OK. I feel that I should start by saying that I have all of the John Wetton era recordings regarding King Crimson, UK, and Asia. I have a few of his solo albums as well. I just bought his new "Official Bootleg" box set. My question is what else has he done that is worth pursuing? I know that he has gotten around over the years. Thanks in advance.
Library Jon
You'll probably want Roxy Music's VIVA, he's on 5 of the 8 pieces.
Definitely his two albums with Family, especially Fearless.
If you don't have District 97's One More Red Night, which features him singing Crimson tunes with one of the hottest younger prog bands, you definitely check that out.
Mogul Thrash is worth a listen as well.
Well, I like what he did on those two Family-albums (Fearless and Bible Black) and that he slightly returned later on in Roger Chapman & The Shortlist.
Return to Fantasy (Uriah Heep) was a personal favorite of mine in '75, although I found out later Wetton was playing on it.
And yes, VIVA! ROXY MUSIC is wonderful (and it has Jobson on it too).
I think the only JW bands missing from the thread so far are Heep and Wishbone Ash. I'm not sure which Heep album(s) he's on though. As for Ash, I believe it is the one with rockets on the cover. Haven't heard it for a long while.
And then there's the Wetton/Manzanera project. That is not supposed to be very good.
Phil Manzanera's first solo album, Diamond Head, on the other hand, is superb, and has Wetton playing on most of the tracks. His one lead vocal turn on the album is the awesome "Same Time Next Week," which is a smoldering groove with stuttering bass and Mellotron that wouldn't sound out of place on Starless and Bible Black, except that it's a vocal duet: Wetton's smoky vocals alternate with the scornful fury of Doreen Chanter, who sounds like a cat in heat--and I mean that in a good way.Originally Posted by arturs
Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx
Yeah I remember being excited when I bought their first release and getting home and saying to myself... You've got to be kidding.. what a missed opportunity..
I believe they did a second release as well which I haven't heard..
I dunno. I kinda like it. I'd say that if you like Wetton's Battle Lines, then you'd probably enjoy this one.
Haven't heard of this - anyone have any info?
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Listened to the excellent Diamond Head many times and I don't think I ever realized that was Wetton. Might have been
Besides the one Roxy Music album and the one Wetton-Manzanera album, he's on Phil's "Diamondhead" & 4 Bryan Ferry solo albums. I think his peak performances come from the live King Crimson recordings that are found within the Red and Starless & Bible Black box set era recordings. There is a solo and duet with Bruford during Schizoid Man from a Philly show that really shows how great a bassist he is. I also think his peak vocals came during that period, yet he still remained strong as recently as the last U.K. shows he was a part of with Jobson and Bozzio.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wetton#Discography
Last edited by Obscured; 01-21-2017 at 12:14 AM.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
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"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
Return to Fantasy and High and Mighty. He sings lead on one song on High and Mighty, "One Way or Another." (He sings the verses, Ken Hensley sings the bridge.) Apart from that it's just his basswork and undetectable background vocals.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
I really enjoy the Icon albums. As you'd imagine, it's not unlike Asia - a bit more laid back maybe.
Another great album that J.W. sings & plays on is Martin Orford's The Old Road. It's a lovey record - a veritable prog comfort blanket, & J.W.'s contributions are excellent.
he sings lead vocals on the track 'Over And Over' on Ian McDonald's album Driver's Eyes (1999)
He sings 3 or 4 songs on Duncan Mackay's album "Score". This was my favorite track:
Andrew McCulloch on drums is always a plus in my book.
I'm shocked (shocked!) that no one has mentioned Wetton's appearance on French band Atol's album "Rock Puzzle!" I'm not sure exactly what he does on it and the bonus tracks on the Musea reissue don't really help.
Well, the original poster was posing this question: "My question is what else has he done that is worth pursuing?", which is different than "Can you please name every last thing that Wetton appears on?"
That Atoll appearance was brought up a couple weeks ago on one of the Asia threads. It has 3 demos that Wetton recorded with them, including two songs that wound up with Asia:
12. Here Comes The Feeling (Wetton) (4:30)
13. No Reply (Wetton/Taillet/Gozzo) (4:05)
14. Eye To Eye (Wetton/Taillet/Gozzo) (5:20)
I consider No Reply an Atol/Asia collaboration. It's essential for the Atol completist!
He plays on about two minutes of Peter Banks album "Two Sides of Peter Banks". (It might be the best two minutes of the record, though)
Steve Hackett - The Tokyo Tapes
JW - Bass and Vocals
The Tokyo Tapes is ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's live album featuring a progressive rock supergroup line-up of John Wetton, Chester Thompson, Ian McDonald and rounded out by keyboardist Julian Colbeck.
"Normal is just the average of extremes" - Gary Lessor
The live electric No-Man's Land and its acoustic counterpart Sub-Rosa. Orford. Christy. Kilminster.' Nuff said.
The Ash album is Number The Brave - swords, not rockets, on the sleeve. I used to own it on vinyl many years ago. It's a bland straight-ahead rock album, nothing interesting going on, so for completists of Ash or Wetton only I'd say. I can remember nothing further about it, which probably tells its own story.
Not so keen on a couple of Colbeck's sound choices here and there (the 'pan flute' a la Wakeman!) but this is a great live album. Wetton is on strong form throughout, of course. The two studio tracks are not especially good instrumentals. The Esoteric version adds on a recent cover of 'All Along The Watchtower' featuring Wetton on vocals.
Worth mentioning the Hackett album (Genesis Revisited) which preceded it and featured Wetton's vocals on a few songs. He also sings 'Afterglow' on Genesis Revisited II and I think some of the live releases too.
There was a duo live album with Wetton and Ken Hensley, something like More Than Conquerors, but I never got it.
I really love his performance on this. Different from Phil, but just as emotional.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I find it strangely ironic that I start collecting JW albums just as he passes away. Since I started this thread, I have bought all of his studio solo albums. I even bought the import versions with bonus tracks! RIP John.
Library Jon
Mogul Thrash and Diamond Head are on their way here.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
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