Even the most loyal fan won’t be able to fill half a shelf with books about WISHBONE ASH, as there’s not a lot of those apart from a tome penned by bassist Martin Turner and an autobiography of guitarist Andy Powell – yet this will change on August 30th with the publishing of “No Easy Road”: the first official volume dedicated to the quartet’s touring life between 1970 and 1980. It’s a limited-run coffee table title whose 216 pages are filled with photographs from such masters as Jill Furmanovsky and Barry Plummer and images from the musicians’ private archives and contributions from the two aforementioned players as well as drummer Steve Upton and axeman Laurie Wisefield, all of whom also signed the ensemble photo that accompanies each copy.
Each copy of the book is housed in a rigid slipcase to protect the collector’s item and comprise a 10-track CD with a recording of the foursome’s 1975 concert in Holland, preserved for posterity to be broadcast by KRO-NCRV back in the day. Not a cheap thing but true fans are bound to want it. As for the CD, the disc goes like this:
No Easy Road
1. Introduction
2. Phoenix / Rest In Peace
3. The King Will Come
4. The Warrior
5. Trust In You
6. Persephone
7. Half Past Lovin’
8. Time Was
9. Blowin’ Free
10. Bad Weather Blues / Phoenix
