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Rob The Good View Drop Down
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Points: 476 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Why Asia is prog?
    Posted: February 28 2005 at 23:09
I always considered Asia to be a band that combined 80s new wave with the epic scale of Prog. The result was rather scary: arena rock. I still love them though, but when I listen to them, I'm not at all expecting evolving musical themes, pretentious lyrics and overblown solos. I'm winding down!
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Points: 3300 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 21:27
every band who sounds like europe - final countdown gets my vote!Big smile
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Points: 118 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 21:24
Originally posted by Radioactive Toy Radioactive Toy wrote:

Originally posted by madgo2 madgo2 wrote:

Is Asia considered prog because some of the members were in great past prog bands or do people consider the music of the band progressive?  I listened to several of their songs the other day and they reminded me in truth to have more in common with Eddie Money than prog.  That is not to say the songs were not good, just that they do not seem to really be playing music that is progressive.

why are you asking this question when you're having in absentia as your avatar.....

Maybe I should have posted it as "Asia is not prog and here is why"  I prefered to phrase the topic as I did however...As for Porcupine Tree they are my favorite of the more recent prog bands. 

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Points: 7003 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 13:43
Asia's first album is actually pretty good if you can get past expectations of an 80 minute epic based on the lost writings of Tolkien. True, it paved the way for some truly dreadful 80s stadium rock, much of it emanating from Asia themselves, but it's a strong collection of commercially flavoured rock with some superb playing (particularly from Howe) as an added bonus. As such, it's tons better than the pap Genesis and Yes churned out for much of the 80s.
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Points: 6667 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 13:03

Prog influenced pop music. It is pretty complex pop music... when you compare it to U2 or Rolling Stones. here's my review: http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD. asp?cd_id=4337

So, yes, I think they deserve to be here. They're almost the only popband form the eighties I can stand...



Edited by Joren
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Points: 953 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:54

Originally posted by madgo2 madgo2 wrote:

Is Asia considered prog because some of the members were in great past prog bands or do people consider the music of the band progressive?  I listened to several of their songs the other day and they reminded me in truth to have more in common with Eddie Money than prog.  That is not to say the songs were not good, just that they do not seem to really be playing music that is progressive.

why are you asking this question when you're having in absentia as your avatar.....

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Possessed View Drop Down
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Points: 430 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:53

I remember John Wetton singing one or two Asia songs to the prog crowd at Progfest 95

Yeesh!
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Points: 6898 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:53
Originally posted by lucas lucas wrote:

The only connection of Asia with prog is the artwork of their covers.
So Lucas does this mean that Asia ranks up there with Gentle Giant as one of the worst prog bands?
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Points: 255 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:47
Pop-prog!!

Haha

/adds another to the list.
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Points: 3323 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:45
99.99999% of the alternative rock bands have
completely defective guitar sounds.

what a DB statement!
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Points: 3300 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 12:41
your problem is that you expect yes, elp, uk and king crimson elements in the music! it does not work this way!
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Points: 2779 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 11:01
The first Asia album is good but I have to agree with the sentiment here that there is very little progressive material present. Can't say much about the other albums as once I heard 'Alpha', I couldn't stomach to listen to them any more.

Shame really.
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Points: 8138 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 10:49
The only connection of Asia with prog is the artwork of their covers.
"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
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Points: 246 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 08:17
Originally posted by tuxon tuxon wrote:

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<H1 style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 18px; MARGIN: 1px;
COLOR: #333333">Asia</H1>1982
<HR width="100%" color=#808080 noShade SIZE=1>
[IMG]alt="" http://www.progarchives.com/prog/Xpageitem_arrow.gif[/
IMG] Title information | Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?
cd_id=4337#mp3">[COLOR=#800080 size=3">MP3[/COLOR"> |
Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?
cd_id=4337#reviews">[COLOR=#800080 size=3">Reviews[/COLOR">
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<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle>[IMG]id=imgCover style="FILTER: progid:
DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadowcolor='#333333', Direction=135,
Strength=3; POSITIon: relative" alt="Asia - Asia CD album cover"
hspace=1 src="http://www.progarchives.com/
Progressive_rock_discography_includes/thumbnail.aspFileName= C:
\Inetpub\wwwroot\progarchives.com\progressive_rock_discograp hy_cov
ers\813\cover_257181412004.jpg&Size=150" width=150 vspace=1>

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</TD>
<TD vAlign=top width="66%" bgColor=#f0f0f0><SPAN
=cls_TableMainTextContent>Track listing1. Heat Of The Moment
(3:54) 2. Only Time Will Tell (4:48) 3. Sole Survivor (4:51) 4. One Step
Closer (4:18) 5. Time Again (4:48) 6. Wildest Dreams (5:11) 7. Without
You (5:07) 8. Cutting It Fine (5:40) 9. Here Comes The Feeling (5:40)Total
Time: 44:17 </SPAN></TD></TR></T></TABLE>

Agreed it's not entirely progressive, but wildest dreams, Here comes
the feeling, sole survivor, Only time will tell, well actually all of those
songs have distict prog-sensibilities.


If you never listened to this album, than you might be missing out on
something, I liked this album very much.




I totally agree with you.

If you get past the horrid lyrics and big areana rock choruses, you actually
hear there is more going on in the music that you would hear at first
listen. Especially Steve Howe, It may be some of his best work.
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tuxon View Drop Down
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Points: 5502 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 04:41

Asia

1982
Title information | MP3 | Reviews

Asia - Asia CD album cover Track listing
1. Heat Of The Moment (3:54)
2. Only Time Will Tell (4:48)
3. Sole Survivor (4:51)
4. One Step Closer (4:18)
5. Time Again (4:48)
6. Wildest Dreams (5:11)
7. Without You (5:07)
8. Cutting It Fine (5:40)
9. Here Comes The Feeling (5:40)

Total Time: 44:17

Agreed it's not entirely progressive, but wildest dreams, Here comes the feeling, sole survivor, Only time will tell, well actually all of those songs have distict prog-sensibilities.

If you never listened to this album, than you might be missing out on something, I liked this album very much.
I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT
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Points: 27956 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 04:20
Wildest Dreams is a prog track.(can't think of any others though by this band).
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Points: 16130 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 02:53

I cant recall hearing any Asia with prog elements. They are a pop group comprised of old prog musicians out to make some quick money. When you consider the complexity and subtlty of many songs written by the likes of Jon Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe etc, just think how easy, how effortless it must have been to write songs like 'Heat of the moment' or 'Dont Cry'. Any of these musicians could have written songs like that in minutes flat.

Their abilities were not being stretched as musicians or writers in Asia. They were, IMO quite a cynical band, and more a business project than any thing else. They wrote pop tunes knowing that they could reach the masses, but also knowing that their Roger Dean artwork and their prog backgrounds would get the prog crowd out too, at least until it became obvious how crap they really were.
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Points: 7559 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 02:45
Originally posted by Useful_Idiot Useful_Idiot wrote:

Originally posted by Sweetnighter Sweetnighter wrote:

pop-prog? give me a break. what the hell does that mean?

they're pop.

Who says pop can't have prog elements?

Like the Beatles, you mean...

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Points: 3013 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2005 at 01:04

Originally posted by Sweetnighter Sweetnighter wrote:

pop-prog? give me a break. what the hell does that mean?

they're pop.

Who says pop can't have prog elements?
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Points: 1298 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 27 2005 at 22:43
pop-prog? give me a break. what the hell does that mean?

they're pop.
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