John Wetton, 67, rock bassist, vocalist . By Daniel E. Slotnik New York
Times . NEW YORK - John Wetton, a bass player, vocalist, and songwriter
who adapted the dense, progressive rock he performed with such bands as
King Crimson into mainstream hits with the supergroup Asia in the early
1980s, died Tuesday near his home in Bourne-mouth, England. He was 67.
His manager said the cause was colon cancer. A technically accomplished
bassist with a smooth tenor voice, Mr. Wetton came up musically in
London in the late 1960s and early '70s. He was part of a cohort of
musicians, in groups such as Pink Floyd and Yes, who were known for an
ornate, maximalist brand of rock. King Crimson, founded in 1968, was
another such band, and Mr. Wetton joined an incarnation of it in 1972,
playing alongside the group's original guitarist, Robert Fripp, drummer
Bill Bruford, formerly of Yes, and others. He appeared on the group's
albums "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" (1973), "Starless and Bible Black"
(1974), and "Red" (1974). Fripp disbanded the group in the mid-1970s,
when it appeared to be on the brink of reaching a wider audience. "I
didn't understand Robert's reasons then," Mr. Wetton said in 1999, "and
I still don't. Mr. Wetton went on to perform with Roxy Music, Uriah
Heep, and U.K. before forming Asia in 1981 with drummer Carl Palmer, of
Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist
Geoff Downes, both of Yes. Asia's sound was more accessible than the
bandmates' earlier endeavors, and the group became an instant success
after the release of its debut album, titled simply "Asia," in 1982.
The group's single "Heat of the Moment," co-written by Mr. Wetton,
reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart. With melodious three-part harmony
on its chorus, it has often been compared to anthems such as Journey's
"Don't Stop Believing" and Boston's "More Than a Feeling. "Asia" sold
millions of copies, and the band was soon playing stadium shows.
Audiences were thrilled; critics were often underwhelmed. "In Yes,
early King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Asia's members played
music full of technical hurdles and symphonic pomp," Jon Pareles wrote
in reviewing a 1983 concert in The New York Times. "Soon groups like
Kansas and Styx picked up on the pomp, minus any experiments. Asia
imitates the imitators, inflating conventional pop songs with
pseudosymphonic grandeur. Asia continued releasing albums throughout
the 1980s, but none had the success of the first. The band members'
outsize personalities clashed at times, and the lineup changed
periodically. In 1991, Mr. Wetton left Asia to focus on other projects.
Mr. Wetton was supposed to join the band on a US tour with Journey this
March, but this month his doctors advised him not to participate. "The
world loses yet another musical giant," Palmer said in a statement.
"John was a gentle person who created some of the most lasting melodies
and lyrics in modern popular music. "As a musician, he was both brave
and innovative, with a voice that took the music of Asia to the top of
the charts around the world. Mr. Wetton was a recovering alcoholic who
had worked in the past 11 years to help others quit drinking. He leaves
his wife, Lisa, and son, Dylan. Material from the Associated Press was
used in this obituary.
