LOCKED IN

In 1976 I was reading a musical newspaper and it had an interview with Martin Turner and that´s where he said that their previous LP Locked In was not a characteristic Wishbone Ash album. Well, that´s an understatement! Locked In can be easily seen as the typical idea to try to make it big in America. The sound is totally Americanized. And it simply didn´t work. Even Martin Turner´s vocals are not very used here. I guess someone thought guitarist Laurie Wisefield had a "better" voice for those songs. If so, he was wrong. Another bad move. And to think that this turd came out after a serie of great albums by this great band...

To be really fair, this record is not totally crap. The opener Rest In Peace is a very good, typical WA number, even if the talkbox guitar line on it dated it a little. Unfortunately the second song onwards it all becomes the mediocre american hard/southern rock of the period, totally unsuited for WA´s sensibilities. All the english and celtic elements that made their music so peculiar are gone, replaced by funky keyboards and fake soul backing vocals.

A real letdown. However, by the end of the LP things get a little better with the two closing tunes: Trust In You and Say Goodbye are good rockers with fine harmonies, good twin guitars and overall a more familiar and melodic sound. Nothing exceptional, but good anyway. A pity that before those we have to listen to something as bad as Half Past Lovin (with that damn talkbox solo again!!!). And those Wisefield vocals are way too many! The guy is no singer. It´s unbelievable!

Definitely an album for hardcore fans and collectors. The good moments on it are few and far between. A sad attempt to cash in by trying to be something they were not. But, alas, that was so common!! Even today other bands do that a lot. I really hope their next albums are closer to home. I´m glad it didn´t sell.

Rating: 2 stars, because it has at least a couple of tracks really worth knowing, but make no mistake: it´s WA´s worst album thus far.