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Album Retrospectives
STRANGE AFFAIR
1991
Wishbone Ash began work on Strange Affair, their third album for the IRS label, during the Summer of 1990. For this album, producer Martin Turner removed the equipment from his London home studio and installed it at Andy Powell’s UK home in Great Brickhill, near Milton Keynes. The recording process would not go without problems and would take the best part of eight months – the longest period Wishbone Ash had spent recording since Just Testing in 1979. The first setback came during early sessions for the album with the departure of drummer Steve Upton due to personal problems. Steve’s departure led to him not only parting company with the band, but also quitting the music business altogether (he now manages Miles Copeland’s chateau in the south of France).
For the recording sessions the band initially recruited drummer Robbie France (ex UFO, Diamond Head, Ellis Beggs and Howard). France toured with Wishbone briefly during the Autumn of 1990, but was eventually replaced by Ray Weston, a noted figure on the London studio scene who had previously played with Martin Turner during the early eighties. Both drummers appear on the album.
As with its predecessor Here To Hear, compositions penned by the individual members of the band dominated Strange Affair. The material chosen covered a diverse range of styles but, to a certain extent, indicated that the three songwriters in the band were pulling in three vastly different musical directions. The dominance of Andy Powell as vocalist/songwriter on tracks such as "Strange Affair" (co-written with former member Andy Pyle), "Hard Times" and "Renegade" made for an overall bluesier feel on those songs. Martin Turner continued to pursue his interest in incorporating synthesisers into the band’s music and contributed the track "You" which, like much of Martin’s latter day material, had an autobiographical lyric content. Ted Turner meanwhile contributed a mixed bag of material from the dreamy "Say You Will" through to the all-out of "Standing in the Rain", the latter being arguably the finest song on the album.
Strange Affair was released on 21 April 1991, resplendent in a cartoon strip-style sleeve design by Ian Harris, who had designed the cover for Twin Barrels Burning nine years earlier and, somewhat surprisingly in view of the traumatic circumstances in which it had been recorded, received favourable reviews from the music press.
Being the last Wishbone Ash album to feature Martin Turner, Strange Affair truly marked the end of the ‘reunion’ era. Shortly after the album’s release, Wishbone Ash also parted company with IRS Records and the album was quickly deleted, resulting in it being unavailable for several years. In 2003 the album was re-issued by Talking Elephant complete with bonus tracks – mixes of "Strange Affair", "Dream Train" and "Rollin" recorded with a brass section that had been laid down at the time of recording.
Strange Affair remains a mixed bag of ideas and, while lacking the consistency of many of the band’s other album releases, still contains many first rate tracks.
GARY CARTER
MARK CHATTERTON
Fan reviews:
I don't know what it is about Wishbone Ash, but they seem to have a tendency to follow up a top notch album with a disappointing, if not downright awful, one. For example, Argus followed by Wishbone Four, There's The Rub and Locked In. Strange Affair is a classic example of this. After the excellent Here To Hear, and even with the loss of Steve Upton, it's hard to understand how they could have produced such a lacklustre album as this. It comes across as an album by a fragmented band, rather than the more together sound of Here To Hear.
To my ears there are two excellent songs on the album - "Standing In The Rain" and "Wings Of Desire", and three other good songs - the title track, "Some Conversation", and "Hard Times". The rest I could happily live without ever hearing again. "You" must be the nadir of Martin Turner's otherwise excellent songwriting, and the same goes for Ted with "Say You Will." "Renegade" fulfils the same function for Andy. "Rollin" and "Dream Train" are nothing special either.
Bottom 5 for me I'm afraid.
Alan Bloor
Just picked up the remastered version of this album to replace the orignal CD and I have to say that it's the difference between night and day. A much brighter sound all round with a wider soundscape allied with a considerably more robust bottom end. Raises the quality of the album quite considerably particularly on some of the slower tracks which were a bit wet on the original version. Some of the more "routine" numbers are raised a notch or two, whilst the genuinely excellent tracks are on a par with some of the best stuff that WA have done (has Andy written a better song than "Wings Of Desire"? I think only "Master Of Disguise" would come close).
Overall, the album's too patchy and the fragmented nature of the recording detracts from it as a whole but I'd wholeheartedly recommend anyone who still has the original CD to invest in the later version.
Alan Heron
I was listening to Strange Affair the other day. I've often tended to disregard this one as a weak successor to the excellent Here To Hear, but there is actually some very good stuff on it and it definitely bears repeated listenings.
When it comes to solos what about Ted's final solo on "Standing In The Rain"? That is superb, and easily as good as any other W.A. solo I can think of by Ted, Andy or Laurie. I can listen to that solo over and over...
For that reason as well as others - I really don't have a favourite Ash guitarist. I like Andy, Ted and Laurie in equal measures for their different styles, approaches and particular solo responses to the various songs.
Howard Johnston
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