Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Peculiarly underrated album, March 4, 2001
This album's only failing was that it was the band's next release after the classic ARGUS -- it was always going to be a tough act to follow. The cover was also, by comparison, uninspired. Nice windswept hairdos, lads, but we preferred the medieval imagery of anonymous knights watching UFOs landing over Glastonbury.WISHBONE 4 suffered only because the band were determined not to duplicate ARGUS. In doing so, they perhaps reverted to the boogie style of their first two albums. There are some great rockers on this album, alternating with some softer tracks, all of them sprinkled with anthemic solos from the dual guitars of Andy Powell and Ted Turner. The sound quality on my MCA/BMG copy of the CD is not tremendous, particularly the drums, which are very dull and muffled. The album reached No. 12 in the US, and the loyal fan base persuaded the band to become UK tax exiles there! This is a good album, and the only reason for not buying this version is that the equally good follow-up THERE'S THE RUB seems now to be available only as a twin-set with this album. I would recommend buying that.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Famous, May 21, 2002
Listening to Wishbone Four after completely having forgotten about it for nearly 25 years, I discovered my long-held suspicions were confirmed: Wishbone Ash exemplifies the archetypical boogie band portrayed in Cameron Crowe's infamously hilarious "Almost Famous." In other words, Wishbone Four is so thoroughly Seventies that it's amazing the album has escaped public notice for as long as it has. Aside from the dated production value--sadly, the album hasn't been re-mastered, an oversight that results in a muted, sometimes muddy sound--Wishbone Four is practically a primer for what actually occurred in "hard rock" during an era most tend to associate with its arch nemisis: disco.Many songs in Wishbone Four seem precursors to sounds honed by latter groups like Bad Company, Foreigner and Bob Seeger's Silver Bullet Band. There are also similarities to the Grateful Dead, early Fleetwood Mac and even King Crimson to be heard in Wishbone's first of several failed attempts to become a singles band. Unlike Wishbone's previous three recordings, songs are shorter and often catchier as well. But this attempt to shift from extended improvizations to rifs filled with hooks doubtless contributes to a number of problems that force listeners to focus on Wishbone's uneven songwriting rather than exquisite musicianship, its primary advantage. Gone are the long-winded wendings through dreamy instrumental soundscapes, and unfortunately the outcome also forces listeners to compare Wishbone with groups known for sharper songwriting. Some listeners may decide that Wishbone Four seems dated, and in some ways it's true. Wishbone Ash was so influential during its early-Seventies reign that details like the structure of guitar solos, the outcome of various distortion techniques and vocal inflections that have next to nothing to do with emulating black singing create the illusion that this is something you've heard before. Most likely, however, Wishbone Ash--always known in its heyday as a trend-setter and experimenter--was the first group to employ these tactics.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the BEST!, November 26, 1999
I had purchased this album years ago and have loved it ever since. This is problably one of the greatest albums to have come out of this era. This band never got the recognition the richly deserved. If you really love GOOD music, this is a MUST BUY!
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is Wishbone Ash's 
