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.
Errors Of My Way
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Felt just like falling down on my knees to pray.
Looked at myself, and all that I could say
Was,"I think I see the errors of my way".
There in the glass there was something caught my eye,
Although I try through my sighing not to cry.
See where I am, and what I try to say,
Guess I got no one around to pull me through.
I just need someone to turn to, yes, I do.
Doin' my best just to change my yesterday,
Then I won't have no more errors of my way.
The lyrics of Wishbone Ash's "Errors Of My Way" describe a moment of self-reflection and realization. The singer begins by admitting their confusion and need for guidance, feeling lost enough to consider prayer. As they stare at themselves in a mirror, something catches their attention - perhaps a reflection of their inner turmoil. They acknowledge that they have made mistakes and have a tendency to do things the wrong way. At this point, the singer recognizes the need to change and vows to work towards a better future, one where they won't repeat their past mistakes.
The song's overall theme is one of introspection and the acceptance of fault. The singer is completely honest with themselves and needs to take responsibility for their actions. However, the lyrics also suggest that the singer is not alone in their journey to self-improvement, implying that there is someone they can turn to for support. The song's somber yet hopeful tone conveys the message that learning from our mistakes, acknowledging them, and striving to be better is a vital part of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't know what day it was that day,
I was lost and confused, unsure of what was happening around me.
Felt just like falling down on my knees to pray.
I was overwhelmed and felt the need to turn to a higher power for guidance and comfort.
Looked at myself, and all that I could say
Was, "I think I see the errors of my way".
Upon reflection, I realized that my past actions and decisions had been misguided and harmful. I was acknowledging this and beginning to see the need to change.
There in the glass there was something caught my eye,
Although I try through my sighing not to cry.
As I looked at my reflection, I noticed something that made me emotional despite my attempts to hold back tears.
See where I am, and what I try to say,
Just so I'll look at the errors of my way.
I am trying to examine my current situation and words in order to gain clarity on where I went wrong in the past.
Guess I got no one around to pull me through.
I just need someone to turn to, yes, I do.
I feel alone in my struggle to improve myself, and I wish for someone to support me and provide guidance.
Doin' my best just to change my yesterday,
Then I won't have no more errors of my way.
I am working hard to make amends for my past mistakes and improve my future actions so that I will not repeat my errors.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW POWELL, DAVID TURNER, MARTIN TURNER, STEVE UPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martina S
One of my favourite songs on this planet.
Thanasis nos
This song will make me happy for as long as i breath
Simon Koch
Yes
Brian Griffin
Totally agree, +. The song persephone
John T Keliiaa
An unbelievable band - saw them two nights after Led Zeppelin in Albuquerque, NM - they played the concert even though there was maybe 100 people there - we sat in the second row - they blew me away ...
Seschat
agree 😊
childofbhaal
This song was seriously so incredible for 1970. It still holds up as a masterpiece to this day. Those guitar tones 🔥
Kim Taylor
Grew up in this spectacular era!!!! At 66 now and nothing, nothing, transcends the British Music of the 60's and 70's wishbone Ash so UNDERRATED. The level of talent in those days shows you what they were up against. My all time favourite band. We of my generation had the absolute best music that will be played for hundreds of years. Post 80's it's all crap
0palineblue
It's still 1970 , i will always love this , they were great live - the good old days !
R H R 221b
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