Asia - Classic Prog Supergroup
 

ASIA

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0...9xuto1_500.jpg

I've been listening to this band ever since I bought Astra on vinyl a few weeks ago. It was at that point that when I saw that Steve Howe and Geoffrey Downes were involved that this band would quickly make it to my favorite artists, and they have. They've released albums from the 80's to more recently 2010 with their Omega album. If you're looking for that classic prog sound, you should have no problem liking these guys.

Their discography stretches from 1982 with the release of Asia and as mentioned before, goes to their 2010 release of Omega.

I'm a closet Asia fan, intepret that how you want:finger:

Their debut is an AOR classic, Asia went for the grandiose arena rock style from the word go and in Mike Stone they had the producer that knew exactly what the band wanted, he'd worked as engineer with Queen in the 70s but it was on Journey's Escape that he emerged as one of the biggest AOR producers around. It also helped that all of Asia's members had impeccable credential as musicians as well. The follow-up albums Alpha and Astra were nowhere as good as the debut and despite having their moments were basically just copies of the debut and sounded rather souless. The group kind of broke up around then, due to their fading popularity and reformed with John Payne as frontman, but they were a much lower key band by then, I know John Wetton has returned to the band but haven't heard any of the recent stuff.

The 2010 release in my opinion is pretty incredible, obviously the vocals aren't the same, but it's still an album that is worth a few listens if nothing but to give respect to the band.

Asia is a tight band.

Asia is merely just an AOR band, calling them "classic prog" is just a misnomer

i do enjoy them in small doses

however, i'd like to say i listen to them based on the same enjoyment as i do to Boston, REO Speedwagon and Perry-era Journey

and not compared to Yes, King Crimson, Gabriel-era Genesis

so i don't really consider them "classic prog"

Asia in their classic era are not remotely prog so I agree with you there, in fact that was the plan of the band anyway. I remember John Wetton being interviewed way back in the 1980s and he stated that the bands aim was to completely break ties with any long meandering proggy songs and go for a slick AOR sound. The only reason prog comes up when talking about the band, is that all the members were from prog backgrounds.

well, yeah, milano by referring to them as having a "classic prog sound" is misleading people

So Milano me old china:) Asia are AOR and if you want I'll more than happy to recommend you a whole load of classic AOR albums.

as will I - mostly the obvious stuff

Boston's debut is legendary

Third Stage is almost equally as good.