Best 70s Wishbone Ash record

Tom Ozric wrote: Chris S wrote: ^^ Wishbone Four is underrated cos they went to short tracks mode but highly recommend Ballad Of A Beacon, and Everybody Needs A Friend I love Front Page News too, Laurie Wisefield's contribution to the later WA sound is praiseworthy for sure Well, I'd probably get this fourth album if/when I see it (on LP) - I am familiar with 'Ballad...' from the Live Concerts album. Darn it, I wish I had paid more attention when I saw MT's Wishbone perform live last year at BB King's whilst I was on holiday in NYC. I was there for Nektar, and MT and his band came on after and I hadn't ever before heard a note of WA. I stuck around to see what all the fuss was about this band and was sold that night . I really thought they were a 'bog-standard' blues/boogie band with twin guitars. Boy, was I wrong..........even the way they do their more simpler 'rockers' just ticks all the right boxes for me. As you can tell, I've gone all WA mad

Sorry Tom, just an expression meaning I was envious you have only recently found WA 

^So you're the one!

Chris S wrote: Sorry Tom, just an expression meaning I was envious you have only recently found WA  Someone recently had shared they just discovered Caravan and I thought the same thing! Mate the risk of typed words, I am very happy for you

Cool !! Oh, the joy of discovering music this wonderful. I mean, I've missed out on enjoying WA for a possible 25 years (since I started buying LP's and getting into Prog...). Better late than never -

All 3 volumes of Live Dates are worthwhile purchases although they have a few tracks to be skipped over sometimes..it's worth having them in your collection. I liked Locked In ..but I personally have trouble adapting to the "talk box" which in the 70's was very huge and crafted by guitarists like Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. Wishbone Ash began using it on Locked In and New England. New England is a fine album without the "talk box"

"The Pilgrim" and particularly the live version on Live Dates is one of their most progressive pieces. The piece opens with a ambient style that begins with a distant guitar harmony combined with rolling of drum sticks on cymbals. That equals prog. Then the piece develops into quick stops forming a time signature which is in the vain of early YES. Then the vocal harmonies come in and that entire section is outstanding. The way it was written and the feeling which goes into it. Just after the vocal section ends...a burning guitar solo is storming through the speakers and it just spins my head around after all these years of listening to Wishbone Ash. The piece is very progressive , guiding you through sections..and again..this is definitely Progressive Rock. "The King Will Come" was  vocally difficult to pull off. I haven't heard one live recording where one of the members doesn't accidently go sharp or flat. Getting those harmonies to sound fluent takes hours of vocal practice. It's best to practice without the instruments for a few hrs just to master the sound effect of what you're vision gives you. On the studio version they sing it perfect, but on the live versions one or two of the vocalists tend to go sharp or flat. Try pulling that song off vocally while traveling the road and being forced to perform it 3 or 4 times a week. It would take some very seasoned vocalists to master the song ...if for example someone decided to re-record it. Think about it. Wishbone Ash were intimidating/scary in the early 70's.

Edited by TODDLER - February 26 2014 at 09:34

I have a special thing for "New England", the first Wishbone Ash album I heard. I was immediately grabbed by the hard rocker "Runaway" and loved how it was contrasted by a track like "By Candlelight"

BarryGlibb wrote: ^Tom.... If you drooling over their debut you should now buy the album "First Light". "First Light" was discovered by WA's single most ardent fan as an acetate pressing in approx. 2007. The band recorded this acetate before their debut album in 1970 and was used as a way to get a record deal. It has most songs from the debut but also has probably their greatest track that was never ever released; that track is called "Roads of Day to Day" and this track is astonishing. The fan was able to get all previous members of WA on board and released it on CD in 2008. For an acetate recording it is amazing quality. Go buy "First Light" now and get back to me about <span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;">"Roads of Day to Day" .......I still cannot believe that they did not re record this for their debut......it should have been a monster hit.....it should have been released as a single in 2008.</span> <span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;"></span> <span style=": rgba255, 255, 255, 0;"></span>

Interesting. I'm a gonna have to dig into "First Light". It's always very cool to think you really know the works of a band and then come to find out there was one tucked in there that you didn't know of, and then rediscover their "newness" again. Awesome!!

A couple of mentions of Front Page News in posts above. I agree, a good listen also. I've always really liked the song "Diamond Jack", and always thought it would have been a good single. FPN in general was a very commercial sounding effort to me. I don't mean that as a negative, as there were some excellent tracks to it. Just had very slick packaging and overall mix, with just a tad of pop to it.

No Smoke Without Fire had the track "Anger in Harmony" which featured the "dueling" dual lead guitar ending that I've always thought of as the band's last truly great tune, but that's just my taste though.

Well, currently got 'Pilgrimage' on - up to track 2, side 2 - 'Valediction'. Just lent my LP of the debut to my boss at work. I find out tomorrow if he liked it or not. He knows them, has an album, but not the debut.....he freaked out when I was familiar with Atomic Rooster and so did I when he mentioned them !!! Lent him 'Death Walks Behind You' and he was impressed, though he has grown out of that 70's mindset (musically speaking).

Edited by Tom Ozric - February 26 2014 at 23:21

^ Green Acres - ???
Oh, my boss loved Wishbone S/T - esp. side 2 !!