Customer Reviews

Akustika Live in Amerika

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I admit I was a bit skeptical when I purchased this one after the dissappointing "Chasing the Dragon" live CD... I feared the sound quality would be dull and the performance as boring as Eric Claptons too famous acoustic rendition of "Layla..." What a shock. "Voice of America" is performed with Wetton playing a grand piano and his voice is possibly the strongest it's ever been. Even the new songs (at the time) from Battle Lines blend in with the old perfectly, plus he performs the first part of UK's best song ever, "30 Years" with his voice and a synth. He even manages to pull of the Asia rockers such as "Don't Cry" and "Only Time Will Tell" in a tasteful manner. The sound quality is among the best I've heard, crisp and clean... If you're a fan of Asia, King Crimson, or UK, check it out. Those who are too old to rock and roll may enjoy it also...

So good...it will give you *chills*. The emotion John Wetton exudes...elicits...inspires in this strong and softly ethereal performance will set you in awe, and take you to heaven upon an angel's wings. This is possibly Wetton's finest live album, and it's certainly my favorite. You may not weep at the beauty as I did at tracks such as "Hold Me Now" and "Rendesvous 6:02", but then again...you might.... Light several candles or turn the lights down low, and take flight with this hauntingly beautiful artist...and explore where he leads you in this unparalleled progressive soft-rock musical arrangement..... There is nothing else like it.

There are lot's of live CD's out there that feature the music of John Wetton, some of them have John as a member of Asia, others spotlight John with UK, and of course the recent ones are of the duo: Wetton/Downes and the reunited Asia of 2007-2008. But, for many of us, the years that John wandered the globe as a solo performer and as the leader of the John Wetton Band, stand the test of time as his moment of our fondest memories.

I own about a dozen CD's of live music by John Wetton, and this one entitled: "Akustika ~ Live In Amerika", is at the top as my favorite document of this performer's powers to transport his audience to somewhere much greater than here. John is in top-form here, and some of his greatest vocal work is right here as well, but that said, John Wetton on a bad night is better than 99% of all other voices on any stage. This recording: "Akustika" finds John in concert on a very good night.

From: "Voice Of America" thro to "You're Not The Only One" there are plenty of songs you remember: "Heat Of The Moment" & "Only Time Will Tell" and fan favorites such as: "Battle Lines" & "30 Years", to things you have not heard in ages like the King Crimson Classic: "Book Of Saturday." As we have all listened to these songs in their original forms for years now {well, decades really}, these new arrangemants breath new life into every one of them.

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS: John IS the band here, with only acoustic guitars and grand piano, he is playing fantastic. I was well aware that he was a fine guitarist, but to my surprise this disc also spotlights his expert skills on piano that really bring this concert set up by more than a few notches.

With twelve songs featured here and a total time of 49 minutes, this is not a full concert, and it would really be something to hear the rest of the show but, this is a very good presentation just the way it is and I am not here to complain because I do feel lucky to have this gem to listen to at all.

You do not need to be a big fan of Asia to enjoy this CD, it is a real nice listening experience as is and it does lean on past glories...These songs are their own voice...John Wetton, is something special and this CD is all the evidence that you are gonna need. Grab this one!

FIVE STARS !!!

Proving once again that he was the heart & soul of Asia and maybe the best vocal of King Crimson, John Wetton comes up with a timeless acoustic - live collection of his greatest hits during the long years of his career. The sound is brilliant and John's singing is meticulously precise and flawless. So much passion and strenght. Timeless Music, music ahead of it's time -like the period when he was the lead vocal for Asia. All praise to the quality / producers / of this CD. This is probably the best acoustic performance by John except the Stockholm one. If you still don't know John's or Asia's music - buy this CD, and you will have it all...

This album has to be one of the cleanest live recordings I've ever heard. It literally sounds like Mr. Wetton is in your living room playing for you. The opening track, Voice Of America, shows the former Asia/King Crimson/UK leader's voice has only improved with age. This disc is well worth the price for the last 4 songs alone: Battle Lines, The Simle Has Left Your Eyes, Heat Of The Moment and You're Not The Only One. All are immaculate presentations, and show him in great voice.

John Wetton is a brilliant singer and songwriter and this CD is JW at his best. He does a great job updating and simplifying some of ASIA's best songs and adds in a few great ones from his past. A great recording worthy of any progressive rock collection.

As a teenager, I was a big fan of Asia. Since John Wetton left the band, its music became uninteresting.

»Akustika - Live In America« can be considered as a kind of Unplugged Greatest Hits from Wetton and the bands he has been part of.

So there he is, on stage, a man with a nice and emotional voice, a guitar and a piano. Everything is nice and clean... but it is kind of boring. These silent versions of rock hymns like »Voice Of America« do not come near the power and the intense soul of their originals.

The exception is »Only Time Will Tell« out of which John Wetton makes a good Akustika. The album as a whole is something you put on when you invite your new girlfriend up for the first time.

As a teenager, I was a big fan of Asia. Since John Wetton left the band, its music became uninteresting.

»Akustika - Live In America« can be considered as a kind of Unplugged Greatest Hits from Wetton and the bands he has been part of.

So there he is, on stage, a man with a nice and emotional voice, a guitar and a piano. Everything is nice and clean... but it is kind of boring. These silent versions of rock hymns like »Voice Of America« do not come near the power and the intense soul of their originals.

The exception is »Only Time Will Tell« out of which John Wetton makes a good Akustika. The album as a whole is something you put on when you invite your new girlfriend up for the first time.

Akustika (a clever play on the "A-A" word titles from Wetton's Asia days) offers us a stripped down sound - with mixed results. The Asia offerings (Heat of the Moment, et al.) give insight into how they must have sounded when first conceived, and the never-before released "Christina" is a loving tribute to his god-daughter (and former Asia-mate Geoff Downes' daughter). Still, perhaps it's me, and perhaps I've played the studio versions of these songs too often, but some of the offerings ("Don't Cry" comes to mind) don't hold up as well in the acoustic setting as they did in the original recordings. Fortunately, songs like "You're Not the Only One" stand out in the unplugged setting and surpass the original studio versions. The only other negative is the lack of variety between "Akustika" and Wetton's previous live effort, "Chasing the Dragon" - considering Wetton's diverse recording history, one hopes that future releases will delve deeper into Wetton's music library than we've seen to date.

Wetton may not be the best singer in the world but he is certainly one of the most passionate. Unfortunately, Wetton seems to tone down his performances on this CD, while they're still passionate they seem to lack that level of intense deep to the core of the soul passion that I know he's capable of after hearing some of his other live performances. I've heard live versions of "Hold Me Now" that have just about moved me to tears. Unfortunately this CD lacks that level of emotion.

The CD is still well worth getting if for no other reason than to hear "Christina" and Wetton's acoustic version of "Don't Cry" which is exceptional on this CD. Those 2 songs alone make this CD WELL worth getting, the rest of the material, while very good, isn't up to the standards I normally expect of Mr. Wetton however.