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 Laurieβs style was not to everyoneβs 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.
Warrior
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leaving everything I ever knew
A hundred years in the sunshine
Hasn't taught me all there is to know
The valley, we will gather there
Helpless in our surrender
Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword
Time will pass away
Time will guard our secret
I'll return again
To fight another day
I'll have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be
A soldier and a conqueror
Fighting to be free
I'll have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be
A soldier and a conqueror
Fighting to be free
I'll have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be
A soldier and a conqueror
Fighting to be free
I'll have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be
A soldier and a conqueror
Fighting to be free
The lyrics to Wishbone Ash's song "Warrior" speak of leaving behind old ways and searching for something new. The singer of the song has spent a hundred years in the sunshine but feels that there is still more to learn and experience. The valley is where they will gather and surrender, but they will rise again with the plow becoming a sword, making them stronger in their danger. Time will pass, and the secrets they guard will remain safe until their return.
The lyrics then repeat the refrain "I'll have to be a warrior, a slave I couldn't be, a soldier and a conqueror, fighting to be free" several times. The singer recognizes that they cannot be a slave to their old ways and must fight for their freedom. They will become a warrior, a soldier, and a conqueror to achieve this. The lyrics are evocative of a journey, one of self-discovery and transformation, where the singer must overcome obstacles to find their inner strength and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm leaving to search for something new
I am venturing out to find new experiences.
Leaving everything I ever knew
I am saying goodbye to all that I once called familiar.
A hundred years in the sunshine
Even after living a long life filled with happiness, I still have much to learn.
Hasn't taught me all there is to know
I am still ignorant to many of life's teachings.
The valley, we will gather there
We will meet in the valley to join each other's company.
Helpless in our surrender
We will submit ourselves to helplessness.
Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword
Tomorrow, the tool used for farming will become a tool for battle.
Make us stronger in our danger
May our danger make us stronger.
Time will pass away
As time progresses, moments will fade away.
Time will guard our secret
Our secrets will be guarded as time passes.
I'll return again
I will eventually come back.
To fight another day
To continue fighting another day.
I'll have to be a warrior
I must become a warrior.
A slave I couldn't be
I refuse to be a slave.
A soldier and a conqueror
I am a warrior who will fight to conquer.
Fighting to be free
I am fighting for my personal freedom.
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christopher Charles Lloyd, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Lynn Livingston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
I'm leaving to search for something new
Leaving everything I ever knew
A hundred years in the sunshine
Hasn't taught me all there is to know
In the valley, we will gather there
Helpless in our surrender
Tomorrow the plow becomes the sword
Make us stronger in our danger
Time will pass away
Time will guard our secret
I'll return again
To fight another day
[Chorus x3:]
I'd have to be a warrior
A slave I couldn't be
A soldier and a conqueror
Fighting to be free
The Black Sheep
'Argus' was without doubt one of the most unusual albums ever made. In that, the English band employing deeply Anglo Saxon lyrics combined with progressive rock made the album stand out from all that has come before and frankly since. In western European music this track stands out, echoing the British historic statement of strongly-held, cultural mores and further, intent. Essentially, having defeated all invaders the tiny island gazed out into the world and hated what it saw and at that moment, decided that their hard won freedom was worthless without making all mankind free. Subsequently, the Royal Navy ended slavery across the globe. In closing, no matter what you think of Britain, balancing good and bad, the sum total of their great deeds weighs heavily in their favour.....
I'm leaving to search for something new,
Leaving everything I ever knew.
A hundred years in the sunshine
Hasn't taught me all there is to know.
In the valley, we will gather there,
Helpless in our surrender.
Tomorrow the plow becomes the swordΒ
Make us stronger in our danger.
Time will pass away,
Time will guard our secret.
I'll return again
To fight another day.
I'd have to be a warriorΒ
A slave I couldn't beΒ
A soldier and a conqueror,
Fighting to be free
Invisibilly
Arguably the most underrated classic rock band
JP03 0
Yes, arguably but definitely questionable.
Antonio Maraspin
Not among prog listeners here in Italy
Jonny Birchyboy
I saw Andy Powell in a small concert venue, there were only around 100 people there, but great show all the same.
WeaponX 5691
Not even close. Their great but they dont have hooks in their songs
Count Vlad
@WeaponX 5691 SOMETIME WORLD PASS ME BY AGAIN CARRY ME CARRY YOU .,...
Milton Voight
Fantastic underrated band. This Album Argus had a soul and told a story. The harmonies and guitar work are legend!
orzeszekjasiu
Szkoda, ΕΌe obecnie ludzie nie znajΔ tak fantastycznych utworΓ³w!
Mike Elbow
This band was superior to some of the mainstream bands that had a long and successful run.
theseustoo
Ain't that the TRUTH! :D