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Album Retrospectives
PILGRIMAGE
1971
TRACK LISTING (click on title for song lyrics)
1) Vas Dis 2) The Pilgrim 3) Jailbait 4) Alone 5) Lullaby 6) Valediction 7) Where Were You Tomorrow
Line-up: Martin Turner (bs/voc), Andy Powell (gtr/voc), Ted Turner (gtr/voc), Steve Upton (dr).
Produced by Derek Lawrence
September 1971 saw the UK release of the second Wishbone Ash album, Pilgrimage. The album featured seven cuts - six recorded at De Lane Lea studios, plus a version of the band's traditional set closer "Where Were You Tomorrow" from a live recording made at Leicester De Montfort Hall in June 1971.
As with the band’s first album, a diverse range of influences such as blues, jazz, R&B and folk were clearly evident, and the album opened with "Vas Dis", a cover which had already become a live favourite and a showcase for Martin Turner's scat-singing.
""Vas Dis" was written by a jazz musician, Jack McDuff, and we arranged it for dual lead guitars, which was not the easiest thing in the world to do. He had a live album out with that track on."
"The Pilgrim" had also been tried out on live audiences. Aside from a brief vocal chant from Martin and Andy, it was basically a highly intricate instrumental piece, evolving from a peaceful opening section before changing pace and bursting into an up-tempo 7/4 section based around a Martin Turner bass riff and displaying the guitar skills of Ted Turner and Andy Powell.
"I was really into "The Pilgrim" from the standpoint of a musical version of "Lord of the Rings"", reveals Martin Turner, "but that was probably just because I was reading the book at the same time that we were putting the tune together. That's what it meant for me, but I don't think it meant that for anyone else in the band."
"Jailbait" was the album's first true vocal number. Sung by Ted Turner, the song is a natural successor to the first album's "Blind Eye", being an R&B influenced number. The song, which was inspired by an experience Ted had had in America during the band's first US tour, would remain a staple of Wishbone's live set for many years to come.
Closing the album's first side is "Alone", a short instrumental piece, which fades in and out, hinting that only a segment of the recording was included. Martin Turner would later reveal that this was indeed the case and that the tune had originally been part of a longer track featuring a full vocal and lyric, which MCA took a distinct disliking to. Although Martin, who had been responsible for the song's lyric, felt particularly insulted by the edit at the time, with hindsight he now regards the song as being "very limp" and is clearly embarassed with what he describes as his "choir boy vocals". Despite this, both the edit and full version contain some beautiful, haunting playing from both guitarists. The full, vocal version would finally surface in 1997 on the German 4CD Distillation compilation from Repertoire Records.
Side Two of "Pilgrimage" opens with "Lullaby", representing Wishbone Ash at their most restrained. The largely acoustic piece, which again had been premiered on recent live shows, was recorded without drums.
""Lullaby" was the product of getting two guitarists together, developing a chord sequence, turning it inside out and getting a tune out", reveals Andy Powell.
One of the album's finest yet often overlooked cuts was undoubtedly "Valediction". Continuing the folk-rock direction of "Errors of my Ways", "Valediction" added a couple of new twists in the form of an almost reggae-like middle section and a three part harmony vocal - arguably the band's finest vocal work to this point.
""Valediction" was really nice", admits Martin Turner. "Andy's solo on that was a really exceptional piece of playing."
The album closes with "Where Were You Tomorrow", recorded live in Leicester. Although it could be argued that the inclusion of the studio version (recorded though never released until MCA’s US 1992 Time Was collection") would have resulted in better continuity, the live recording - which, incidentally, is the earliest official surviving concert recording of the band - perfectly recaptures the climax of an early Wishbone Ash gig.
Pilgrimage reached no.14 on the UK album chart and Disc and Music Echo described the album as: "an album with a lot of ingenuity, good music and outstanding playing". The band, however, had reservations about the hurried way in which the album had been recorded.
"It took a week altogether", reveals Ted Turner. "It was a pity we had to rush it. It was rushed simply because we wanted it to be released in America before we started the tour. In fact it came out two weeks after we arrived.
Fan reviews:
Well I'll start by saying that this is a really good album, although I always prefered the first to this one myself. "Vas Dis" for me is the best instrumental ever done by WA. I thought it was stunning when I first heard it and I still think so today with its jazzy feel, great intro roll, wonderful bass work and a brilliant AP solo. "The Pilgrim" is a WA masterpiece again with excellent guitar work and boy is it tricky to play! "Jailbait" has become an "expected" last track or encore track and perhaps should have been near the end of the album? "Alone" was cut down for some reason but I still like this version. "Lullaby" is a lovely little track. I was never keen on "Valediction" but it did grow on me after a time. Then we get to "Where were You Tomorrow" which i've never liked and always thought it was too long and spoilt the album in my opinion. I think a shorter studio version might have been better but there you go. Still considering how good the first album was this wasn't a bad second offering was it?
Tony Clark
I love this album, for many reasons.
Firstly it was the first WA album I ever heard. In fact it was about the first rock album I ever heard and this, Led Zep IV, Who's Next and Atomic Rooster (In Hearing Of) and later Argus, kick started me into the world of rock music!
Pilgrimage is a fantastic album. It's always been my second favourite WA album, after Argus. I agree with Tony's comments re "Where Were You Tomorrow". Having heard First Light, Pilgrimage might have been even better with the inclusion of "Roads Of Day To Day" instead.
I love the way most of the songs slide effortlessly into each other, the playing is superb throughout - the guys were so inspired when creating this. There are some aspects that, for me, even top Argus! Pilgrimage sounds more adventurous in the extended instrumentals. Who else would include a disharmonious passage such as in "The Pilgrim" (I have heard reports of Andy grimacing on stage during this section when he plays this onstage!)
As well as the instrumentals, the band also show that they can really rock with "Jailbait" - that one has always sounded as if it should have been on the first album!
Pilgrimage is better that the first album as most of it hangs together as if it was conceived as a whole. "WWYT" is the exception. Having said that, I can see that the band were keen to get across to fans just how exciting they were as a live band. Presumably that was the reason to include "WWYT"
Nigel G-S
Fully agree with almost all the comments about Pilgrimage, fantastic album, but "Where Were You Tomorrow" means a lot to me and I'll explain why.
Pilgrimage was released in 1971 and it was over 2 years before Live Dates was released at the back end of 1973. So for that time "WWYT" was the ONLY live WA recording in existence. As a consequence, I listened to "WWYT" over and over just wishing I could be at a WA gig. Yes its not a great song, the recording feels like it was done from one mike at the back of the hall, the Andy Powell vocal is rubbish (his playing is great of course), the clap-along bit in the middle is too long, the audience go out of time with Steve Upton (damn useless Leicestershireonians or whatever they call themselves), plus it doesn't feature much of Ted Turner playing (was he having a rest after playing "Phoenix"?). But it does capture all the energy of a WA gig, and for so long it was all we had. So please go easy on "WWYT"!
Timperley Ash
Pilgrimage is another one I've fallen for recently. I always liked "Vas Dis" and "Jailbait", but listening to all of it, it flows well with all the tracks. A definite 5/5 if we were rating such things - as we're not...then I'll just say it's bl00dy brilliant!
Sarah Warren
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