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Wetton's Vocals

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Topic: Wetton's Vocals
Posted By: Rednight
Subject: Wetton's Vocals
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 09:29
Heard a DJ recently on a local classic rock station bring up John Wetton's death some three and a half months ago and got to wondering: What would the brethren at P.A. think is his best vocal performance. Sure, there's so many of them, and I thought it might not fit the occasion to list several in a poll. So what do you think?

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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno



Replies:
Posted By: Larkstongue41
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 09:50
Exiles for me. Many will say it's one of Wetton's worst vocal performance but this song is speical to me in part due to his voice.

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Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 10:03
I'm not much of a fan of Wetton's vocals generally - bit on the histrionic side for my taste, not helped by the fact that the lyrics were often terrible - but I do like his singing on Book of Saturdays. His voice has a certain plaintive charm on that one.

Big fan of his prodigious bass playing in KC, though


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 10:11
The Night Watch. I simply love that track.

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Posted By: Kepler62
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 10:14
Anything on those 3 albums 1972-73.


Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 10:36
Starless. Maybe it's that gorgeous melody, but he sings wonderfully great on this one.
I think his worst (for me, anyway) was Mental Medication (U.K. debut album) - don't like his bluesy falsettos.


Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 11:49
Starless for me......

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Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 11:54
I guess I tried to show you how...

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Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 12:31
His performance on One More Red Nightmare matches the anxiety of the lyrics.

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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno


Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 12:56
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The Night Watch. I simply love that track.


That, I must say, is another good one.


Posted By: DDPascalDD
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 14:51
I adore the romantic mood of Books of Saturdays and The Night Watch too! Not all of his vocals are amazing but some defenitely are.

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Posted By: cemego
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 15:24
This kind of made me whimper a bit.  Cry I'm so broken with his passing.  It would be so hard for me to pick a track where his voice really resonated with me because I love all of his stuff so much.  Just a few picks off the top of my head I would say:
  • The bridge/harmony vocals he sings on Spanish Tide by Family always makes me sing along.  I really enjoyed hearing him in that band.  Perfect contrast to Chapman's craziness.
  • Rendezvous 6:02
  • The Night Watch
These would be my immediate 3 favorite moments.... but man... just sooo hard to choose.  I've read somewhere where he was called the "Don Pardo of Prog Rock".  I don't know if that was an insult or a compliment, but it made me smile and appreciate Wetton's voice even more.  A lot of times it sounded like he was really stretching himself to hit some notes and maybe ran a little flat, but that added to the humble charm of his powerful voice.  Just such a landmark timeless talent with the bass playing and singing.  Incomparable.


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Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 16:14
Too many to choose. He was a great vocalist.


Posted By: The.Crimson.King
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 16:32
I dropped the needle on my 1st Crimson album on a warm autumn Saturday afternoon back in 1977 and "Health food fa**** with a bartered bride..." blasted from my speakers and I was hooked for life.  I honestly can't think of a single Crimson song Wetton sang that I don't love his vocals - and bass for that matter.  If forced to choose a single favorite, it would have to be the live version of Exiles on USA.  His singing evokes such sad loneliness and longing that it's just the perfect fit for the words and music.  Second place goes to his performance on One More Red Nightmare...another perfect match of words, music and voice.

RIP


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Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 16:53
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The Night Watch. I simply love that track.

The Night Watch is one of the few King Crimson tracks I actually like. 

Wetton's vocals are generally excellent, and one of his best performances is on The Time and the Season from Martin Orford's brilliant swansong The Old Road.


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Posted By: maryes
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 18:02
I'm not a Wetton fan , but I vote in Book of Saturday !


Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 19:03
UK "30 years" and "Nevermore". The best representation of his range.

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Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 19:33
I'd say Night Watch if it wasn't for Exiles.

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Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 20:36
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The Night Watch. I simply love that track.

Yes! Outstanding piece!


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“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov


Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 21:55
I have found it very difficult to apreciate his singing. Even now I don't really enjoy his singing in King Crimson... but the songs are so good that I don't really care (and of course, I do love his bass playing). And his vocals are an important reason I wasn't able to really get into UK. On the other hand, his singing on Asia was actually good (too bad the songs aren't nearly as great as King Crimson)... until I heard Asia live... and then there's the same problems I found with him on King Crimson. However, his singing with Steve Hackett on "Tokyo Tapes" was really great. I guess my favourite performance of him is on "Watcher of the skies" (I was never able to get into that song by Genesis, but this performance is much warmer, in great part thanks to Wetton's singing, who rather fixes the original singing for me)... and also, his singing on some of Lake's originally sung songs somehow has worked fine for me (strange, since I consider Lake a much better singer).


Posted By: Mirror Image
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 22:19
Originally posted by Dellinger Dellinger wrote:

I have found it very difficult to apreciate his singing. Even now I don't really enjoy his singing in King Crimson... but the songs are so good that I don't really care (and of course, I do love his bass playing). And his vocals are an important reason I wasn't able to really get into UK. On the other hand, his singing on Asia was actually good (too bad the songs aren't nearly as great as King Crimson)... until I heard Asia live... and then there's the same problems I found with him on King Crimson. However, his singing with Steve Hackett on "Tokyo Tapes" was really great. I guess my favourite performance of him is on "Watcher of the skies" (I was never able to get into that song by Genesis, but this performance is much warmer, in great part thanks to Wetton's singing, who rather fixes the original singing for me)... and also, his singing on some of Lake's originally sung songs somehow has worked fine for me (strange, since I consider Lake a much better singer).

I don’t think he has a ‘great’ voice, but it’s much more preferable to someone like Peter Hammill, Fish, or Steve Hogarth. Don’t even get me started on Dagmar Krause from Henry Cow/Art Bears.


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“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music.” - Sergei Rachmaninov


Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: May 16 2017 at 23:56
Originally posted by Hercules Hercules wrote:

Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The Night Watch. I simply love that track.


The Night Watch is one of the few King Crimson tracks I actually like. 

Wetton's vocals are generally excellent, and one of his best performances is on The Time and the Season from Martin Orford's brilliant swansong The Old Road.


Yes, indeed. Great performances on a wonderful album.

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Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org


Posted By: AZF
Date Posted: May 17 2017 at 01:11
I feel his best work was with Crimson, but I'd also like to point at "One Step Closer" from Asia as my favourite Wetton vocal.
Even if it does sound like he's had a couple before paying the vocal down. But then if you were singing like him and KC disbanded, you can see why he could be bitter!


Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: May 17 2017 at 08:34
I like his vocals a lot---the tone of his voice is in a range I find easy on the ears----I like all his vocals in KC and like the work he did with Hackett--but as someone just pointed out some of his Asia vocals are great---and Time will Tell is one of his best of that band.



Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: May 17 2017 at 09:49
I always imaged that God sounds like John Wetton.

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Posted By: Zeropikinz
Date Posted: May 17 2017 at 12:32
SONGS : Night Watch,Starless,Arkangel,Magazines,


Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 17 2017 at 13:53
Anyone ever hear Duncan Mackay's Score? Wetton produced and sang on it, including a somewhat silly but nevertheless endearing little number called Pillow Schmillow. Good stuff indeed and not out of print.

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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno


Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: May 18 2017 at 00:16
Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

UK "30 years" and "Nevermore". The best representation of his range.

^^^^^THIS!^^^^^


Posted By: uduwudu
Date Posted: May 18 2017 at 03:25
I'll go for Starless. And to think that song and piece may never have existed until Fripp changed his mind (hence the confusing Starless and Bible Black along with Starless (and Bible Black).

He sang terrifically even when in later years he was starting show signs of wear and tear live; though the last Asia studio releases sounded ok (occasional nondescript lyrics notwithstanding). It may be that occasional lyrical blandness that might hinder). Still with UK and that bands absolutely dazzling array of talent, his partnerships with Hackett (a must for me) and Manzanera he will remain a mighty singer and a rather superb bassist. I liked his taping a pick to thumb to help time and rhythm while singing and bass playing (not easy as technically they (bass / melody) go (or are supposed to go in opposite directions).

You don't get the pedigree he had without being awesome. The mighty live log in memory.




Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: May 18 2017 at 06:56
Big fan of asia THE SMILE HAS LEFT YOUR EYES !!!


Posted By: brainstormer
Date Posted: May 18 2017 at 22:18
He was one of those vocalists that always seemed to give it his best.  Listening to Danger Money for the second time today and his singing is great on it.

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Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 02:19
Definitely "The Night Watch", and I'd like to add this: I always found Genesis' "Afterglow" unbearable because of Phil Collins' sugary, reed-thin voice, but John Wetton's recent performance on Steve Hackett's LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH has totally transformed the track for me.


Posted By: Hrychu
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 05:14
Mr. Wetton did some really powerful vocals on In the Dead of Night. I think I'll pick this one as my fave. It's difficult to choose though. John Wetton was one of those allrounder guys, in a way that his voice would change a little to adjust to different songs.


Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 06:09
Always adored Wetton's voice. (even though it sounded faintly adenoidal) and perhaps both he and Greg Lake shared that 'tenor sings rock' quality that is surprisingly rare.


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Posted By: Formentera Lady
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 07:21
Blood Silver Like Moonlight, duet with Annie Haslam Cool

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Posted By: RockHound
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 10:26
I love his vocals on the Larks, Starless, and Red albums, as well as UK.
To me, he is at his best with plaintive emo works like Lament and Starless.

He was such a fine bassist and singer. I just love his overdriven sound on Red.


Posted By: dr prog
Date Posted: May 19 2017 at 17:29
He only sounded good on the slow stuff

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Posted By: Rednight
Date Posted: May 20 2017 at 09:20
^You've never heard Uriah Heep's One Way Or Another?

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"It just has none of the qualities of your work that I find interesting. Abandon [?] it." - Eno


Posted By: Heino
Date Posted: May 20 2017 at 09:57
Originally posted by SteveG SteveG wrote:

I always imaged that God sounds like John Wetton.

Smile He´s in Heaven now, anyway. Probably just right now playing with Gary Thain, Greg Lake and Chris Squire. 


Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: May 20 2017 at 14:32
Originally posted by lazland lazland wrote:

The Night Watch. I simply love that track.

I'll agree with my Welsh friend!  Amazing track!  Cheers, Steve!


Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: May 20 2017 at 15:34
"In the Dead of Night"
"Danger Money"
"Starless"
"One Way or Another"
"Nothing to Lose"
"Easy Money"
"After the War"


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Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: May 24 2017 at 14:03
Starless for me - but the bass line is also wonderful too! A near perfect Prog track from not a particularly huge KC fan! RIP John!

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Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: May 28 2017 at 15:28
Never a fan, but anything on UK's debut album is pretty good.

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Posted By: Pastmaster
Date Posted: June 05 2017 at 14:58
Probably The Great Deceiver or One More Red Nightmare



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