John Wetton
Caught In The Crossfire

We are now looking back at the distant 1980: progressive rock is unfortunately considered outdated, and even the fury of punk is rapidly dying out…

A decade is opening where pop will reign supreme. In '80, the first solo LP by John Wetton was released in stores very anonymously. For those who don't know him yet, suffice it to say that John was the great bassist/singer of the King Crimson during the period '72/'74 ("Larks' Tongues In Aspic," "Starless & Bible Black," and "Red"), and he has also collaborated with an endless number of rock bands. The album I'm about to review is titled "Caught In The Crossfire" and, although it's practically unknown (I visited all the CD shops in Lombardy but couldn't find a trace… I then had to settle for miraculously finding an old vinyl copy!), it's really beautiful. Let's be clear: it is not progressive rock, but excellent pop-rock occasionally tinged with prog...

There are 10 songs (as explained before, having the LP version, I can't say anything about the bonus tracks on the CD) that average 5 minutes in length. Now I'll try to describe it song by song… The album opens with "Turn On The Radio." It is a fairly fast and very pleasant song. Wetton's bass and voice are always at their best. Basically, we are in the presence of a well-made track, although not thrilling. *** With "Baby Come Back," the sound shifts to a more pop-oriented style. It starts with the keyboard, then peacefully proceeds with the rest of the track. The quality of the track increases significantly in the chorus where the guitar scratches a lot. **** With "When will you realize?," it continues with pop-rock. Although it is more than good overall (the keyboard background is interesting), it is certainly not at the level of the two previous songs. ***
A totally different atmosphere comes with the soft and dreamy "Cold Is The Night." Excellent keyboard background, great voice and bass, guitar intervening at the right moments. At the end of these 5 minutes, you truly feel a sense of peace and fulfillment! ***** "Paper Talk"… this is most likely the best song of the entire album. Very powerful despite the tempo not being the fastest, deep, well-structured. An absolute must-listen! … I won't add anything more! *****

The pace returns to a more upbeat and carefree rhythm with "Get Away." A decisively sustained rhythmic guitar and John in great shape give us another high-quality song. **** We now arrive at the title track "Caught In The Crossfire." What can be said? We are facing another gem of the album! Again, the tempo isn't frantic, but the quality is at its peak: a build-up that leaves you stunned, impeccable voice and choir, powerful instruments, and the sax that adds that extra touch! Absolutely thrilling… ***** "Get What You Want" is written in collaboration with Peter Sinfield (…a name, a guarantee…). The high standards remain. The song is quite heavy, the tempo is sustained, and towards the end, psychedelic atmospheres are hinted at. ***** "I’ll be there" is a carefree piece, but overall it is absolutely too pop and decidedly too syrupy. ** The album closes with "Woman." The song recovers the atmosphere of "Cold Is The Night" but, like the previous track, remains rather light. Not very interesting… Too bad, the album could have ended much better. ***

In conclusion, we can say that "Caught In The Crossfire" is a really well-made album. Absolutely must-have… as long as you can find it!!!!

[PS: this is my first review and I hope I've done everything according to the rules… I didn't understand how to add the album cover, though. If someone could explain it to me in a comment…. Thank you very much]