I've had the good fortune to have seen Wishbone Ash in this configuration of musicians several times from arenas to a high school. Every performance was a bit different but uniformly excellent. Wishbone Ash comes from an era where it was expected that musicians have chops. The band one upped their 70's contemporaries by playing several styles of music from blues based boogie to progressive to folk. Often some jazz was thrown in for good measure.

This could spell a mess but Wishbone Ash was well grounded and had great style when playing and especially when guitarists Andy Powell and Ted Turner soloed.

Live Dates captures the sound and vibe of Wishbone Ash live. The stylistic diversity is quite clear from their take on boogie numbers including Jail Bait, Lady Whiskey and the cover of Baby What You Want Me To Do. These tracks are surrounded by the pop of Blowin' Free, the progressive rock of The Pilgrim, Phoenix, and Warrior along with the quieter English folk of Ballad Of The Beacon.

Wishbone Ash turned conventions upside down with Martin Turner's bass often carrying the melody of a song as guitars harmonized and set the rhythmic tone along with drummer Steve Upton.

Rather than perform carbon copies of album tracks Wishbone Ash frequently improvises or at the least revises solos and in some cases arrangements.

Besides being a great live album it is also a good place to start with Wishbone Ash. Soon after this part of the band's career guitarist Ted Turner left the band and the diversity of styles would become less pronounced.

If you want to get an idea of smart rock in the 70's this is a good place to start.

Let's see, you know about Live at Leeds, Humble Pie Performance,
Allman Bros. at Fillmore East, Get your Ya Ya's out and the other classic live sets from the late 60's/early 70's. Two of my
favorites from that era are Ten Years After Recorded Live (anyone
remember the amazing "Help Me")? - and Wishbone Ash Live Dates.
It's worth having if only for Phoenix and The King Will Come.
On "The King" the band builds the song from the beginning and
then just about the time you are pulled in, they stop/start with the awesome Ted Turner stepping on a pedal and soloing away. Every time I play this song around a friend they are casually
listening to it until Ted takes off for the stratosphere. It's
always "who is THAT??" If you have any interest in rock music when it was actually played and not programmed by a suit and tie, you have to include this set in your collection. Turn it up to a suitable volume and enjoy, it will be one of your favorites.....

Wishbone Ash were one of THE top guitar bands in the Europe of the 1970s, although they were and remain barely known in the US. They even became tax exiles and lived in the States at the end of the 70s. This album is one of the very best live albums from the 70s, if not ever, for classic two-guitar rock. This live album reflects the best tracks from their first set of albums with their original lineup complete with Andy Powell on his trademark Gibson Flying V, and Ted Turner with his Stratocaster or Les Paul. People struggle to pigeonhole this band - usually falling back on the "The English Allman Brothers" or similar. Unlike most guitar rock bands in the 70s Wishbone Ash are actually closer to progressive rock than either the blues based Led Zeppelin approach, or the heavy metal Deep Purple or UFO style or the blues-jazz of the Allmans. But they are more straightforward than say Gentle Giant or Jethro Tull. They represent I think a more mystical approach with the emphasis on melodic intertwining guitar leads and certainly, in their early days at least, long instrumentals. Not too loud, not too many guitar histrionics, but plenty of long, beautifully played, guitar lines and leads often with pseudo-mystical lyrics. A sort of less flashy Kansas. Anyway any person who appreciates guitar based bands and classic rock should listen to this album. The first three tracks in particular are absolute Wishbone classics, my favorite part is the stunning and haunting Ted Turner solo on "Lay Down the Sword". Just wonderful clean melodic and powerful lines that will be guaranteed to impress anyone.

"Phoenix" and "the Pilgrim" are both long, largely instrumental, tracks full of verve and interest, but not really jams like the Allmans do, nor are they blues based to any significant degree - just great and interesting instrumentals. "Lady Whiskey", and "Jailbait" were crowd favorites and are more typical bluesy rockers - to really enjoy these you have to have been there I think. "Ballad of the Beacon" is an English folk song with a great melody. Their one real bluesy number, the Everly Brothers' "Baby what you want me to do" is an interesting exercise in slide guitar playing and very good it is, even if it is anything but American blues.

I must also mention the outstanding rhythm section, particularly Martin Turner who holds it all together with his very melodic bass lines, lyrics, and singing. I recommend this album highly, especially as most Americans have never heard of this wonderful guitar band. This is the best introduction to their classic first period.

I discovered WA in the early 70s and would recommend any of their albums thru 1980..and this LIVE set is an excellent example of WA mkI for the sound that was WA....after the original lineup was split....the sound changed a tad with the switch from Ted Turner to Laurie Wisefield. The trademark WA sound was still unmistakable.

Martin Turners growling and snarling precision and thunderbird basses thundered as he meshed into a solid groove with Steve Uptons drumming.....I actually feel they premiered as a live act....so much raw energy and stamina emulated from these superb musicians....dual leads that seared.....never missing a note....and switching off on lead and rythym duties....(I always hated bands who had to dictate who was a lead or rythym guitarist..like it was a bad thing to be the lowly rythym guitarist?.) well...these guys moved beyond that...and the result on their discs is perfection....

Score this selection and you wont be disappointed.

Wishbone Ash have often been called the English Allman Brothers and there are quite a few outward similarities. Two great live bands each with two superb guitarists and a tight, driving rhythm section cranking out music that acknowledges it's roots while constantly going beyond them. But while the roots of the early Allmans(before the untimely death of brother Duane)were firmly in Southern blues, Wishbone Ash finds their inspiration in the pre-Christian mysticism and eerie melodies found in English folk music. But make no mistake about it, this is tight, driving rock n' roll delivered by one of the best live bands of the 70's. If you go for guitar driven rock with a distinctly English flavor Live Dates will become one of your all time favorites.