Prog Rock legend John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, Asia) will soon release his sixth solo album Raised In Captivity through Frontier Records. The disc features an impressive line-up of special guests including Steve Morse, Alex Machacek, Robert Fripp, and others. The announced release dates are July 1st for Europe, July 12th for North America, and August 24th for Japan (via King Records). The opening track “Lost For Words” featuring Steve Morse can be streamed in full on the Frontiers Records web radio. Check Wetton's official website for more info and samples. See below for the full tracklisting.
John Wetton - Raised In Captivity (Frontier Records)
1. Lost For Words (featuring Steve Morse)
2. Raised In Captivity (featuring Robert Fripp)
3. Goodbye Elsinore (featuring Steve Hackett)
4. The Last Night Of My Life (featuring Alex Machacek)
5. We Stay Together (bonus track)
6. The Human Condition (featuring Tony Kaye)
7. Steffi’s Ring (featuring Geoff Downes)
8. The Devil And The Opera House (featuring Eddie Jobson)
9. New Star Rising (featuring Mick Box)
10.Don’t Misunderstand Me (featuring Tony Kaye)
11.Mighty Rivers (featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen)
John Kelman has a review up of the Ultimate Zero Tour - Live album at All About Jazz. The 2-disc set features songs recorded during the prog-rock super group's 2009 tours. The various lineups on the disc include bandleader Eddie Jobson - violin and keys, John Wetton - bass, vocals and acoustic guitar, Greg Howe - guitar, Tony Levin - Chapman Stick, Trey Gunn - touch guitar, Ric Fierabracci - bass, and Marco Minnemann & Simon Phillips - drums.
All About Jazz Review: Ultimate Zero - Live
Greg Howe will be playing the following dates in Poland with Eddie Jobson's U-Z Project. This incarnation of the band will feature Jobson, Howe, John Wetton, Tony Levin, and Marco Minnemann.
November 3rd Krakow, Poland Studio Club
November 4th Warsaw, Poland Palladium Club
November 5th Bydgoszcz, Poland Philharmonic Hall
Eddie Jobson is a legendary figure in the world of progressive rock. Proficient on both the keyboards and violin, Jobson played with several prog/art rock bands in the 60s and 70s including Frank Zappa's band, Curved Air, Roxy Music, Jethro Tull, and others. However, Jobson may best be known for his work with UK; one of prog-rock's true "supergroups." With an original lineup of Bill Bruford on drums and John Wetton on bass (who had both come from King Crimson), plus Allan Holdsworth on guitar and Jobson on keys and violin, UK developed a cult status following their 1978 self-titled debut that exists to this day. Though Jobson
does have some solo albums to his credit, the bulk of his work for the
past 20-some-odd years has been in TV and film scoring. Now, Jobson has returned with a new band - UKZ. Much like it's late-70s predecessor, UKZ is undoubtedly a supergroup. This illustrious band consists of guitarist Alex Machacek (BPM, solo artist), drummer Marco Minnemann (Paul Gilbert, KMB, solo artist), Warr 10-string touch guitarist Trey Gunn (King Crimson, solo artist), vocalist Aaron Lippert (Expanding Man, Godboxer, solo artist), and Jobson
on keys and violin. After a long gestation period that often saw the
band members writing and collaborating remotely, the band has produced
their first release - a promising 4-song EP entitled Radiation (Glo Digital).
The title track is the most well-rounded song on the disc, making it a perfect choice for the opener. It's a heavy, modern, progressive rock song that's chock-full of all the staples of the gene; heavy riffs, odd meters, radical mood-swings, you name it. Machacek takes a great solo on this one, filled with smooth legato lines and sweeps. What's really interesting here, is the guitar solo flows seamlessly into a distortion-laden violin solo courtesy of Jobson. Given Jobson's guitaristic licks and tone, it's hard to tell at first where the guitar solo ends and violin solo begins. Couple all this with gritty lyrics sung by Lippert through a transistor radio-like tone, and you've got a great prog tune. Next up is a synth-heavy ballad called "Houston," which shows a completely different side of the band. Gunn single-handedly provides the rhythm section in this song with some subtle, percussive touch guitar work. The vocals are strong and right out front in the mix on this one.
The polyrhythmic "Tu-95" was released early as the teaser track from the disc, and for good reason. This is a heavy prog instrumental that basically throws the kitchen sink at you. Packed full of turn-on-a-dime meter and mood shifts, this is an "out there" tune that I can see being an acquired taste for non-prog heads. Machacek provides the EP's final track - the solo jazz guitar piece "Legend," which features some beautiful chords and voice-leading.
After listening to this EP from beginning to end, my initial knee-jerk reaction was "I wish there were more songs like 'Radiation'." The four songs presented here differ radically from one another, and it's often hard to find a common thread. My suspicion now is that is exactly Jobson's point. Perhaps Jobson is using this short release to showcase the many facets of his new band; to give listeners a small taste of the varying directions this supergroup is capable of going in. I hope that's the case; I'd certainly like to see a full album from UKZ in the future.
UKZ - Radiation (Glo Digital)
Personnel:
Aaron Lippert - Vocals
Trey Gunn - 10-string touch guitar
Eddie Jobson - Keyboards, Electric Violin
Alex Machacek - Guitar
Marco Minnemann - Drums
Tracklisting:
Radiation
Houston
Tu-95
Legend
This show has been floating around as a bootleg for some time (don't ask me how I know), but a 1978 live recording of the iconic prog-rock band UK will get an official CD release in December. Recorded on 9/11/78 in Boston, the band features Allan Holdsworth on guitar; John Wetton on vocals and bass; Eddie Jobson on violin, keys, and electronics; and Bill Bruford on drums and percussion.
