.
Overall, "Bad Weather Blues" is a song with relatable and universal themes that resonate with listeners, backed by solid guitar work and catchy hooks.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I been away,
I have been absent for some time.
I said I been away for so long.
I have been away for a long time.
Tell me, have you,
May I ask if you have?
Have you done me wrong?
Have you betrayed me?
Can I tell by the look that's in your eyes,
Can I discern from your expression?
Have you kept your loving locked away inside?
Have you kept your affection to yourself?
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Will you help me move forward?
Take away these bad weather blues?
Help me overcome this melancholy feeling.
I done time, I got carried away,
I have been in prison; I got carried away.
I done laid this high-class babe out in the hay,
I had sexual intercourse with a woman of high social status.
Spent half a year in the jailhouse all alone -
I was in prison for six months without company.
This never would have happened if I'd stayed at home, oh no.
This would not have occurred if I had stayed home.
Come on everybody, then, clap your hands in the air.
Let's encourage everyone to join in and applaud!
We want you all to join in with us -
We encourage you to participate with us.
When we say "yeah", when we say "yeah",
When we utter the word "yeah".
We want you to say "yeah". you got it?
We want you to respond "yeah". Do you understand?
Can you shake the dust, can you shake the dust,
Do you possess the ability to propel me forward?
Can you make me shine?
Can you make me sparkle?
Like they do in sheffield all the time?
Like they always do in Sheffield?
Been everywhere around the world,
I have travelled to every corner of the earth.
Seen every, every kind of girl, yeah.
I have witnessed every type of woman.
But it moves me the way that I think I know,
But I'm convinced this feeling has a hold on me.
And it weakens me, so make your loving flow.
It has a detrimental impact on me, so please show me affection.
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Will you assist me in moving forward?
Take away these bad weather blues?
Help me overcome this melancholic state.
Can you shake the dust from off my shoes -
Will you help me move forward?
Take away these bad weather blues.
Help me overcome this melancholic state.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
keister bunny
My goal is to invent a time machine so I can attend this show. Sit first row center in the balcony, and buy the house a beer. Then kick back and enjoy this masterpiece in person.
Marc Moingeon
Great boogie, a boogie with class, as I keep saying... The Ash has always had this quality to play the blues and boogie with a distinctive classy sound... Clean and sharp. I've always loved "Bad Weather Blues", that was initially only to be found on a compilation album. A pity they never recorded it in the studio, but this live version is great, although I could do without the banter section where they ask the audience to sing... It was the same little problem with the great "Where Were You Tomorrow" on "Pilgrimage". Nevermind, both tracks are really good. I was lucky enough to see Andy Powell's Wishbone Ash play Bad Weather Blues on stage, a number of years ago in Paris. :)
MANTRAZ51
Excelente banda, gratos recuerdos de una época de buena musica
John Butler
Glad to say I have a copy of the original vinyl of this...it came free with 'Locked In' . Still sounds great after all this time....lost count of how many head banging sessions me and my Uni mate had to this, and seeing them do it live...
7777Scion
Locked In???? Mine came with "No Smoke Without Fire" (1978) - I don't think you got this in a 1976-recorded/released album. :-)
Arthur Schuck
is very good, I will play on the floor and have an attack of madness HAHAHAHAHAA
manuelpobox
good and brutal rock and roll ¡¡
ThePosserman
I was there!!
Doyle Darby
Lame."when I say yeah you say yeah"