Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Wishbone Ash
Label: Talking Elephant Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 3.5/5
This album from the legendary Wishbone Ash was a long-awaited one, given how excellent its predecessor “Bona Fide” (2002) was. Wishbone Ash, who are undoubtedly enjoying a new bloom in their golden years, stick to their standard formula on “Clan Destiny” too, so the new album proudly stands behind the band’s name. It’s a continuation of “Bona Fide”, though it doesn’t have quite the same breadth of musical variety that “Bona Fide” does. It would be interesting to read this review if the two albums had come out in the reverse order.
Eyes Wide Open is yet another cleverly crafted “blues” opening “rocker”, with impressive “slide” bursts and, of course, what else would you expect from Wishbone Ash, passages drenched in twin guitar harmonies. Once again that duality works its charm, as pure classic rock figures sneak into the blues form. The band has put it together so brilliantly that you don’t even notice when one motif turns into another, they’re strung together so seamlessly. Next comes the calm, dreamy Dreams Outta Dust, and the album unfolds much like “Bona Fide”, both in dynamics and in mood. The “bluesy” Healing Ground then conjures up a slight hint of obscurity, especially thanks to the vocal lines, which incredibly call to mind a captured moment of early Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull). “Bona Fide” had no such obscurity, though. Steam Town adds some gas to the album. It’s a lively semi-acoustic rock ‘n’ roll romp with “country Yankee” flourishes, in which the band once again flaunts its mastery of laying down three-part guitar harmonies. Loose Change slows the tempo, with tenderness and sensuality taking over. What an extraordinary contrast between the mystical vocal and the expressive twin guitar harmony! It’s interesting how well this easygoing mood suits the band, and so on the next track they pull off a superb “waltz”, Surfing A Slow Wave, over which they lay a new magical guitar melody with the moody sound of music that even the one and only Ennio Morricone wouldn’t be ashamed of. It’s a flawless instrumental starring Clint Eastwood. With Slime Time we get yet another traditional Wishbone Ash “boogie rocker”, and Your Dog, with its “country blues” touches in the main motif, isn’t far behind. As for the search for tradition in Wishbone Ash, the most typically traditional number on the record is Capture That Moment, where that real Wishbone Ash magic is with us at its most intense, in an excellent combination of mystical vocals and twin three-part harmonies, with the closing instrumental section adding a special atmospheric touch of perfection, ruled by an extraordinary feel for a sophisticated approach. The album gets an atmospheric run-up toward the end with The Raven. It’s a classic dreamy-sad Wishbone Ash tune that recalls Come Rain, Come Shine from “Bona Fide”, with a perfect chorus and that one-of-a-kind classic crossfire of multi-part solos coming alternately from the left and the right guitar. The closing of the album is actually pretty much what you’d expect, and yet partly surprising. It’s the gentle, semi-acoustic Motherless Child, yet another lazy semi-acoustic song, but what makes it special are the almost gospel-tinged backing vocal lines, which is rather uncharacteristic for the band. The form of the main motif contains a pinch of good old Clapton’s “slowhand”.
Taken as a whole, “Clan Destiny” is perhaps a calmer album than “Bona Fide” (the art of making an even calmer album than an already calm predecessor), with even more acoustics. Still, the feeling it leaves is definitely not far from “Bona Fide”. It doesn’t impress quite as strongly as its predecessor did with its freshness in this genre, precisely because of some obvious similarities. For instance, the absence of Hammond organs is surprising, while there’s once again more “slide” guitar. However I look at it, “Clan Destiny” is another excellent album. Technically flawless, it has the magic and all the recognizable character of today’s incarnation of this legendary band, who, after all these years, are actually shockingly surprising in how well they’ve preserved their roots, or rather their loyalty to the traditional sound they created in the seventies. Real Wishbone Ash fans will undoubtedly be charmed by “Clan Destiny” once again.
Lineup
Andy Powell – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin
Muddy Manninen – backing vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, “slide” guitar, “lap steel” guitar
Bob Skeat – bass guitar, piano, clavinet, backing vocals
Ray Weston – drums, percussion
Production
Andy Powell
Track list
1. Eyes Wide Open (5:14)
2. Dreams Outta Dust (4:26)
3. Healing Ground (4:24)
4. Steam Town (4:02)
5. Loose Change (4:47)
6. Surfing a Slow Wave (3:48)
7. Slime Time (4:53)
8. Capture the Moment (3:30)
9. Your Dog (3:32)
10. The Raven (4:45)
11. Motherless Child (4:06)
Album length: 47:19
