it's the mark of a true UK fan to spend time with the post-Holdsworth incarnation
T Bozz is a drummer that should be given some imo
i wish things had played out so that there were more recordings with Jobson on'em
i forget where, but i remember seeing somebody refer to Lake as having a definitively better voice than Wetton
i don't think so? first, they're actually very similar - not just in their Dorset accents, but in a certain huskiness to their singing voices, and an overall tendency to reflect the cadence of those with a background in the British boys chorus (tho as far as i can tell, only Wetton had such exposure, his older brother being an organist and choirmaster).
as far as differences, i'll agree Lake had more range into the subtleties, but he also increasingly leaned into schmaltz* in his portamento, vibrato and trailing notes. you can hear Wetton going flat in concert on high notes tho; maybe not so much with Lake.
*schmaltz was also a salient feature of Lake's songwriting
is one definitively better than the other? idk, but i prefer Wetton. i prefer his bass playing too - Lake had better chops but tended to be a stiffy stiffington in terms of feel/swing/breath.
Wetton was to my ears one of the most dynamic bass players in rock, as witnessed by the wealth of live Crimson material from his era. and his husky P-Bass tone matched his voice perfectly, whereas Lake's leaner, more metallic tone, whether with J, Ripper, Ricky or Alembic, was more of a contrast.
who was more "important"? i'd have to concede Lake - both his kick-off stint with KC and ELP have more wide-reaching implications/general societal penetration than Wetton's era of KC, his journeyman wandering in mediocre phases of less important bands, and his frankly annoying "superstar" stint with Asia. Personally, i'll take LTIA era KC over the debut, and i find it somewhat cool that Wetton was, however briefly, in both Family and Roxy.... UK definitively tips the balance for me.
but we come here to praise Wetton, not bury Lake - and RIP to both of them....