John Wetton: Raised In Captivity

Asia frontman gets by with help from his friends.

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The sixth solo album John Wetton is heaven for trainspotter-types who digest the small-print on their albums.

Besides enlisting Billy Sherwood of Yes/World Trade/Yoso fame as producer and key musical collaborator, the bassist/vocalist is joined by Robert Fripp, Eddie Jobson, Steve Hackett, Mick Box, former singer of The Gathering Anneke Van Giersbergen, Asia band-mate Geoffrey Downes and more on a collection of tunes that show Wetton’s skill at writing hook-laden commercial hard rock songs without sacrificing a passion for the grandiose.

As pristine, vocal-heavy slices of pomp-rock, the likes of The Last Night Of My Life and We Stay Together dwell more upon Wetton’s membership of Asia than a past tenure with King Crimson, but there’s no mistaking, nor indeed resisting, this album’s weighty ambitions.

Dave Ling

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.