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


..::OPIS::..

The second in the on-going series of three box sets celebrating the life and times of this incredible musician in the concert arena.

This 10-CD collection includes the first batch of John’s Live albums each with bonus tracks (where available) which have been fully re-mastered by Andy Pearce.

Also included is extremely rare and hard-to-find bonus material which has been 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 compact box, this collection also features an extensive booklet with notes written by Jerry Ewing, and artwork by Michael Inns, long-time friend, and collaborator of John’s.

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.

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 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.



Here we have the second in a planned series of three boxed sets featuring John Wetton's live albums, and having long been a fan I admit I already have most of the ones included here. Seven albums spread across 10 discs, 124 tracks with a total running time of more than 10 hours, this was a labour of love to get through as it is a great deal of listening, yet I enjoyed every second of it. The albums have been fully remastered by Andy Pearce, but there are not too many bonus cuts, so if you already have these then you need to think hard as this is not a cheap set. The booklet is extensive, with notes written by Jerry Ewing, plus lots of photographs, but I must confess that while the Wetton biography is fascinating and incredibly detailed, I would rather have heard more about the concerts included herein. As one would expect we get material from Asia, King Crimson and UK as well as his solo albums, and the live sets included here are 'Heart of the Dragon', 'Landmarq (Live In the Netherlands', Live In Tokyo 1997', 'Live In Tokyo II 1997', 'Nomansland', 'Sub Rosa (2024 Redux)', 'Live At the Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999 (2024 Redux)', and Andy Pearce has done a great job in ensuring the production is clear and clean with the sound levels nicely balanced across all discs.
Back in the Nineties John may not have been selling out mega stadiums as he had done at other times in his career (I remember seeing him play in a tiny venue in the middle of nowhere), but his musicianship and vocals are in top form. The discs are placed in order, from 1994-1999, and John is the only constant, although Dave Kilminster plays on seven of the discs (the next closest is Martin Orford with five). Wetton had played on so many important and classic albums/songs that he could have easily played a set with none of his solo material included, but here he mixes them in with songs from his career to loud applause, and rightly so.

There is an album in this set which I had not previously come across, 'Landmarq (Live In the Netherlands' which was recorded on November 26th1995, and the reason for the album title is that his band that night was Landmarq (well, mostly). Apparently, John undertook a tour that year which involved getting local bands to be his musicians, and Landmarq were asked to play a date in Germany and two in Holland. However, keyboard player Steve Leigh was unavailable, so they asked Martin Orford (IQ/Jadis) to step in instead. Given that Martin then played with John for years it shows how well it went. So the line-up was Uwe D'Rose (guitar), Steve Gee (bass, fretless bass - he only played when John was on acoustic) and Dave Wagstaffe (drums) from Landmarq, Martin Orford (keyboards) plus Tracy Hitchings on backing vocals. Tracey was not Landmarq's singer at the time, although she was later of course, but she was Dave's partner, and it is possible that given Damian had not been back in the band very long at this point that he was unable to commit. It is certainly an interesting experiment, and while it works for the most part, there is also a feeling of it being somewhat under-rehearsed with a few minor mistakes here and there. My favourite track is "Battle Lines", the title cut of the album he was promoting at the time, with Tracy and John creating some wonderful vocal harmonies together.

Also included in this set is my favourite Wetton live album of all time, 'Sub Rosa', an album I loved when it was released and I still play to this day, and this has two additional songs not on the original! What makes this such a wonderful concert is that it was recorded in an unusual venue, the mediaeval Castle of Vigevano, and was primarily an acoustic gig with no drums, with John joined just by Dave Kilminster (guitar, vocals) and Martin Orford (keyboards, flute, vocals). There is a huge amount of space within this album, and songs such as "Heat of the Moment" are truly transformed, so very different indeed to what we have all come to know and expect, with the hidden beauty laid bared for all to hear. This concert took place the day after John's wife had given birth to his son, so needless to say he was full of emotion, and it comes out in the performance. This is not bombastic, but the total opposite, allowing the songs to speak for themselves, and it is very strange indeed to hear the likes of "Soul Survivor" with two acoustic guitars, piano, and just the odd electronic keyboard, with the three vocals joining together as one. The version of "Arkangel" we hear is much closer to the original demo by John Young, and even though there are a few issues with the introduction they soon settle down and allow John's vocals to be front and centre.

There is indeed a lot of listening here, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and for any fan of Wetton this is essential.

kev rowland



..::TRACK-LIST::..

CD 1 - Heart Of The Dragon (Live At Shybuya On Air East, Tokyo)
1. Intro 0:57
2. Heat Of The Moment 4:37
3. Don't Cry 4:58
4. Right Where I Wanted To Be 4:29
5. Rendezvous 6:02 5:31
6. Caught In The Crossfire 4:42
7. Easy Money 2:19
8. In The Dead Of Night 5:46
9. Thirty Years 3:29
10. Only Time Will Tell 5:06
11. Did It All For Love 5:13

CD 2:
1. Hold Me Now 6:02
2. Starless 3:45
3. Book Of Saturday 3:07
4. Crime Of Passion 4:57
5. Battle Lines 5:37
6. Open Your Eyes 9:08
7. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 3:50
8. Sole Survivor 7:34



..::OBSADA::..

John Wetton - Lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
John Beck - keyboards, harmony vocals, acoustic guitar
Andy Skelton - guitar, harmony vocals,
Bob Dalton - drums, harmony vocals



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao0MuQ_7Ko8


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