JOHN WETTON

On January 31, 2017, singer/bassist John Wetton passed away at the age of 68 due to cancer. He had a career of over forty years in progressive rock music, playing with bands such as Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, U.K. and Asia, along with various collaborations and, of course, a glorious solo career. The news hit me hard at the time, as his impressive vocal range and unmistakable bass playing had always been to my liking. He is one of my absolute heroes.

His departure from Asia in 1992 gave him the opportunity to fully focus on his solo career. Although he had already released a solo album, "Caught In The Crossfire",in 1980, it didn't go beyond that at the time. The album discussed here, "Battle Lines", from 1994, marks the actual beginning of his solo career, so technically, it is not a debut. Well, duh.

In terms of accessibility, "Battle Lines" follows the path of Asia, but that's about it. Most of the compositions on the album belong to the top tier, such as the opener, Right Where I Wanted To Be. It is an exuberant track adorned with excellent guitar work by either Robert Fripp, Steve Lukather, or perhaps Michael Landau. It's nowhere to be found who plays where, apologies. Right Where I Wanted To Be is one of the many songs Wetton co-wrote with American keyboardist Bob Marlette and that combination is pure gold.

In that regard, listen carefully to the title track, Battle Lines. It had been a staple during concerts for many years. The song has all the ingredients to be considered brilliant. Subdued verses alternate with bombastic choruses that are further enhanced later in the song with majestic grand piano playing. Crime Of Passion, co-written by John Young, is another standout track. The saxophone-infused song is a mixture of intensity and release, something every album can benefit from.

Other gems include Hold Me Now and You're Not The Only One, ballads that are tailor-made for Wetton. His intense way of singing is incredibly fitting for the music. He exudes something natural that permeates the entire album, a charisma that instills confidence. Even in songs like Sand In My Hand, Sea Of Mercy and the drumless Walking On Air, he manages to draw you into the song. However, I don't want to overlook the excellent contributions of his guests. The guitar work in Space And Time is truly sublime, most likely a highlight by Steve Lukather. In fact, there are constantly enjoyable elements to be heard, although it must be said that Jane, with its brass sounds, sounds very much like the '80s.

With "Battle Lines" John Wetton created a fantastic starting point for his solo career. He subsequently released several more albums, each of which showcases unwavering quality.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

So here we go on what is probably quite a pointless review, as if you don't know who Wetton is then you will not be forking out the amount of money this costs, while if you are a diehard fan, you will simply have to get it as you will feel totally obliged. What we have here are 115 songs, more than 8 hours of music, containing all six of his studio albums ('Caught In The Crossfire', 'Battle Lines', 'Arkangel', 'Sinister', 'Rock of Faith', and 'Raised In Captivity') along with two CDs of previously unreleased material. Housed in a 12" by 12" box, this set includes a 64-page book with an introduction by Roger Dean and contains comprehensive sleeve notes by Nick Shilton, author of Wetton's biography, "An Extraordinary Life", published earlier this year. The book also features a raft of photographs taken from the Wetton archive and has been designed by John's long-time friend, Michael Inns.

That Wetton has been an incredibly important figure in the history of British progressive rock will never be in doubt, as his contribution to multiple bands and iconic albums can never be overlooked. But as with any artist there are highlights and lowlights, and while there is little here which is truly awful, there are also not many which make the listener stand back in awe (but there are definitely some). I first purchased a Wetton solo album back in the Eighties when I was on my quest to get everything which featured members of Jethro Tull. That album was his debut 'Caught in the Crossfire' (Martin Barre plays on it), released in 1980, and while the performances are great (Wetton's vocals are pure velvet) there is nothing here which compares with the 'Asia' album which was to come only two years later.

It was not until 1994 that he released another solo album, and while neither 'Battle Lines' nor 'Arkangel' are indispensable there are some wonderful songs on both of them, but if I was to point to an album of his from that period then it would be to the excellent 'Sub Rosa' live acoustic album which is sheer brilliance. Thanks to Martin Orford being in his band he was then introduced to the underground and his next two releases, 'Sinister and 'Rock of Faith' are a step up in so many ways. I lost track of what he was doing after that what with Icon and Asia so had not even realised he released another solo album in 2011, and this was the first time I had heard 'Raised In Captivity', which to my ears is not in the same league. As for the two CDs of unreleased (and in some places incomplete) material, then this will be of interest to the hardened fan only as while they are fine, there is nothing here which really stands out.

My personal view is that the two CDs should have been made available separately so fans could decide whether or not to invest in music they already have, and given I already own five of the six studio albums it is not something I would have done. I enjoyed listening to all of them again, but 8 hours is a lot of music from one singer and there were too many times when I lost track of where I was and couldn't tell if I had already played something or not as much of this just segued into each other. That it is a wonderful set and a great way of remembering one of our most important musicians is never in doubt, but I think I will just keep playing 'Sub Rosa' thanks.

The title "One Way or Another" have been taken from a song by British rockers Uriah Heep, home band of Keyboard player Ken Hensley, released on "High and Mighty" in June 1976, their ninth album, where John Wetton plays bass.

The sound quality is not precisely the best, even for a live recording, but, even so, this album has resulted in a very enjoyable listening experience for me. There's a good portion of quiet and mellow material (ok, yes: ballads!) where the great voice of Wetton shines in very good form. Even when the credit is equally shared by both artists, this sounds more like a solo performance of John Wetton, accompanied also by Ken Hensley.

As for the unnecessary, I should point at the versions of Asia songs, really underachieved.

Review Nº 366

The veteran progressive rock musician John Wetton has been involved in a true impressive array of musical ventures throughout his three decade career, culminating in this live performance for some two thousand fans in Krakow, Poland in 2003. 'Amorata' found John Wetton and his latest 'solo' band touring for their latest 'Rock Of Faith' release, a release that John Wetton himself described as more 'spiritual' than much of his previous progressive rock wandering.

'Amorata' is the second DVD of John Wetton and was released in 2003. It was taken from a live show filmed and recorded at the Studio Krzemionki, Krak'v, Poland, on 11 April 2003. Beyond the images of the concert, the DVD also includes a fully animated menu, artist's biography plus individual member's profiles, photo gallery, desktop images, web links, Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound and an interview with John Wetton. The set was filmed with multiple cameras showcasing each member of the band. On an interesting note about the interview of John Wetton, while John's fascinating candour of his face is taken, the video bumps and moves like a hand held audience bootleg video.

To release 'Amorata' John Wetton joined a small but very impressive punch of musicians to play with him. He invited the guitarist of Arena John Mitchell who played to a number of progressive rock bands such as It Bites, Kino, Frost* and The Urbane. He also invited Martin Orford, best known as the keyboardist and founder member of the progressive rock bands IQ and Jadis. However he was also involved in his solo career and appeared on the two first studio albums of Big Train. Finally, he also invited to play the drums, Steve Christey, who is the drummer of the neo- prog band Jadis.

So, the line up that appears on the DVD 'Amorata' is John Wetton (lead vocals, bass guitar and acoustic guitar), John Mitchell (backing vocals and guitars), Martin Orford (backing vocals and keyboards) and Steve Christey (drums).

The second DVD of John Wetton 'Amorata' has thirteen tracks. The set list contained on this DVD includes many of the classic tracks of some of the bands where John Wetton was member, as well as a couple of songs taken from John Wetton's solo musical career. So, from King Crimson we have: 'Red' and 'Starless' from 'Red', 'Book Of Saturday' and 'Easy Money' from 'Lark's Tongues In Aspic'. From Asia we have: 'Sole Survivor' and 'Heat Of The Moment' from 'Asia', and 'The Smile Has Left Your Eyes' from 'Alpha'. From UK we have: 'In The Dead Of Night' from UK and 'Rendez Vous 6.02' from 'Danger Money'. From John Wetton's solo albums, we have: 'Battle Lines' from 'Battle Lines', 'Emma' and 'After All' from 'Arkangel' and 'Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way' from 'Rock Of Faith'.

Beginning with 'Red', a very ambitious track from his earliest days with King Crimson in the 70's, Wetton flew into 'Soul Survivor', the third single and sleeper hit from Asia's popular self-titled debut album in 1982, 'Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way', the lone rep from 'Rock Of Faith', to the classic King Crimson's 'Book Of Saturday'. It was clear from the onset that Wetton's latest group is a talented cast of youthful yet seasoned players able to easily connect with the complexity of Wetton's musical roots, maintaining a fluidity and aura that equates and often exceeds the high bar of expectation previously established. Wetton's focus is revealed in a more 'personal' nature with songs like 'Emma', an emotional ballad from his 'Arkangel' release that precedes the equally stirring 'The Smile Has Left Your Eyes', from Asia's 'Alpha' album. The energy returns quickly with 'In The Dead Of Night', another influential moment, this time from his later work with the band U.K. This is one of the less obscure tracks and a widely held blueprint for many of today's popular Prog/Metal acts like Dream Theater and Fates Warning. The prolific 'Easy Money' follows and provides another fine example of the power and grandeur present here, handled almost too flawlessly by John Wetton's band.

Conclusion: I don't know very well the solo career of John Wetton. The only album I know from him is 'Battle Lines'. Still, he always was one of my favourite bassists and vocalists of the 70's. Besides, I always considered John Wetton as an important part of King Crimson. He participated on one of my favourite progressive albums, 'Red'. So, when I knew about the existence of this DVD I never hesitated in buying it. By the other hand, it has some of my current favourite musicians too, John Mitchell and Martin Orford. 'Amorata' is an excellent DVD, really. The production and the sound are very good. The track list is also very impressive and even the songs that belong to John Wetton's solo repertoire are very well performed. Of course the highlights on the live show are the King Crimson and UK's songs, I'm talking about 'Red', 'In The Dead Of Night' and especially 'Starless'. So, 'Amorata' is a DVD highly recommended and an excellent addition to all prog rock fans collection, especially for those who love the early King Crimson and UK's music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 365

John Wetton was an English bassist, singer and songwriter. He was a professional musician since the late of the 60's. He was a man with a musical career absolutely unique, rich and enviable. He was member of many progressive rock bands and he also participated in several musical projects of so many artists. I absolutely agree with the expression put on John Wetton's biography on this site: 'a man who has been in more bands than most of us has had hot dinners'.

So, John Wetton reached the fame in the progressive rock due to his participation in some of the best progressive rock bands and worked with some of the best progressive rock artists too, such as Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, U.K., Wishbone Ash, Steve Hackett. And he was also one of the founders of the super group Asia. So, all over his extensive career, he participated in some of the best progressive rock albums. It included King Crimson's 'Larks' Tongues In Aspic' of 1973, 'Starless And Bible Black' of 1974, 'Red' of 1974 and the live album 'USA' of 1975, UK's self-titled debut of 1978, Roxy Music's live album 'Viva!' of 1976, Steve Hackett's live album 'The Tokyo Tapes' of 1998 and Asia's self-titled debut of 1982, only to mention some of the most important albums in which he has participated.

John Wetton was, in my humble opinion, one of the best vocalists and one of the best bass players of the progressive rock music. He had a style of bass playing very own and very powerful, which makes of it very distinct and unique.

'Battle Lines' is the third solo studio album of Wetton and was released in 1994. It's the European release of 'Voice Mail', the original album released in Japan in 1992. The two versions have the same content but have a different cover.

'Battle Lines' has ten short tracks and we can say that musically the album has some similitudes with the earlier sound of Asia. John Wetton invited to participate on this album a handful of musicians. So, the line up on the album is John Wetton (vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and keyboards), Bob Marlette (keyboards, grand piano, synthesizer and programming), Michael Landau (guitars), Michael Cartellone (drums), Claude Gaudette (keyboards and programming), Robert Fripp (guitar and devices), Simon Phillips (drums), Steve Lukather (guitar), Dave Boruff (alto saxophone), Robbie Buchanan (grand piano), Jed Leiber (keyboards and programming) and Paul Buckmaster (arrangements for orchestra).

In the 80's John Wetton shifted his focus slightly to what could best be described as 'Prog-Pop' or possibly 'Arena- Prog'. With 'Battle Lines' Wetton shifted even further into the pop realm with his brief foray into the realm of adult contemporary music in an attempt to attract some new listeners and perhaps make himself a bit more accessible. While not as adventurous or as interesting as Wetton's more progressive material, 'Battle Lines' is certainly more accessible. The material is still unmistakably John Wetton but it lacks to it a bit of the adventurousness of his earlier career. As a 'Prog-Pop' album, 'Battle Lines', is a bit a disappointment for all his progressive fans. But on the other hand, 'Battle Lines', is thoroughly enjoyable from the start to finish. The only 'throwaway' or 'filler' track to be found here is 'Jane' which would not have sounded out of place in the 80's, but it's somewhat troubling considering that 'Battle Lines' was released well into the 90's. By the other hand, Wetton's voice is thoroughly enjoyable as always. While he may not be the best singer, what he lacks in vocal quality he far more than makes up for in the overall passion of his vocal delivery. His vocals particularly stand out on the title track, 'Battle Lines', and on 'Hold Me Now'. In reality, the album succeeds as a very melodic showcase for Wetton's voice. Even though there is no Geoffrey Downes the album is very keyboard heavy. Most of the songs are built upon piano or keyboard as opposed to guitar. Highlights include 'Crime Of Passion' co-written with John Young, 'Hold Me Now' and the title track, which is one of the best songs John Wetton ever wrote.

With subsequent releases John Wetton would start to return to his more progressive roots to the delight of his fans. But this album shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Taken in the right context this album is thoroughly enjoyable as anything else John Wetton has ever recorded. If there's a knock on the album it's that the majority of the songs are the same mid-level tempo. So, some credit must be given for John Wetton to try a genre he wasn't known for performing.

Conclusion: 'Battle Lines' is really a great rock album with very good songs containing some incredibly beautiful and romantic passages and where the qualities of the songwriting are almost of the high quality. The precision and the quality of the production are also irreproachable. I really like this album. However, I have a problem to rate it. At first sight, it deserves 4 stars, but I can't rate this album with 4 stars. Why? Because 'Battle Lines', is an album with very few progressive lines. With the exception of the participation of Robert Fripp and the two first songs 'Right Where I Wanted To Be' and especially 'Battle Lines', which is, in my opinion, a fantastic song, the rest stuff aren't progressive, and we can never forget that we are in a progressive rock site. Although, if you aren't a progressive fundamentalist and if you like a good melodic rock album and you also have some extra money to spend, I strongly recommend this album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Goodbye John Wetton

For Raised In Captivity, John Wetton teamed up with Billy Sherwood who not only plays guitars and drums but also produced the album and is credited as a co-writer on most of the songs. Now, I am a huge fan of Billy Sherwood and love the stuff he has been doing with Circa and as a solo artist, but on this occasion Sherwood really should have told Wetton that they needed to go back to the drawing board because most of these songs are just not up for it. That the playing and production is top notch does not help much when the material is not strong enough. And adding guest appearances by an impressive gang from some of Wetton's past bands including King Crimson's Robert Fripp, UK's Eddie Jobson, Asia's Geoff Downes, and Uriah Heep's Mick Box, as well as contributions from Steve Hackett, Tony Kaye, and Steve Morse does not help much either.

The songs feel like run of the mill and the lyrics are often banal and trite. The best songs are folky ballads like Goodbye Elsinore and the acoustic Steffi's Ring. When they try to create Rock 'n' Roll on the other hand the results are just embarrassing. And I suppose there is no need to mention that there is nothing progressive about this record.

Raised In Captivity was to be Wetton's final solo album and in the context of his discography it ranks as one of his worst solo albums and a sad end to a great career.

The passing of John W. has affected me deeply, so I went back and gave a spin to some of his work, that may have not been on the top of my list over the years. "Battle Lines" turned out to be an unexpected pleasant surprise. Initially released under the name of "Voice Mail" in 1994 in Japan only, it was re-released internationally as Battle Lines with the same musical content but different artwork, and again in 1996 with the additional bonus track: "Battle Lines" (acoustic version). I read an interview w/Ron Nevison in 2015, a famous producer, he was the producer and engineer on this release. Here's a short quote from that interview, on how he felt about the record:

"There were two albums I did in the early '90s that got swallowed up because of Kurt Cobain. One of them was an album with John Wetton that didn't do well. John has a sound. We did a wonderful record, I still believe it is a great album. Those albums never saw the light of day because everybody ran to Seattle. So, there are things that don't work out. I was very disappointed in how those were received. That's what happens in the music business."

Initially I just about dismissed it as a too mainstream effort, especially if you are fan of the famous KC trilogy of albums he was a part of. After a more concentrated effort to actually "listen" to each track, I came to a conclusion that it is not such a bad effort after all. I happen to agree w/the producer on the statement that; John has a sound. Now whether you like it or not, it IS his sound, and as much as we all want him to replicate some of the KC or U.K. that we like soooooo much, we need to accept the fact that it was a certain period coupled w/the input from the rest of the musicians at THAT time.

The musicianship is top notch, given John's standard throughout his career it is hardly a surprise. The personnel on the recordings is quite impressive; Steve Lukather / guitar; Robert Fripp / guitar & devices; Simon Phillips / drums ... just a mention a few.

If you have access to it, give it another chance, you might like it a little more than the first time around.

Saddened by the passing of this musical icon, for the past few days I was listening his music, and the bands he was involved with during his tenure. I came across this live release from 2003, recorded in Argentina. On two CD's you get a nice mix from KC to his solo material. The set draws heavily on John's Asia days, but also features pieces originally recorded by King Crimson ('Easy Money', 'Starless' & 'Book of Saturday'). As well as 'Caught in the Crossfire', the title track of john's first solo album.

In addition to John, the line-up included Thomas Lang on drums, Martin Orford of IQ & Jadis on keyboards & Billy Liesegang on guitar. The sound mix is clean and not over produced, which is refreshing in this day and age. As a drummer, a special treat is Thomas Lang's solo, opening Disc 2.

R.I.P. John

I never saw this album in the record shops of my city. I only knew about it after reading a review of the album in one Rock magazine in late 1987. At that time I had ASIA's "Astra" album, which I bought in late 1986, an album which I did't like very much. So, I think that I really didn't have enough interest then to go to the record shops to find this album there to buy it, thinking that it could be similar to "Astra".

This album was recorded because John Wetton one day went to record some demos to Phil Manzanera's studio (as Wetton said in one interview). Manzanera showed to Wetton some of the music of one unfinished song that he composed and which Wetton then completed. That song became "It's Just Love", the first song which appears in this album. So good were the results for them that Wetton and Manzanera agreed to record a full album together. Wetton, who at the time still had a record deal with the Geffen label (after the split of ASIA after their unsuccessful album titled "Astra" from 1985) was allowed by that record label to record this duet album with Manzanera. This album was released by Geffen.

Having Alan White from YES on drums, Wetton and Manzanera recorded an album which is "very eighties" in musical style and production, full of Rock Pop songs and ballads, more influenced by the musical style of ASIA than from ROXY MUSIC's musical style. Manzanera's "atmospheric" guitars are very present in this album, with a few solos played by him, and with his guitars almost always sounding in the same way. There are a few keyboard parts, but their role is more as support in all the songs in this album. So, the main role in this album is for Wetton's very good lead and backing vocals (with some help from Manzanera on backing vocals). The songs are "very ASIA" in musical style, and I wasn't wrong: some of them are very similar in style to some of the songs from the "Astra" album, but with less keyboards and more guitars. Alan White's drums playing is good, but the songs are very Pop Rock in rhythms and his style of playing the drums really becomes not very recognizable in some parts. As other albums from the eighties, there are some use of reverberation in the drums and in the general sound of the album.

Best songs in this album: "Every Trick in the Book", "Keep on Loving Yourself", "Suzanne", "Do It Again", "Have You See Her Tonight ? "

After this album, which was unsuccessful in the popularity charts, Wetton returned to ASIA (asked by Geffen) for a reunion between 1987 and 1991, first recording some songs in the recording studios and later on tour.

Songs to "Turn On the Radio", for the then "new decade" of the eighties. This, John Wetton's first solo album, was released in October 1980. I don't remember seeing this album in the record shops of my city in the eighties.

First, a bit of history: in March 1979 the band "U.K.", on which Wetton was the bassist and lead singer, released their second studio album, titled "Danger Money", as a trio, with Wetton, Eddie Jobson (keyboards and electric violin), and new drummer Terry Bozzio. They then went on tour, sometimes supporting JETHRO TULL, until the end of 1979, when they split due to some conflicts about the music direction of the band, between Wetton (who wanted a more Pop Rock music style for the band) and Jobson (who still wanted to play Progressive Rock music "more in the seventies terms", as Wetton said in one interview). Before they split, they still released a live album called "Night After Night", recorded in June 1979 in Japan, and released in September 1979, along with a single on which its Side "A" had an edited version of the "Night After Night" song from their live album, plus in its "B" side had a song called "When Will You Realize", composed by Wetton alone and recorded in a studio. As Jobson said in other interviews, "When Will You Realize" "was the song that split up U.K.". After they split, first as a six months period to give each member time to see what were they going to do in the future, their split was finally announced in mid 1980. Jobson then joined JETHRO TULL as a "special guest" to record their album titled "A" (released in August 1980, which initially was going to be a solo album by Ian Anderson, which finally became a JETHRO TULL album due to record company pressures, and which coincidentally has a different song also titled as "Crossfire") and toured with that band until the early months of 1981. So, Wetton recorded this first solo album, "Caught in the Crossfire", in 1980, and curiously, also including the apperance of JETHRO TULL'S guitarist Martin Barre.

This album is mostly a Pop Rock album, without influences from Progressive Rock music, and also including some New Wave influences, with also some ballads. It seems that by 1980 at last Wetton was making the kind of music that he wanted to make full time since 1979 with the band "U.K." It is not a bad album, but it gives clear indications of the musical direction that Wetton wanted to have in the future, and also gives some indications about the band ASIA which he founded in 1981. But even if ASIA still had some Prog Rock influences in their first album from 1982, this first solo album from Wetton is even more commercial in eighties terms. Maybe he was tired of the "old" Prog Rock from the seventies. So, this album is full of distorted guitar riffs, some appearances of sax here and there, a bit of keyboards, Pop Rock drums, and good lead and backing vocals, with Wetton as always being a very good singer. For this album, Wetton re-recorded "When Will You Realize" with a bit different arrangement which includes good distorted guitars plus a very good guitar solo played by Barre ("U.K."'s version included a bit of electric violin and organ played by Jobson, and it really sounded like being recorded in a hurry with less arrangements and production). If ASIA was going to be increasingly influenced by keyboards sounds than by guitars, this solo album from Wetton has the guitars as the central point. I'm not going to give a description for each song in this album as almost all sound very similar to me. But some of them are similar in style to the kind of songs that ASIA was going to record without guitarist Steve Howe and with other guitarists in the late eighties for their "Then and Now" album (which it really was a compilation album which also included other previously unreleased songs).

For Collectors / fans only.