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.
Open Road
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between the east and the west -
It was a no man's land,
And rumor says that it was a wilderness.
Forty days it took me, forty nights,
I've done some wrong,
But I've done some right.
There's no turning back,
Lead me to an open road
And put me on the freeway.
Lead me to an open road
And put me on the freeway.
I was traveling twice the speed of sound,
Down a white line
Trying to be in the right place
At the right time.
You can't stop me making tracks
Now I'm on the run,
'cause I set my sights on this road I ride
It's the only one.
Lead me to an open road
And put me on the freeway.
Lead me to an open road
And put me on the freeway.
I can read the signs that I left behind
Like an open book,
And I can't forget the things that you said
And the way you looked.
I still hold the keys to the memory of the times we've seen,
So when I look back,
Things are not as black as they might have been.
The lyrics to "Open Road" by Wishbone Ash describe the experience of travelling through unknown and uninhabited terrain. The singer is on a journey between the east and west, and has spent forty days and nights on this road. While they acknowledge that they have made mistakes, they also believe they have done some good. The lights ahead of them represent hope and a direction to follow.
The song is also about the pursuit of freedom and the feeling of exhilaration that comes with driving on an open road. The singer is travelling twice the speed of sound, down a white line, trying to be in the right place at the right time. They are unstoppable and on the run, having set their sights on this road as the only one they need. The chorus is a repetition of the request to be led to an open road and placed on a freeway, almost as if the singer is pleading for the freedom that comes with driving on such routes.
The final verse holds a tinge of nostalgia for the past - the singer can still read the signs left behind and remember the things that were said and done. But they choose not to dwell on them, and instead focus on the hope and excitement of the open road ahead. It's a song about embracing the unknown, choosing a direction, and forging ahead without fear.
Line by Line Meaning
I was somewhere on the open road,
I was traveling along a road without a specific destination.
Between the east and the west -
Somewhere in between the two directions of the compass.
It was a no man's land,
The place was deserted and uninhabited.
And rumor says that it was a wilderness.
I heard that the area was rough and uncultivated.
Forty days it took me, forty nights,
I traveled for a long time, both day and night, without stopping for forty days.
I've done some wrong,
I've made some mistakes in my life.
But I've done some right.
But there have also been good things that I've accomplished.
There's no turning back,
I can't go back to where I was before.
'cause the lights are burning up ahead.
I see a bright future ahead of me.
Lead me to an open road
I want to keep exploring new paths in life.
And put me on the freeway.
I want to go fast and have the freedom to go wherever I want.
I was traveling twice the speed of sound,
I was moving very fast.
Down a white line
I was driving on a highway with white painted lanes.
Trying to be in the right place
I was hoping to be where I was supposed to be.
At the right time.
I was hoping to be there at the correct moment.
You can't stop me making tracks
Nobody can keep me from leaving a mark on the world.
Now I'm on the run,
I'm moving quickly in life.
'cause I set my sights on this road I ride
I have my goal and I'm on my way to achieving it.
It's the only one.
This is the path that I have chosen.
I can read the signs that I left behind
I can remember my past mistakes and learn from them.
Like an open book,
My life is transparent and honest.
And I can't forget the things that you said
I remember your words clearly.
And the way you looked.
I remember how you appeared at that moment.
I still hold the keys to the memory of the times we've seen,
I still have my memories of the moments we shared together.
So when I look back,
When I reflect on the past.
Things are not as black as they might have been.
It's not as dark or negative as it may have seemed.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bobby Duggal
A FANTASTIC band , Ripping bass player on this album. R.I.P John Wetton and oh yes , great song....
Aaron Thompson
great song by an underrated band
James Keffer
This song makes you want to blast it up loud and let ever one hear it
Symbalon Smiradion
On my top 50 of all times songmaking.
Of all Wishbone Ash' songs I only give more credits to 'Persephone' which I consider their ultimate masterpiece.
Open Road is one of the grooviest tracks ever written!
Andy's on the devil.
Jon Stanton
there is so much expertise on both the soundboard and the guitar and house interaction with Laurie wife's field and to this make sure this music it couldn't have turned out better I saw them live in this whole fucking album
Steve S
Great driving song!
Clansman Scotland
Fantastic album,i have lot lp's of this band.
jcclone
Woulda, coulda, shoulda...they should have asked Wetton to become the lead vocalist and bass player. He was writing some great material and the twin guitars would have sounded good doing some KC covers.
Neil Hughes
Martin Turner has given some 'interesting' insights into JW's recruitment. Mart thought he'd be a great front man, but seems JW wasn't interested. There is another great track 'That's That' on this album, which I think JW wrote. It shows a different direction for the band but obviously they (A Powell?) weren't interested, This is a great track, possibly the best from (to me) a mediocre album.
Miller Steven
Love this tight