Ashbury-Endless Skies (1983)

Ashbury are another of those forgotten bands, buried in time, who released a legendary debut album in 1983, a true gem for fans of classic 70s hard rock. Related to the epic sound of Wishbone Ash, the vocal melodies of the Eagles or CSN, and the prog-folk mysticism of Jethro Tull, this band was actually a duo founded in Tucson, Arizona by brothers Randy and Rob Davies, both guitarists and singers. They founded Ashbury (not to be confused with the alternative rock band of the same name formed in 2005) after the breakup of the southern rock band Rigid Spur, in which Randy Davies played, in the late seventies. Once Rigid Spur disbanded, some of its members founded Ashbury South, where Rob Davies served as lighting technician. In the following years, the band gained a strong reputation in Arizona, performing in clubs and concert venues, and even winning a prestigious award from a Phoenix radio station for best live band in the entire state. By 1980, the Davis brothers decided to go solo and planned to record an album, using material they had been writing together over the past few years while with Ashbury South. The album that would finally be released in 1983, titled "Endless Skies", earned them another important award. This time, a famous Phoenix radio station proclaimed it the best rock album of 1983. "Endless Skies" is composed of a clever blend of southern rock, hard rock, and sounds very close to heavy metal with slight progressive touches, as demonstrated in "The Warning", where they show their inclination towards the heavier side of Jethro Tull, while in the melodic "Take Your Love Away", the epic, guitar-driven sounds of Wishbone Ash emerge. The heavy rock track "Vengeance", the country rock song "Madman", the epic and progressive "Hard Fight", and the southern-tinged "Mystery Man" make up an album as brilliant as it is classic. Special mention must be made of the title track of the album, a magnificent exercise in progressive and dynamic hard rock, where disparate influences are accommodated, with great vocal harmonies, delicate and melodic moments and the heavy heavy rock of the late 70s.