Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Time is not always our friend, that much is certain when we not only look at the way we have lived our lives, but that which is encapsulated in the mercurial and those with aura’s as big as their souls. Time does not grant us immortality, nor is it gentle enough to dare offer all An Extraordinary Life; we just make of it what will, our mistakes a guide, our inspirations the hopeful pleasure we take in their company.
Company is exactly what the listener can expect to find as they immerse themselves in the immense and sheer volume of solo work brought together of the much missed and genial artist, John Wetton.
The casual fan may forget that outside of Asia, the four original members of the group had taken the art of the Progressive and stylistic rock by storm early in their careers, but that even in their solo lives they produced some outstanding and true-life art that requires in depth investigation and with no distractions.
Taking direction and homage from the book on John Wetton, An Extraordinary Life is a complete box set release which appears in such design that it is to be likened to that of the lauded expansive coffee table book; the difference is that in the man’s audio life we should be ready to be educated, to be re-immersed via six studio albums and two volumes of rarities into a world centred on expression and the faith of the human spirit.
The incredibly well produced box set, full of information and with great care of printing, brings almost every track that the musician put together in his solo pursuits, and the sense of memory that comes from placing your own attentive ear over the albums, from the early thrust of mind in 1980s Caught In The Crossfire, and through the sense of commitment and force of spirit in Battle Lines, Arkangel, Welcome To Heaven, and Rock Of Faith, and the regret perhaps of the knowledge that came with the final outing in 2011s Raised In Captivity, what comes to light is that beauty and truth that John Wetton was always looking for, the signals he tentatively sent out in search perhaps of a friendship, and finding it return with double, treble the acceptance that he may have expected.
An Extraordinary Life is not only a box set of music, but also an unveiling of the human experience; and from one of Progressive and Rock’s unassuming heroes, this is a reveal of vital and passionate understanding of a creative soul in minute and positive detail.
Ian D. Hall