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Thread: 80s/90s Wishbone Ash

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    80s/90s Wishbone Ash

    I have all of the 70s and 2000s era Wishbone Ash studio releases. Lately, I have been curious about the 80s/90s era WA albums. Would anyone like to share their thoughts on that era of the band? Good ones? Not so good ones? Any stories to tell? Thanks in advance.


    Library Jon

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    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    Eighties, I have Number The Brave, Hot Ash, and Nouveau Calls. I don't listen to them often, but that's more because they are on cassette than that I dislike the music. Nouveau Calls is all instrumental and an interesting nugget in the Wishbone Ash discography. Nineties, I don't think I have anything.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    TBH, I only heard once or twice albums like Nouveaux Calls and Number the Braves... never cared much... but then again, after Rubb, there was nothing in it for me

    Always wondered what 96"s Illuminations album sounded like. i remember it got good review in mags but distribution in continental europe was awful.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    TBH, I only heard once or twice albums like Nouveaux Calls and Number the Braves... never cared much... but then again, after Rubb, there was nothing in it for me

    Always wondered what 96"s Illuminations album sounded like. i remember it got good review in mags but distribution in continental europe was awful.
    I bought 'Illuminations' when it came out in 1996. I remember reading some review at the time saying that it was recorded trying to capture the 'Argus' era or sort of a sequel to that record. It's a good album but the songs, the sound and the production are closer to AOR than 'Argus', imo. I can see why whoever wrote that review thought it harked back to 'Argus': it's because of the 10 minute epic "Tales of the Wise", which is a proggy song that recalls that album. But most of the rest sounds like AOR to these ears, with the other exception being the song "On Your Own" which is classic Wishbone Ash. I think they even had another vocalist featured on the album that had that AOR/commercial type of voice, if you will. Michael Sturgis was the drummer on the album, iirc. It's a keeper although I don't play it that much.

    From the 80's, the records I own are 'Number The Brave' and 'Nouveau Calls', the latter I bought the cd at a record fair a few years ago and paid only 2 dollars for it in excellent condition with no scratches. I was aware of the existence of the album but had never seen it on cd until that day. I don't play it that often but I like when the songs from that album comes up in my shuffle play.
    Last edited by Gerardo; 07-03-2015 at 10:34 PM.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gerardo View Post
    I bought 'Illuminations' when it came out in 1996. I remember reading some review at the time saying that it was recorded trying to capture the 'Argus' era or sort of a sequel to that record. It's a good album but the songs, the sound and the production are closer to AOR than 'Argus', imo. I can see why whoever wrote that review thought it harked back to 'Argus': it's because of the 10 minute epic "Tales of the Wise", which is a proggy song that recalls that album. But most of the rest sounds like AOR to these ears, with the other exception being the song "On Your Own" which is classic Wishbone Ash. I think they even had another vocalist featured on the album that had that AOR/commercial type of voice, if you will. Michael Sturgis was the drummer on the album, iirc. It's a keeper although I don't play it that much.
    ioki thanks... Yup, I remember rzeading analogies tio Argus in those reviews


    From the 80's, the records I own are 'Number The Brave' and 'Nouveau Calls', the latter I bought the cd at a record fair a few years ago and paid only 2 dollars for it in excellent condition with no scratches. I was aware of the existence of the album but had never seen it on cd until that day. I don't play it that often but I like when the songs from that album comes up in my shuffle play.
    No Vocals (that's the pun, I tried on more than one occasion (borrowed), but even the instrumental sde (which is kind of what I'm looking for in WA) did not convince me to ever acquire it.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  6. #6
    Twin Barrels Burning & Raw to the Bone both have a much harder edged sound (the band trying to compete with the many New Wave of British Heavy Metal acts then coming on to the scene perhaps), and kind of stick out in the catalog, but I like them for what they are. Number the Brave I like quite a bit (John Wetton is on the album) and Illuminations is pretty enjoyable as well. I have not heard Nouveau Calls, Here to Hear, or Strange Affair from the '90s, and don't plan on ever checking out those 2 dance/electronic/trance records they did. Have to say all the WA releases I have are pretty damn enjoyable, but obviously those first 10 are the strongest.

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    Just Testing from 1980 is really good , I don't really care for anything else from the 80's until Nouveau Calls from 1987 and for me the best of the lot of their 80's output Here To Hear from 1989 , the late 80's stuff came from the reformed original lineup of Martin Turner, Ted Turner, Andy Powell & Steve Upton.

    Strange Affair from 1991 has some good songs but is kind of uneven since that was when Martin Turner left the band , again , in the middle of recording the album. Illuminations from 1996 is a good one , but the one thing I don't like about it is the songs Tony Kishman , the bass player sings on , to me he sounds like the guy from Foreigner. And as said in a previous post stay far away from those two trance music albums unless of course you like that kind of thing. They bear no resemblance whatsoever to Wishbone Ash , Andy Powell should have released those as solo albums , I always though he mislead the fan base by releasing those with the name Wishbone Ash attached to them , I bought them both at the same time and was like WTF when I heard them , they ended up going in the garbage can since I could not even bring myself to go into my local record shop and trade them in , they might not have talked to me again after listening to them.
    Last edited by bobert; 07-04-2015 at 02:52 PM.

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    The only one I didn't really care for was Twin Barrels Burning. Number the Brave is great as is Illuminations. Noveau Calls was part of a series called No Speak, which were all instrument releases from different artists. That has some good moments too.
    Martin Turner just put out a new live CD with some rarer live Ash that is quite good.
    JG

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    Member rapidfirerob's Avatar
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    Illuminations is one of my favorite WA albums. Roger Filgate was terrific all around on that album. I like Nouveau Calls and
    Hear to Here as well.

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    Member Vic2012's Avatar
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    Pretty good band but kinda hit or miss. I only have the first album and Argus. Once owned Wishbone Four. Got rid of it.

    They were very influential to the NWOBHM. Steve Harris is a fan.

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