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.
Hometown
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Held many hands on short holidays,
Made a lot of noise
In the strangest places far away.
Only for a day or two at a time,
I've been moving with the wind
On my side,
That puts me free and easy in my hometown.
I said I'd stay alive
I guess I didn't tell a lie.
I told you I'd come back again
And I'll say the same again next time.
I've been living for a day at a time
Movin' with the wind on my side.
You don't know how good it feels
I know I'll never want to go away.
You don't know how good it feels
To be with you again
I know I'm comin' home to stay.
I'm sayin', it's nice to be back home
Among my friends.
It means a lot to me
And your love
It never ends.
In the song "Hometown" by Wishbone Ash, the lyrics describe the singer's experiences of traveling and moving around a lot, but the hometown is the place where he feels truly free and at ease. The singer expresses his joy and gratitude to be back home, among his friends, and surrounded by the love he's missed. The idea of being uprooted from one's cultural identity is a common theme in modern society and resonates with the listeners. The song taps into that feeling of belonging to a particular place, of returning to one's roots after long periods of wandering, and of finding solace in the familiar.
Through the journey of life, the singer has had to handle short holiday trips and made noise in least expected places. But, despite his wandering ways, the singer continues to give the promise to come back to his hometown every time. He speaks of the sense of freedom that he feels being there which he doesn't experience on his travels. He also shows his appreciation of the town and the friends who made it the best place to be. The chorus of the song shows his joyous return with an assurance to stay, with the town and the people who make it feel like a true home.
In summary, "Hometown" is a song about the longing of a wanderer who eventually found a sense of home and belonging in his hometown. It is a reminder to all listeners that despite the thrill of adventure and the allure of different places, one's true home will always be the place that feels most comfortable and where love and friendship never ends.
Line by Line Meaning
I have traveled the line,
I have traveled far and wide.
Held many hands on short holidays,
During brief trips, I have met many people.
Made a lot of noise
I have caused a commotion.
In the strangest places far away.
I have been to unfamiliar and remote places.
Only for a day or two at a time,
My visits to these places were brief.
I've been moving with the wind
I have moved spontaneously according to my whims.
On my side,
I haven't faced any obstacles while moving.
That puts me free and easy in my hometown.
This same freedom allows me to feel comfortable when I am home.
I said I'd stay alive
I promised to keep living.
I guess I didn't tell a lie.
I kept that promise.
I told you I'd come back again
I promised to return.
And I'll say the same again next time.
And I will make the same promise again.
I've been living for a day at a time
I've been living spontaneously with no long term plans.
Movin' with the wind on my side.
I've been living without facing any obstacles or challenges.
You don't know how good it feels
You cannot imagine the joy I am feeling.
I know I'll never want to go away.
The feeling of joy is so strong that I don't want to leave.
To be with you again
To be with my loved ones again.
I know I'm comin' home to stay.
I know that I am returning home and staying for good.
I'm sayin', it's nice to be back home
I am expressing my happiness in being back home.
Among my friends.
In the company of my close companions.
It means a lot to me
I value this experience.
And your love
The love of those around me.
It never ends.
It is endless and unconditional.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDY POWELL, MARTIN TURNER, STEVEN UPTON, LAURIE WISEFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nuhu roa
One of the best LP's I ever had, paid of my first salary back in 1975
RKQ
One of my favorites, SUCH AN UNDERRATED SONG!
mkanix666
One of my all time favourite albums. Especially FUBB. That song was the precursor to modern shred metal.
Wolfgang Hornung
Oh yeah man
Mark Robinson
Sadly most Americans never heard of this amazing band.
Mark Robinson
@CyBerserk no they are british ritchie blackmore liked them and helped them get a record deal
CyBerserk
I thought for a second they sound a lot more like a american band than a british one.
Jeff Cox
Just fantastic music!
Wolfgang Hornung
free and easy
castlehilldude
I have not heard this album in decades. Thank you for posting!!