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Album Details
RAW TO THE BONE
1985
 
TRACK LISTING
1) Cell Of Fame 2) People In Motion 3) Don't Cry 4) Love Is Blue 5) Long Live The Night 6) Rocket In My Pocket 7) It's Only Love 8) Don't You Mess 9) Dreams (Searching For An Answer) 10) Perfect Timing
Line-up: Andy Powell (gtr), Laurie Wisefield (gtr), Steve Upton (dr), Mervyn Spence (bs/voc)
Produced by: Nigel Gray
Following the chart success of the previous album Twin Barrels Burning, Wishbone Ash continued its heavy rock direction for the follow-up, 1984’s Raw To The Bone. Following the departure of Trevor Bolder during the Spring of 1983 to return to Uriah Heep, Raw To The Bone introduced the considerable vocal range and song-writing talents of new bassist Mervyn Spence (ex-Trapeze). By the time the band came to record Raw To The Bone during the early part of 1984, Spence already had a wealth of US and European touring experience with Wishbone under his belt.
Armed with a batch of new songs written by all four members of the band, Wishbone Ash entered Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead during the Spring of 1984 with producer Nigel Gray and engineer Jim Ebdon. Tracks such as ‘Cell of Fame’, ‘People in Motion’ and ‘Love Is Blue’ continued the heavy rock direction of the previous album, but added the superior songwriting and vocal talents of Mervyn Spence. In addition tracks such as ‘Long Live The Night’ displayed a melodic content that had been largely missing from Twin Barrels Burning.
With the band lacking a UK record contract (former manager Miles Copeland had been presented with demos of the material, but decided that he would be embarrassed to be associated with Wishbone Ash at this point), Raw To The Bone was released in Germany on the Metronome label in November 1984 (a UK release would eventually transpire in May 1985 through independent label Neat). Despite being far removed from Wishbone Ash’s classic style and a tendency for some of its songs to sound too similar, Raw To The Bone contained some fine material, firmly rooted in the melodic heavy rock vein, albeit with a more commercial sound. However, despite being a particularly well-crafted album in its genre, many purist Ash fans clearly resented the band’s continuing move away from its original style. For the first time in the band’s career, the album failed to reach the UK album chart.
In retrospect, despite being something of a loose cannon within the Wishbone Ash catalogue and a further abandonment of the twin harmony guitar concept, Raw To The Bone was a well-produced album and featured some of the strongest vocal work to ever grace a Wishbone Ash album. However, for fans of the classic Wishbone Ash fans, it remains something of a disappointment.
GARY CARTER
MARK CHATTERTON
Adapted from the book ‘Blowin’ Free – 30 Years of Wishbone Ash’
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