Best 70s Wishbone Ash record

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I was fortunate to catch the Nektar / M.T.'s Wishbone Ash gig at BB Kings, NYC, and Turner was the only original member.  But that's all they needed - wonderful

Good comments all...

Ok, Argus: For me is the best "technical" expression of the band to that point. Prog rock fans were surely wondering what limits WA could ascend to, and their Label fully expected future efforts to launch them deep into the mainstream, didn't fully come to pass though.

There's the Rub: I like a lot. Produced by Bill Scymzyk, and the overall sound and mix reflects that, it could have been, at least in my mind, far more commercially successful than it was with stronger backing and airplay. That is, of course if commercial success is important which ultimately I'll concede that it is not.

New England: What an album. Recorded "in the basement at Mart's place"(Martin Turners home in Connecticut), this effort is one that I have never tired of listening to in well over 30 years. A sort of return to garage band roots, for me it took the band in the direction that THEY wanted to go, something that not all bands would do even if they wanted it. Even with harsh tracks like "Mother of Pearl", which I take as an expression of living in their exile to the U.S. due to tax troubles in U.K., this album gets my vote.

Locked In: As noted or alluded by several was unlistenable, which having fallen in between two of the bands best efforts seems odd at best.

ARGUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wishbone Four

OK, who's the comedian that voted for Locked In?!

The double live albums a bit special , as it reminds me of the time's i saw them at Reading University 75 and the Reading festival the same year .   top Live band !!

Tom Ozric wrote: It wasn't me - honest - but so far it's the debut that does it for me. I still need to get more from them........I have my eyes on 'Pilgrimage', 'Fourth' and 'There's The Rub'. Then I will start to judge what I prefer most.

I think you'll like Pilgrimage....similar to the first...imo.

BarryGlibb wrote: OK, who's the comedian that voted for Locked In?!

Well taste is taste , but yeah I agree, it´s definitely not their best

TODDLER wrote: If you notice the piano on "Blind Eye", it gives the song that characteristic of the British Blues Boom era. Wishbone Ash surfaced from that scene around the time when the structure of the British Blues was becoming heavier in sound. Surely not too obvious on Free's s/t , but more so evident on Fire and Water with songs like "Mr. Big". Andy Powell and Ted Turner seemed to be influenced by traditional Folk music. Take the intro to "The Pilgrim" for example, ....there is something very traditional European in the style. The center section of The King Will Come and Leaf and Stream are very traditional sounding like Fairport Convention pieces.

Wishbone Ash had such a distinctive sound and writing style. It was difficult to run across any other artist in the 70's that sounded  anything close to the Ash  as they were very original. There was one person though... and that was Danny Kirwan from the early Fleetwood Mac. Example : Child Of Mine, Bare Trees, Sands Of Time, Dust, and One Sunny Day are structured like the writing of Andy Powell and Martin Turner. It is also very easy to hear Danny Kirwan singing "Time Was" or Martin Turner singing "Bare Trees". "Time Was" is very much like a song Danny Kirwan would have written. Danny Kirwan's guitar playing is a cross between the sound and style of Andy Powell and Ted Turner. It's just really strange and I've observed it over the many years of being a Wishbone Ash fan.