In the 1970s, in the years before punk changed the musical landscape, I listened to a lot of classic and progressive rock but I never quite understood the appeal of Wishbone Ash. A school friend sang the praises of Argus, still their most successful album, but it struck me as an anonymous record - musically proficient but empty of real emotions.
For this reason, I haven't been following their career and actually assumed that they had ceased to be years ago. The title of this record therefore seems quite apt a reference to the band's covert under the radar existence over four decades. Astonishingly, this is the band's 28th album and next year marks the 40th anniversary of Argus.
Band leader Andy Powell is the last man standing from the original line up, although it should be noted that fellow founder member, bassist Martin Turner, also lays claim to the band name and has put out live albums as Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash.
The other musicians on this record are Bob Skeat on bass, Muddy Manninen from Finland on guitar and Joe Crabtree on drums. Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey also guests on the Allman Brothers style instrumental Mud Slick.
Wishbone's loyal fans will be happy to note that twin lead guitar solos still lie at the heart of the band's sound and have the added bonus of the simultaneously released DVD (This Is Wishbone Ash); a behind the scenes film about the making of the album made by a French documentary team which also contains six live tracks.
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Most tracks, like the opening song Reason To Believe, seem to have evolved out of jam sessions. A couple of tracks (Heavy Weather and Migrant Worker) have quite a funky groove; for the latter Manninen shows off his wah-wah guitar moves.
Searching For Satellites has a slower tempo and exemplifies their head in the clouds lyrical style ("What is the message we get from above? The answer is love.".
Man With No Name, a slow building song built around 12-string acoustic guitar, has similarly ponderous, and nonsensical reflections: "love is eternal just like rolling thunder".
The durability of Wishbone Ash partially stems from the fact that their English folk-blues background sets them a little apart from American bands ploughing the same furrow. As the cover image suggests, to make a mark by stealth you don't always need a bomber plane, a butterfly can be just as effective.
The essentially retro quality makes it unlikely that anything on Elegant Stealth will win the band a new audience but it should sustain their loyal fan base and we may yet see them reach the half century mark.
Wishbone Ash's Website
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