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 How Things Come Back Around
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Same chemistry and there's that sound
Go so high then you float back down
Strange how things come back around
Look towards the rising sun
All that you see comes from the one
Go your own way and I'll go mine
Go so high, float back down
Look towards the rising sun
All that you see comes from the one
Go so high then you float back down
Strange how things come back around
Strange how things come back around
Strange how things come back around
Go so high, float back down.
The opening lines of Strange How Things Come Back Around describe the cyclical nature of life. The band refers to the "same chemistry" and "that sound" suggesting that even though things might change on the surface, the essence of the thing remains unaltered. The lyrics continue to note the highs and lows of life with "Go so high then you float back down". The repetition of "strange how things come back around" in the chorus drives home the idea of the repetition inherent in life.
In the next verse, the lyrics urge the listener to "Look towards the rising sun". The sun is a powerful, life-sustaining force, and the lyrics imply that everything we see comes from it. The next line, "All that you see comes from the one" is easy to interpret as a reference to the idea that everything in the universe is connected or comes from the same source. The line about going your own way suggests individuality and that each person is responsible for their own path. Finally, "Spirits fly and then combine" evokes the idea that even though we may be individuals, we can still work together to create something more significant than ourselves.
Overall, the lyrics to Strange How Things Come Back Around suggest that life is a pattern of highs and lows, of individuality and cooperation, and that everything and everyone is connected at a fundamental level.
Line by Line Meaning
Strange how things come back around
It is extraordinary how events reoccur seemingly randomly.
Same chemistry and there's that sound
Similarities between events lead to their similarity in sound.
Go so high then you float back down
One may experience highs in life, only to eventually drop back down to reality.
Look towards the rising sun
Look towards a brighter future.
All that you see comes from the one
All that is seen comes from a higher power or source.
Go your own way and I'll go mine
Separate paths are necessary for individuals to grow.
Spirits fly and then combine
Spirits of individuals can eventually intertwine as they continue on their paths.
Strange how things come back around
It is extraordinary how events reoccur seemingly randomly.
Go so high, float back down
One may experience highs in life, only to eventually drop back down to reality.
Look towards the rising sun
Look towards a brighter future.
All that you see comes from the one
All that is seen comes from a higher power or source.
Go so high then you float back down
One may experience highs in life, only to eventually drop back down to reality.
Strange how things come back around
It is extraordinary how events reoccur seemingly randomly.
Strange how things come back around
It is extraordinary how events reoccur seemingly randomly.
Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Charles Wilson
Strange How Things Come Back Around best song on Blue Horizon LP. Cool funk rhythm, great guitar tone not to be overlooked. Nice vocals as well. Excellent songwriting by Roger Filgate.
plizz ligh
spirit of Spi- rites , of ...gatherings of hearts , and if not touched , the choice is yours to connect ...simply and with no smoke ...
Rob Slevin
Please release all further efforts under another name. This is not Wishbone Ash. Uninspired , is the nicest thing I can say .
Marco Aurélio Freitas
+Rodrigo De Marqui -I consider the "elegant stealth" better than this