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.
Lady Whiskey
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She even hates herself sometimes.
Keep her clear, for it's Saturday night.
Drowns her sorrow, eases her pain,
Waits for tomorrow, when she'll do the same again.
Lady Whiskey's got a man, her man is just like her
When he comes home Saturday night.
Drowns his sorrow, eases his pain,
Waits for tomorrow, when he'll do the same again.
Lady Whiskey's got a son, got a daughter, too.
Son don't play, but the daughter's on the way
When she comes home Saturday night.
Lady Whiskey, she gets sick when she goes downtown.
One day drink's gonna put her down
She won't come home Saturday night.
The song Lady Whiskey by Wishbone Ash is a melancholic ballad about the destructive cycle of addiction and depression. The titular character, Lady Whiskey, is portrayed as a tragic figure stumbling through life, drowning her sorrows and pain in alcohol. The first stanza sets the tone of the song with the opening line: "Lady Whiskey, such a sad sight, stumblin' as she walks." The second line reveals the self-hatred that Lady Whiskey feels towards herself. The line "Keep her clear, for it's Saturday night" is a warning to the listener to stay away from her and her destructive habits.
The second verse reveals that Lady Whiskey is not alone in her struggles as she has a man who is just like her. They drown their sorrows and pain in alcohol every Saturday night, waiting to repeat the same cycle the next day. The third verse reveals that Lady Whiskey is a mother with a son who does not follow in her footsteps but unfortunately, the same cannot be said of her daughter who is on the way. The final line, "She won't come home Saturday night," is a tragedy waiting to happen as the audience can deduce that her drinking problem might escalate and ultimately lead to her demise.
The song Lady Whiskey is a moving portrayal of addiction and its destructive consequences on an individual and their loved ones. This song highlights social issues that are relevant today and the impact of addiction on families and society at large. The insightful lyrics are a testimony to the strength and depth of Wishbone Ash's songwriting.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady Whiskey, such a sad sight, stumblin' as she walks.
Lady Whiskey appears as a pitiable figure, stumbling as she walks.
She even hates herself sometimes.
Lady Whiskey has moments of self-loathing.
Keep her clear, for it's Saturday night.
Avoid her on Saturday nights.
Drowns her sorrow, eases her pain,
Lady Whiskey drinks to numb her emotional pain.
Waits for tomorrow, when she'll do the same again.
She knows she will repeat this pattern of drinking the following day.
Lady Whiskey's got a man, her man is just like her
Lady Whiskey's partner is also a heavy drinker.
Tries to fit the key in the door
He struggles to unlock the door due to his drunken state.
When he comes home Saturday night.
He comes home on Saturday nights.
Lady Whiskey's got a son, got a daughter, too.
Lady Whiskey has a son and a daughter.
Son don't play, but the daughter's on the way
Her son does not participate in her problematic behavior, but her daughter is following in her footsteps.
When she comes home Saturday night.
Her daughter comes home on Saturday nights.
Lady Whiskey, she gets sick when she goes downtown.
Lady Whiskey experiences physical illness when she goes to the city.
One day drink's gonna put her down
Her excessive drinking will eventually cause her demise.
She won't come home Saturday night.
She will not return home on a Saturday night due to her drinking.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW POWELL, DAVID TURNER, MARTIN TURNER, STEVE UPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
x00p3
Lady Whiskey, such a sad sight, stumblin' as she walks.
She even hates herself sometimes.
Keep her clear, for it's Saturday night.
Drowns her sorrow, eases her pain,
Waits for tomorrow, when she'll do the same again.
Lady Whiskey's got a man, her man is just like her
Tries to fit the key in the door
When he comes home Saturday night.
Drowns his sorrow, eases his pain,
Waits for tomorrow, when he'll do the same again.
Lady Whiskey's got a son, got a daughter, too.
Son…
sandy dundas
just brilliant from one of the most underrated rock bands ever!
Flannigan79
Sorry Wishbone Ash's "Lady Whiskey" kicks giant ass but you set off my "the damn phrase 'underrated band' in a youtube comment" alarm. "underrated" lol
Gérard Farren
Unbelievable guitar silo. From Dangerously underrated Guitar player Andy Powell
Flannigan79
So underrated af
Manny Ruiz
Favorite track off this album. Love the whole album and the next two as well but this song is my favorite Wishbone Ash song ever.
Gerwyn Evans
I hitch hiked to Leicester from South Wales to see them play at De Montfort Hall in 1971. It took all day (most of it trying to get out of Swansea) but arrived in time to experience one of the best night's of my life. Brilliant to find them here too.
Flannigan79
Ya damn right
grahamshankarji hunt
I was at that show too - great night! :-)
Steve Clark
First band l ever saw live in 1970, got me forever. Never looked back. Rock fan and listener ever since...thank you everso' Wishbone.
Jürgen Seibert
One of the most unterrated bands, and one of the best band of all times...!