Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Four

Band: Wishbone Ash
Album: Wishbone Four
Label: MCA
Year: 1973

Wishbone Ash's stately amalgamation of folk, jazz, rock and progressive tendencies is vividly displayed on their most concise and direct album. Wishbone Four was their attempt to crack the North American market after establishing themselves in the first class of British rock bands with their previous album Argus. As such, it was suitably their hardest rocking effort, relatively free of Argus's pastoral English folk influence and progressive arrangements, as well as dialing back the medieval lyrical themes somewhat. Each side kicks off with a full tilt rocker, followed by a moody slow-builder that climaxes with a dramatic lead guitar section. "So Many Things To Say" and "The Doctor" both showcase the band's complex musical interplay while hitting as hard as any songs in the band's repertoire. The band's facility with melodic guitar solos is the focus on these songs, with lead guitars dueling aggressively over a dextrous rhythm section. "Ballad of the Beacon" is a lovely melodic rocker that climaxes with a memorable solo, as does "Sorrel", where all four musicians rock expressively in a mellow jam. "No Easy Road" is another compelling rave-up that even features a classic early '70s Stones-style horn and piano rocker arrangement. There are solid songs throughout the record, and in particular "Rock & Roll Widow" is a lilting outlaw tale featuring ethereal slide guitar, and also delivers the album's most memorable hook.

Drummer Steve Upton throughout demonstrates great range in moods as he hammers together a complex structure for his bandmates in a manner akin to Bill Bruford, but he can also call to mind Keith Moon's unsophisticated intensity with his heavy tom rolls. Bassist Martin Turner alternates nimble bass patterns in the higher registers of his instrument with slow, supportive beds for the guitarists to solo over. The vocals consist predominantly of appealing harmonies and lyrics that seem to conjure up memories of some fantastical past age that never existed. They do not ever really get heavy, but the highly melodic lead guitar interplay between Ted Turner and Andy Powell is the chief appeal of this band.

There are a few missteps, as the ballads on each side come off as slightly saccharine and tend to bore. "Everybody Needs A Friend" in particular is notable for being way too long at almost 9 minutes. This one glaring flaw aside, these songs are all well-crafted, highly formal compositions. With commercial concerns clearly in mind, Wishbone Four features the clearest production of any of the band's albums up until that point. Moreover, its constituent parts are more comfortably rock rather than folk or progressive-based as on their earlier records. The guitarists use a wider variety of effects than on previous albums, with more aggressively overdriven distortion and liberal use of the wah-pedal replacing the neo-classical flourishes of Argus. The combination of solid compositions and impressive musicianship makes this a solid entry point into the band's discography.