Wishbone Ash, "Nouveau Calls" (IRS No Speak, 1988)
In the mid-'80s, Miles Copeland, chairman of International Record Syndicate Inc. (aka IRS), came up with what seems in retrospect like a pretty cool idea. In his words:
"Forget about having to come up with a single (three minutes of music aimed at 16-year-olds), don't worry about your "image" (no need to invent a new hairdo), don't be concerned with lyrics (you won't be singing). Just play your instruments unencumbered by restraints."
The upshoot of the concept was IRS No Speak, a label for rock-oriented, purely instrumental music. Three of the four initial No Speak releases were by solo artists: Pete Haycock, founder of and guitarist for the Climax Blues Band; William Orbit, who had scored some recent dance-oriented hits; and Stewart Copeland, Miles' brother and drummer for the Police.
The fourth release was by a band that was particularly near and dear to Miles Copeland's heart.
Wishbone Ash carved a reputation in the early '70s for its use of twin lead guitars, a rarity at a time when most successful bands featured a single dominant axman. Andy Powell and Ted Turner had joined the band by happenstance, answering an ad in Melody Maker; the original members, bassist Martin Turner and drummer Steve Upton, apparently couldn't decide between the two and decided to hire them both.
The resulting "classic quartet" of Wishbone Ash released four studio albums and a live set between 1970 and '73, reaching No. 3 in Britian with its third LP, "Argus," long regarded as one of the finer progressive rock efforts. "Wishbone Four" represented the band's apex in the United States, cracking the Top 50. But personnel shifts and changes in musical tastes had led to declining fortunes for the band by the middle of the next decade.
Enter Copeland, who had served as Wishbone Ash's manager in its formative years, dating back to when the band was known as Tanglewood. Now that he was running a record company that was launching a new concept, he wanted his old pals on board. And not just any group of guys calling themselves Wishbone Ash; he persuaded the Turners to rejoin Powell and Upton for the first time in nearly 15 years.
The result is "Nouveau Calls," targeted as everything fans enjoyed about the Ash, except the vocals. Or, as Copeland puts it in the liner notes, "the great dual lead guitars of Wishbone Ash together again but as never before."
That's true, but probably not in quite he way Copeland intended.
"Nouveau Calls" certainly serves as a showcase for the band's instrumental abilities. But today, it sounds very much like a relic of its time: overly polished sound, processed drums, synthesizer beats and everything else in the '80s studio kitchen sink. In that regard, the album contrasts sharply with Wishbone Ash's best work of the early '70s, which grew organically from what appears to be simply a love of jamming. (For a good example, check out the 11-minute "Handy" on the debut album, "Wishbone Ash." After hearing Martin Turner's bass workout, you'll wonder why you've never heard much about him.)
A lot of the difference can be explained by Orbit's role as the album's producer. He was working within the style he knew best, and one that had worked for him as an artist. That's not to say it was all his doing; Martin Turner produced two of the tracks, and they sound pretty much along the same lines, although a song called "Something's Happening in Room 602" recalls the band's early days more than anything else on the album.
All that being said, "Nouveau Calls" contains plenty of good music, especially if the listener can get past his or her anti-'80s bias. (I'm trying!) The high point is "In the Skin," a song on which the inspired guitar playing rises above the dance-floor beat, especially Powell's turn on the slide. The tune showed up as an instrumental highlight of Wishbone Ash shows in the '90s.
By that time, the experiment that was IRS No Speak was long over. Despite its stated intention of being "an instrumental rock label for the '90s," No Speak didn't go far beyond those first few releases. And the parent label ended up folding in 1996.
So much for what should have been a good idea.
In the mid-'80s, Miles Copeland, chairman of International Record Syndicate Inc. (aka IRS), came up with what seems in retrospect like a pretty cool idea. In his words:
"Forget about having to come up with a single (three minutes of music aimed at 16-year-olds), don't worry about your "image" (no need to invent a new hairdo), don't be concerned with lyrics (you won't be singing). Just play your instruments unencumbered by restraints."
The upshoot of the concept was IRS No Speak, a label for rock-oriented, purely instrumental music. Three of the four initial No Speak releases were by solo artists: Pete Haycock, founder of and guitarist for the Climax Blues Band; William Orbit, who had scored some recent dance-oriented hits; and Stewart Copeland, Miles' brother and drummer for the Police.
The fourth release was by a band that was particularly near and dear to Miles Copeland's heart.
Wishbone Ash carved a reputation in the early '70s for its use of twin lead guitars, a rarity at a time when most successful bands featured a single dominant axman. Andy Powell and Ted Turner had joined the band by happenstance, answering an ad in Melody Maker; the original members, bassist Martin Turner and drummer Steve Upton, apparently couldn't decide between the two and decided to hire them both.
The resulting "classic quartet" of Wishbone Ash released four studio albums and a live set between 1970 and '73, reaching No. 3 in Britian with its third LP, "Argus," long regarded as one of the finer progressive rock efforts. "Wishbone Four" represented the band's apex in the United States, cracking the Top 50. But personnel shifts and changes in musical tastes had led to declining fortunes for the band by the middle of the next decade.
Enter Copeland, who had served as Wishbone Ash's manager in its formative years, dating back to when the band was known as Tanglewood. Now that he was running a record company that was launching a new concept, he wanted his old pals on board. And not just any group of guys calling themselves Wishbone Ash; he persuaded the Turners to rejoin Powell and Upton for the first time in nearly 15 years.
The result is "Nouveau Calls," targeted as everything fans enjoyed about the Ash, except the vocals. Or, as Copeland puts it in the liner notes, "the great dual lead guitars of Wishbone Ash together again but as never before."
That's true, but probably not in quite he way Copeland intended.
"Nouveau Calls" certainly serves as a showcase for the band's instrumental abilities. But today, it sounds very much like a relic of its time: overly polished sound, processed drums, synthesizer beats and everything else in the '80s studio kitchen sink. In that regard, the album contrasts sharply with Wishbone Ash's best work of the early '70s, which grew organically from what appears to be simply a love of jamming. (For a good example, check out the 11-minute "Handy" on the debut album, "Wishbone Ash." After hearing Martin Turner's bass workout, you'll wonder why you've never heard much about him.)
A lot of the difference can be explained by Orbit's role as the album's producer. He was working within the style he knew best, and one that had worked for him as an artist. That's not to say it was all his doing; Martin Turner produced two of the tracks, and they sound pretty much along the same lines, although a song called "Something's Happening in Room 602" recalls the band's early days more than anything else on the album.
All that being said, "Nouveau Calls" contains plenty of good music, especially if the listener can get past his or her anti-'80s bias. (I'm trying!) The high point is "In the Skin," a song on which the inspired guitar playing rises above the dance-floor beat, especially Powell's turn on the slide. The tune showed up as an instrumental highlight of Wishbone Ash shows in the '90s.
By that time, the experiment that was IRS No Speak was long over. Despite its stated intention of being "an instrumental rock label for the '90s," No Speak didn't go far beyond those first few releases. And the parent label ended up folding in 1996.
So much for what should have been a good idea.
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