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.
Diamond Jack
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could see that I was free.
I had an ace of hearts, the dream of every man,
And I could see my destiny.
I can not justify the way I play,
But only see them as they fall.
Black magical lady luck,
Who will show me the way.
When you have your freedom
Without worldly care,
Around human share.
Along the way there's evil waitin' for you,
And evil's not judge and jury, but yourself.
When you're tired to the bone
Remembrance gone,
And you have cast your dice,
Take your chances as they come, one by one,
The hand of fate is as cold as ice.
In Wishbone Ash's song "Diamond Jack", the singer is taking part in a card game where he feels a sense of freedom as he holds an ace of hearts, which he sees as his destiny. However, he recognizes that he cannot justify his actions in the game, but rather sees the outcome as predetermined based on how the cards fall. The titular character is referred to as a "black magical lady luck" who will guide the singer on the right path.
The lyrics suggest that while the singer may have a sense of freedom in the game, there is always a danger of evil lurking around, which is not outside forces but rather their own choices. Further, the song speaks to the inevitability of fate and how we must take chances when they come but also be aware that sometimes the outcome may not be in our favor. Overall, "Diamond Jack" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of playing with fate and the consequences that may follow.
Line by Line Meaning
As the dealer dealt the cards to everyone,
The singer is observing the dealer dealing cards to the players.
I could see that I was free.
The singer feels free and unburdened.
I had an ace of hearts, the dream of every man,
The singer has a valuable card that can win the game.
And I could see my destiny.
The artist has a clear vision of their future.
I can not justify the way I play,
The artist admits that they may not have a good reason for their actions.
But only see them as they fall.
The singer is watching events unfold without trying to control them.
The diamond jack
The singer is referring to a specific card -- the diamond jack.
Black magical lady luck,
The diamond jack is personified as a woman who brings luck, but also carries a sense of mystery and danger.
Who will show me the way.
The artist is hoping that the diamond jack will lead them to victory.
When you have your freedom
The artist is addressing the listener and talking about what happens when one has freedom.
Without worldly care,
The singer is emphasizing the carefree nature of freedom.
Around human share.
The artist is noting that people are still present in this state of freedom.
Along the way there's evil waitin' for you,
The singer warns that even in a carefree state, there are still dangers to face.
And evil's not judge and jury, but yourself.
The singer points out that people must take responsibility for their own actions and outcomes.
When you're tired to the bone
The singer is addressing the listener and talking about the exhaustion that comes with life.
Remembrance gone,
The artist is noting that one's memory can fade with time.
And you have cast your dice,
The artist is pointing out that people must take chances and live with the consequences.
Take your chances as they come, one by one,
The singer is advising listeners to take life as it comes, moment by moment.
The hand of fate is as cold as ice.
The singer is referring to fate, which can be harsh and unforgiving.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDY POWELL, LAURIE WISEFIELD, MARTIN TURNER, STEVEN UPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sabrina Pernez
As the dealer dealt the cards to everyone,
I could see that I was free.
I had an ace of hearts, the dream of every man,
And I could see my destiny.
I can not justify the way I play,
But only see them as they fall.
The diamond Jack
Black magical Lady Luck,
Who will show me the way.
When you have your freedom
Without worldly care,
Around human share.
Along the way there's evil waitin' for you,
And evil's not judge and jury, but yourself.
When you're tired to the bone
Remembrance gone,
And you have cast your dice,
Take your chances as they come, one by one,
The hand of fate is as cold as ice.
Brian Trend
dam wishbone ash came up with untold amazing riffs and that twin guitars blows your mind still after all these years . still the original and best dual lead guitar sound ever. great drumming great everything. ive moved on and at 65 listen to heavy metal like 5 finger and metallica but this takes me back to my roots. wish bone ash what a great band.
Gordon Landreth
Moved on from Wishbone Ash ? I feel sorry for you , they are still going strong . Metallica could not carry their Marshall cabinet .
mike Bail
I've been jamming to Bone for over 50 years now never get tired of it takes me back to different parts of my life every time I hear a different song those guys for the best music I can ever hear in my lifetime true bone fan
Tom Layman
This album really struck me at first listen. Guitar nuances that include subtle wha-wha effects, tones across the spectrum, with tasty riffing that compliment rather than dominate the song in some cases. Just overall a work of art. Like the Beatles this band's albums were always unique from previous work. This album also has mysterious feel on some songs similar to P. Floyd. Without a radio hit this band was largely overlooked during there heyday which I think caused the band to be discouraged and to try "both barrels burning", raw to the bone" ventures. But then fine art really isn't met for mass appeal, unfortunately.
SpookyBaba
I love this album. Used to be a regular play whilst getting mashed in the sun.
ejayman
Damn, the bassline on this song is delicious enough to eat, Martin Turner really was such a talent.
This was a rare return to form in some ways, only been into WA for the last 6 months or so and their solid tunes from around the Front Page News era were few and far between sadly, but this is an absolute banger!
Rick Travis
Just so FREEEEKIN good. I have listened to this since the day it was was released. Never get tired of hearing. Wow!!!
Steve Whitehouse
They are still a force to be reckoned with !!! Great Musicians
S Fox
Classic, like the whole album, but this song is special
Jeff Campbell
absolutely love the transition at around 4:09 to the acoustic classic ash. love em.