John Wetton/Tokyo,Japan 1997

In 1997, he came to Japan for the second time as a solo artist. This full live album captures the performance with the best sound. There are also official live albums from this tour, “LIVE IN TOKYO 1997” and “LIVE IN OSAKA”, but this is a different performance. First, let’s check the position in the tour schedule. ・October 1: Nagoya Club Quattro *Official Edition ・October 2: Umeda Club Quattro 《October 3: Travel Day》 ・October 4: Shibuya Club Quattro [This work] ・October 5: Shibuya Club Quattro *Official Edition That’s a total of four performances over five days. This work contains the “October 4, 1997: Shibuya Club Quattro” performance, which is the same venue as the official album “LIVE IN TOKYO 1997” but the day before. The greatest thing about this work is that it records the full concert with the best quality. In fact, the official album “LIVE IN TOKYO 1997” is a very puzzling work. Even though it’s full of cuts, as always with official releases, the credits and track divisions are a mess, and even the two-disc version with a bonus CD is full of cuts. The selection of songs is also questionable, and even though it includes solo time for the backing members, the most important masterpieces are deleted. To list them, the latest album “ARKANGEL” numbers such as “The Circle Of St.Giles”, “The Last Thing On My Mind”, “Arkangel”, “Emma”, and “After All”, the masterpiece “Hold Me Now” from “VOICE MAIL” (credited on the bonus CD but not included), and “Starless” and “Don’t Cry”. I thought they were trying to avoid overlapping with the previous live album “CHASING THE DRAGON”, but that wasn’t the case, and they cut out the new songs and major songs from “ARKANGEL” that should have been promoted…it was completely incomprehensible. On the other hand, this work covers these masterpieces and records the full show in one go. Moreover, the sound is extremely wonderful. In fact, the official album “LIVE IN OSAKA” is almost fully recorded, but this one has exaggerated and unnatural cheers overdubbed, and there is no mood. On the other hand, this work is a 100% audience recording that is unmatched in naturalness. Moreover, it is made into a CD directly from the original DAT provided by the recorder himself, and its freshness is outstanding as if it was recorded yesterday. Although the “ringing” of the bass drum feels like an audience recording, the core is thick, and the vivid musical tones with a clear outline are not shy to call it “like a sound board”. In addition to the closed room feeling and closeness that can only be achieved in the small space of Club Quattro, the slight venue acoustics further enhance Wetton’s gentle beautiful voice. Although it is close to a line sound that hits you right in the brain, it is an excellent sound that also absorbs the “taste of the audience”. The show of “solo singer: Wetton” drawn with such a sound is very touching. A group of masterpieces that shine in “singing” even in his golden career are lined up, and solo songs that make that beautiful voice shine are wrapped. Although the impression tends to be weak because of the flashy visits to Japan, such as his first solo visit to Japan (1995) that summarized his career, and STEVE HACKETT & FRIENDS (1996) that drew the masterpieces of rock history, Wetton has written and sung great masterpieces as a solo. No, rather, it is the solo that does not consider the battle of the instrumental section that makes the “charm of the voice” shine. It is a live album of beautiful voice and beautiful melody that reminds you of that fact once again. A magnificent sound, a wonderful singing voice, and a group of shining masterpieces. The three elements necessary for a good music album are all in place, and it is a masterpiece that overflows with the charm of the famous singer: John Wetton. KING CRIMSON, U.K., and ASIA are all great, but Wetton also shone as a solo singer. This is solid evidence of that. Live at Shibuya Club Quattro, Tokyo, Japan 4th October 1997 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1(60:59) 1. The Circle Of St.Giles 2. The Last Thing On My Mind 3. Sole Survivor 4. I Can’t Lie Anymore 5. Battle Lines 6. Keyboard Solo 7. Arkangel 8. Emma 9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 10. The Night Watch 11. Thirty Years 12. Hold Me Now 13. Only Time Will Tell 14. Rendez-vous 6.02 Disc 2(51:46) 1. Drum Solo 2. Easy Money 3. In The Dead Of Night 4. After All 5. Heat Of The Moment 6. Starless 7. Don’t Cry John Wetton – lead vocal, bass, acoustic guitar John Young – keyboards David Kilminster – guitar Thomas Lang – drums