Caught In The Crossfire

After the demise of U.K., bassist and singer John Wetton began work on his first solo album, Caught In The Crossfire. Simon Kirke from Bad Company came in on drums, while Martin Barre from Jethro Tull provided some lead guitar. But other musicians aside, the album is really all about Wetton, as both a musician (playing almost every instrument) and as a songwriter. Tracks like "Turn on the Radio" and "Baby Come Back" are instant hits, full of hooks and Wetton's smooth tenor voice. With a slightly darker edge, "When Will You Realise?" and "Get Away" foreshadow the kind of progressive pop that Wetton would more famously create with his next band; while "Cold Is the Night" goes for the long-form with its extended refrain. Malcolm Duncan's sax on the title track adds some diversity to the record, as well as a link to one of Wetton's earliest bands, Mogul Thrash. But the album's not without a couple of duds: "Get What You Want," co-written with Pete Sinfield, tries a little too hard to be contemporary, while "I'll Be There" just shouldn't be there! The forthright "Woman" provides one solid link to Wetton's past, as the track reprises more than a hint of King Crimson's "Fallen Angel." Throughout the record, Wetton offers an album contemporary for the times, one that doesn't look back to the 70s or rely on any of his former glory as a virtuoso musician. It's a new sound for a new decade; and if commercial viability and success were the new paradigm, so be it. The album saw release on EG Records in the UK, and Jem Records in the US; but without much promotion, it flopped upon arrival. Wetton next hooked up with veteran UK rockers Wishbone Ash for the album Number The Brave, recorded in Miami, Florida and released in 1981. However, with the R&D done, Wetton would go on to forge the huge success that was Asia in the 1980s.