Avtor: Peter Podbrežnik
Izvajalec: Asia
Založba: Geffen Records
Izid: 1982
Trajanje: 43:54
Ocena: 4.5/5
The arrival of Asia is still considered one of the most controversial events in the story of progressive rock. While their self-titled debut is seen by fans of quality melodic rock as a huge success story forged somewhere up in heaven, plenty of prog fans grumble about its commercial cuteness and its lack of experimental, adventurous spirit.
Most of the older prog heads did eventually accept that their unfulfilled fantasies of a progressive rock supergroup, one that would keep making music in the spirit of the golden 70s even after the genre’s commercial decline and so revive interest in the fallen giants, were unrealistic for the time. Still, they’ve never quite forgiven Messrs. Wetton, Howe, Palmer and Downes, the four original members, for deciding to adapt to the airwaves of the “corporate” 80s.
Given their reputation as longtime prog rock icons, these big names were expected to deliver anything but radio-friendly melodic arena rock, which is exactly what they showed off in full force on the self-titled debut, where there’s little room for instrumental-experimental escapades. Those who didn’t get to witness the birth of Asia with sky-high expectations, though, agree that it holds a good number of excellent AOR standards, ranging from megalomaniacal hits to some lesser-known, art-rock-spiced gems where the instrumental chops of the individual musicians shine at full power.
To understand why Asia became melodic rock titans instead of prog rock giants, you have to know the past of the individual members. The project of forming a progressive supergroup started soon after the (first) breakup of King Crimson in 1974, when their former singer and bassist John Wetton tried to bring keyboardist Rick Wakeman (Yes, ex-Strawbs) and drummer Bill Bruford (ex-Yes, King Crimson, live version of Genesis) together in a band called British Bulldog. Nothing came of it in the end, since Wakeman decided in the meantime to go back to Yes, but Wetton and Bruford managed to recruit guitarist Allan Holdsworth (ex-Tempest, Nucleus, Soft Machine, Gong) and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson (ex-Curved Air, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa) for the birth of the short-lived but superb prog rock supergroup UK.
After UK fell apart, everyone went their separate ways. The eternal rock nomad Wetton, who besides King Crimson played with bands like Mogul Thrash, Family, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash, tried in 1980, after a brief solo adventure, to put together a new supergroup with Wakeman, South African guitarist Trevor Rabin (later of Yes) and drummer Carl Palmer (ex-ELP), but the right creative chemistry just never developed between them.
Just when Wetton had all but thrown in the towel, he and Palmer answered the call of John Kalodner, head of A&M, who became the chief mentor behind the new star-studded project. Soon after, guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes joined too, having left the sinking ship of Yes (which, miraculously and a bit ironically, regenerated after Rabin’s arrival). Kalodner and David Geffen, head of Geffen, managed to bring the legendary musicians together, rein in their strong individual personalities for a while at least, and spark the necessary creative chemistry. For all the opponents of so-called corporate rock, that was a strong argument to boycott the band; for everyone else, it was the birth of some of the biggest musical heroes of the 80s.
That ambitious project, which could have become one of the most beautiful progressive rock fairy tales, turned into “merely” a quality AOR band, far more refined and less sugary than many of the American melodic rock trailblazers like Boston, Styx and Journey, yet still very appealing to less demanding listeners with a sharp ear for hypnotic melodies and rousing anthems. The most dazzling of them is undoubtedly the notorious “Heat of the Moment”, the biggest hit in the band’s story and their signature song, which thanks to nonstop radio and TV play is known even by those who had never heard of the members’ earlier bands. This thoroughly overplayed but still utterly pleasant evergreen AOR standard, opened by Howe’s hard rock riff, has a hypnotic chorus that takes the listener straight back to 1982. Wetton’s excellent singing is dressed up with rousing backing harmonies and playful synth textures. Palmer’s usual top-notch drum combinations, bells included, bring outstanding rhythmic liveliness, while Howe can’t help but treat us at the end to his trademark jazz-tinged soloing. Of all the melodic rock stylistic adaptations, what’s most fascinating is how they managed to discipline the eternal jazzer Howe within their idiom. For the first time in his career he took a firmer hold of some hard rock mannerisms he normally had no ear for.
The next ultra hit, and by far the best-known Asia song after that one, hardly needs a long introduction: the excellent power ballad “Only Time Will Tell”, which always brings tears to the eyes of any heartbroken lovers out there. This standard is marked by weeping guitar passages, pompous layers of synths and mighty drum fills, while Wetton shines in the role of a knight with a torn-up heart. After a tender, balladesque intro, the song shows its energetic teeth with an artful transition into an anthemic chorus that refuses to leave your ears for a long time. “Sole Survivor” is where their knack for outstanding instrumental interplay first shows more clearly. They manage to weave the rousing chorus in among Howe’s usual high-flying guitar capers and rich keyboard work, which builds up a rising atmosphere.
The cheerful “One Step Closer” briefly revives memories of the golden years of symphonic prog with an instrumental intro where playful guitar mannerisms are subtly intertwined with high-ringing synth textures, before an addictive melody builds up. Here too there’s no shortage of a pompous chorus, with the backing vocal harmonies deliberately pushed way up in the production to create the rousing atmosphere typical of arena rock. The art rock “Time Again” is the first somewhat more experimental piece, with a string of unexpected twists and solo instrumental flourishes. Besides the mighty hard rock moments, where Mr. Howe surprises with relatively aggressive guitar riffs, you’ll spot plenty of inventive rhythmic embellishments from Palmer which, together with the multi-part synth harmonies, bring in a good deal of that pomp usually found in ELP. Wetton’s vocal also bares its teeth here for the first time, sounding unusually vengeful, the way only a brokenhearted knight can.
The rousing “Wildest Dreams” is another notorious Asia standard that regularly ruled the airwaves back in the day. This evergreen peace anthem has spirited rhythmic work and a dramatic chorus, calmed down by delicate curtains of synths. Along the way there are some excellent instrumental flashes, led by Howe’s soloing and Palmer’s wild marching. “Without You” is another superb power ballad packed with interesting instrumental feats. A gentle melody slowly builds up to a transition into a fine progressive rock instrumental motif. Eventually melancholic, multi-part harmonies are woven in too, convincing you in the end that deep in their hearts they never gave up on their experimental past. “Cutting It Fine” is a real treat for all the art rock enthusiasts. They lift the romantic atmosphere to a higher level with Howe’s sensitive guitar work and Palmer’s devastating fills. The hypnotic chorus holds one of Wetton’s best vocal performances, while the symphonic ending is pure classic. The closing power ballad “Here Comes the Feeling” is one of the more overlooked pieces, which only secured its status as a melodic rock standard over the years. Within the pompous melodies they again managed to effectively slip in some of the instrumental tricks they became famous for in their past. Downes’ solo in the middle clearly influenced plenty of neo prog rock mannerisms in the years that followed.
“Asia”, with its melodic rock hits that stick in your ears in no time, was a gigantic success, especially in America, where they became some of the first heroes of the newborn MTV and rightfully earned the status of one of the most successful albums of the 80s. From a melodic rock standpoint, it’s undoubtedly one of the most refined and technically polished AOR albums of all time, on which the heavyweights of experimental music more than proved themselves as makers of catchy melodies for a broad audience. Despite the many radio-friendly motifs they used to easily charm less demanding listeners, on individual tracks they managed to leave traces of their mighty progressive rock past. “Asia” is an album that still stirs up wildly mixed feelings among plenty of music connoisseurs, but everyone agrees on one thing: its exceptional musical quality is beyond dispute.
In my opinion it’s still their best achievement, the one where they managed for the first (and quite likely the last) time to bring the strong egos of four musical artists together into a harmonious showcase of top-notch melodic rock, with no noticeable dips in quality between the individual compositions. More experimental albums followed later (especially in the middle of the Payne era, which has a good number of devotees), ones that came almost closer to art rock than AOR, but the true Asia remains embodied in this legendary debut, with which they had a key influence on the development and shaping of some cult prog rock bands throughout the 80s, such as the Rabin-era Yes, Emerson, Lake & Powell and GTR.
Line-up
John Wetton – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards
Steve Howe – electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Carl Palmer – drums, percussion
Geoffrey Downes – keyboards, backing vocals
Production
Mike Stone
Track list
1. Heat Of The Moment
2. Only Time Will Tell
3. Sole Survivor
4. One Step Closer
5. Time Again 4:45
6. Wildest Dreams
7. Without You
8. Cutting It Fine
9. Here Comes The Feeling
