Artist

Wishbone Ash

Torquay, United Kingdom • Formed 1969

Wishbone Ash is a music group from Torquay, United Kingdom, active since 1969. Their discography on Gatefold includes 21 records.

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Albums tracked

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1969

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Biography

Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved commercial success in the early to mid-1970s. They are particularly noted for their use of harmony twin lead guitars, a style that had also been explored by earlier electric blues and rock musicians, including the collaboration between Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in the Yardbirds in 1966. Their guitar approach was later highlighted in press coverage, and Andy Powell and Ted Turner were described by Traffic magazine in 1989 as two of the ten most important guitarists in rock history.

The Arc of Wishbone Ash

The pivots — what forced Wishbone Ash to reinvent.

The Dual-Flyer Era
Producer Derek Lawrence got them into De Lane Lea Studios in London to cut their self-titled debut in 1970. Ted Turner and Andy Powell built a locked-in, contrapuntal guitar style where neither was the rhythm player and neither was the star. You hear it peak on 'Argus' in 1972, where Martin Turner's melodic basslines hold the bottom end so the guitars can trade folk-inspired lines. It was heavy, medieval, and completely avoided the standard pentatonic blues cliches of their peers.
The American Soft-Rock Pivot
Ted Turner quit in 1974, replaced by Laurie Wisefield. The band relocated to the United States for tax reasons and hired producer Tom Dowd to clean up their sound for American FM radio. The resulting albums, especially 'Locked In' with its heavy use of keyboards, stripped away the English folk-metal mystique in favor of slick, mid-tempo soft rock. The fans hated it, the British music press turned on them, and the band spent years trying to claw back their heavy reputation.
The Instrumental Renaissance
By 1987, the band was in creative limbo until Miles Copeland signed them to his No Speak label on one strict condition: no vocals. They reunited the original four-piece lineup of Powell, Upton, and both Turners to record 'Nouveau Calls' in 1987. Stripping away the pressure of pop choruses forced them to focus entirely on their original strength of twin-guitar counterpoint. It was their most focused record in a decade, even if the late-eighties digital production was cold.

Influences

The Yardbirds — Andy Powell repeatedly cited Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page's brief dual-lead tenure in the 1966 lineup as the blueprint for their entire approach. You hear that frantic, synchronized energy on the jam sections of 'Handy' from their 1970 debut. They took the Yardbirds' frantic 'rave-up' style and slowed it down into structured harmonies.
Fairport Convention — Before they were a hard rock band, Wishbone Ash was obsessed with traditional English folk music. They watched Fairport Convention blend electric guitars with traditional British melodies on 'Liege & Lief' in 1969. That specific modal folk phrasing is exactly what keeps 'Argus' from sounding like a standard American blues-rock record.
Albert King — Ted Turner's heavy string-bending style was directly copped from Albert King's Stax recordings. You can hear this influence on the track 'Errors of My Way,' where Turner uses King's signature wide, vocal-like bends to contrast with Powell's faster, jazzier runs. He didn't just play the blues; he brought King's phrasing into an English prog setting.
Miles Davis — Both guitarists have noted they listened to 'In a Silent Way' constantly during the writing sessions for 'Pilgrimage.' That modal jazz influence shows up in how they build tension on 'The Pilgrim,' using long, modal jams over a static bassline rather than standard verse-chorus changes. It gave their rock songs room to breathe.
The Who — In 1969, Wishbone Ash opened for The Who at Dunstable Civic Hall, where Pete Townshend was so impressed by their soundcheck that he personally recommended them to MCA producer Derek Lawrence. You hear Townshend's massive, ringing chordal style in Andy Powell's heavy rhythm playing on 'Phoenix.' They took Townshend's power-chord weight and layered harmonies on top of it.