John WETTON

Rock Of Faith

(2003)

1. Mondrago ^2'13

(John Wetton)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc
2. Rock Of Faith ^3'57

(John Wetton / Clive Nolan)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc
3. A New Day ^5'17

(John Wetton)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc
4. I've Come To Take You Home ^4'40

(John Wetton / Geoffrey Downes)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / WHILE KNIGHT MUSIC PUBLISHING Ltd. / WARNER-CHAPPELL
5. Who Will Light A Candle ? ^3'39

(John Wetton / Richard Palmer-James)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / GEMA
6. Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way ^5'37

(John Wetton / Susan Shifrin)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / WARNER CHAPPELL
7. Altro Mondo ^3'42

(John Wetton / Richard Palmer-James)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / GEMA
8. I Believe In You ^5'23

(John Wetton / Richard Palmer-James)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / GEMA
9. Take Me To The Waterline ^6'09

(John Wetton / John Young)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc
10. I Lay Down ^4'04

(John Wetton / Geoffrey Downes)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / WHITE KNIGHT MUSIC PUBLISHING Ltd. / WARNER-CHAPPELL
11. When You Were Young ^1'34

(John Wetton / Richard Palmer-James)

2002 MCS MUSIC plc / GEMA

Total Time: 46:15

John Wetton - Lead Vocal, Harmony Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
John Mitchell -Ail Electric Guitars
Geoffrey Downes - Virtual Grand, B4
Clive Nolan - Keyboards, Monk

Steve Christey - All Drums
Produced by John Wetton, Clive Nolan and Karl Groom for JWL
Engineered by Karl Groom
Arranged by John Wetton and Clive Nolan
Mike Stobbie: ORKESTA ISOLA DI CANI
Mastered at ABBEY ROAD by Chris Blair
Sleeve by MIXED IMAGES Ltd.
Photography by Michael Inns
Management: Martin Darvill
Assisted by Helen Hodges, Liscombe Park, LU7 OJL, UK
Accountancy: Richard Rosenberg at SRLV, London.
Legal: Laurie Soriano at MANETT, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Recorded and Mixed entirely at THIN ICE STUDIOS, Surrey, England, September / October / November 2002

After the Battle Lines / Arkangel / Sinister trilogy here is a new CD, Rock Of Faith, for me a natural progression into a fresh era of evolving, indefinable enigma that is music.

Fifty years of my life represents a major crossroads, because whichever way I look at it, there is less to go than has already gone.

My half-century celebration was spent in Vienna - one of the world's most aesthetic and evocative cities, and it was during that weekend that the seeds of a new musical perspective were sown. The streets of the Austrian capital were alive with markets and street parties for the midsummer festival - music and dancing typically in the eastern European tradition, with breathtaking melodies and spine-tingling images. The seminal melody and atmosphere for 'Who will light a candle?' was rooted here. Nurtured when old friend Richard Palmer-James and myself discussed a mutual memory of Vienna(and the ubiquitous, abundantly powerful Mr. Mortality), the song finally took breath with Mike Stobbie's goose-bumpingly brilliant arrangement.

So then, my direction was mistily etched for me, and the music that ensued was to re-kindle old friendships. Alongside RP-J, Geoffrey Downes and I collaborated for the first time in a decade on 'I've Come To Take You Home', and 'I Lay Down', in a spirit not only of what we had in the past, but also of what can be in the future. (Both of these pieces were written on my old piano — the very same instrument as most of the music for the eponymous ASIA in 1981 / 82).

John Young and I took a left turn on our crusade into the State of Treacherous Emotional Quagmire, and temporarily ended up for the evening at Waterline, in the Land of Lust. The bedrock of our touring band-also good friends - John Mitchell and Steve Christey form the nucleus of this recording, and I am grateful that we not only understand each other as musicians, but also as human spirits. The same can be said of Geoffrey Downes, who, along with Clive and myself, provides keyboards.

In the colours of this CD, both musically and lyrically, lies my emotional spectrum, covering all points between sink and swim.

As is the norm for me, all songs in this collection of work are autobiographical.

Love, uncertainty, desperation, lust, morality, anger, hope, death, acceptance all are here.

As old associations were renewed, so new ones were being forged, and none more so than with Clive Nolan. Some of the most fruitful associations of my past have been with keyboard players, and on this record Clive dons the mantle of keeper of the keys, along with his producers hat.

He and I tend to coincide on broad artistic strokes, and on vision of music and production.

Without out his patience, the CD before you would never have been finished. A special thank you goes to Clive and Sian for hospitality beyond the call.

Thanks also to Karl Groom, whose innate musicality takes his recording expertise into another league. In addition to the'quorum' musicians, you will hear valuable contributions from these fine players: Listen to Martin Ortord's flute, the masterful melancholy of ELO's Hugh McDowell on cello (I've Come To Take You Home), Pendragon's effortlessly fretless bassist, Peter Gee (Rock of Faith), and Tim Garland's (remember Arkanget?) alto saxophone grace the final article. 2002 awoke in ambiguity and drama in the aftermath of the previous explosive year, and was liberally laced with painful arrows of Schadenfreude.

Now - within an aura of peace - positive confidence and anticipation exist for 2003,and the future, thanks to some good, exceptional people.

To them, and to you, the listener, my heartfelt gratitude.

- John Wetton, Virginia Water, England.
November 2002

In memoriam

Mike Stone

1951-2002

To my friend, and colleagueu for many years.

Always remembered

Website and information: Kim and Drew Dancha, Chasing The Dragon johnwetton.co.uk

To join the official John Wetton mailing list for the latest information on future releases, tours and merchandise:
E-mail: johnwettoninfo-subscribe@topica.com

1. Mondrago

( instrumental )

2. Rock Of Faith

Sanctuary
When all hope deserted me
This will forever, always be
Something so close to me

My Rock of Faith

Pulling me
Like the heat of the sun
Calling to Mercury
Now till eternity
Before my eye

I’ll never stand alone, for I
Have the foundation stone I knew
So as my spirits rise anew
Then with all speed
To the path
That will lead
Surely back to You……

Strangely now
How the air’s getting cold
Shadows appear on the wall
The feeling of old
Lifting me up again

My Rock of Faith

And if I start to fall
I fear nothing at all …

3. A New Day

Outside the sun is sinking west
Something tells me I’m at the wrong address

I turn my collar to the dazzling rain
Walk through city streets, try to drown this pain

There’ll be a new day, be a new day
But there’s no time for us, to take it easy, oh no

How many times have I been on my knees?
Screaming ‘Someone, anyone, help me please!’

It’s a new day, it’s a new day
And there’s no time for us, to make it easy, oh no

Wrong side of midnight, I’ve been to hell and back
Shines a point of gold, through the veil of black

‘Cause it’s a new day, it’s a new day
And this is our time on earth, to take it easy, oh yeah

4. I've Come To Take You Home

I can’t believe it came to this
Your expression says it all
The light that frames your face is warm again
And that belies the icy coldness in your soul

I stand and gaze across the lake
Your breath is hanging in the air
The misty window pane obscures the view
Whatever happened to the blazing fire inside?

Fearlessly,
Be honest and stand up now for the man you love

Free yourself, follow every dream
Use all your courage, step into the light
Release yourself, be brave
Then just walk out of the door, nothing more…

I’ve come to take you home

I’m trying hard to take this well
And as the daylight slips away
You must know, we don’t deserve this now,
This kind of living hell
That we went through

No more living in the past
Now we have to let that go
We have to take the chance to live again
To find our way again, the path we both should know

Fearlessly,
Be honest and stand up now for the man you love

Free yourself, follow every dream
Use all your courage, step into the light
Release yourself, be brave
Then just walk out of the door, nothing more…

I’ve come to take you home

5. Who Will Light A Candle ?

Stone walls guarding
These generations
Bound in circumstance
Blood relations

Who will light a candle?
Memories are fading
Messengers are waiting
At my door

Curtains hiding
Love’s sweet confusions
All God’s property
Fears of intrusion

Who will light a candle?
Maybe I was sleeping
Messengers are waiting
At my door

For me now there’s no love left inside of me

All creation washed out to sea
All my nightmares come to me
Over and over and over again

Pride and passion
Both shall inflame us
Till oblivion
Comes hence to claim us

Who will light a candle?
Who can tell the story?
Messengers are waiting
At my door

6. Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way

We’re headline news
On the hour, it’s on every radio
We got to lie low
Can’t leave any clues

They’re mad as hell
Try to find us but I swear they never will
We got luck on our side
And I know we can’t lose

But I’m ready for
What they’ve got in store
They can try, but

Ain’t nothing gonna stand in our way
Nobody’s gonna stop us
So walk tall, you don’t have to be afraid
As long as I am with you,
Nothing’s gonna stand in our way

Don’t look back
It’s another life, don’t think about the past
Just look to the future
We’ll be alright

Nothing they thought of
Is stronger than our love
Let them try, ‘cause
Ain’t nothing gonna stand in our way

Nobody’s gonna stop us
So walk tall, you don’t have to be afraid
As long as I am with you,
Nothing’s gonna stand in our way

7. Altro Mondo

( instrumental )

8. I Believe In You

There comes a time
When all you have
Can be taken from you,
And all your faith can dissolve
Into space in no time, but
I believe in you

When I look back at all the
Mountains we had to climb and
Rivers to cross which were
Just way too wide to view,
I believe in you

And now we still have the
best of our lives……

As years unfold, then I know
There will be no other love
In my life, I commit and you know it’s true
I believe in you

9. Take Me To The Waterline

I can see it in your eyes
Now I feel no uncertainty
Let me breathe in all your light
And stay with me, set a blaze tonight

We got nothing left to lose
Shoot the breeze and lose your shoes
Then dare to look me in the eye
Face to face, tell me there’s no lie

So have I found heaven on earth
This poor soul in torment but
Give me a moment that’s frozen alone for all time
Won’t you…

Take me down to the waterline
I’ve got so much love and so little time, won’t you
Take me down to the waterline
Won’t you take me down

I’ve been holding on so long
For the simple sight of the only one
No conscience and not one regret
That every step led me to this place

Right here and right now
It’s a long, long way home anyhow
And every star up in the sky
Says a feeling that strong
Belongs to you and I

So have I found heaven on earth
This poor soul in torment but
Give me a moment that’s frozen alone for all time
Won’t you…

Lift me up to the waterline
I’ve got so much love and so little time, won’t you
Come on lift me up at the waterline
When you take me down

10. I Lay Down

Save me, catch me when I fall
Let me trust in what I cannot see
Bathe me, so I feel I have it all
Then leave me here just with this memory

I lay down, and then I close my eyes
Call your name, and whisper ‘let it be’
I lay down, and when I close my eyes
Then I feel you lying next to me

Hold me, at the gates of ecstasy
In the darkest recess you can find
Please no deceit, always constancy
Your ever-changing face within my mind

I lay down, and then I close my eyes
Call your name, and whisper ‘let it be’
I lay down, and when I close my eyes
Then I feel you lying next to me

11. When You Were Young

When you were young did you dream?
In the shadows of your fear
Take my hand, and
They’ll all disappear from view

I Believe in You

On angels’ wings you can fly
To the heavens in the sky
Close your eyes
And you’ll know that my words are true

I Believe in You

And when the world is not right
When it seems your day is night
Come to me
Here’s a dream just to hold on to

I Believe in You