Lost/Forgotten Album #253

[Jon]

It's been such a long time since Wishbone Ash has been a featured pick, that now seems to be as good a time as any..............

Oh, who am I kidding?

This week's pick is yet ANOTHER Wishbone Ash album, this time the 1989 release titled "Here To Hear". What makes this album so special is that it features the original lineup, last heard on "Wishbone Four", way back in 1973.

Compared to their other 80's albums (not counting "Nouveau Calls", an all-instrumental album), this is a fairly mellow affair. There's still twin-geetar goodness, but mellow twin-geetar goodness. This also has a bit of an 80's feel to it but, as usual, in a good way.

In 2003, this was re-released with a different cover along with some bonus tracks. That's long OOP and quite pricey, but I decided to include the album cover below just so you can see how different it is from the one at the top. Why? I don't know.

But wait. There's more! There's yet another cover from a 1990 release!

Okay, that's all I have. For now.

Here To Hear

1. Cosmic Jazz
2. Keeper Of The Light
3. Mental Radio
4. Walk On Water
5. Witness To Wonder
6. Lost Cause In Paradise
7. Why Don't We
8. In The Case
9. Hole In My Heart (Part One)
10. Hole In My Heart (Part Two)

Availability: Around $20 used.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I really like it when you post a Wishbone Ash album...just sayin'.

[RJhog (Admin)]

So another week, another Wishbone Ash album.  For the most part, I think we know what to expect from these albums now.  And Jon has done the band service.  With his constant bombardment of our senses, he has won at least two (that I know of) home boys to the Wishbone Ash fan club.

I just jotted down a few thoughts while listening to this week's selection:

• Keeper Of The Light has a bit of an eighties new wave feel to it.
• On the track Walk On Water, Powell or whomever is singing sounds like David Bowie.
• Witness To Wonder might be a little too easy listening.
• Lost Cause In Paradise is my favorite song.  It has a wicked guitar solo.
• I get another eighties flashback on the song Why Don't We.  It's another really good song and I love the bass work on it.
• Hole In My Heart Part 1 is very nice.  The vocal makes me think of Men At Work.
• Overall, this definitely has the eighties written all over it, but earlier eighties if you ask me.

So another good post from Jon.  He is pretty well having an all-star year in 2015.

[Scott]

Wow, total 80's flashback right away!  Guitars, drums all production scream 80's.  Very mid-tempo affair, not the same Wishbone Ash I am used to hearing, its pleasant so far, but nothing outside of the guitar work is grabbing my attention. But even the guitars seem to be conservative as well.  Nothing blistering, unique or revolutionary... so far...

Wish RJ wouldn't have mentioned Bowie, now I hear it too.    So far this doesn't seem like Wishbone Ash, and if this is the Argus crew, what happened?

Seems to be nothing more than a romp through the 80's and not much else.  This is the one Ash album I haven't liked, but all is not lost.  I like that they experiment, every band has that one album that didn't work as they'd hoped.  This kinda feels like that ...