Wishbone Ash (Official Thread)

[Nai Noswad]

1971 TV appearance... I didn't get to see them until 1975.

 

[E-Z]

I have been listening to the 1985 Wishbone Ash album Raw To The Bone with a guy named Mervyn 'spam' Spence on vocals and bass guitar and Wow that guy had a fabulous voice and vocal range!. I first heard this album back in 1987 when I bought it originally on vinyl back then and played it a couple of times but the only two songs on the album that I remembered from back then was the first track called Cell Of Fame apparently one of Andy Powell's favourite Wishbone Ash songs to this day and a cover of the Lowell George song Rocket In My Pocket was the other song but about 2-years ago I came across a 1990s cd version of Raw To The Bone and put it to one side but over the last 2-3 days I have been playing the album 24/7 cos its actually a very good album although it is of its time 1985 and not Wishbone Ash of 10-15 years earlier with Martin Turner on bass & vocals so its a more 'modern sounding' band of the mid-1980s. The cd album's running time is the same as the original vinyl album so it only runs for about 35-minutes but every minute is 'magic' and Mervyn 'spam' Spence had a really fabulous voice and vocal range he should have been more well known.

After this album was released both Laurie Wisefield and Mervyn 'spam' Spence departed Wishbone Ash during 1986 and with regards to Mervyn 'spam' Spence who originated from Northern Ireland but was living in Staffordshire in northern England at the time of him joining Wishbone Ash and of him acquiring the name 'spam' apparently this was from years earlier before joining Wishbone Ash because of his love of 'spam sandwiches' when he was a school kid.

 

[recgord27]

I have been listening to the 1985 Wishbone Ash album Raw To The Bone with a guy named Mervyn 'spam' Spence on vocals and bass guitar and Wow that guy had a fabulous voice and vocal range!. I first heard this album back in 1987 when I bought it originally on vinyl back then and played it a couple of times but the only two songs on the album that I remembered from back then was the first track called Cell Of Fame apparently one of Andy Powell's favourite Wishbone Ash songs to this day and a cover of the Lowell George song Rocket In My Pocket was the other song but about 2-years ago I came across a 1990s cd version of Raw To The Bone and put it to one side but over the last 2-3 days I have been playing the album 24/7 cos its actually a very good album although it is of its time 1985 and not Wishbone Ash of 10-15 years earlier with Martin Turner on bass & vocals so its a more 'modern sounding' band of the mid-1980s. The cd album's running time is the same as the original vinyl album so it only runs for about 35-minutes but every minute is 'magic' and Mervyn 'spam' Spence had a really fabulous voice and vocal range he should have been more well known.

After this album was released both Laurie Wisefield and Mervyn 'spam' Spence departed Wishbone Ash during 1986 and with regards to Mervyn 'spam' Spence who originated from Northern Ireland but was living in Staffordshire in northern England at the time of him joining Wishbone Ash and of him acquiring the name 'spam' apparently this was from years earlier before joining Wishbone Ash because of his love of 'spam sandwiches' when he was a school kid.

Thanks @E-Z. This album is very untypical of the band, and it may be interesting to listen to it again. They had seemed to morph with the times and the album got lost to all but the die-hard Ash fans. I have it in the box set "Wishbone Ash - The Vintage Years 1970-1991". Completely different vibe compared with the early '80's albums "Just Testing" and "No Smoke without Fire".

 

[dr wu]

I only have the first 3.....but really like them especially 'Argus'......what is the next best one in line from there?

 

[E-Z]

I only have the first 3.....but really like them especially 'Argus'......what is the next best one in line from there?

Personally I like the second album Pilgrimage (1971) and the fourth album Wishbone-4 (1973) especially the track Rock & Roll Widow. As for the debut album Wishbone Ash (1970) the first side has the better songs such as Blind Eye, Lady Whiskey, Errors Of My Way & Queen Of Torture but the second side has the long classic track Phoenix on it plus another long instrument track called Handy as well. The Argus album from 1972 is a 'classic 70s rock album' that every 1970s rock fan should own.

Middle era albums There's The Rub (1974) sees Laurie Wisefield replace Ted Turner on 2nd guitar and is a good album but the Locked In album (1975) is roundly regarded as a pile of s**t by the band and fans alike. After Locked In I like New England (1976), Front Page News (1977) (Front Page News has a distinct American/Miami feel to it), No Smoke Without Fire (1978), Just Testing (1980) was the last album that Martin Turner on bass appears on until the reformation of the original line up in 1988/89.

Later albums Number The Brave (1981) has John Wetton on bass ex-Roxy Music, Family, Uriah Heep, Twin Barrels Burning (1982) has Trevor Bolder on bass ex-David Bowie & Uriah Heep and the previously mentioned Raw To The Bone (1985) has Mervyn 'spam' Spence on bass. After Raw To The Bone personally I start to lose interest because the only original band member is Andy Powell until the original line up reformed around 1988/89 but by then I'd lost interest to be honest although I did go and see them at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1989.

 

[recgord27]

I only have the first 3.....but really like them especially 'Argus'......what is the next best one in line from there?

For me the only other essential album not mentioned by E-Z would be "Live Dates".
I'm a die-hard fan and have seen them live three times. Their current guitarist Mark Abrahams (since 2017) plays with such enthusiasm that he has breathed new life into the band. If you get the opportunity, they're a fantastic band to see live, especially in the smaller venues.

 

[E-Z]

I thought about Live Dates record27 and its a 'very good live album' but I thought I would just keep it to the official studio albums. I originally bought Live Dates back in the mid-1980s as a double-album on vinyl in a 'gatefold' album cover and about 20-years later I bought the cd version of Live Dates although in the UK Live Dates is one of virtually all the other Wishbone Ash studio albums that I haven't seen around in the few remaining record shops in central London in the last maybe 10-years. The only studio albums that are currently still available in the few remaining record shops in London are Argus, No Smoke Without Fire, Just Testing and a Wishbone Ash compilation double-cd of various studio and some live tracks. Even Pilgrimage seems to have vanished in the last 12-months although the occasional new release from the band still shows up in the racks the most recent one that I have seen is called 'Wish List' a compilation cd taken from the fans favourite tracks off the Wishbone Ash fan website.

Talking of Lives Dates I did once have a Live Dates-2 with tracks taken from memory the late 1970s and also a Live Dates-3 with older tracks taken from the 2010s I think?.

 

[dr wu]

I listened to 'That's That' from Number the Brave being a Wetton fan... standard fast paced rock boogie but then that has always been one of Wishbone Ash 's main things. Nothing special on that track but I do like Wetton's voice.
I'm going to listen to 4 , Theres the Rub, New England ,etc....not expecting another Argus but I might find something interesting.

 

[dr wu]

I like 4, Theres the Rub, New England, and NO Smoke with out Fire.....there is a good deal of middle period Spencer/Kirwan and late Peter Green period style songs ,vocals ,and guitar and feel to the music at times.
No Smoke was produced by Derek Lawrence who also did Argus and imho it has some of that classic sound and feel....it might be the best since that time imho.