• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Noooo! RIP John Wetton.

#83
There's a reason why this guy is in my avatar. He is my main inspiration. I used to be a guitarist a while ago, and John's tone + fast and effective playing caught my attention, notably on KC 73-74 albums. I realized that I preferred listening to the bass in most KC songs.
When I switched to bass, it was the tone and style I adopted.
I was lucky enough to talk to him in 2012 when he came in town for the UK reunion tour. I'll never forget that.

RIP John.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arthur U. Poon, Matthew_84, Jaco Taco and 1 other person
#84
A brontosaurus mated with a 6" radius steel cable, and their child was John Wetton's bass tone. This guy was unbelievable. You listen to the numerous King Crimson improvs that they did, and his playing can be so abstract and obtuse and then suddenly he's just laying down great grooves. One moment his bass is sounding like some sort of colossal machine crunching its gears against the ground, and then he's all funky and light. Just amazing. One of my all-time favorites and a true original on the bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dark Red Moon, Bob_Ross, bholder and 3 others
#85
Saw him when I went to the 2nd Glastonbury festival, he was playing with Family. Then Crimson in Chicago in 74, the classic KC quartet with Bruford..amazing set. Next time I saw him, my band opened up for UK in Chicago at a theater, the Uptown. It was a classic mismatch of musical styles, and my band was almost booed off the stage. We were down in the dressing room after our set, and I left to get some air. Who is walking down the hallway, warming up on his Pbass? I sorta mumbled my appreciation for all his work, explained that I had seen him at Glastonbury. He gave his appreciation and walked upstairs to go on.

To my ears, he and Bruford were one of the finest r sections ever. Take a listen to any KC or UK live stuff, and you'll hear the real deal. Also his work with Roxy was great. He was a strong person too, beating the bottle, heart disease and cancer, until it finally got him. RIP Soulman, and thanks for the great music and inspiration.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dark Red Moon, bholder, wmmj and 5 others
#87
macburn said:
There's a reason why this guy is in my avatar. He is my main inspiration. I used to be a guitarist a while ago, and John's tone + fast and effective playing caught my attention, notably on KC 73-74 albums. I realized that I preferred listening to the bass in most KC songs.
When I switched to bass, it was the tone and style I adopted.
I was lucky enough to talk to him in 2012 when he came in town for the UK reunion tour. I'll never forget that.

RIP John.
Click to expand...


I'm at a loss for words. John is one of my all time favorites too, and a picture of him is my avatar as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jaco Taco and Tony B. Filthy
#89
Tony In Philly said:
He was one of the best. I saw him twice - once with King Crimson and the other time with a UK reunion. He was always just amazing just to watch and listen to.
Click to expand...

When I was in High School a few of my friends and I were able to get backstage at a Jethro Tull concert, and UK was the Support act. I'd never heard UK before and I'll never forget hearing the intro of "Alaska". Jobson's Yamaha CS80, I'd never heard anything like that before. The side curtains were drawn, so I couldn't see the band, but their playing was incredible. The trio walked right past me and I was so in awe, all I could do was nod and say "Hi!" in appreciation. A few months later, I got turned onto King Crimson and I was completely blown away by his playing and singing. It took me awhile to learn that John Wetton was UK's bassist/lead vocalist and I was pissed at myself for not talking to him when I had the chance. -But I probably couldn't have mustered up the courage to at that tIme anyway.

IMO John ranks right up there with Jack Bruce, who's in my book, the ultimate bassist/singer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bellbass and Tony B. Filthy
#90
I got into John Wetton when he joined the band U.K. I was a funk loving kid who had a soft spot for grindy sounding rock bassists. John Wetton could make his bass roar like a lion and he could sing anything he wanted while laying down killer lines. He will be missed. R.I.P.

Man, off topic, listening to that again reminds me why a Bill Bruford is an all time favorite drummer of mine.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Bellbass, Arthur U. Poon, Bob_Ross and 3 others
#94
Jeff Scott said:
The only time I got to see John in a show was the first Asia tour in the early '80s (1983?)
Click to expand...
Me too. I wish I had been able to see him with King Crimson, the original UK lineup or with Steve Hackett. But I would have been a child for when he was with Crimson. :laugh:

PS. There is a version of Heat Of The Moment on Hackett's Tokyo Tapes which is Wetton only accompanied by acoustic guitar and another singer harmonizing which is far superior to the Asia version. I was surprised by how much better it is.
 
#95
I find myself in 82 hearing "Heat of the Moment", one of my favorite tunes ever. Flash forward 8 or 9 years and I'm getting deep into the King Crimson phase of my life. To my surprise John Wetton was part of both these great influences.

Thanks for the tunes and memories Mr. Wetton.
 
#96
Carl Hillman said:
Sad news.

The first UK album remains one of my favorite prog records.

Click to expand...

For me, this was the best of the last great prog albums of the seventies. Yes pretty much imploded. Genesis was transforming into a pop band. ELP was, well, adrift. I played this a few moths ago and was surprised at how much wear it had. It was in regular rotation on the table for a long time. RIP John. Thanks for the hours of pleasure you gave us. You are a legend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bellbass, Bob_Ross, wmmj and 2 others
#97
not much to say that hasn't been said already here...

Asia was the coolest thing when it hit (I was 15), discovering his back catalog of bands I realized why they called it a Super Group at the time. John's early P bass into hiwatt amps is one of my ideal bass tones, and a couple of the official live KC releases are on my top 25 concert recordings. Beyond his tone, his lines were often brilliant / perfect in a laid back, care free kind of vibe... and then his voice, probably solid within my top 10 male vocalists.

It was a sad day for me today.
 
#98
Terrible, terrible news! And only months after Greg Lake :-( my condolences to his friends and family.

I,like many here, love the '72-'74 King Crimson stuff... Another awesome album that introduced me to his playing is the Roxy Music live album "Viva".
 
#100
One of my biggest influences. I got into King Crimson in a big way when I was in high school (early 90's) after buying Red on vinyl at a friend's garage sale. His ability to sing and bass still stagger me. RIP good dude. Red is on my stereo as I type this.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back