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.
Deep Blues
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
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That same old look in your eyes
I notice that there's not a hair out of place
Your sweet mouth telling more lies
You tell me it's different and you'll change this time
But the trouble is I've heard it before
You see it's always me in the firing line
You're no longer my desire
Your blues are way too deep
You kill the mood and you put out the fire
Your blues are way too deep
You failed to read all the warning signs
Refused to see the red flags
And now I guess you've just run out of time
Blowing the last chance we had
You're no longer my concern
My heart is mine to keep
It seems to me you'll never learn
Your blues are way too deep
You know you suck all the air from a room
Get your friends around to compensate
Too many times they've heard that same old tune
It's more than they appreciate
For seven long years I gave you good advice
Thinking it would make a difference someday
I gave you the goods to make a better life
But you took them all and threw it away
You're no longer my desire
Your blues are way too deep
You kill the mood and you put out the fire
Your blues are way too deep
You're no longer my concern
My heart is mine to keep
It seems to me you'll never learn
Your blues are way too deep
The lyrics to Wishbone Ash's song "Deep Blues" speak of a relationship that's gone sour due to constant lies and deception. The singer describes the other person as having a "smile on your face" and "not a hair out of place" while they continue to tell more lies. The singer has reached a breaking point, having heard these promises of change before with no real results, and is essentially telling the other person that they are no longer interested in continuing the relationship because their "blues are way too deep". The other person is described as having failed to read the warning signs and is ultimately held responsible for blowing the last chance they had.
The lyrics are powerful in the sense that they capture the frustration of being in a relationship where one person is continually dishonest and unable to change. The use of the phrase "your blues are way too deep" underscores the idea that this person's issues and personality traits run too deep for the relationship to work. The song's tone is somber, with a hint of sadness, perhaps reflecting the disappointment and heartbreak of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
You come to me with that smile on your face
You approach me wearing a smile
That same old look in your eyes
Your eyes show the same emotion as they always have
I notice that there's not a hair out of place
I observe that you have meticulously groomed yourself
Your sweet mouth telling more lies
Your charming words are untruthful
You tell me it's different and you'll change this time
You assure me that this occasion differs and you'll amend your ways
But the trouble is I've heard it before
The difficulty is that I've received similar promises from you previously
You see it's always me in the firing line
I am always the subject of your unintended consequences
I just can't take anymore
I can no longer endure your behavior
You're no longer my desire
I don't want you anymore
Your blues are way too deep
Your sadness is overwhelming
You kill the mood and you put out the fire
You dampen the atmosphere and extinguish the spirit
You failed to read all the warning signs
You ignored all the indicators of impending danger
Refused to see the red flags
You declined to recognize the signals of impending danger
And now I guess you've just run out of time
Time has expired for your opportunity to correct your mistakes
Blowing the last chance we had
You ruined our final opportunity to reconcile
You're no longer my concern
I am no longer concerned about your welfare
My heart is mine to keep
I possess ownership of my heart and its emotions
It seems to me you'll never learn
It appears evident to me that you refuse to acquire knowledge
You know you suck all the air from a room
You cause the environment to be suffocating
Get your friends around to compensate
You invite your associates to compensate for your shortcomings
Too many times they've heard that same old tune
Your comrades have heard your repeated story countless times
It's more than they appreciate
It becomes more than they admire
For seven long years I gave you good advice
I advised you wisely across seven years
Thinking it would make a difference someday
Believing it would eventually result in a change
I gave you the goods to make a better life
I provided you with the necessities to improve your situation
But you took them all and threw it away
You squandered them carelessly
Contributed by Savannah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SPCA663 Little B
Awesome.