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John Wetton

fezzza

By fezzza,
in General Discussion

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fezzza Newbie

fezzza

Posted
Posted

Completely fallen in love with KC recently and especially John Wetton's tone and playing on "red", especially providence and one more red nightmare, is this guy seriously underrated or have I been living under a rock?

spongebob Mentor

spongebob

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Great work on 'Return To Fantasy' by Uriah Heep.

Always loved that album for some reason - 'Shady Lady' has got some great little runs in it.

....and he left them to join Roxy Music - can be heard on some of the tracks on their live album. Real nice crunchy tone on there too.

For KC, my own preference is 'Red' (amazing) and the live album, 'USA'. In fact, any of it with JW on! :)

visog Experienced

visog

Posted
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Great voice too... think he wrote Starless? Killer crunch P-Bass tone...

Asia was distinctly iffy at times though... Think his best playing is probably on UK. A great lost gem of Prog with a hint of Jazz courtesy of Allan Holdsworth!

Steve Woodcock Proficient

Steve Woodcock

Posted
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[quote name='visog' timestamp='1471457557' post='3113216']
Think his best playing is probably on UK. A great lost gem of Prog with a hint of Jazz courtesy of Allan Holdsworth!
[/quote]

UK were great. Did you get to see them play last year? I wanted to but was out on tour.

pineweasel Experienced

pineweasel

Posted
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He's great. "Red" and the UK live album "Night After Night" were big influences when I started.

Thanks to the internet I heard Mogul Thrash a few years ago - well worth seeking out.

And more recently this turned up - the dream power trio that never was:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI9t9KdVNJE

Cosmo Valdemar Grand Master

Cosmo Valdemar

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wetton with KC - the tone of God. That driven, resonant P bass roar... And anybody playing such material deserves the highest respect.
The first Asia album has a wonderful Rick tone but I've always struggled with the material (unkind version - it's horrible).
Very much a hired gun, and very versatile. I just think his work with KC was a stars in alignment kind of thing.

Edited by Cosmo Valdemar
Urban Bassman Proficient

Urban Bassman

Posted
Posted

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1471457557' post='3113216']
Great voice too... think he wrote Starless? Killer crunch P-Bass tone...

Think his best playing is probably on UK. A great lost gem of Prog with a hint of Jazz courtesy of Allan Holdsworth!
[/quote]

Oh Yes the first UK Album is fab. Saw them on their first tour as well at the long gone Rainbow Finsbury Park. Happy days.....

ras52 Rising Star

ras52

Posted
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[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1471460484' post='3113238']
UK were great. Did you get to see them play last year? I wanted to but was out on tour.
[/quote]

What!?! How did I not know about this :(

And yes, Wetton-era KC is hard to beat. Red is just the best album ever by anyone! B)

Re. Starless, apparently Wetton wrote the verses and brought it to the band under the title Starless and Bible Black. It was rejected at that point, but they used the title (originally from Dylan Thomas, of course) for an improvisation and of course the title track of the album it appears on. Fast forward to the Red sessions, and it's revisited, gaining an intro written by Fripp and an instrumental section written by Bruford. Somehow the result is the Greatest Song Ever Written ;), although Wetton was reportedly miffed that they couldn't use his original title.

Count Bassy Grand Master

Count Bassy

Posted
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[quote name='el borracho' timestamp='1471467815' post='3113329']
I only really know his playing from Bandstand by Family - one of my favourite albums.
[/quote]

Good man. Nice to know I'm not alone.

Steve Woodcock Proficient

Steve Woodcock

Posted
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[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1471466525' post='3113315']
What!?! How did I not know about this :(
[/quote]

Yep, it was Jobson and Wetton with Alex Machacek and Virgil Donati. They played London (and Leamington Spa?) as part of the 'Final World Tour'.

fleabag Grand Master

fleabag

Posted
Posted

[quote name='el borracho' timestamp='1471467815' post='3113329']
I only really know his playing from Bandstand by Family - one of my favourite albums.
[/quote]

He was on Fearless, as well as Bandstand. Just the 2 albums unfortunately. Ric Grech and John Weider played on the other albums

But this is one of the all time tone monster / creative bass lines from Wetton ... what a peach and my fave bass line of all time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1XKdXXZjDc


And if anyone has forgotten what JW used to look like back in the day.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AEFJmhigdI

toneknob Grand Master

toneknob

Posted
Posted

[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1471551462' post='3113985']
Yep, it was Jobson and Wetton with Alex Machacek and Virgil Donati. They played London (and Leamington Spa?) as part of the 'Final World Tour'.
[/quote]

And again a couple of years before that in 2012, where Crim fans heard Wetton sing Starless and Book Of Saturday.

I'm quite fond of Wetton's playing in this version of Firth Of Fifth, particularly in the guitar solo, about 5mins in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd0pixr81rg

  • 5 months later...

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