Asia

Asia (1982)

1. Heat of the Moment - 3:54

2. Only Time Will Tell - 4:48

3. Sole Survivor - 4:52
4. One Step Closer - 4:18
5. Time Again - 4:47
6. Wildest Dreams - 5:11
7. Without You - 5:07
8. Cutting It Fine - 5:40
9. Here Comes the Feeling - 5:43

After acquainting myself with Phoenix, I figured I needed to check out the original Asia album.  I had heard it once before a long time ago, and at the time I decided I would buy it if I saw it in a bargain bin, but it wasn't essential. I might be wrong... Sure, the songs are pretty straightforward, with lyrics mostly about love and relationships, but they are played with excitement, and there are creative twists that remind us of these players' impressive talents.

Probably the high point of the album is the song written by all four band members. "Time Again" starts with a menacing minor key stomp, accelerates into a Gothic arpeggio with haunting vocals, then launches into a galloping rock song in 12/8 with fun guitar/bass unison riffs and climbing harmonies. Other highlights include the Beethoven-esque drama of "Wildest Dreams," the sunny "One Step Closer" and the adventurous "Here Comes the Feeling".  Throughout the album, John Wetton's bass is lean and muscular (that's the bass player we know and love), Steve Howe's guitar work is impeccable, Geoff Downes's synthesizers are surprisingly tasteful, and Carl Palmer's drumming is dutifully propulsive. Very fun stuff.

Surprisingly, there are no power ballads here.  "Only Time Will Tell" and "Without You" come the closest, but the first includes an aggressive Baroque intro/bridge (think "Final Countdown," only better), and the second has way too much epic guitar riffing from Mr. Howe to be considered a ballad.  The pop is never simple pop.  Even the catchy verses on the big hit "Heat of the Moment" are a little subversive - you can't tell they are in 5/4 time unless you count. 

Overall, this is a very creative rock album with solid songs from top to bottom. This might be attributable to the new band's first rush of creativity, or it might be that the stars aligned.  Either way, when the band got back together in 2007, their concerts included every song from this album. The band must enjoy these songs as much as the fans!

Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 lean, muscular bass riffs