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.
Slime Time
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Noise enough to wake the dead.
Then you and I can cut loose.
Gonna show you where I roost.
A world gone mad –
slime time on the news.
Politics of fear
shortening the fuse.
Yes, I've grown weary,
so very weary.
(Take this) weight off my shoulders.
Get to questioning my sanity.
Don't need them to check my integrity.
Can't be blind to my vanity.
With friends like these, well, who needs enemies?
When I'm wracked with the pain,
been nearly driven insane,
I reach for you in the night,
make the load seem light.
You raise my kundalini –
never been more in tune with my fantasies.
It‘s a revelation,
the new infatuation.
Yes, I've grown weary,
so very weary.
(Take this) weight off my shoulders.
Get to questioning my sanity.
Don't need them to check my validity.
Can't be blind to, yes, my vanity.
With friends like these, well, who needs enemies?
We're all part of a manifest destiny.
I'm down on pushing this corporate identity.
There'll never be a need for their indemnity.
As long as there's blacktop right in front of me
never been more in tune with your energy
The lyrics to Wishbone Ash's song Slime Time paint a picture of a world gone mad, where the news is filled with stories of slime and politics of fear are shortening the fuse. The singer expresses his weariness and seeks to ease the weight off his shoulders by reaching out to someone who understands him. He questions his sanity and integrity, but remains true to his own desires and fantasies. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer feeling more in tune with his energy and part of a manifest destiny.
The lyrics to Slime Time were inspired by the Gulf War and the political climate of the time. The lyrics suggest that the world had become a pit of slime, with political leaders stoking fear and aggression. The singer expresses a need for release and for a way to escape from the constant barrage of bad news.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a long night ahead.
The upcoming time period is expected to be difficult.
Noise enough to wake the dead.
There will be a lot of commotion and noise.
Then you and I can cut loose.
After the chaos settles, we can have fun together.
Gonna show you where I roost.
I am going to take you to my home.
A world gone mad –
slime time on the news.
The current situation in the world is crazy, with disturbing news being broadcasted.
Politics of fear
shortening the fuse.
Politicians are using fear to their advantage, leading to an increase in tensions.
Yes, I've grown weary,
so very weary.
(Take this) weight off my shoulders.
I am tired and need a break from the burdens I carry.
Get to questioning my sanity.
I am starting to doubt my own mental state.
Don't need them to check my integrity.
I do not require anyone to verify my honesty.
Can't be blind to my vanity.
I am realistic about my own arrogance and tendency to seek attention.
With friends like these, well, who needs enemies?
My present company is so disappointing that I do not need any more disappointments.
When I'm wracked with the pain,
been nearly driven insane,
I reach for you in the night,
make the load seem light.
In times of distress, I turn to you for comfort, which helps ease my wounds.
You raise my kundalini –
never been more in tune with my fantasies.
You awaken my spiritual energy and help me actualize my desires.
It‘s a revelation,
the new infatuation.
I have had a life-changing realization and am now infatuated with a new idea or concept.
We're all part of a manifest destiny.
We all have a predetermined fate that we are meant to fulfill.
I'm down on pushing this corporate identity.
I am against promoting a corporate identity or agenda.
There'll never be a need for their indemnity.
There will never be a demand for their protection or compensation.
As long as there's blacktop right in front of me
never been more in tune with your energy
As long as there is asphalt directly in front of me, I am intune with your energy.
Contributed by Lucas F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.