OK Hold Up There Is A New Album Out Today By Rock Supergroup Asia

the world has waited too long

I never would have thought this in my
(chorus)
Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams
Wildest dreams

"Make Your Own Asia Video"

Meantime, I still think we need to give Dave Q the $1000 necessary for him to review all the live albums.

Steve Carrell and Judd Apatow better get thanked!

some clips here

They've been talking about this over at Progressive Ears for months, where've you guys been? Still, it's "nice" to see the original line-up back together again, it'll be just like it was when they were young and hungry. I wonder what the chances are of a Buggles reunion after this?

I hope I'm alive in 2082 when Heat Of The Moment makes a comeback.

"And now you find yourself in '82!"

the $1000 necessary for him to review all the live albums.

to cover the mental health costs? :)

They've been talking about this over at Progressive Ears for months

Not sure why, Asia should have had their Roger Dean covers revoked long since. . . .

In a world full of aspiring guitarists and bassists and others who freak over virtuosity for virtuosity's sake, Steve Howe (and to a lesser extent John Wetton) could support themselves until the day they die with a succession of showoffy and technically proficient instrumental-slash-prog albums.

And if that route wasn't necessarily open to the drummer Palmer, he certainly could play with anyone he wanted, in just about any genre.

So for Howe to make the career moves he has in between Yes reunions with this Asia shit and this GTR shit and fuck-all else makes no sense at all. His solo albums are just fine for what they are, so it's not like he's unable to realize what his place is outside Yes.

Perhaps it's arrogance: since Howe can do just about anything else with a guitar, maybe he's just failed to realize that he might have no grasp of the market and is utterly unable to create and play sincere, quality pop in a way that doesn't scream "craven bullshit sellout by a dinosaur who has no clue."

I think he very much has a grasp of the market (and his place as a 'prog rock dinosaur' operating within it). Yes and the Asia reunion make the most money--probably to fund the (solo or other) projects that perhaps he is more creatively invested in at this point (and aren't nearly as profitable as the former ventures).

Perhaps it's arrogance

perhaps it's fun? i mean, have you ever gotten that good at an instrument? i can only imagine what it's like. it could involve a really healthy compulsion to want to play in bands with other people as dedicated to their chosen instruments. and you may be right -- maybe he doesn't know (or care) about the market

I maintain that the precursor to Asia was UK, the late-70's "supergroup" of John Wetton, Richard Jobson and Terry Bozzio...

One member of the band who probably isn't doing the tour for the $$ (Palmer):

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/investing/20060822b1.asp

(Or, more accurately, doesn't need the $$)

Geoff Downes is the Chris Squire of Asia.

Nobody has pointed out yet that the new Asia album does not start and begin with the letter "a."

Thou shalt not worship false Asias.

http://originalasia.com/images/phoenix.jpg

orchard of mimes!!!!!

Perhaps it's arrogance: since Howe can do just about anything else with a guitar, maybe he's just failed to realize that he might have no grasp of the market and is utterly unable to create and play sincere, quality pop in a way that doesn't scream "craven bullshit sellout by a dinosaur who has no clue."

It's kinda bizarre that Howe's involved with this since he's been pretty vocal in his contempt for having to play "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"in post-Rabin Yes. Plus didn't he leave Asia in the first place because it was too pop for him?

From the Palmer interview linked upthread...

Carl Palmer: The only way you can make money is by getting the art and the format correct. Once you know what you want to do, then you have to be able to sell it. I don't think you can make music just for money. I've been so fortunate to make the music I like and be able to sell it. One of my biggest successes in America was with a band called Asia. The album was No. 1 for nine weeks; the single was No. 1 for nine weeks also. Asia was a funny situation, because that was put together to fit the media, and the music was kind of designed around it. So in a way, we were a corporate band. We made our introductions no longer than 20 seconds because we were told DJs couldn't speak more than that, and we made every second and fourth line of the chorus rhyme. So in a way, once we were in control of the art form, we were also in control of what the media needed.

The original Asia is getting together in September, and it will obviously be financially driven. It's musically driven as well, but the financial rewards are very good. This is something a business guy would look at and say, yes, they are doing this just for the money. The show we're putting together is a history of progressive rock. Asia will be playing the whole of the first album, but we'll also play something from YES, something from ELP, something from King Crimson and MTV's very first video, which was by Geoff Downes, "Video Killed the Radio Star." So we're packaging the whole thing in a very strong musical concept. But yes, of course we're doing it for money. That's how it is.

and me all starry eyed. you'd think that i would have known by now

it would be a good practical joke for the band to not pay Palmer after the tour

pwner of a lonely heart

haha awesome.

I actually like his honesty. When they say it's not about the money, it usually is. So this is refreshing.

Maybe I'm just not getting it. While everyone on this thread suggests that an Asia re-form is a sellout (including myself), what I don't understand is who in 2008 gives a rat's ass about Asia?

Who's going to buy the album? Who's going to buy tickets to their shows? I can't believe that this is going to be all that lucrative.

It's like selling out for no reason, right?

I don't hang out on any Yes boards or anything, but I gotta guess that most the same people who would cream over another Yes tour would have contempt for this Asia thing--even if they were somewhat OK with the first, or maybe even the second, album 25 years ago.

you are wrong

Yeah, there is a subset from the larger bands that truly enjoy the music Asia made, even if it was pop and not prog, and there is also a subset that may not be to into the music, but will go just to see their favorites together in one spot & playing.

I would suspect the target audience might consist a lot of 'second-wavers' who grew up in the 80s...those who first became aware of prog rock and bands like Yes and ELP retrospectively through the visibility of Asia and The Buggles, rather than prospectively--though I'll bet even among the prospective folks who were there from the start in the 70s, there are still those who genuinely enjoyed Asia.

Asia was pretty huge, I don't think they got roundly poo-pooed until the second (and third) albums. There might have been some small core of fans who were turned off when prog bands went 'pop' but those FIRST pop albums by all of the bands (abacab, 90125) were good records that weren't complete sell-out awfulness and still had an edge, so people were probably just excited to see their musical heroes get mainstream attention. Anyway I don't expect the Asia tour to do the money that the Yes tour is going to do this year, but it'll do okay. I mean people still pay to see fucking Kansas and shit.

I saw Asia in the early 90s when Downes was the only original member and Steve Howe was their 'special guest'...ha ha ha man oh man a guilty pleasure concert if ever there was one.

Are Steve Howe and Carl Palmer in the current lineup?

Otherwise, no credibility!

I really like some of their shmaltzy 80s rock songs, but this disc sounded terrible to me. Bring back Only Time Will Tell, Heat Of The Moment, Don't Cry and The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, plz.

All of the good times, and all of the bad
Responsibility is totally
Mine I know
I rightly stand accused
But I believe that I can change
Yes I can change my world

Go, seize the day
Wake up and say
This is an
EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
Enjoy today
Come what may
This is an
EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

It is with great delight that we can report that Phoenix has entered the Swedish album chart at #38. More chart numbers to come in the next few days!

Geir, did you go across the border and buy a couple thousand copies? :)

OK HOLD UP AGAIN, Asia Featuring John Payne has a new album coming out this year too!