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.
The Raven
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
black as the raven,
I am silently waiting
for sleep to come.
Through the doors of perception
I am gliding swiftly
To dreams beyond them.
I am not alone.
You’re by my side.
Gave all your love to guide me there.
I have no fear.
I’m not afraid to turn my face
to the light.
It’s a fine threaded line
around my pillow
holds me safe through the darkness
till the raven flies.
When I’m torn and helpless
and drawn to the dark side
I have only to feel you
and the raven flies.
You’re by my side.
Gave all your love to guide me there.
I’m not afraid to turn my face
To the light
The Raven by Wishbone Ash is a song about finding comfort and solace during moments of fear and uncertainty. The lyrics suggest that the singer is experiencing a difficult time, waiting for sleep to come as the night falls around them. However, through the doors of perception, they are able to glide swiftly to dreams beyond them. The singer is not alone, as they feel a strong bond with someone who has given them all their love to guide them through to the other side.
The song talks about a fine threaded line around the singer's pillow that holds them safe through the darkness until the raven flies. The mention of the raven brings to mind the symbolism often associated with the bird: death, mystery, and the unknown. However, the singer finds comfort even in the presence of the raven, as they know they are not alone and have someone by their side who loves them unconditionally. The lyrics are a testament to the power of love and the strength it can give us during even the darkest moments.
Overall, The Raven is an uplifting song that encourages listeners to find comfort even during difficult moments by focusing on the love and support of those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
As the night falls all around me,
The night has fallen around me, enveloping me in darkness.
black as the raven,
The darkness is as black as the feathers of a raven.
I am silently waiting
I wait in silence.
for sleep to come.
I am waiting for the arrival of sleep.
Through the doors of perception
I journey through my mind's perception.
I am gliding swiftly
I move quickly and smoothly.
To dreams beyond them.
I am headed towards dreams that lay beyond my perceptions.
I am not alone.
I am not the only one on this journey.
I have never felt a bond so strong.
The bond with my companion is the strongest I have ever known.
You’re by my side.
My companion is beside me.
Gave all your love to guide me there.
My companion has given all their love to help me on this journey.
I have no fear.
I am not afraid.
I’m not afraid to turn my face
I am not afraid to face.
to the light.
I am not afraid to face the light.
It’s a fine threaded line
The pathway is thin and delicate.
around my pillow
The thin and delicate pathway is around my pillow.
holds me safe through the darkness
The delicate pathway keeps me safe in the darkness.
till the raven flies.
The delicate pathway holds me until the raven flies.
When I’m torn and helpless
When I am in despair and feel powerless.
and drawn to the dark side
And when I am drawn towards the darkness.
I have only to feel you
I only need to feel the presence of my companion.
and the raven flies.
When I feel my companion's presence, the raven flies.
You’re by my side.
My companion remains by my side.
Gave all your love to guide me there.
My companion has given their all to guide me.
I’m not afraid to turn my face
I am not afraid to face.
To the light
I am not afraid to face the light.
Contributed by Cole E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Рок Посевы
One of the best band for me! Regards from Russia.
Taylor Tay
wishbone ash pioneers of twin guitars.. best band for me from Singapore!
Rob Parsons
I`ve Loved Wishbone Ash since the first time I ever heard them, over 40 years ago! From Yadkinville, NC, USA !!!
marhherz
Great [BLEEPING] song!
Got this album back in 2011, right after I got my ass red carded by this lady i really cared about (one of the reasons I don’t listen to it that often).
I remember for a while Argus was one of the favorite albums I owned. It is too bad I never really followed them the way I should’ve back in the old days (not that long ago, btw).
Koos Ontol
From Holland: the best band ever. The nicest pro band I m on earth!!et. Greatest fanbase on this planet!!
EmptyVessels
From MOROCCO , The Best Band Ever!
rafael moya martin
From Spain...Wishbone ash is the best
valediction1
from germany .........Wishbone Ash is the best ever.
gumbyonacid
thanks man- another bone gem-
David Rowe
Hail the Raven God.