This CD is so honest, you'll feel like you are right there!
Edward Pervin | Orlando, FL United States | 04/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This CD has all the fun of a soundcheck and has the quality of a bootleg. If you can get past the yappy woman in the audience (who comes in clearer than Wetton at times) you're all set. That's the only reason it got only 4 stars! It's an all acoustic display of music from Asia, UK, and King Crimson, played to a very intimate audience. It is honest, real, and very powerful. John Wetton does a blusy rendition of Easy Money that will bring you to your knees. If you have never seen John Wetton live, this is as close as you will come to it. His interaction with the audience between songs, alone, is worth the price of the CD. He does versions of The Smile has Left Your Eyes, Hold Me Now, Arkangel, and Starless that are just incredible. You will also love this CD because there is nobody in the band smothering his songs with heavy pounding, loud guitars, or anything else. It's just John and his band having a good time with a very happy audience. It's the best concert I never saw!"
BEST SOLO WETTON- ACCOUSTIC SET WITH IAN MCDONALD
r-devic-saint | Pittsburgh, PA | 10/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"MANY REVIEWERS HAVE POINTED OUT THE SUB PAR PRODUCTION VALUES OF THIS CD, IT IS A LIVE AUDIENCE RECORDING, SO WHAT, THE MUSIC IS BRILLIANT. WETTON FOCUSES ESPECIALLY ON KING CRIMSON MATERIAL, AND UK MATERIAL. HIS OWN SOLO SONGS AND THE ASIA SONGS SOUND MUCH BETTER HERE, WITH THE FOCUS ON THE SONGWRITING INSTEAD OF STUDIO SLICKNESS. IAN MCDONALD'S PRESENCE ON STARLESS AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE CD MAKE THIS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY CRIMSON FAN."
Performance good, sound quality terrible
r-devic-saint | 08/24/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I was introduced to John Wetton through Asia in the ealy 80's. From there, I backtracked and thus began my journey into progressive rock. ELP, Yes, and King Crimson all became staples of my selections. This cd has songs from the Asia period, King Crimson Period, as well as some solo tunes. All are performed well, but the sound quality is TERRIBLE. It is barely above bootleg quality. To be honest, I'm surprised that this was released due to the sound quality. You can tell that the mics were in the back of the room, because some of the clapping and chatter among the audience is much clearer than the music. For you Asia fans (be warned) the version of "Heat of the Moment" performed here is much different than the studio version. If you heard both songs without hearing the vocals, you would be hard pressed to hear the similarities. That does not mean that I think it is a bad version. In fact, I applaud John for trying to make some of his more commercial material (which by the way, I do enjoy as well)sound fresh. The only reason that I give this two stars is because of the sound quality. If the sound was better, I would not hesitate to give this cd three or possibly four stars. The only thing that saves this cd from being used as a frisbee at the beach is John Wetton's performance."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1