Wishbone Ash-Illuminations (1996)

After more than five years away from releasing new music, Wishbone Ash returned in 1996 with "Illuminations", their seventeenth studio album. By this point, the British band had undergone numerous lineup changes, with guitarist and singer Andy Powell being the only remaining member of the original and most iconic lineup. The rest of the band consisted of Roger Filgate (guitars, bass, and keyboards), Tony Kishman (vocals), and Mike Sturgis (drums), in addition to guest keyboardists Mark Templeton, Paul Avgerinos, and Mike Mindel. While the absence of some classic members like Ted and Martin Turner caused some doubts among fans about the future of this new work, the truth is that despite this, the revamped group presents a series of songs that could almost perfectly fit on some of their best recordings from the 70s. Tracks like "Mountainside" with its whirlwind rhythm of harmonic guitars, the vibrant "Top of the World", the vintage and incisive "No Joke", the sarcastic "Mystery Man" or the tour de force "Tales of the Wise", capture the substantial essence of the early and legendary Wishbone Ash.