Actually released just prior to his recent death from cancer, The Official Bootleg Archive Vol. 1 is an exhaustive collection of official bootleg recordings of the late, great John Wetton and his solo band, taped during the late '90s at three different locations and spread out over 6 CDs. For any fan, this is a massive and timely release, and though all three concerts have been available previously, they've been out of print for over a decade, so here they are all in one set, a nice compact package especially for those who haven't owned these before.
With a storied career that saw Wetton spend time in seminal acts such as King Crimson, Asia, UK, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Family, Mogul Thrash, and many other collaborations, he also had a busy solo career over the years that included a talented band backing him up. For the Argentina show, that included drummer Thomas Lang, guitarist Billy Liesegang, and IQ keyboard player Martin Orford. Hop ahead to Osaka a year later, and John Young replaced Orford on keys, while over on the 1999 concert in Tokyo, Orford is back, but in comes Steve Christey on drums and David Kilminster on guitars. Throughout all three sets, Wetton shows why he was long considered one of the best vocalists and bassists in progressive rock. The song selections for each show sees quite a bit of overlap, Wetton choosing mostly to dive into Asia, King Crimson, UK, and solo material from Battle Lines and Arkangel. Sound wise, the quality is pretty decent throughout all three sets, though the Tokyo show from 1999 seems to have the strongest performances from Wetton and the band. Scorching renditions of "Sole Survivor", "Book of Saturday", "The Night Watch", "In the Dead of Night", "Time Again", "Easy Money", "Heat of the Moment", and of course "Starless" are just energetic and full of life, though make sure you don't miss a spirited "Voice of America" and "Caught in the Crossfire" in the Argentina set.
The world is certainly going to miss John Wetton, but thankfully he's left an enormous amount of studio and live recordings from his long and illustrious career for listeners to enjoy for generations to come. This is a highly recommended box set of live recordings that any fan will need in their collection. RIP John...thanks for the music!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
Live in Argentina 1996
Disc: 1
1. In the Dead of Night
2. Sole Survivor
3. Only Time Will Tell
4. Voice of America
5. Book of Saturday
6. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
7. Thirty Years
8. Hold Me Now
9. Quilmes
10. Rendezvous 6:02
Disc: 2
1. Thomas Lang's Drum Solo
2. Caught in the Crossfire
3. Easy Money
4. Battle Lines
5. Heat of the Moment
6. Starless
7. Don't Cry
Live in Osaka 1997
Disc: 3
1. Intro
2. The Last Thing on My Mind
3. Sole Survivor
4. I Can't Lie Anymore
5. Battlelines
6. John Young's Solo
7. Arkangel
8. Emma
9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
10. The Night Watch
11. Hold Me Now
12. Only Time Will Tell
Disc: 4
1. Rendezvous 6:02
2. Thomas Lang's Drum Solo
3. Easy Money
4. In the Dead of the Night
5. After All
6. Heat of the Moment
7. Starless
8. Don't Cry
Live at the Sun Plaza Tokyo 1999
Disc: 5
1. The Circle of St. Giles
2. The Last Thing on My Mind
3. Sole Survivor
4. Battle Lines
5. Book of Saturday
6. Martin Orford's Solo
7. Emma
8. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
9. Hold Me Now
10. The Night Watch
11. Only Time Will Tell
12. In the Dead of the Night
Disc: 6
1. Easy Money
2. After All
3. Rendezvous 6:02
4. Time Again
5. Starless
6. Heat of the Moment
7. Don't Cry
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