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.
Wind Up
Wishbone Ash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Working my fingers to the bone.
My woman's waiting up for me,
Gonna put me through the third degree.
"where you been? who you seen? "
Is all she wants to know.
I can't lie to save my life
'cause I got nothin' to hide.
Let me tell you what's been on my mind.
You been in the city again.
I ain't lyin', baby, I saw you on your high horse,
Walkin' along like you didn't belong
To any self-respecting man.
Is that the way you're gonna repay
All the love that I've given to you?
It's a wind-up, wind-up,
Wind up accusin' me. (repeat)
Wind me up.
Maybe we should start all over again -
That's the best advice.
Meet me halfway, and I'll be there -
I been there so long, and now I'm coming home for rest.
I'm ok, how about you?
Everything I said, baby, was true.
We only got ourselves to blame -
Makin' our bed is just a part of the game.
It's a wind-up, wind-up,
Wind up accusin' me.
Baby, it's a wind-up, wind-up,
Wind-up for you and me. (repeat)
You want me, you want me to be.
You gotta stop what you do.
Wind-up, wind-up,
I don't need no more of your lies.
Wind-up, wind-up.
I gotta stop now.
Wind-up, wind-up.
The song "Wind Up" by Wishbone Ash delves into the complexities of a romantic relationship plagued by mistrust and lack of communication. The lyrics begin with the singer returning home at three a.m. from work and being interrogated by his partner about where he has been and who he has seen. Despite having nothing to hide, he finds it difficult to answer her questions truthfully, and he vents his frustration by accusing her of infidelity.
The second verse sees the singer confessing that he has seen his partner in the city with another man, feeling hurt and betrayed by the sight. He confronts her about her actions and questions whether she appreciates the love he has shown her. The chorus emphasizes the tension between the two, with the repeated phrase "It's a wind-up, wind-up, wind-up accusin' me" signifying the unraveling of their relationship as they accuse each other of lying.
The third and final verse offers a glimmer of hope for the relationship as the singer suggests that maybe they should start over again and meet halfway. He admits that they are both to blame for the state of their relationship and that the process of reconciliation will require effort from both parties. The repeated phrase "You want me, you want me to be," implies a desire for the two to come together as one, instead of remaining suspicious and mistrustful of each other.
Line by Line Meaning
I got home about three a.m.,
I arrived home very late, around 3 AM
Working my fingers to the bone.
I worked very hard and my hands are sore
My woman's waiting up for me,
My partner is waiting for me
Gonna put me through the third degree.
She is going to interrogate me
"where you been? who you seen? "
She wants to know where I went and who I was with
Is all she wants to know.
Those are the only things she is interested in finding out
I can't lie to save my life
I am not capable of lying
'cause I got nothin' to hide.
I have not done anything wrong
Let me tell you what's been on my mind.
I want to share my thoughts with you
You been in the city again.
You have been to the city
I ain't lyin', baby, I saw you on your high horse,
I am not lying, I saw you acting superior
Walkin' along like you didn't belong
You were walking around as if you didn't fit in
To any self-respecting man.
You were not behaving in an appropriate way
Is that the way you're gonna repay
Is that how you want to treat me after all I've done for you?
All the love that I've given to you?
I have shown you a lot of love
It's a wind-up, wind-up,
You are provoking me
Wind up accusin' me.
You are accusing me for no reason
Maybe we should start all over again -
Perhaps we should begin fresh
That's the best advice.
That is the most sensible recommendation
Meet me halfway, and I'll be there -
If we both make an effort, we can resolve our issues
I been there so long, and now I'm coming home for rest.
I have had enough and I need to return to a place of comfort
I'm ok, how about you?
I am fine, and you?
Everything I said, baby, was true.
I was completely honest with you
We only got ourselves to blame -
We are responsible for our problems
Makin' our bed is just a part of the game.
We need to accept the consequences of our actions
Baby, it's a wind-up, wind-up,
You are still trying to provoke me
Wind-up for you and me.
We are both involved in this conflict
You gotta stop what you do.
You need to change your behavior
I don't need no more of your lies.
I am tired of your dishonesty
I gotta stop now.
I need to end this conversation
Wind-up, wind-up.
You are still trying to provoke me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Keffer
One of favorite wishbone ash albums
Wallnetto
THIS is a great closer. Best song on the whole album, Gove the return-to-form on the guitars.
GerryRocks64
Big guitars! Not the usual wh, but, in that time everybody modernisized his sound. Great band!
aitech nasus
Twins Barrels Burning Is A Great Straight Up Killer Rock Album By WISHBONE ASH And Totally Rocks It Needs To Be Fully Cranked Up All The Way To Full Maximum Volume.
aitech nasus
Windup Is A Great Straight Up Killer Rock Song By WISHBONE ASH And Totally Rocks It Needs To Be Fully Cranked Up All The Way To Full Maximum Volume.
John Saunders
Twin Barrels Burning, Pure Funk!