John Wetton - Battle Lines (1995)

Coming from a strong progressive rock pedigree in the seventies with his stints as lead singer/bassist in King Crimson, touring with Roxy Music, briefly with Uriah Heep, and the short lived prog-rock supergroup UK (with Allan Holdsworth, Eddy Jobson, Bill Bruford, and later as a trio with Terry Bozzio replacing Bill Bruford and Allen Holdsworth departing not to be replaced).

In the eighties Wetton shifted his focus slightly to what could best be described as prog-pop or possibly "Arena-Prog" with the early eighties MTV arena rock supergroup juggernaut, Asia.

With 1995's 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 uminstakably John Wetton but it lacks a bit of the adventurousness of his earlier career.

As a prog-pop album, Battle Lines, is a bit of a disappointment. As an adult-contemporary album, on the other hand, Battle Lines, is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The only "throwaway" or "filler" track to be found is Jane which would not have sounded out of place in the eighties-- somewhat troubling consideirng that Battle Lines was released well into the nineties.

Other than the lone hiccup, 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 the utterly heart-wrenching, tear-jerking Hold Me Now.

There are far too numerous songs about unrequited love to even begin to count, but what sets Hold Me Now apart from the rest of the sizable pack is not just Wetton's impassioned delivery but also the subject matter. This isn't a song of romantic love, but of love between a child and his mother. The pain in Wetton's voice is downright palpable as he implores;

Mama, just hold me now
You don't have to be pretend
Smash the chains and throw them to the floor
Hold me now and let me believe that a kiss is the way it should be
'cause it means the world to me

Hold Me Now makes Battle Lines well worth the purchase price on its own, let alone the rest of material on the album.

With subsequent releases Wetton would start to return to his more progressive roots much to the delight of his fans. But this album shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Taken in the right context this album is as thoroughly enjoyable as anything else Wetton has ever recorded. And some credit must be given for Wetton to at least try his hand at a genre he was not known for performing.

Related Links
John Wetton Interview (1994)

John Wetton & Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) performing Battle Lines

John Wetton (official site)
John Wetton (wikipedia)
Voice Mail / Battle Lines (wikipedia)

Steve Hackett - The Tokyo Tapes (1997)

Awhile back, I picked up this great live set by the former lead guitarist of Genesis (1972-1977), Steve Hackett.

Hackett's back-up band reads like a who's who of progressive rock:
John Wetton (ex-Asia, ex-King Crimson, ex-UK, ex-Uriah Heep) - bass & vocals
Ian MacDonald (ex-King Crimson) - Flute & Sax
Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis, ex-GTR) - Guitar & Vocals
Julian Colbeck (Yes, touring band) - keyboards & piano
Chester Thompson (Genesis touring band) - drums & percussion

The song selection and the arrangements of the songs they chose to play is what makes it such a great set though.

They cover material from King Crimson (In The Court of the Crimson King and I Talk To the Wind), Genesis (Watcher of the Skies, Firth of Fifth, Horizons, Los Endos and I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)), Hackett's solo career, and even some of Wetton's material (including a beautiful acoustic version of the Asia hit Heat of the Moment).

MacDonald really shines on his flute and sax solos, Hackett (as always) is brilliant on guitar, Wetton's vocals are spot on (even on the Genesis material) and Colbeck and Thompson really pull the whole group together.

John Wetton - Rock of Faith (2003)

When I think of John Wetton, my thoughts hearken back to the early 80s Asia stadium anthem, Heat of the Moment. To call it a song, is to call Bach just “another classical composer” or the Beatles just “another rock band.” Rightly so, Wetton was 1/4th of that 80s supergroup which was equal parts Yes (Steve Howe on guitar), The Buggles (Geoff Downes on keyboards), Emerson Lake & Palmer (Carl Palmer on drums), and King Crimson (John Wetton on vocals and bass).

Part of the chemistry of that line-up was the superlative songwriting of Wetton and Downes. Much like Nirvana in the early 90s. Asia spoke to only a single generation before the various members went their separate ways. They were known for hits describing heartache and general teenage lust. Wetton’s trademark impassioned vocals took songs that would have sounded cliché being performed by lesser singers and gave them a heavy dose of credibility… then again Wetton’s passionate vocals could give the phone book credibility.

Fast Forward to 2002-- for the first time in over 10 years John Wetton once again found himself writing material with Geoffrey Downes… on the very same piano they used in their heyday in Asia. Wetton’s solo catalogue has produced albums worth of anthems which hearken back to his days in Asia, mixing hints of seventies prog-rock with deeply passionate, and more often than not autobiographical, lyrics.

Wetton’s latest, Rock of Faith, is no exception. With each listen I find myself growing more attached to this gem of a CD. The highlights of the CD are the two songs co-penned by former Asia bandmate, Geoffrey Downes, I’ve Come to Take You Home and I Lay Down but truly there are no weak spots on the album. The album is peppered with Eastern European influences, heavenly choirs, Supertramp-esque keyboards and saxophones, and even hints of Beach Boy, Brian Wilson’s multi-layered vocal harmonies. The instrumental tracks, Mondrago and Altro Mondo are lush and absolutely beautiful. All-in-all it’s a shame that this album goes largely undiscovered due to it’s Japanese/European only release—other than his work with Asia and King Crimson, Wetton’s solo work is known in the United States only by a handful of very devoted fans.

Asia - Enso Kai (Live in Tokyo) (2001)

I'm a HUGE fan of John Wetton, but I really must commend Greg Lake on his performances on this CD. His vocals are so close to Wetton's that it's hard to believe that it's not Wetton.

There's a good reason that Wetton "replaced" Greg Lake in King Crimson and it's with much similar reason that Lake briefly "replaced" Wetton in Asia... their voices are so eerily similar it's amazing. Lake's British accent shows a little bit more in his singing voice but only if you're really listening for it.

Carl Palmer's drumming is fantastic as always, Downes keyboard playing is exceptional and Steve Howe... well it's Steve Howe... what more needs to be said?

The sound quality on this disc is supposedly superior to the Live In Hallowed Halls CD with Wetton on vocals, but I don't have that CD so I have no room for comparison.

Good song selection but I miss Daylight and where's Don't Cry? I have an mp3 of Lake singing Daylight that's absolutely fantastic... Why it didn't make this CD release is beyond me. This disc would get 5 stars if not for the omission of those 2 tracks. Still a solid performance.

John Wetton - Akustika: Live in Amerika (1996)

Wetton may not be the best singer in the world but he is certainly one of the most passionate. Unfortunately, Wetton seems to tone down his performances on this CD, while they're still passionate they seem to lack that level of intense deep to the core of the soul passion that I know he's capable of after hearing some of his other live performances. I've heard live versions of Hold Me Now that have just about moved me to tears. Unfortunately this CD lacks that level of emotion.

The CD is still well worth getting if for no other reason than to hear Christina and Wetton's acoustic version of Don't Cry which is exceptional on this CD. Those 2 songs alone make this CD WELL worth getting, the rest of the material, while very good, isn't up to the standards I normally expect of Mr. Wetton however.