Wishbone Ash
"Coat of Arms"
WishboneAsh.com
Buy at Amazon.com
CD review by Roger Zee (01/15/21)
Born in Cheltenham, England to US parents, I only stayed for six weeks until we moved back to Brooklyn, NY. Didn't get much of a chance to soak in the Celtic vibe, LOL! Brooklyn, on the other hand, dipped me smack dab in the middle of Rock 'n Soul! So that leaves me only half prepared to review the latest masterly written, crafted and arranged Celtic Rock Wishbone Ash album, "Coat of Arms." Probably even less so really because I only owned two of their previous releases -- 1973's "Live Dates" and a "Best of" compilation of the original foursome. The current band consists of lone original member Andy Powell (lead vocals/guitar), Mark Abrahams (guitar), Bob Skeat (bass), and Joe Crabtree (drums). Andy Powell, Aynsley Powell, and Mark Abrahams co-wrote all these songs. In order to really immerse myself in the revamped Wishbone Ash and "Coat of Arms," I took the time and learned all the bass parts.
Let me hip you to this. Two of the highlights of my life occurred playing two NY/CT gigs that included Wishbone Ash's Andy Powell. The first came about when CT Blues guitarist JD Seem hired me to play bass for a Georgetown Saloon Jam Night. I myself arranged the second session at the Thursday Victor's Hawthorne Jam that featured my dear friend, guitarist Arthur Neilson (Shemekia Copeland, Blue Angel) and Andy Powell. Can you just picture these two Kings of Flying V Rock jousting? Oh what a night! As an aside, at some point in my life I realized that there's no hard-wired connection between talent, integrity, and kindness. But you find all three in Andy Powell and Arthur Neilson. They represent the Camelot of musicians!
But first let's tackle the "Elephant in the Room!" The original lineup of Wishbone Ash showcased the soprano lead vocals of bassist Martin Turner. Following numerous personnel changes over the years, guitarist Andy Powell took over that duty. He sings well albeit in a lower register but sounds very much like Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. There. I said it! But once you get beyond this singularity and dig deep down, you still hear all the trademarks of the Wishbone Ash sound -- the mesmerizing, lilting Celtic triplet rhythms, angelic twin harmony guitars, epic tales of battle and romance all encapsulated in tight, skillfully crafted songs with complex and intricate parts and codas. Some say Wishbone Ash inspired the Allman Brothers to use dual lead guitars as well as long, complicated, tag-ons. Only the Allmans dug into Blues and Country instead of Celtic music.
As a matter of fact, the four lead off tracks on "Coat of Arms" play like a soundtrack for a legendary "Knights of the Round Table" movie. To the martial beat of the album opener, "We Stand as One," I visualize a massed group of armed villagers singing as they march off to battle to save their land. "We stand as one till the bitter end. We shall not run. You will not win. We fight as one till our dying day. Our time has come. You cannot stay!" On the hard charging Rock of the title track, "Coat of Arms," the farmers chant in protest against their oppressors. "They'll only game us as they frame us. As we bend to their will, they try to shame us and contain us as they go for the kill." In the quieter, rolling but still biting "Empty Man," the singer gets personal and rips their nouveau riche lord a new one. "You think that the way to move up in this town is to bring everyone else around you down. You're climbing a ladder with rubber rungs and nobody cares what you think you have done. Faking successes with all the excesses, you're quite the man, such an empty man." Maybe a veiled reference to the Donald? The final song in the quadrilogy, "Floreana," sings of a broken man who returns home from war and seeks a pure love. "There was a man, he'd fought a war. He couldn't take the world we love. He swore to me he'd sail away in time. He found a girl who found in him a love sublime."
But Wishbone Ash also fills the record with hard-charging, straight-ahead Rockers. The playful "Drive" takes a light-hearted cue from ZZ Top's "She Loves My Automobile." "I drive my car or my car drives me. Gives me a sense of security. Driving whichever way that I choose. Something tells me I could lose." On the "Jam Band" sound of "Too Cool for AC," the Ash gets Funky and flashes gobs of dual guitar lines and screaming solos. "Too hot to handle, too cool for AC, he's walking into a catastrophe. Honesty has to show. What does he need to know to make love grow?" "Back in the Day" takes a hard-driving page from Steve Miller's "Livin' in the USA." The brutal four-on-the floor bass drum belies the sentimental reminiscence of early days on the road. "Back where I started, that's where I'm at. Been quite a journey. Got no problem with that. And you've been by my side every step of the way. And you paid your part of the fare I think it's safe to say." And then Ash thrusts Rush-like riffs into the urgent romance of "When the Love Is Shared." "You gotta know that when love is declared, life has more meaning when the love is shared."
So heartwarming to see and hear Wishbone Ash continue their legacy of great Rock. Though only Andy Powell of the original four remains, the song remains ever the same -- maybe even stronger! I can just picture them a year from now Rocking out to huge crowds at the great European Summer festivals after science and civility have finally laid Covid-19 to rest. So pick up or download a copy of "Coat of Arms," put on your Celtic Kilt, and "Dance to the Music!" One <3
YouTube - We Stand as One - Wishbone Ash
©2021 Roger Zee
