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.
Strange Affair
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tried so hard but we got nowhere.
You drag me down, what you doing it for?
I can't handle it anymore.
Why, oh why won't you hear me?
This information is yours for free.
I'm telling you like I know I should
I'm hurt, but you can't see the blood.
Well, I must have been mad
Went to the doctor, I felt so sad.
Yeah, I must be insane
You turned me over again and again.
Had enough of this strange affair
Plain to see that you just don't care.
You been fooling around for too long
That ain't the way to be carrying on.
Why, oh why don't it matter to you?
Don't you know what you're putting me through?
But it's over, tears I have cried.
This strange affair is a thorn in my side.
Had enough of this strange affair
I was a victim of a love so rare.
Told me lies and betrayed my trust
Feel like a sucker with a teenage crush.
Why, oh why keep leading me on?
Don't you know you been doing me wrong?
Your best friend confirmed my worst fears
Should have known it had to end in tears.
The song "Strange Affair" by Wishbone Ash is about a relationship that has gone wrong. The singer has had enough of the strange affair that they have been in with their partner, where they have tried hard but got nowhere. The partner has been dragging the singer down and they can no longer handle the situation. The singer is hurt, but the partner can't see the damage they have caused. The singer tells their partner that the information they are giving them is for free, and they shouldn't have let things get this far. The singer also says that they must have been mad to have gone through this strange affair and felt so sad that they had to see a doctor.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "had enough of this strange affair," and the second verse shows that the singer has come to realize that their partner just doesn't care about them. The partner has been fooling around for too long, and it's not the way they should be carrying on. The singer can't understand why it doesn't matter to the partner what they are going through. They are hurt, and the strange affair is a thorn in their side.
The final verse of the song shows that the singer was a victim of a love so rare, but their partner betrayed their trust and told them lies. The singer feels like a sucker with a teenage crush, and wonders why their partner keeps leading them on. The partner has been doing them wrong, and the singer's worst fears were confirmed by their partner's best friend. The singer should have known that the strange affair had to end in tears.
Overall, the song is about a toxic relationship that has caused the singer a lot of pain and disappointment. The lyrics convey a sense of bitterness and heartache, as the singer has finally come to the realization that the strange affair has to end.
Line by Line Meaning
I had enough of this strange affair
I am tired of our strange relationship
Tried so hard but we got nowhere.
I put in a lot of effort but it didn't lead to anything
You drag me down, what you doing it for?
You're holding me back and I don't understand why
I can't handle it anymore.
I've reached my limit and can't deal with it any longer
Why, oh why won't you hear me?
I don't understand why you won't listen to me
This information is yours for free.
I'm telling you what you need to know without expecting anything in return
I'm telling you like I know I should
I'm sharing my feelings with you because it's the right thing to do
I'm hurt, but you can't see the blood.
I'm in pain but you don't realize how much it's affecting me
Well, I must have been mad
I must have been crazy to let this happen
Went to the doctor, I felt so sad.
I was so upset that I went to seek medical help
Yeah, I must be insane
I feel like I'm going crazy
You turned me over again and again.
You keep hurting and betraying me repeatedly
Plain to see that you just don't care.
It's obvious that you don't have any concern for my feelings
You been fooling around for too long
You've been cheating and being unfaithful for a significant amount of time
That ain't the way to be carrying on.
That's not an acceptable way to behave
Why, oh why don't it matter to you?
I don't understand why you're not affected by the damage you're causing
Don't you know what you're putting me through?
Do you realize how much pain and suffering you're causing me?
But it's over, tears I have cried.
Our relationship has ended, and I've shed so many tears over it
I was a victim of a love so rare.
I fell victim to a relationship that was unique and special
Told me lies and betrayed my trust
You lied to me and broke my trust
Feel like a sucker with a teenage crush.
I feel foolish and naive, like a teenager with an unrequited crush
Why, oh why keep leading me on?
I don't understand why you're stringing me along
Don't you know you been doing me wrong?
You're aware that you've been treating me badly
Your best friend confirmed my worst fears
Someone close to you validated my suspicions and fears about your behavior
Should have known it had to end in tears.
I should have realized that our relationship was destined to end in sadness
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Branko Bralić
My favorite band :-)
Marc Maraccini
Mine too.
sigyn27
Awesome song! Thx for uploading :)
lirel lozano
great sound....
Las aventuras de Jimmy Dandy
mmm definitivamente me gusta mas la version en vivo! aunque esta es la original y no podria juzgarla.
subhasis tiwari
Eargasmic
Sam
Check the live version on Time was anthology. Sounds a lot better!
Benoit Vanhees
The title track until now is the least good of the songs on this album.
jasiek giecewicz
++++++++++++++