by Geoff Bailie
Over the last number of years, the Spirit of Unicorn group has done an amazing job curating the legacies of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and John Wetton, in addition to many other projects.
I previously reviewed the fantastic compilation of John Wetton studio albums, An Extraordinary Life and so was delighted to hear that the same label was gathering his live album releases – and so we have: Concentus – The John Wetton Live Collection: Volume One. This 10 CD set is the first of a promised 3 box sets, and this one covers the years from 1994 to 1997. For an artist with a career as long as Wetton’s, it’s amazing how much he crammed in. His first post Asia solo album, Battle Lines came out in 1994, and his first proper solo tour followed. With half of It Bites (Bob Dalton on drums and John Beck on keys) plus guitarist Andy Skelton, the opening disc showcases just what a Wetton show could contain. It’s got Crimson, UK, Asia and 3 tracks from his current solo album, as well as some from his previous one that pre-dated Asia. This box set contains many different line ups but of course the constants are the Wetton voice and catalogue! Hearing John and band play, for example, Starless on this CD, which probably had never (or at least rarely) been played live since the early 1970s, it’s very clear that John Wetton fills a niche that no one else can. The crowd sound like they they’re loving it.
A sharp left turn follows as the Akustica album recorded in America in 1995 is next. Following on from ideas like Unplugged, John set out to show how solo he could bring new colours and hews to his catalogue. Battlelines, stripped of its rock bombast, has a new flavour and it works really well and an acoustic Heat of the Moment turns to a song almost of regret.
The 1996 Argentina show bristles with energy and an adoring crowd as Wetton, Martin Orford, Billy Lisesgang and Thomas Lang blast through catalogue high points, from a frantic In The Dead Of Night, to a joyous Don’t Cry. Then a gear shift to Hazy Monet (pun intended), a 1997 show in the legendary Bottom Line in New York, with Wetton on acoustic guitar, Orford on keys and joined by Crimson’s Ian McDonald. This trio produce a really fun acoustic jam version of Easy Money, as well as strong performances of UK’s Thirty Years and the Wetton solo track Hold Me Now. This recording is an extremely good audience recording, and the box set is a mixture of pro recorded performances, soundboard recordings and the very best audience recordings – don’t let that last category put you off because they’re excellently mastered and … well in the case of Hazy Monet, capture of unique show that we otherwise wouldn’t have.
The Osaka 1996 show not only features John Young on keys, but also Arkangel tracks like I Can’t Lie Anymore, The Last Thing On My Mind, Emma and the title track, along with the Wetton / Young deep cut classic After All, a song that’s sadly not as well known as it should be! 1997’s Amsterdam show with Orford/ Lang/ Leisegang has some very tight band interaction especially in Rendezvous 6:02, along with a menacing version of Starless.
The final disc in the set is a nice “wash up” of a German acoustic solo show, with some sound check warm ups including 1995 versions of Book of Saturday and even Lament! The final 5 tracks accelerate to the finish line with the live set from Progfest 1997. Fuelled by what sounds like very sympathetic crowd, the versions are as strong as any on the box set.
It’s hopefully obvious that this set isn’t a starting point for someone who is new to John Wetton (though Disc 1 is probably as good a Wetton primer as there is), fans of his work will really enjoy the compare / contrast of the variety of line ups and arrangements. Equally the live albums are great to listen to from start to finish to recapture the dynamic of the show. And in those moments, you can read Jerry Ewing’s tribute / liner notes!
Overall it’s a brilliantly curated set for John Wetton fans to dive into and immerse themselves in!
Pre-Order here:
http://cherryred.co.uk/john-wetton-concentus-the-john-wetton-live-collection-volume-1-10cd-box-set
https://burningshed.com/store/spirit-of-unicorn-music_store/john-wetton_concentus_boxset
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