Progressive rock bassist and singer John Wetton is being commemorated in John Wetton book An Extraordinary Life, a family approved publication that peers at the various junctures in the musicians life. From his formative days touring with King Crimson to his tenure as singer, songwriter and frontman for Asia, Wetton made his mark on the world of music.
Asia was a supergroup Wetton founded with Yes members Geoff Downes and Steve Howe (Arthur Brown drummer Carl Palmer completed the lineup), curating such barrelling anthems as ‘Heat of The Moment’ and ‘Don’t Cry’. In an interview with Far Out, Howe recalled working on the tracks: “Geoff sang a lot of high parts, and I sang a lot of lower harmonies. I did a lot of singing on ‘One Step Closer’, so it’s almost like a duo. There’s a lot of good harmonies on the first album, but there was less on the second album, because it was so distanced from the original. I didn’t do much singing on that one – I probably wasn’t invited to either….I tell you what we didn’t sing on was ‘Heat of The Moment’. John wanted to sing all the harmonies himself for that one, so he did.”
Howe is one of many voices to contribute to the book. Downes, Palmer, Steve Hackett (Genesis), Bill Bruford (King Crimson), Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music) also feature. The book promises to be an honest testimonial of a musician who died at the tender age of 67.
John Wetton An Extraordinary Life will be published on June 19 2023, in two editions. More information can be found here: John Wetton An Extraordinary Life | Rocket 88 (johnwettonbook.com)
