Posts tagged Laurie Wisefield

Wishbone Ash – Lost Pearls (1978-82) (@256)

12 Jan 2009

(Review from wishboneash.co.uk)

Lost Pearls contains a selection of previously unreleased studio recordings from the period 1978-1982, culled from a haul of multi-track tapes.

The tracks were mostly recorded by the second Wishbone Ash line-up during studio sessions for the “No Smoke Without Fire” and “Just Testing” albums. As typical of this period, much of the material is written by Martin Turner (‘Is Justice Done’, ‘Where You Been’, ‘Football and Boxing’) and Laurie Wisefield (‘The Bells Chime’, ‘Hard On You’). Andy Powell contributed ‘Out on a Limb’, while “Just Testing” backing vocalist Claire Hamill wrote ‘Haunted House’ (of which two versions were included, one sung by Hamill, the other by Turner).

A couple of instrumental jam sessions are also featured, giving an indication as to the way the band worked in the studio. ‘John Sherry Jam’ was titled after the band’s then manager and agent, while ‘Sheriff Of Sherwood’ contains several ideas that were eventually used in “No Smoke Without Fire” track ‘Stand and Deliver’.

A live version of the band’s 1980 stage encore ‘Too Much Monkey Business’, recorded at Sheffield City Hall as well as an early version of Twin Barrels Burning track ‘Streets of Shame’ (then entitled ‘Night Hawker’) featuring Trevor Bolder on bass make up the package.

Lost Pearls is a fascinating insight into what might have been and while arguably the material featured is not of the same standard as that eventually chosen for the albums in question, it remains an essential purchase for fans of this particular era of Wishbone Ash.

Line-up:
- Martin Turner / bass & vocals
- Steve Upton / drums & percussion
- Andy Powell / guitar & vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / guitar & vocals
- Claire Hamill / vocals (7)
- Trevor Bolder / bass (11)

Track List:
01. Is Justice Done – 4:24
02. The Bells Chime – 3:23
03. Hard On You – 5:00
04. Out On A Limb – 3:45
05. Where You Been – 4:01
06. Halfway House (Martin vocal) – 3:47
07. Halfway House (Claire vocal) – 3:50
08. Football And Boxing – 3:30
09. John Sherry Jam – 6:29
10. Too Much Monkey Business (Live) – 5:35
11. Night Hawker – 6:13
12. Sheriff Of Sherwood (Demo) – 6:12

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Wishbone Ash – Twin Barrels Burning (1982) (@320)

11 Jan 2009

5 comments

(Review from wishboneash.co.uk, progarchives.com)

Following the departure of John Wetton, ex-Uriah Heep Trevor Bolder stepped in for the tour of “Number The Brave” and also participated in the recording of the band’s next album, “Twin Barrels Burning”.

The sessions marked a drastic change in musical direction for the band, with a sound that eschewed the classic Wishbone allmarks of harmony and melody in favour of a more direct, heavy-rock sound (the album coincided with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement which was sweeping the UK at the time and had spawned the likes of Iron Maiden, Saxon and Def Leppard).

As a result “Twin Barrels Burning” is a straightforward blues-influenced hard rock album. There are guitar-god love songs (“Genevieve”), back- seat lust songs (“Can’t Fight Love”), missing-my-gal-so-I’m-calling-her-in-the-middle-of- the-night-songs (“Hold On”), picking up skank on the street songs (“Streets of Shame”), you and me against the world songs (“Wind Up”), and a couple of god’s gift to women songs (“Can’t Fight Love”, “No More Lonely Nights”). Only “Angels Have Mercy” is an odd ball and that’s only because the mix on this one is particularly fuzzy.

Weaving all of this together is a two-guitar attack that is sort of like the twin-axe attack the band was known for in the 70s, but not quite. In most cases there is a definitive lead guitar, with the other embellishing somewhat but mostly just providing accompaniment.

The album initially seemed to be a success, yet the band’s new direction alienated many long-time supporters.

Line-up:
- Laurie Wisefield / Vocals, Guitar
- Andy Powell: Vocals, Guitar
- Trevor Bolder / Vocals, Bass Guitar
- Steve Upton / Drums

Track List:
01. Engine Overheat – 4:06
02. Can’t Fight Love – 4:00
03. Genevieve – 3:37
04. Me And My Guitar – 4:01
05. Hold On – 4:51
06. Streets Of Shame – 4:37
07. No More Lonely Nights – 5:17
08. Angels Have Mercy – 3:55
09. Wind Up – 5:04

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Wishbone Ash – Number The Brave (1981) (@256)

09 Jan 2009

7 comments

(Review from wishboneash.co.uk)

Following the departure of founder member Martin Turner, the remaining members of Wishbone Ash invited respected British bassist/vocalist John Wetton (ex-UK, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Family, Uriah Heep, Mogul Thrash) to join them for the recording of their next album, “Number the Brave”.

“Loaded” opens the album and sets the blueprint for much of the album, which has a funkier feel than previous Wishbone Ash offerings. “Where is the Love” comes next – a workmanlike boogie number. There then follows one of the albums true highlights, the anti-nuclear message “Underground”, which features some fine guitar picking from Andy Powell, whose lead vocal blends effectively with Claire Hamill’s voice. “Kicks on the Street” is pretty standard hard rock, while “Open Road” is perhaps the band’s most successful venture into funk-rock territory.

“Get Ready” is an adequate cover of the Smokey Robinson hit. “That’s That” is John Wetton’s sole songwriting and lead vocal contribution to the album, while the next two tracks both features Laurie Wisefield on lead vocal. Album closer “Number the Brave” is another of this album’s triumphs, perfectly mixing the Ash sound of old with a (then) modern sound and direction for the eighties.

During the sessions, it soon became clear that John Wetton was not going to be a direct replacement for Martin Turner. Wetton believed he was joining the band to take over Turner’s duties of bassist and lead vocalist, yet this would not prove to be the reality. Although John Wetton offered several songs to the band, most of these would be rejected as unsuitable for the band’s style. Wetton was frustrated by Andy Powell and Laurie Wisefield’s decision to take the majority of the lead vocals.

Before the album’s release John Wetton and Wishbone Ash had parted company, Wetton going on to achieve enormous success with Asia.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / Vocals, guitar
- Laurie Wisefield / Vocals, guitar
- Steve Upton / Drums
- John Wetton / Vocals, bass, keyboards
with
- Claire Hammill / Back vocals

Track List:
01. Loaded – 4:11
02. Where is the Love – 3:20
03. Underground – 4:15
04. Kicks on the Street – 4:16
05. Open Road – 5:20
06. Get Ready – 3:15
07. Rainstorm – 4:55
08. That’s That – 3:04
09. Roller Coaster – 3:18
10. Number the Brave – 4:56

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John Wetton, Laurie Wisefield, Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash – Live Dates II (1980) (@320)

05 Jan 2009

6 comments

(Review from progarchives.com, wishboneash.co.uk)

Seven years after their brilliant 1973 “Live Dates” double album comes this 1980 collection, six tracks made at Hull, Bristol, Wolverhampton and London. The same sparkling sound quality, the same amazing cover art, but a different set of songs and a different line-up, Laurie Wisefield replacing Ted Turner on guitar and vocals, but not at all to the band’s detriment, “Live Dates 2″ traces the Wishbone saga from Wishbone Four to Just Testing.

Side one of the first LP represents the biggest Ash cross-section. ‘Doctor’ from Wishbone Four album kicks the album off nicely. ‘Living Proof’ delivered on a windy night at Bristol Colston Hall has beefy chords and dirty words sweetened by a long solo at the end. ‘Runaway’ and ‘Helpless’ culled from Wolverhampton Civic Hall are perennial Ash…two roustabout tracks where the warmth of the audience begins to kindle.

Second side contains two longer, 9-minute prog-rock inclined jamming suites, “FUBB” (from “There’s the Rub”) and “Way of the World” (from “No Smoke Without Fire”). Both are very good compositions with extended twin guitar solos, convincing bass and strong drums with frequent change of themes and rhythmic structure.

The second LP features much lilting Ash with ‘Lorelei’, ‘Persephone’ and ‘You Rescue Me’, all very smooth and magnificently paced especially the delicacy of ‘Persephone’. ‘Time Was’ which opens the second side has mellowed greatly over the years and the handling this time around is particularly soft.

Wisefield gets his vocal solo glory on “Goodbye Baby”. His usual rendition is helped by a strong chorus line. And so we close with ‘No Easy Road’ again considerably reworked with some particularly swaggering vocals from Turner. It’s so good you won’t even miss the blasting brass section of the original. Ash live and rampant.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / guitars & vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / guitars & vocals
- Martin Turner / bass & vocals
- Steve Upton / drums

Track List:
CD1
01. Doctor – 5:40
02. Living Proof – 5:45
03. Runaway – 3:10
04. Helpless – 3:35
05. F*U*B*B – 9:40
06. The Way Of The World – 10:15
CD2 (Bonus)
01. Lorelei – 6:20
02. Persephone – 8:20
03. You Rescue Me – 6:50
04. Time Was – 6:45
05. Goodbye Baby Hello Friend – 5:20
06. No Easy Road – 7:20

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Wishbone Ash – Just Testing (1980) (@256)

03 Jan 2009

(Review from wishboneash.co.uk, progarchives.com)

Released in January 1980, “Just Testing” was Wishbone Ash’s tenth studio album and coincided with the band’s tenth anniversary celebrations. The title came from a phrase that Laurie Wisefield had made up in earlier recording sessions, when he would say “just testing” if he made a mistake which brought the session to a standstill.

Highlights of the album include the opener and initial single release “Living Proof”, an incredibly catchy song with its pulsing beat and dual harmonies. It would become a concert staple for many years to come.

“Master Of Disguise” marked Andy Powell’s debut solo songwriting for Wishbone Ash. The song has a strong melody which, when combined with more orthodox Ash guitar work and some background organ playing, make for a pleasant diversion.

The epic closer “Lifeline” evolved out of studio jamming. It has pleasing guitar work.

A massive 62-date tour of Britain and Europe was undertaken throughout much of 1980 to promote the album. However, internal conflicts over the future of the band led to Martin Turner quitting in October 1980, thus ending the longest period with the same line-up in the history of Wishbone Ash.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / Guitars
- Laurie Wisefield / Guitars
- Martin Turner / Bass, Vocals
- Steve Upton / Drums

Track List:
01. Living Proof – 5:44
02. Haunting Me – 4:34
03. Insomnia – 5:09
04. Helpless – 4:03
05. Pay the Price – 3:34
06. New Rising Star – 3:58
07. Master of Disguise – 4:25
08. Lifeline – 6:29

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Wishbone Ash – No Smoke Without Fire (1978) (@256)

03 Jan 2009

(Review from progarchives.com)

After the decent but uncharacteristically laid back “Front Page News”, Wishbone Ash re-united with their original producer Derek Lawrence for “No Smoke Without Fire”.

The results are immediately apparent on the opening “You See Red” with the jamming twin guitars back where they belong, right up front. The pace of the song is not overtly quick, but it has a driving basis while telling a troubling tale of domestic violence.

The troubled themes continue throughout the album, with the exception of the closing song “Way of the World”, which finally evokes optimism. Musically however, this is far from a darkalbum. There are softer songs, such as the brief “Leaf and Stream” like “Ships in the Sky”, but as a whole, this is a far more traditional Ash album than those which preceded it.

“Anger in Harmony” features a striking change of tempo midway to play out with a spirited twin guitar jam. “Like a Child” features some of the strongest harmonies and one of the finest melodies the band has delivered in a long time, a real overlooked gem.

The closing 9˝ minute “Way of the World” is very much a “Time Was, Part 2″. The slower acoustic opening vocal section eventually gives way to a lengthy upbeat guitar jam.

This is an unjustly forgotten album in the band’s back pages.

Line-up:
- Martin Turner / Bass & Vocals
- Andy Powell / Guitar & Vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / Guitar & Vocals
- Steve Upton / Drums

Track List:
01. You See Red – 6:04
02. Baby the Angels Are Here – 4:47
03. Ships in the Sky – 3:02
04. Stand and Deliver – 7:27
05. Anger in Harmony – 5:04
06. Like a Child – 5:00
07. Way of the World, Pt. 1 – 4:09
08. Way of the World, Pt. 2 – 5:30

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Wishbone Ash – On Air (BBC 1971-77) (@256)

01 Jan 2009

(Info from phrock)

The majority of tracks here were recorded for a variety of BBC radio shows, ranging from “Top Gear” to programmes hosted by Stuart Henry, Bob Harris and Pete Drummond. They date from the early 70s when the band was its commercial peak and had a line-up compromising Andy Power and Ted Turner on lead guitars. Martin Turner on bass and vocals, and drummer Steve Upton.

Completing the set are three recordings for the Old Grey Whistle Test, one for 1971, and two from 1977. By the time of these last two cuts Ted Turner had left the group, but the band’s celebrated and influencial twin guitar sound had been retained with the recruitment of Laurie Wisefield. These historic sessions capture Wishbone Ash direct, powerful and without frills.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / Guitar, Vocals
- Martin Turner / Bass, Vocals
- Ted Turner / Guitar (1-7)
- Laurie Wisefield / Guitar (8-9)
- Steve Upton / Percussion, Drums

Track List:
01. Blind Eye – 3:45
02. Lullaby – 3:13
03. Pilgrim – 8:44
04. Jailbait – 4:50
05. Blowin’ Free – 5:36
06. Throw Down The Sword – 6:12
07. Vas Dis – 4:42
08. Goodbye Baby Hello Friend – 3:31
09. Baby Come In From The Rain – 4:40

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Wishbone Ash – Runaway (Live 1976) (@320)

01 Jan 2009

2 comments

(Info from wikipedia)

“Runaway” is an archival live album, recorded at the Liverpool Empire, on Nov 17th 1976, one month after the release of “New England”. The only exception is “Helpless”, which was recorded at the Hammersmith, on Feb 2nd 1980.

Here we see the second line-up of the band, performing a good amount of earlier stuff. Half of this set list wouldn’t appear in the future glorious “Live Dates II” album.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / guitar
- Laurie Wisefield / guitar
- Steve Upton / drums
- Martin Turner / bass guitar, vocals

Track List:
01. Helpless
02. Runaway
03. Warrior
04. Lorelei
05. Persephone (fades out at 3:45)
06. (In All Of My Dreams) You Rescue Me
07. Outward Bound
08. Mother Of Pearl
09. Rest In Peace
10. Time Was
11. Bad Weather Blues
12. The King Will Come

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Wishbone Ash – New England (1976) (@256)

31 Dec 2008

2 comments

(Review from progarchives.com, wishboneash.co.uk)

For the recording of New England – titled after the area of the US in which they were now living and working – Wishbone Ash decided to record most of the album in Martin Turner’s basement using a mobile recording truck. Only for final overdubs would the band enter the studio. The aim of this unorthadox approach to recording was to capture some of the band’s live energy while still incorporating some of the influences and advanced studio techniques. “New England” was rush released in October 1976, seven months after their disaster of “Locked In”.

We open with “Mother of Pearl”, the loudest track on the album. The song is an upbeat slice of power rock with fine harmonies delivering a strong melody and hook. The twin guitars drive the track along. This however is not representative of the album as a whole. “New England” is surprisingly reflective and melodic. The ballad “(In all of my dreams) You rescue me” gives a far better indication of what to expect here, especially on the second side of the album. “Runaway” is an out and out rock song. “Lorelei”, which became a popular live track, is a mid-paced piece which builds to a fine guitar ending.

Side two flows rather nicely from start to finish. Starting with the routine but enjoyable instrumental “outward bound”, we are taken through a brief “Argus” like “Prelude” to and effective rock ballad “When You Know Love”. The song features Ash’s trademark guitar sound and vocal harmonies delivering an attractive melody. The relaxed, downbeat atmosphere of the side continues with “Lonely Island”, where some of the finest guitar work on the album can be found. The track really is something of a lost gem in the Wishbone Ash catalogue. We close with a further short soft guitar piece “Candlelight”.

“New England” is one of Wishbone Ash’s most accomplished works.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / electric & acoustic guitars, mandolin, vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / electric & slide guitars, vocals
- Steve Upton / drums
- Martin Turner / bass, lead vocals
with
- Nelson ‘Flaco’ Padron / percussion

Track List:
01. Mother Of Pearl – 4:33
02. (In All Of My Dreams) You Rescue Me – 6:13
03. Runaway – 3:18
04. Lorelie – 5:28
05. Outward Bound – 4:55
06. Prelude – 1:13
07. When You Know Love – 5:50
08. Lonely Island – 4:31
09. Candlelight – 1:50

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Wishbone Ash – Locked In (1976) (@256)

29 Dec 2008

2 comments

(Review from rateyourmusic.com, wishbone.co.uk, allmusic)

The band had left their record company, had no management and we were working on a record with Tom Dowd. While his credentials are impressive, producer Tom Dowd was not the man for the job. He was much better suited as a producer of southern rock, jazz, and R&B acts. The band was looking for guidance, didn’t realise they should be the ones taking the lead. It was not a particularly healthy time to make a record. That whole time was probably the roughest in the band’s lengthy career.

The aptly titled “Locked In” album was released on March 1976. Critics had a field day, branding the album a disaster. Wishbone Ash had always taken a certain amount of stick from particular elements of the music press, but for once even the band’s loyal fan base could not defend the album, with it’s distinctly lightweight style.

“Locked In” did contain some fine material however – album opener “Rest in Peace”, for example, would become a highpoint of the band’s live set over the ensuing year. Great duel guitar work from Laurie Wisefield and Andy Powell, all powered along with some intensely focused drumming from Steve Upton.

“No Water In The Well” is a classic example of the mellower sound of Ash. “Moonshine” and “Half Past Lovin’” has a predictable southern style and funky grooves. “Trust In You” is full of nice harmony vocals and that instantly recognizable Wishbone Ash guitar sound. The closing number, “Say Goodbye” has poignant lyrics, a haunting melody, tasteful guitars and a heartfelt lead vocal.

Line-up:
- Andy Powell / electric & acoustic guitars, vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / electric & acoustic guitars, slide guitar, vocals
- Martin Turner / bass, vocals
- Steve Upton / drums, percussion

Track List:
01. Rest In Peace – 6:43
02. No Water In The Well – 3:47
03. Moonshine – 3:35
04. She Was My Best Friend – 3:52
05. It Started (In Heaven) – 3:18
06. Half Past Lovin’ – 5:32
07. Trust In You – 5:06
08. Say Goodbye – 4:58

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Wishbone Ash – There's the Rub (1974) (@256)

28 Dec 2008

1 comment

(Review from wikipedia, progarchives.com)

After replacing Turner with guitarist Laurie Wisefield, the band relocated to America and recorded what would become the “There’s The Rub” album. The title is both a quote from Shakespeare, and a reference to the Hipgnosis cover photo of a cricket player rubbing a cricket ball clean on his trousers, in preparation for a pitch. To address the production issues which arose with the band’s self-production of their previous album, Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk was brought in.

The differences are immediately apparent on the opening “Silver Shoes”. An otherwise fairly ordinary guitar rock song is exploited to the full through the crisp production. The song represents the album being made up of high quality rock songs. Most of these are certainly extended, but the structures remain relatively straight-forward.

Occasionally, such as on “Persephone”, we have something more meaty. This slower number is vaguely similar to “Everybody needs a friend”, with some fine twin guitar work and a strong melody. The other slower track of the album is the folk influenced “Lady Jay”, the lyrics of which were inspired by an English west country folk legend. The song is a sort of cross between “Warrior” and “Leaf and stream”.

The final track, “F.U.B.B.” takes its title from a variation on the US army term SNAFU (“Fucked Up Beyond Belief”). This lengthy instrumental builds from a solo bass guitar intro through a series of fine guitar workouts. The early part of the track tends to plod along a bit, until the pace is raised and a more dynamic element is introduced, with the album closing on a high.

Unfortunately, the record company seemed to have lost faith and without the appropriate promotion the album failed to sell well. The band parted ways with MCA.

Line-up:
- Martin Turner / Lead Vocals, Bass
- Andy Powell / Guitars, Mandolin, Vocals
- Laurie Wisefield / Guitars, Banjo, Steel Guitar, Vocals
- Steve Upton / Drums

Track List:
01. Silver Shoes – 6:40
02. Don’t Come Back – 5:12
03. Persephone – 7:00
04. Hometown – 4:49
05. Lady Jay – 5:58
06. F*U*B*B – 9:32

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Home – Home (1972) (@256)

25 Jul 2007