Monday, April 23, 2012

New Asia Album Due In June - New Single is Shockingly Good (if you like Asia)

30 years after its incredible and never-matched-by-the-band debut album, Asia are set to release Asia XXX (pronounced "Triple X" but still connotating pornography) towards the end of June.

Usually I would not give a shit.

I am so fed up with the Yes camp, with its ever-changing Jon Anderson-less lineup, and I put Asia in the Yes camp because of Steve Howe - maybe unfairly but there it is. Also, Geoff Downes is in the current incarnation last time I checked.

I also caught Asia live a couple of years ago and was underwhelmed. It was pretty dull and rote.

But out of morbid curiosity I checked out the new single from XXX and damn if it sounds like good old classic Asia. Catchy tune, great energy and Steve Howe still has some magic left in those fingers. Soaring and magestic John Wetton vocal. Really classic Downes keys and Carl Palmer as solid as ever. I was impressed after two listens.

Very nice production too - it actually kind of sounds like the original album. Jury is out on the whole release of course but Asia fans might just dig this new tune! What do you think?

5 comments:

Dr. John said...

Meh. Not too excited about it. Steve Howe has in my mind officially entered the death warmed over contest with Keith Richards...

drewzepmeister said...

I liked it a lot better than most of the material off of the Alpha.

Jim said...

This song is pretty awesome.

Dr. John...please keep your cruel comments to yourself. Nobody needs or wants to read what you wrote about Steve.

Perplexio said...

I actually really liked Yes's Fly From Here. But then again, my favorite Yes album was/is Drama and Far From Here sounded like it picked up right where Drama left off... so I AM a bit biased.

As much as I dig Asia's first 2 albums, their albums since the reunion of the original incarnation of the band have left me underwhelmed. I thought some of the Payne-era material was better than the last few studio albums they've done.

Perplexio said...
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