Endless Skies (1983)
Ashbury South were a hard rock band from Oklahoma that relocated to Tucson, Arizona before hitting the studio to release their sole album until modern times. Though released in 1983, the band's appearance, their overall sound, and album cover all look like it's still 1977. Musically Ashbury were all over the map, not atypical of the 70s aesthetic. A3 to A5 demonstrates this. 'Twilight' is a short instrumental acoustic guitar number. This is followed by 'Vengeance' that sounds every bit like Black Sabbath circa Sabotage. 'Madman' is similar to a more rocking America and then breaks into a sharp Outlaws styled guitar jam. 'Hard Fight' starts off the B side with what could pass for one of Kansas' more introspective compositions complete with an excellent guitar solo closer. 'No Mourning' is a very Southern rock instrumental with heavy emphasis on the guitar. It's this latter element that ultimately makes Endless Skies such an endearing album. The title track brings both the dog and the butterfly, with a nice mid-song heavy riff, plus a strong closing. I hear Ashbury as something quintessentially American and of its era. The can-do spirit of the 70s, with musicians putting everything they had into one private recording and hoping for the best. Ultimately Endless Skies was too late for the early 80s hard rock buying audience, one that had moved either to slick MTV styled rock, or embraced more aggressive metal positions. The varied approach Ashbury chose wasn't enough to catch the ears of those that mattered.
Ownership: 2019 High Roller (LP) Green vinyl. Has a lyric insert with a brief band history, plus a giant poster of the cool cover art. Also has an insert with the rather impressive amount of albums the German label High Roller had released up until that time.
6/24/11; 9/11/25 (acquired / review)
Ashbury reformed in the 2010's but I haven't heard anything else by the band.
9/11/25 (new entry)
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