ASIA

Asia are a curious supergroup, with their roots firmly entrenched in Progressive Rock, boasting members who derive from Prog mainstays, such as Yes, King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer. However, their approach is appreciably dissimilar. Asia's sound is probably best classified as Arena Rock, defined notably by an intrinsic accessibility, prompted by their mostly concise song structures, and the clean, produced vocals of John Wetton.

Elements of the individual band members' progressive leanings are traceable here, on their eponymous debut, with the keyboards, in particular, reminding me of Yes, during their most productive 1970s period. The guitar work is also invariably impeccable, considering Yes maestro, Steve Howe, is the man behind the six-string.

Despite this, nearly all the songs on this album are hook-laden, sing-along affairs, lacking any legitimate lyrical or thematic depth, but remain great fun nonetheless. That's the appeal of Asia for me: they present music which requires little mental exertion to enjoy, and which can consequently act as an apposite antidote for Prog fans, who may occasionally require music that is less taxing and more immediate than their customary favourites.

The main flaw of this album, I feel, is its debilitating lack of variety. Whilst 'Heat of the Moment', 'Sole Survivor' and 'Wildest Dreams' are paradigms of arena rock, the other tracks have little else to offer. Still, there is no perceptibly poor track; they just seem to merge into a big, redundant mishmash of samey, polished rock. This certainly doesn't render the album utterly inadequate, as it can still be relished in moderation, however, ideally, Asia would have been well advised to eliminate this stylistic dearth before releasing the album.

Also, from a completely personal standpoint, I feel the vocals are a little too refined. This can lead to a sense of needless overproduction and, resultantly, the vocals and the music can appear somewhat detached and incongruous at times.

Overall, though, this is a solid debut from Asia, and a decent album for those who simply crave an occasional, mindless rock-out, accompanied by music that is fun, yet remains technically impressive.