John Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017)
January 31, 2017 10:23 AM Subscribe
Prog rock icon John Wetton, who played bass or sang for Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK, and Asia, has died following a lengthy battle with cancer.
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posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 10:41 AM on January 31, 2017
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 10:41 AM on January 31, 2017
What is with all this cancer?
I only knew of him from Asia, and then only by his face because of MTV. I did not grok that he was in all these other great bands as well.
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posted by droplet at 11:00 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
I only knew of him from Asia, and then only by his face because of MTV. I did not grok that he was in all these other great bands as well.
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posted by droplet at 11:00 AM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
I only knew of him from Asia, and then only by his face because of MTV. I did not grok that he was in all these other great bands as well.
In the latter part of his career, Wetton focused on his songwriting and vocals, and seemed to want to distance himself from his bass hero past. He did, however, reuinite with Terry Bozzio and Eddie Jobson for a small UK tour, in the last few years, and I think he started playing some King Crimson material in Asia shows too.
posted by thelonius at 11:06 AM on January 31, 2017
In the latter part of his career, Wetton focused on his songwriting and vocals, and seemed to want to distance himself from his bass hero past. He did, however, reuinite with Terry Bozzio and Eddie Jobson for a small UK tour, in the last few years, and I think he started playing some King Crimson material in Asia shows too.
posted by thelonius at 11:06 AM on January 31, 2017
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posted by oceanjesse at 11:20 AM on January 31, 2017
posted by oceanjesse at 11:20 AM on January 31, 2017
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posted by Flippervault at 12:04 PM on January 31, 2017
posted by Flippervault at 12:04 PM on January 31, 2017
Damn. I wasn't the biggest fan of his voice, to be honest, but I was a big fan of his bass, and he was a major force behind the best era of King Crimson.
posted by atoxyl at 12:53 PM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by atoxyl at 12:53 PM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]
RIP. Listening to KC Starless and Bible Black album right now. What an amazing player. I frequent a progressive rock forum and the grief there is overwhelming. Three bass playing giants of the genre gone in the space of a year and a half (Squire, Lake, and now Wetton). Someone please wrap Geddy Lee in bubble wrap for the remainder of the year.
posted by Ber at 1:03 PM on January 31, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Ber at 1:03 PM on January 31, 2017 [7 favorites]
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posted by SafetyPirate at 1:15 PM on January 31, 2017
posted by SafetyPirate at 1:15 PM on January 31, 2017
That's a hell of a résumé.
posted by srboisvert at 1:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 1:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by spinifex23 at 1:51 PM on January 31, 2017
posted by spinifex23 at 1:51 PM on January 31, 2017
"Heat of the Moment" was one of those iconic early-MTV videos, with the crisp (for that era) production values and the checkerboard of rapidly-flipping images, and then the song was even better, with its just-short-of-pompous grandeur and its downbeat lyrics about getting older (bummer, man!). RIP.
posted by blucevalo at 2:23 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by blucevalo at 2:23 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Joey Michaels at 2:25 PM on January 31, 2017
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:25 PM on January 31, 2017
My first band t-shirt was an Asia iron-on bought when I was 12.
RIP Mr Wetton
posted by jonmc at 4:43 PM on January 31, 2017
RIP Mr Wetton
posted by jonmc at 4:43 PM on January 31, 2017
He has some great moments on King Crimson's USA
posted by Homemade Interossiter at 1:52 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Homemade Interossiter at 1:52 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
He has some great moments on King Crimson's USA
Like the fast section of 21st Century Schizoid Man
posted by thelonius at 2:23 AM on February 1, 2017
Like the fast section of 21st Century Schizoid Man
posted by thelonius at 2:23 AM on February 1, 2017
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posted by El Brendano at 3:52 AM on February 1, 2017
posted by El Brendano at 3:52 AM on February 1, 2017
Ah, man. I was 12 in 1982, and that was the year I started paying attention to charting music (after years of just indiscriminately listening to my parents' record collection). "Heat of the Moment" was one of the first songs I loved when it was current. Just hearing the opening lyrics is enough to throw me back to the record store in the local mall.
Along with "The Safety Dance", "Look of Love", "Steppin' Out", Duran Duran, and Ozzie Osbourne biting the head off a bat, Asia inhabited my head then. It was a hell of a year
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:53 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
Along with "The Safety Dance", "Look of Love", "Steppin' Out", Duran Duran, and Ozzie Osbourne biting the head off a bat, Asia inhabited my head then. It was a hell of a year
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:53 AM on February 1, 2017 [2 favorites]
will be missed
posted by Golem XIV at 10:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Golem XIV at 10:10 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]
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Saw Family in the early '70's. OH boy!
posted by On the Corner at 12:31 AM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Saw Family in the early '70's. OH boy!
posted by On the Corner at 12:31 AM on February 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
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fuck. another gorgeous voice silenced. that rapture party is getting raucous.
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posted by supermedusa at 10:35 AM on January 31, 2017 [3 favorites]