THEN & NOW

Asia have of course over the years been subject to more line up changes than the current Liverpool football team*. "Then and now" was released during one such period of turmoil, and was intended as a stopgap release to keep the Asia brand in the public eye.

While the then current line up of had recorded some material for a new album, there was insufficient to allow the record company to release it as a complete package. The new tracks were therefore supplemented by tracks which had already appeared on earlier albums.

Taking the "then" tracks first, these form a greatest hits package with songs such as "Only time will tell", "Heat of the moment", and John Wetton's fine "The smile has left your eyes" all having the comfortable feel of an old pair of slippers. The five "then" tracks all feature the (recently reformed) classic line up of course, including Steve Howe on guitar.

The "now" tracks retain the Wetton/Downes/Palmer partnership, but the guitar slot is populated on a less predictable basis, with Scott Gorham, Steve Lulkather, Ron Komie and Mandy Meyer all appearing on different tracks. "Voice of America" is the only one of the "new" tracks to also appear on an official album, being one of the standout tracks on the "Astra" album. "Summer (Can't last too long)" was the result of Wetton and Downes working on some demos with Scot Gorham and drummer Michael Sturgis. The song (no relation to the "Aria" track "Summer") has strong YES overtones, especially from the "Big Generator" and "Open your eyes" eras.

"Am I in love?" was one of the many songs recorded for, but not used on, the "Astra" album. The song which is a showcase for Wetton's vocals is a rather slushy ballad, which would not sound out of place on a Westlife album! There is something appealing about the song though, as long as you don't hear it too regularly.

The other two tracks here, "Days like these" and "Praying 4 a miracle" (the latter titled some 20 odd years before MSN and texting!), are primarily the work of John Wetton. "Days like these" is an upbeat, positive pop song but it lacks anything which might distinguish it from a number of similar Asia songs. "Praying?" is a fairly typical Wetton mid-paced power ballad.

The fact that "Then and now" was designed only to ensure the Asia name was still being promoted betrays the fact that this is an unsatisfactory collection. It is a cobbled together concoction of some of their most successful tracks, a couple of outtakes, and a pair of Wetton hand me downs. There is no denying the quality of the first five songs plus "Voice of America", but there are far better ways to obtain them than through this album. All the tracks here are now available on the "Anthologia" compilation.

* The current Liverpool football team operates a rotation system, which means that for over 90 consecutive games, the starting line up has been changed.

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