March 1990
Wishbone Ash appears in the former East Germany at the East Meets West concert in Berlin. On return, the band film a television concert for Thames TV at London's Town and Country Club.

 

July 1990
Wishbone Ash begin work on their next studio album. The band record at Andy Powell's Buckinghamshire home - Ivy Lane Farm - using equipment from Martin Turner's home studio. However, during early sessions for the album, Steve Upton quits the band due to personal problems. He subsequently quits the music business and now manages Miles Copeland's chateux in the south of France - a very sad loss to the industry. Steve Upton is replaced by Robbie France (ex-Diamond Head, UFO, Ellis Beggs and Howard and also a leading drum clinician)

 

August-October 1990
The new line-up undertakes a major UK tour.

 

November 1990
Recording for the new album continues at Ivy Lane Farm. Robbie France is replaced by Ray Weston, a noted figure on the London studio scene who had previously worked with Martin Turner. Both Wetson and France feature on the album.

 

April 21st 1991
Strange Affair - Wishbone Ash's sixteenth studio album and their third for IRS - is released. Highlights among the album's ten tracks include "Wings of Desire", "Ssome Conversation" and "Standing in the Rain".

 

April-June 1991
Wishbone Ash tour Europe, the UK and Japan. The concert at London's Walthamstow Assembly Hall on May 16th sees Laurie Wisefield making a guest appearance with the band for two songs, "Living Proof" and "Jailbait".

  

September 1991
Windsong International issue "BBC Radio One In Concert", an archive recording of Wishbone Ash live at the BBC's Paris Studios, London in 1972.

 

October 1st 1991

On his 44th birthday, Martin Turner receives a phone call from Andy Powell informing him his services are no longer required. Wishbone Ash continues with former sideman Andy Pyle filling the bass position. Martin returns to studio and production work. Projects for Martin following this split include the album In The Flesh by Roy Hollingworth, a former music journalist turned songwriter, as well as sessions with Simon Townshend (Pete's brother).

 

April 1993
MCA USA release Time Was - The Wishbone Ash Collection - a 2CD compilation of the band's output recorded between 1970 and 1981. The set receives much criticism for its inconsistent liner notes and inner picture of the 'current band' - which does not appear on the album. On a positive note, the set features a previously unreleased 1971 studio version of "Where Were You Tomorrow" as well as Martin Turner's remixes of the Argus tracks.

 

January 1994

Ted Turner announces his second departure from Wishbone Ash, truly signalling the end of the reunion period. Sources close to the band reveal that Ted and Andy Powell have differed over business and musical direction. Ray Weston and Andy Pyle are also replaced as Andy Powell forms a new incarnation of Wishbone Ash.

 

April 1994
John Sherry, former manager and agent of Wishbone Ash, passes away in London following a short illness.

 

 

December 1995
Live at the BBC is released through Band of Joy. A compilation of several BBC sessions covering the years 1971, 1972 and 1977, Although eagerly awaited by fans, the album disappointmented many, with a short running time and sub-bootleg sound quality on certain tracks.

 

September 1996

Martin Turner mixes previously unreleased archive live and studio material from the classic periods for inclusion on a forthcoming Wishbone Ash boxed set from Repertoire records of Germany.

 

November 1996
Martin Turner releases his debut solo album Walking the Reeperbahn - a collection of fourteen previously unreleased tracks spanning the period 1981-96. The album sees Glenn Turner contributing guitar to several tracks - 27 years after the demise of the Empty Vessels/Tanglewood. Other featured musicians include Dutch guitarist Robin Berlin and Wishbone Ash members Ray Weston, Steve Upton and Andy Powell. The album is released through Martin's own label Dirty Dog Discs, but is eventually repackaged through Voiceprint.

 

January 1997
Live Timeline is released through Receiver Records. The album features extracts from a 1991 concert in Nagoya, performed by Martin, Ted, Andy and Ray Weston. in addition to BBC Session tracks from the early seventies recorded by the original line-up. As with other subsequent CDs containing archive material assembled under Andy Powell's directive, Martin Turner, Ted Turner and Steve Upton did not authorise the use of their performances on this release.

 

August 1997
MCA issue The Best of Wishbone Ash - a single CD compilation of classic Wishbone Ash tracks from the classic period. The sleeve includes a picture of Andy Powell alongside later member Roger Filgate, who did not appear on the bulk of the album's tracks, at the expense of any photos of the classic line-ups.

 

September 1997
German company Repertoire release a 4CD boxed set of Wishbone Ash material entitled Distillation. The most comprehensive anthology of the band's career to dtae, the set featured remastered classic material in addition to previously unreleased live recordings and studio outtakes mixed by Martin Turner.

 

December 1997
Martin Turner makes a promotional appearance in Poland to publicise bothDistillation and Walking The Reeperbahn.

 

January 1998
Andy Powell sounds out the various members of the Mk.2 Wishbone Ash line-up about the possibility of a reunion to honour his outstanding commitments. In principal both Martin Turner and Laurie Wisefield are interested, but not under the regime that exists - that of Wishbone Ash operating very much as Andy Powell's business endeavour and musicians being paid on a session basis. Powell pursues the reunion idea no further and forms a new line-up.