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.
Disappearing
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going somewhere
where I can't be found
I'm entertaining
Folks in a little known part of town
There is a road and a corner in my fantasy
You pay a quarter and you set me free
I'm disappearing
I'm suffocating
It's hot in here and I need some air
It's escalating
This need to run and to be somewhere
I lay my head down and it don't feel right
Need to rest, get some sleep tonight
I'm disappearing to some place else
I'm disappearing to a
little known part of town
I'm relocating to somewhere
I can't be found
The lyrics to Wishbone Ash's song "Disappearing" convey a sense of restlessness and desire to escape. The singer is disappearing to a "little known part of town" where they can entertain people and be free. The lyrics suggest that the singer is tired of feeling suffocated and needs to escape to find some peace of mind. There is a strong sense of urgency in the lyrics, as if the singer is running out of time and needs to disappear quickly.
The mention of a road and corner in the singer's fantasy suggests that the escape is not entirely real, that it is perhaps a figment of the singer's imagination. The line "You pay a quarter and you set me free" could be interpreted as a reference to the idea that happiness and freedom come at a price, or that the singer is aware that their escape is not permanent and will eventually come at a cost.
Overall, the lyrics to "Disappearing" suggest a yearning to find a space where one can escape from reality, even if only for a little while. It speaks to the idea of needing a break from the pressures of everyday life and seeking refuge in a little-known corner of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm disappearing
I'm going away and distancing myself from everything.
I'm going somewhere where I can't be found
I want to move to a secluded place where no one can see or find me.
I'm entertaining folks in a little known part of town
I'm finding happiness in a less-known or unexplored place surrounded by only a few people.
There is a road and a corner in my fantasy
In my dreams, I'm imagining a certain route or pathway leading to my destination.
You pay a quarter and you set me free
For just a small amount of money, I can be released from my troubles and live freely.
I'm suffocating, It's hot in here and I need some air
I'm struggling and feeling enclosed without any escape and need a way out.
It's escalating, this need to run and to be somewhere
I'm feeling an intense rise in my desire to flee and go somewhere far.
I lay my head down and it don't feel right. Need to rest, get some sleep tonight
Even when I try to rest, my mind isn't at ease, and I need a peaceful sleep.
I'm disappearing to some place else
I'm disappearing from this place, going on a journey to another location.
I'm relocating to somewhere I can't be found
I'm moving to an undisclosed location where no one can find me.
Contributed by Sadie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gordon Landreth
One of the sweetest songs ever . Love to hear the Dad and kid playing catch in the park toward the end . Wonderful .
Scott Greenler
Superior in always good job Andy bob muddy
Scott Greenler
The trick is disappeaing and still being there air superiority!?
Scott Greenler
Sound waves air waves