ASIA

Asia. Of all the bands on these archives, I don't believe there is another that generates such a wide range of emotions and opinions. Indeed, their debut album is one of the very few on these archives that has (as of this writing) double-digit ratings in each of the five star categories.

And why not? The lineage of the members who made up this first incarnation were truly impressive. The inimitable Steve Howe who, for all his vapid personality, could (and can) certainly lay down some incredible licks on the guitar. Geoff Downes' keyboards are just as impressive. On this and subsequent albums they tend toward the ostentatiously 'clever', though when compared to his output with Yes I don't know that prog fans should have expected any different. Carl Palmer's drum work is a bit more subdued here than some of his expansive work with ELP, but again, nothing to cause alarm or invite derision. Indeed, if I had to point to the one member of the group who seemed to invite more controversy than any other when Asia debuted in 1982, it was probably John Wetton, who had a few largely non- descript years with King Crimson to his resume, but nowhere near the name recognition or reputation of the other members. And yes, at times he seemed to be trying to effect a duller semblance of Greg Lake than most prog fans were comfortable with, but frankly his voice was more listenable than any other the group had to offer.

For die-hard Yes, ELP, and KC fans of the late seventies (those who were clear- headed enough to have opinions at the time anyway), there were undoubtedly huge expectations of this new 'super group' of art rock gods. The onslaught of the punk revolt was finally wearing off by then, as most of its progeny had managed to extinguish themselves by 1982. The advent of MTV though, was fast ensuring that any music of substance, and particularly that with such non-photogenic practioners as prog music tended toward (ie., Ian Anderson, Steve Howe, and pretty much all of Kansas, and Uriah Heep), was fast finding its way into the cutout bins. Those who managed to survive the cut (Genesis, ELP, Yes) did so by shearing their long hair into blow-dried mullets, donning ridiculously pretentious stage wear (and you thought the mask and the red dress was as silly as things could get?!), and finding ways to snip out any variations on a theme in their music that couldn't be squeezed into four minutes of vinyl. Progressive, original, creative music, as all of us who lived through it were painfully aware, was dead or dying.

So along comes the likes of Marillion, a somewhat reconstituted Saga, Yes with 90125, and whatever it was Genesis called what they were doing. Progressive? Certainly not. Creative? Probably not. Deeply meaningful? You've got to be kidding. But what many of these groups offered, most particularly Asia, was listenable music that was, if nothing else, of the highest technical quality available for mass consumption at the time. While many bands were raking in millions of dollars and amassing piles of gold and platinum record awards more with mascara, hairspray, and cheesy videos than with any talent to speak of, the four men of Asia were at least providing a solid list of tracks with highly professional musicianship and tight arrangements. It was frankly as much as we could expect at the time, and to be honest, after years of increasing pomposity on the part of many aging prog groups, it was something of a nice breather.

Heat of the Moment was of course an MTV and AOR radio darling in the early 80's. It was also a song that had no lyrical relevance of any noticeable sort. But, the keyboards were upbeat, the bass and drumline very well arranged, and Steve Howe actually managed to show some discipline in his guitar work, as opposed to some of the virtuous but self-absorbed times of his days in Yes (see "Gates of Delirium"). I'd give this four stars - in fact, I just did.

Only Time Will Tell was the track that gave Asia an early reputation for somewhat barbershop quartet-like harmonizing (I sometimes wonder if this is where Spock's Beard got the idea) but again, the musicianship was top-notch and tightly produced. In 1982 I listened to this song many times, and even now nearly a quarter-century later, I wouldn't put it on a greatest hits compilation, but I still enjoy an occasional listen. Three stars for this one.

Sole Survivor is, in my very humble opinion, the best track on this album. It has all the suggestions of a progressive song - a vaguely Tolkein-ish theme, extremely pleasant-sounding drum work by Carl Palmer that tracks very well to the subtle bass, and meandering keyboards that left me with a slightly different impression every time I listened to it back then. Steve Howe's guitar work is soaring, and also manages to fit in with the rest of the music instead of clash or dominate it. This is the one I felt best fit with the very excellent Roger Dean artwork on the cover. By the way, nothing sounds technically better than digital, I'll be the first to admit, but I sure do miss the pleasure of poring over that big twelve-inch square of art and accompanying linear notes that came with vinyl albums. Jewel cases have nothing on that! Anywa, this is easily a four-star song.

One Step Closer was the one track on this album that didn't really appeal to me. It sounded more like a pop dirge, if I could imagine what a pop dirge should sound like. Didn't go over all that well in 1982 either, and many of us that liked to commit our albums to cassette left this one out. Two and a half stars.

Tim Again reminded me then, and still reminds me, of a Yes song. I'm just not sure which one. Howe's guitar dominates, not a bad thing, but much more so than anywhere else on the album. Palmer's drums seem a better fit for a live concert setting, and in fact this was a popular live track for many years for the band. The keyboards are quite interesting and varied, and this is another work that would likely have been considered more progressive if a few minutes of instrumental variation or improvisation had been thrown in. Another three star work.

Wildest Dreams is very much like Sole Survivor, in other words, what a bunch of progressive musicians would sound like if they were trying to resurrect and old Rick Wakeman renaissance work as an eighties pop tune. I really have no idea what the wild dreams are about on this track, and aren't interested enough after all these years to try and find out. It's a decent song, but nothing particularly special. Three stars.

Without You was kind of a throwaway track. I wonder if the band had some sort of fleeting thoughts of fleshing this out into a longer work, but either lost interest, or were convinced not to by their pop-minded management. Anyway, two stars.

Cutting it Fine has actually grown on me over the years. At the time I found it to be another song that leaned more toward filler, yet another reminder of just how tired many of us had gotten of longer songs that seemed to serve no purpose other than amuse the band. Now, years later, I see it as a somewhat nostalgic nod by the band to their grander years when audiences would happily sit bleary-eyed and listen to bands amuse themselves. Two and a half stars.

Here Comes the Feeling strikes me as having been written for the specific purpose of closing the album. It is somewhat improvisational, has no clear theme or commercial attraction, but does serve to justify this as a proper album and not a long EP. Howe and Palmer seem to be the only band members who are still interested at this point. Two stars.

In all, Asia's debut is, almost by definition, a three star effort. I'd give it four if the time at which it was released were factored in, and probably two if it had been released ten years earlier. But all things considered, it's a very good album that is certainly worth a listen from time to time, although not anything that's likely to show up on anyone's must-have list. It is, though, the best studio album they would release until Arena nearly fifteen years (and three band members) later.

peace