John Wetton – Bass

I remember when this record came out and we were all a bit confused by the ‘Prog meets Pop’ thing. Yes fans had already had to cope with Yes joining forces with The Buggles and Howe/Wetton/Downes/Palmer had all the potential to be a Prog Fest but it kind of was and wasn’t. I think we all warned to the band eventually although I think this album was the highlight of their career – certainly commercially. I have lost track of them a bit but I saw them in a pre-tour warm up gig in Monmouth in 2026 (a local gig for Downes who lives nearby) and it was great. Only Downes is left from the original line-up and I think they never bettered Wetton as a frontman. Alongside Greg Lake, Wetton was, Jon Anderson aside, the voice of Prog. for a long time.

This bass part is good, old-fashioned root on the bear Rock. Easy to read, easy play but enormous fun. The complete John Wetton bass part tt ‘Only Time Will Tell’ from the 1982 debut album.