![[Photo]](../pictures/ownpics/hh-hs-2.jpg)
![[Deciphered version]](../pictures/ownpics/hh-hs-1.jpg)
None at the moment.
As I do "confess" on my personal homepage, this was the time for a rebirth. In the September of 1989 I had the luck to find a newspaper article that mentioned this album. Unusual - but true in this case - I did find this album in the local record shop! This was the first Wishbone Ash album that I did buy in CD format. From that on it was a joyride. I think the "best" day was in the summer of 1993. Then I had been in a Neil Young concert in Helsinki and returned home with quite a few Wishbone Ash CD releases that I’d bought during the visit: "Wishbone Ash" (first album), "Argus", "Live Dates" and "Time Was - The Wishbone Ash Collection". That was the fastest train ride from Helsinki to Kokkola I’ve ever made. Most of the trip did pass by listening to my new CD records with my portable CD player.
"Milou’s favorite tune" was our family’s inside joke about this one. Milou was our pet cat at the time Here to Hear was released. I still think the guitars do "meow" now and then... Sad to say, Milou was run over by a car, but he will always be remembered when this song is played.
Seriously, this was a fine start after I had to play the same records over and over again for 8 years or more (the previous new album I’d seen was Number The Brave in 1981).
I still get goosebumps after the second chorus when Ted’s solo builds up and Andy joins in for a double lead part. Who’s more worthy of an unforgettable solo than one’s own mother. May she rest in peace.
The intro would be perfect for an ice hockey club. When they score, the intro would be played.. What a morale builder with a little "tongue-in-the-cheek" in it... The finale is "wacky" too; it is among the list of my favourite ones.
The guitars do jingle very interestingly. Is it rhythm guitar or lead guitar style? No, it’s something in between. Very "Wishbone Ashy". The lyrics do tell a grim story. Maybe Martin sings out of real life experience? Like the old songs based on "true stories" (Lady Whiskey etc.).
Hey these guys have matured! Only guys with some years of experience would have the background and courage to write lyrics about so simple an idea and still sound convincing. Even the arrangement shows the maturity of these guys; the solos are quite tasty and fit the story perfectly. Have I heard Steve play bongos ever before? Not bad, not bad at all.
What an intro! Reminds me of "The King Will Come" with its slow build up and march-like drumming. Another "sad" song and it seems like Martin has the honour of presenting all the "unhappy" ones while Ted concentrates on optimism.
Maybe the best of Ted’s songs on this album. His lyrics/singing seem to be based on an honest opinion: "why don't we open our eyes...". His guitar solos match the story too. The team members back up the song perfectly: The bass solo by Martin in the middle and especially Andy’s "reply" is one of the gems in this record.
An instrumental! That’s what I’ve been waiting for! How many overdubbed guitars are there? How many ideas lavished again on only one track? Although F*U*B*B is the crown jewel when it comes to spending ideas on a single track, this isn’t far behind.
Martin’s beautiful vocals and melodic bass guitar builds this one up. Part one does have a very peaceful pace, but the expectations rise: maybe the second part is built on "Wishbone Ash guitar and drum orgy".
Just like in the old times: a two part song with "wild" bass and lead guitar solos in the second part. And what kind of solos! I’ve never heard this kind of sound on the guitars before. And Steve building up the speed with his drum fills. Very tasty! The whole album ends with the same riff played with guitars that Martin played with his bass in the beginning of the first part. Nice!
On the 14th of November in 1989 there was an article in Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest daily newspaper in Finland, about the merging of East and West Germany. Among the pictures in the article there’s one with a pram beside a brick wall. The house is/was called Giessen, according to the article.
| On the wall, there’s a poster that’s almost unreadable (the poster is quite small in the picture and the printing quality is typical for newspapers). | The contents of the poster was deciphered with the kind help of Wolfgang Schmidt. Here's what it says: |
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| (The time may also be: 20.30). |
Written by: Rainer Frilund - Last update: Sep, 1998