Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer surprised everyone when they re-formed Asia in 1992, with a new singer (John Payne) and a second guitarist (Al Pitrelli).
Even more surprising was the fact that Aqua -- the album no one had been expecting -- was quite impressive, arguably superior to its three predecessors.
What could easily have been an isolated one-shot experience turned into a continuing success story when Downes returned to the studios two years later, but without Howe and Palmer.
The latter was replaced by drummer Michael Sturgis.
Howe, of course, could not be "replaced" (that would have been an insult to his talent) -- so Pitrelli thus became the sole guitarist of the band.
Asia, now a quartet, nonetheless managed to release yet another amazing album.
This is in most part due to Payne's vocals and Downes' creative mind.
The album does start off with a few weaknesses, but as the music flows and you move deeper into the tracks, melodies become richer and more intricate, and the lyrics more interesting.
The fourth track, "Summer," is a great song; "Sad Situation" is a marvel; and "Don't Cut the Wire" a work of art.
The second half of the record is near-perfect, from the romantic "Feels Like Love" to the symphonic "Aria," which makes for a great finale.
The weakest part is the chorus of "Enough's Enough." A great investment, if you like this type of music.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AnytimeGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | DesireGeoffrey Downes, Andy Nye, John Payne | Asia | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 3 | SummerGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 4 | Sad SituationGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Feels Like LoveGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Remembrance DayGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | Enough's EnoughGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:37 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 8 | Military ManGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 9 | AriaGeoffrey Downes, Andy Nye, John Payne | Asia | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 10 | RealityGeoffrey Downes, John Payne | Asia | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | Don't Cut The Wire | Asia | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 38 MB |
| 48 mins | 111 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 336 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Roger Dean | Cover Design, Design, Illustrations |
| 3 | Geoffrey Downes | Audio Production, Composer, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Brian Griffin | Photography |
| 5 | Steve Howe | Guitar, Vocals |
| 6 | Dave Ling | Liner Notes |
| 7 | Andy Nye | Composer |
| 8 | Carl Palmer | Drums, Percussion |
| 9 | John Payne | Audio Production, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Al Pitrelli | Guitar, Guitars, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 11 | Andy Reilly | Engineer |
| 12 | Gary Stevenson | Mixing |
| 13 | Mike "Clay" Stone | Engineer, Producer |
| 14 | Michael Sturgis | Drums, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 15 | John Wetton | Bass, Guitar (Bass), Keyboards, Vocals |
| 16 | James Wiltshire | Coordination |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |