...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...


..::OPIS::..

First in an ongoing series of box sets celebrating the life and times of this incredible musician.

This 8CD collection includes John’s six solo albums, each with bonus material which have been fully remastered by Maor Appelbaum.

Also included are 2CDs of extremely rare and hard-to-find bonus material, especially curated by Rick Nelson, long-time Wetton archivist and John’s close friend. This material is a treasure trove of wonders for the true Wetton fan.

Presented in a 12x12” box, this collection also features an extensive 64 page book with notes written by Nick Shilton, author of John’s biography, An Extraordinary Life and artwork by Michael Inns, long-time friend and collaborator of John’s.

This box set has been carefully curated with the blessing of John’s wife Lisa and son Dylan and is released with the full support of the Wetton estate.

From his beginnings in the genre defining King Crimson, to the inventive, early prog supergroup UK, to the all-conquering prog-pop behemoth that was Asia and the many projects in-between, John Wetton was revered as a colossus of the progressive rock world.

Not only did he front three of the most successful progressive rock bands of all-time, John also enjoyed stints with Roxy Music, Family, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. His list of collaborators is a veritable Who’s Who of the rock music world. In addition John released no fewer than six solo albums! Thus he is rightly seen as a true song writing visionary and one of the greatest bass players that ever lived.

From the committed prog connoisseur to the prog-pop fan of Asia, Wetton’s appeal is broad and deep. This extensive collection is the perfect entry point to appreciating and understanding the many colourful facets of John Wetton’s musical personality and is the perfect illustration of his extraordinary life.




John Wetton was an English bassist, singer and songwriter. He has been a professional musician since the late 60's. He was a man with a musical career absolutely unique, rich and enviable. He was a member of many progressive rock bands and he also participated in several musical projects of 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 supergroup 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 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 similarities with the earlier sound of Asia. John Wetton invited to participate on his 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 of 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. On 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". The album succeeds as a 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, 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*)

VianaProghead



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Right Where I Wanted To Be
2. Battle Lines
3. Jane
4. Crime Of Passion
5. Sand In My Hand
6. Sea Of Mercy
7. Hold Me Now
8. Space And Time
9. Walking On Air
10. You're Not The Only One

Bonus Track:
11. Battle Lines (Acoustic Version)



..::OBSADA::..

Vocals [All Vocals], Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards - John Wetton
Drums - Michael Cartellone, Simon Phillips
Grand Piano - Robbie Buchanan
Guitar - Michael Landau, Steve Lukather
Guitar, Electronics [Devices] - Robert Fripp
Keyboards, Grand Piano, Synthesizer, Programmed By [Programming] - Bob Marlette
Keyboards, Programmed By [Programming] - Claude Gaudette, Jed Leiber
Alto Saxophone - Dave Boruff



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gl-jE-HEzQ


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