In the early days of Wishbone Ash, they grew steadily until time for their 4th album, Wishbone Four, to release. Although the album was not like Argus, it was definitely a step forward for the band. It was a great attempt to not be pigeon-holed with a singular identity. The band moved steadily forward but the press wasn’t as kind. Fast forward to today, the name of Wishbone Ash is still a strength with fans, generating defining box sets and past live shows.
On May 27, Madfish Records, the company that produced the extraordinary Vintage Years boxed set for Wishbone Ash, will return with a new box. Called Living Proof (Live Recordings 1976 to 1980), it will feature five shows pulled from the personal collections of Martin Turner and Andy Powell. The five included shows are from the New England tour, Just Testing tour, No Smoke Without Fire tour, and Front Page News tour as follows:
- Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, October 03, 1976 (New England tour)
- Usher Hall, Edinburgh, November 18, 1976 (New England tour)
- Marquee, London, October 29, 1977 (Front Page News tour)
- Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, October 30, 1978 (No Smoke Without Fire tour)
- Civic Hall, Guildford, February 12, 1980 (Just Testing tour)
The Boxed set will feature these five shows over ten vinyl LPs as performed by the Mark II lineup (Martin Turner, Steve Upton, Andy Powell, Laurie Wisefield). A richly detailed booklet will accompany the box that contains invaluable notes and track-by-track discussion. Living Proof will be limited to 1000 copies only with an included numbered certificate of authenticity. Of the five shows, one has not been heard and is exclusive to this set (Tokyo). See the video below for a grand view of what the box will contain. Hopefully, there will be a CD Box soon.
Pre-order link is here.
Living Proof (Live Recordings 1976 to 1980) – Wishbone Ash
LP1/LP2 (Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, October 3, 1976 [New England tour])
Side A
01 Runaway
02 The King Will Come
03 Warrior
Side B
01 Lorelei
02 Persephone
Side C
01 Candlelight
02 In All Of My Dreams (You Rescue Me)
03 Outward Bound
Side D
01 Mother Of Pearl
02 Rest In Peace
03 It Started In Heaven
LP3/LP4 (Usher Hall, Edinburgh, November 18, 1976 [New England tour])
Side A
01 Runaway
02 The King Will Come
03 Warrior
Side B
01 Lorelei
02 Persephone
03 (In All Of My Dreams) You Rescue Me
Side C
01 Outward Bound
02 Mother Of Pearl
03 Rest In Peace
Side D
01 Time Was
02 Bad Weather Blues
03 Jail Bait
LP5/LP6 (Marquee Club, London, October 29, 1977 [Front Page News tour])
Side A
01 Blind Eye
02 Lady Whiskey
03 The King Will Come
04 Warrior
Side B
01 Throw Down The Sword
02 Front Page News
03 Sometime World
Side C
01 Goodbye Baby Hello Friend
02 Runaway
03 Phoenix
Side D
01 Jail Bait
02 Blowin` Free
03 Bad Weather Blues
LP7/LP8 (Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, October 30, 1978 [No Smoke Without Fire tour])
Side A
01 The King Will Come
02 Warrior
03 Errors Of My Way
Side B
01 You See Red
02 F*U*B*B
03 Anger In Harmony
Side C
01 The Way Of The World
02 Time Was
03 Runaway
Side D
01 Lady Whiskey
02 Jail Bait
03 Queen Of Torture
04 Blowin` Free
LP9/LP10 (Civic Hall, Guildford, February 12, 1980 [Just Testing tour])
Side A
01 Doctor
02 Blind Eye
03 The Way Of The World
Side B
01 Living Proof
02 The King Will Come
03 Lifeline
Side C
01 Insomnia
02 Blowin` Free
03 Queen Of Torture
04 Helpless
Side D
01 Jail Bait
02 Bad Weather Blues
03 Too Much Monkey Business