Although the photos are low quality Polaroids, they capture the feel and excitement of the time and are wonderful to view now 30 years later. Keith with a machine gun? What more can you say? Not many have survived that to tell the tale, let alone live to exhibit a photo of it!
To fully view the photos, click on the thumbnails below. To really enjoy them, please read the text below to put the photos in the proper context and learn more about the circumstances in which they were taken, and the man himself that took 'em. Also perhaps you can help us date exactly when these were from? We believe the shot of Keith with the machine gun is from December of 1971 in Texas (perhaps prior or after the gig in Dallas on December 2nd). The live shots may also be from that concert, OR based on what Pete is wearing I believe the photos may be from a show on July 25, 1970 at Civic Hall, Dunstable, UK! Read on for more info....
| Keith with a machine gun | Pete goes into guitar smashing mode | This guitar has milliseconds to live! | Nice boots! |
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For those Who fans who don't know about Andy and are not familiar with Wishbone Ash, a history lesson is in order. Ash are a "classic" rock band that started out in England in the late 60's during the glory days of rock'n'roll. Their trademark is a twin harmony lead guitar sound coupled with tasteful melodic rock songs that vary from all out rockers to slow ballads and everything in between.
The band reached their peak of critical and commercial success in the 1970s and topped the UK charts with the release of the mystical sounding "ARGUS" album in 1972. They became a very popular band in Britain and played numerous shows in large arenas to sellout crowds all over the world.
The band has undergone numerous lineup changes over the last 30 years, including a short-lived reformation of the original lineup in late 1980s, with Andy Powell being the only original member to have served in every lineup. Longtime Ash fans will disagree regarding what is their favorite period of the band, as all of the different lineups have something to offer musically.
The band remains active to this day and has released over 30 albums. Definitely worth a listen for anyone curious in checking out the Ash sound. Of course anyone discovering the band now needs to go back and pickup most everything in their large back catalog! Personal favorites of mine are WISHBONE ASH, ARGUS, LIVE DATES, THERE'S THE RUB, NEW ENGLAND, NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE, LIVE DATES VOLUME II, HEAR TO HERE, STRANGE AFFAIR, THE ASH LIVE IN CHICAGO, ILLUMINATIONS, LIVE IN GENEVA, LIVE DATES VOLUME III, and BONA FIDE.
For a much more detailed history and up to date news about Wishbone Ash, please visit the official Wishbone Ash website at http://www.wishboneash.com
Andy grew up in the London area as a mod and fan of The Who, and was in several bands prior to Wishbone Ash that opened for his mod heroes The Who and even The Small Faces in the very early days. Sharing the recording label at the time (MCA), Wishbone Ash went on to open for The Who at several concerts in the UK, and also filling the support band for a few shows on various world tours. I'd imagine that must not be easy work there, performing for Who fans waiting "patiently" for their champions to assault the stage!
Andy attended one of the 2002 Who shows at Madison Square Garden and waxed nostalgic about the old days of The Who on the Ash website recently. This explains some of the story behind the photos above.
"Summer reading on the hammock has included the biography of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher, which I can thoroughly recommend. After John Entwistle’s recent passing, I was put in a very nostalgic mood about all things to do with The Who. My mother coincidentally brought over from England recently, a box of photos, which included shots of them on stage, which I'd taken, during the 1971 US tour (our first) during which we opened for them. There was a really special shot of Keith Moon breaking into my hotel room with a Thompson machine gun, demanding, "your money or your wife". Pauline was on tour with me at that time. I grabbed a camera and caught him in full 'loon' mode.
I was prompted to remember the first time I ever clapped eyes on the band as a 14 year old when my band the Dekois got the opening slot for the Who when they played the Watford Trade Hall (which sadly, has just been demolished). They were called the High Numbers at this time, having tried out the name The Who and finding it a bit too ‘far out’. You can imagine the impact on a wide - eyed 14year old, fledgling Mod. They had the first Marshall stacks I’d ever seen, Rickenbackers, curly guitar leads and a dressing room full of stage clothes - It was the’big time’ as far as I was concerned. Oh, and they all arrived in a Ford Transit minibus... really big time. I later saw them at the Dacorum College, Hemel Hempstead. Townshend destroyed his guitar and they had a light show by this time - awesome.
The Who’s influence, which I lapped up, surfaced later in our music, with songs like Time Was, Doctor, Perfect Timing. Steve Upton [ASH DRUMMER] took the full brunt of Moonie's madness one night in 1970, at the music business insiders club, the Speakeasy. We had finished our set and all the rock hierarchy was there. Moonie asked to sit in on drums. Steve had just debuted his brand new, champagne - pink sparkle, drum set. After Moon’s number which I can’t remember - it might have been I saw her Standing There or something - he just simply got up and walked through this beautiful kit, much to Steve’s chagrin. Later on the US Tour Moon made it up to Steve by commiserating over a bottle of Courvoisier.
Well, fast forward to last night when I went to Madison Square Garden and caught them minus Entwistle of course, but with Bob Skeat’s [ASH BASSIST] hero, Pino Palladino, on bass and Zak Starkey on drums. It was still a spectacle like no other. Robert Plant had opened the evening’s entertainment with a musically interesting set, full of Eastern promise, but it took the ‘OO to inject that missing ingredient - Rock & Roll. They personify it and they still have it. People sometimes forget that this band almost single - handedly invented the Stadium Rock genre with their use of musical dynamics, improved sound systems and lighting rigs."
I talked to Andy about his early daze in rock'n'roll and his memories of The Who, and we've been trying to figure out exactly where and when the photos above originated. This is no easy task as memories fade over the years, not to mention the various party indulgences that went on back then. Andy and his wife Pauline are pretty sure that the machine gun shot of Keith was taken at a hotel in Texas, and thinks the concert photos are from that gig (Dallas 12/2/71), but I noticed that Pete is wearing his tie-dyed boiler suit that I've only seen in photos of Pete from the 1970 tour, not 1971. Did Pete wear that suit in 1971 on the USA tour? Anyone know for sure?
My research has led me to consult various sites around the 'net in addition to such Who books as the new (and highly recommended) "ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE", "THE WHO CONCERT FILE", "THE WHO LIVE", "MAXIMUM R&B", and Wishbone Ash books "BLOWING FREE - 30 YEARS OF WISHBONE ASH', and Andy Powell's own book "THE ILLUSTRATED COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO WISHBONE ASH".
Using clues of documented tour dates for both bands (not complete or 100% accurate by any means), photos of The Who from various years looking for Pete in the tie-dye, trying to spot a similar looking stage in the photos, etc, my guess is that the concert shots may be from July 25, 1970 at Civic hall, Dunstable, UK. That show definitely had both Wishbone Ash as the opening band, and featured Pete not only in the boiler suit but also is documented to have been the death of a smashed SG! Just like Andy's photos!
Speaking of Andy's "THE ILLUSTRATED COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO WISHBONE ASH", in that book I found the following stories regarding being on the road with The Who, that shed even more light on the Keith Moon machine gun break-in and other Who related stories.
"This tour was booked by a promoter Miles [Copeland - band manager] had met, sporting the unlikely moniker of Ron Sunshine. He did however, manage to secure us an opening spot on several shows with The Who. This was a full-blown American rock tour with all the accoutrements. The Who treated us like gentlemen and it was fascinating to see how they handled themselves up close, especially for me, an ardent Who fan since my mod days back in England, where I'd seen them as the High Numbers and even managed to open for them, years earlier, at Watford Trade hall.
There was much road-madness in evidence, particularly from Moon, who broke into my room one night dressed in a full tie-dyed outfit, and held Pauline and myself "in terror" in our bed while brandishing a Thompson submachine gun. In actual fact he was searching the rooms for the redoubtable Mr. Sunshine, who had been an earlier promoter of The Who and was about to get his "just deserts" for his trouble. Mad Moon exited our room with mumbled apologies to us and shouts of "SUNSHINE, WHERE ARE YOU?" but not before I snapped him with a camera that I'd left beside the bed.
Everyone has a Moon story, but earlier on the tour he'd made his peace with Steve Upton concerning an earlier incident, over a bottle of Remy Martin. Steve's beautiful champagne-sparkle drum kit had been destroyed during an impromptu jam session Moon had with us at the Speakeasy club in London, some months before. At the end of the performance Moon had taken a theatrical bow and had merely exited the stage by walking "through" the kit!
Performing on massive P.A. systems with full-stage lighting and seeing through The Who, the potential of the big statement a rock band can make, the tour gave us great experience for mounting our own shows later on."
Via the miracle of modern day communications (email) Andy has shared some other memories of those days, further filling in some of the stories above and relaying new gems. What great memories of his mis-spent youth as a rock star!
"There are numerous anecdotes but when we came to the States for the first time, our datesheet fell apart so we were stuck in this nice hotel on the beach in Wildwood New Jersey for about a week waiting to get on the Who tour. Miles Copeland had met with this funny promoter guy named Ron Sunshine who had inexplicably got a coupla shows with the Who and we were given the big sell on Ron. When we finally joined the tour Ron was in mortal fear of Moony who was threatening to dismember him due to some dodgy financial issues on a previous date. (They hadn't got paid) . I think Moon was very useful for the band and their organisation in this way because he was totally unpredictable and without fear. It was pretty funny to hear Moon in his Robert Newton as Long John Silver voice marauding around the hotel screaming for Ron who was literally sh..tting himself in a room with Miles.
Of course the tour was rock & roll mayhem. I remember Townshend and Moon doing their hilarious Goon sketches back at the hotel. At that time they could have done their own stand-up comedy routine, no problem. There were a fleet of limos, girls everywhere. Roger was in his element, Entwistle was filming everything. At one point during the gig I photographed they brought up on stage their aged limo driver to sing a song. Hilarious stuff..
It was hot 'cause i remember Townshend vaulting off the balcony on the 2nd floor of one Holiday Inn we were at and diving in the pool. Seems like it was down south or in the mid west.
Later when back in London, I was travelling up the Kings Rd, Chelsea in a black cab and saw Moon and Vivian Stanshall from the Bonzos, in full SS Officer's uniform goosestepping down the street just to outrage people (talk about politically incorrect - doesn't even come close to it)."
I want to thank Andy very much for sharing his photos and thoughts with us. Who fans that are not familiar with Wishbone Ash's music would be wise to check out their back catalog and catch them live in their town when the opportunity arises - they ROCK! Please visit the band's website for concert dates and merchandise information, and tell 'em Slipkid sent ya!
| Wishbone Ash on the road circa 1971 (photo courtesy Andy Powell) | Andy Powell from 1983, my first live Ash gig | Andy live on stage at the Mansfield 2002 Ashcon |
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See some Wishbone Ash Photos from my personal collection
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