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.
Wait Out The Storm
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you show your resistance to the enemy?
Make your way under cover of night.
You brave bad weather and you hold on tight.
See the light in the distance burning faithfully.
Why don't you see it burn, it's plain as day.
When will you ever learn that it's better this way.
There's no disguise for the faith you lack.
There's a light in the distance burning faithfully.
The pale blue yonder is calling me.
These days I wonder where you'll go
And what you'll be.
Wait out the storm, that's all that you can do.
Praying for dawn, let the bell ring true.
The lyrics of Wishbone Ash's song Wait Out The Storm are a message of hope, strength, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The opening line, "There's a light in the distance burning faithfully," suggests that there are better times ahead, even if they seem far away. The singer then urges the listener to resist the enemy or any negative forces, and to make their way under cover of night, suggesting that sometimes it’s better to keep a low profile and wait for the right moment to act.
The chorus emphasizes the need to keep moving forward and to not give up hope, with the line "Wait out the storm, that's all that you can do. Praying for dawn, let the bell ring true." The metaphor of waiting out a storm is a common one, suggesting that tough times will pass eventually. The singer acknowledges the pain and struggles of the present, but remains hopeful for a brighter future.
The final verse, with its reference to the "pale blue yonder," suggests a desire for freedom and a sense of possibility. The singer expresses curiosity about what the future holds, both for themselves and for the listener.
Overall, Wait Out The Storm is a message of resilience, perseverance, and hope in the face of uncertain circumstances. It encourages the listener to keep fighting, to not lose faith, and to hold on to the belief that things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light in the distance burning faithfully.
Despite how far away a solution may seem, there's always hope.
Can't you show your resistance to the enemy?
Why not stand up for what you believe in and fight for it?
Make your way under cover of night.
Take action in secrecy and with caution.
You brave bad weather and you hold on tight.
Stay strong and persevere in difficult situations.
See the light in the distance burning faithfully.
Remember to keep hope alive during challenging times.
Why don't you see it burn, it's plain as day.
It's clear that there's an opportunity, why not take it?
When will you ever learn that it's better this way.
Eventually you'll realize that this is the best decision.
You point a finger and you turn your back -
You blame others for your problems instead of taking responsibility.
There's no disguise for the faith you lack.
You can't hide your lack of faith in your actions.
The pale blue yonder is calling me.
Something beyond my current situation is beckoning me to come closer to it.
These days I wonder where you'll go And what you'll be.
I'm curious about what path you'll take in life.
Wait out the storm, that's all that you can do.
Sometimes, the best course of action is to weather the storm and wait it out.
Praying for dawn, let the bell ring true.
I'm hoping for a better tomorrow and I hope that this hope is founded.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDY POWELL, ROGER FILGATE, TONY KISHMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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