Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Wishbone Ash
Label: MCA Records
Released: 1981
Rating: 3.5/5
In 1981, right before recording »Number the Brave«, English art/hard rock masters Wishbone Ash found themselves at a major turning point in their career. After »Just Testing« (1980), a commendable return to their sonic roots, MCA wanted the legendary outfit to steer into slightly more commercial waters and pay more attention to the musical trends of the day. So they started seriously toying with the idea of bringing in a lead singer, while founding member Martin Turner would, according to the original plan, only handle bass duties. Turner wasn’t having it, and in the end he’d rather leave Wishbone Ash than give up singing after all those years and ‘step into the background’.
The remaining members of the band, namely guitarist/vocalist Andy Powell, guitarist/vocalist Laurie Wisefield and drummer Steve Upton, brought in the already legendary John Wetton (ex-Mogul Thrash, Family, Renaissance, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Roxy Music, UK) to take his place, which at first looked like a real coup and the best possible replacement for Turner. Ironically, Wetton ended up singing on just one »Number the Brave« track, »That’s All«, even though he was offering them plenty of other, far better songs he’d written in the early eighties, including »Here Comes The Feeling«.
Powell and Wisefield couldn’t have cared less about Wetton’s enviable prog rock reputation and star status, so they took most of the vocals on »Number the Brave« themselves, while the guest backing vocals once again went to singer Claire Hamill, who joined Wishbone Ash on their 1981 tour as a (short-lived) full-fledged member. A mistake, because »Here Comes The Feeling« and Wetton’s other songwriting proposals became huge hits a year later, when he co-founded the prog/AOR supergroup Asia. Interestingly, Wetton also contributed a few synthesizer textures to »Number the Brave«.
Despite a few poor songwriting decisions and choices, »Number the Brave« was still a solid album as a whole. Quality-wise it was a somewhat inconsistent effort, since it has a rather limp opening stretch, but things pick up noticeably from there, and the title track, the closer and »Open Road« even rank among the best things Wishbone Ash ever did. The seasoned veterans, working under producer Nigel Gray (best known for his work with The Police and Godley & Creme), who was involved in all of their somewhat harder-rocking albums of the first half of the eighties, didn’t tinker much with their long-standing, successful formula of dual guitar harmonies and epic melodies, while varying their style quite a bit from track to track on »Number the Brave«.
The opener »Loaded«, built around a bluesy guitar phrase while a quality but, in this sonic context, ill-fitting female backing vocal plays in the background, has a pretty annoying chorus. Despite some quality guitar improvisations, the song doesn’t develop atmospherically anywhere. This desperate attempt to make the band sound modern comes off as rather forced and doesn’t bode well for the rest of the album. The tired boogie/blues rocker »Where Is The Love«, where Powell and Wisefield complement each other nicely on lead vocals and in coordinating the guitar harmonies, is also rhythmically and atmospherically dull, and noticeably below the usual Wishbone Ash songwriting standards.
The bad impression left by the two opening tracks slowly fades with the very solid ballad »Underground«, the first song on »Number the Brave« where the band sounds like the ‘real’ Wishbone Ash again. They pull it off with melancholic guitar harmonies and epic, multi-part vocal lines, their longtime trademarks. Powell is especially impressive on lead vocals this time, while Wisefield delivers some ethereal touches on slide guitar. »Kicks On The Street«, which successfully combines both of Wishbone Ash’s signature sides, the epic-pastoral and the bluesy hard rock, is far from bad either. Excellent vocal harmonies hold up a spirited melody, while the epic-sounding guitar passages create a distinctive atmospheric drama. The rhythm section is working full steam here too, with Upton throwing in some brilliant drum fills, while Wetton’s complex bass lines finally come into their own.
With its desert vibe of the American (Mid)west and dusty cowboy saloons, »Open Road« is a classic and the only song from »Number the Brave« that still likes to turn up in the Wishbone Ash live set today, which clearly speaks to its quality. Powell is once again impressive as lead singer, with a witty, blues-tinged guitar phrase up front that sets the stage for the nostalgic dual harmonies. Of everything on the album, »Open Road« has stood the test of time best. Wishbone Ash would also go on to make quite a few songs from a similar sonic recipe later in their career. »Get Ready« is a cover of American singer Smokey Robinson, which points to a lack of their own songwriting ideas, and also to the label’s pressure at the time to sound as commercial as possible and maybe land a hit. Even though it’s a quality cover with all the key Wishbone Ash sonic finesses, a bitter aftertaste remains, especially given that the whole thing could have turned out quite differently had they taken Wetton’s songwriting proposals on board.
On the hard rock-oriented »Rainstorm«, where the tempo is set by sharpened guitar passages that already foreshadowed the almost metallic direction of the next two Wishbone Ash albums, Wisefield takes the lead vocal, with generous backing from his two fellow singers. The middle section brings in the characteristic dual harmonies, which nicely liven up the punchy, uncompromising nature of this composition. »That’s That« was, as mentioned, the only song with Wetton on lead vocals, and he wrote it too. His lone vocal and songwriting effort, set to an up-tempo pace, is nothing special, especially considering how many better songs he wrote for Asia’s self-titled debut. Amid the fierce guitar passages he barely gets any room for his otherwise excellent vocal skills, and on top of that the song has a nondescript chorus with zero commercial potential.
The solid »Roller Coaster«, with its bluesy passages and splendid vocal contributions, has a similar, slightly sleepy and nostalgic atmosphere to »Open Road«, while the guitar duo once again delights with perfectly synchronized harmonies that can’t leave anyone cold. The closing title track is a pleasant surprise, an epic piece under the noticeable influence of some classic seventies Wishbone Ash material, even though it features Wetton’s synthesizer textures, which belonged completely to the eighties. In this sonic context they don’t sound bad at all, and they actually boost the majestic atmosphere, along with the phenomenally sung vocal lines under Powell’s lead, while the three-part harmonies are a real feast for the ears this time. This excellent closer leaves a very good impression and lifts the album’s overall rating by at least a notch, which is why it’s a shame they don’t remember it more often at their gigs.
Wishbone Ash boldly stepped into a new era with »Number the Brave«, an album that, despite its transitional nature, is undeniably an overlooked achievement. The album as a whole is still thrilling, in spite of a few less inspired moments where they unsuccessfully tried to update their sound. Wetton, as expected, didn’t stick around long in Wishbone Ash and left even before the »Number the Brave« tour started, so he could kick off the incredibly successful story called Asia. The remaining three members, who under the influence of the NWOBHM scene of the time opted for a short-lived, somewhat more metal-leaning direction, had no choice but to look for a new bassist, in the form of Trevor Bolder (sadly no longer with us) (Uriah Heep, David Bowie, The Spiders From Mars).
Line-up
Andy Powell – vocals, guitar, vocals
Laurie Wisefield – vocals, guitar, slide guitar
John Wetton – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards
Steve Upton – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Claire Hamill – backing vocals
Gasper Lawal – percussion
Production
Nigel Gray
Tracklist
1. Loaded (4:10)
2. Where Is The Love (3:20)
3. Underground (4:10)
4. Kicks On The Street (4:15)
5. Open Road (5:15)
6. Get Ready (3:15)
7. Rainstorm (4:50)
8. That’s That (3:00)
9. Rollercoaster (3:20)
10. Number The Brave (4:55)
