Asia - High Voltage Live
Biography: Asia’s debut album exploded onto the music scene in March 1982 with
several Top 10 singles and sales exceeding 7 million copies. This
“supergroup”, featuring bassist/vocalist John Wetton, drummer Carl
Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and guitarist Steve Howe, was the
logical successor to their collective bands of the 70s – Yes, ELP, King
Crimson, and The Buggles.
The group came together in the spring of 1981. John Wetton’s acclaimed
progressive rock band UK had collapsed a few years earlier. With the
help of manager Brian Lane, he wanted to form a new group with guitarist
Steve Howe, best known for his work with British Prog superstars, Yes.
Drummer Carl Palmer came into the fold next, having just completed a
decade of platinum releases and sold out tours with Emerson, Lake &
Palmer. Keyboardist Geoff Downes, who replaced Rick Wakeman in Yes for
the Drama album, had previously been half of the pop duo The Buggles.
They stormed the charts in 1979 with the timeless classic “Video Killed
The Radio Star”.
Labelled a “supergroup” by critics and the media from the onset, it was a
tag they had never asked for. Asia’s music (and rockíníroll charisma)
developed organically and effortlessly. Though all four men had seen
chart-topping success in their previous bands, Asia had a special
chemistry that fans and music industry insiders were quick to recognize.
“The band sort of came together naturally,” says Carl Palmer. ” It
wasn’t something which was forced. We all wanted to play together. We
had a great time doing it.” The band was signed in the summer of 1981 by
Geffen Records A&R whiz John Kalodner, fresh out of a long
affiliation at Atlantic Records.
The first Asia album went into production in June of 1981 with producer
Mike Stone at Marcus Studios and Virgin Townhouse in London. Stone, who
had worked on hits for Journey and Queen, also knew the band had an
amazing musical ability. The band spent five months writing, arranging,
and recording nine songs for its debut that included such classics as ”
Heat Of The Moment”, “Only Time Will Tell”, and “Sole Survivor.”
“I think that we all knew as soon as we recorded the first few songs
that it was going somewhere special,” says Wetton. “I don’t think we
knew, however, until we recorded ‘Heat Of The Moment’ that we had a
monster on our hands. I think that once we had done that, everyone knew
that it was going to be successful.”
As soon as the album was completed, Geffen knew it had a winner on its
hands. The upstart label immediately began turning the wheels of its
enormous promotional machine weeks before the LP’s release, to help
propel the album to the top of the charts. Asia had only weeks to
rehearse for a 30 city US tour that commenced on April 22 in Potsdam,
NY, of all places! By the time the band reached the 12th stop on tour
(Rochester, NY) on May 5th, the debut album had already hit #1 on the
Billboard charts.
Fortunately for the band, a new music media outlet called MTV premiered
on cable channels in 1981 throughout the US and in over 50 million
households. (Downes’ hit song with The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio
Star” was the first song ever played on the exciting new channel).
Asia, aware the network’s impact on the industry, began shooting videos
as soon as the album was finished. The result was a rock’n'roll
marriage made in heaven.
Asia became one of the most played acts on MTV in 1982. Since most
people were intrigued with the new concept, viewership often reached
several hours a day. “You’re looking at a parallel success here,” says
Wetton. “MTV and Asia were successful at the same time… of course, MTV
was instrumental in Asia’s success, but then, Asia was also instrumental
in MTV’s success.”
Throughout most of ’82, Asia ruled the radio airwaves and MTV; sold out
every date on its tour; and the LP, Asia, crushed all the competition at
record stores around the world. The music industry had been in a
major slump that year, and less than 15% of releases in 1982 made a
profit. Asia was one of the year’s big exceptions. By the time the band
released its second album, the debut album had sold over 6 million
copies worldwide and was the best seller of 1982. It had stayed at the
#1 spot for an incredible 9 weeks!
The band toured non-stop and continued to see the huge success they had
initiated grow even larger. They won almost every BEST NEW ACT award
the industry had to offer in 1982.
The success, however, was too much, too soon. By the time they assembled
to begin their second album in the winter of 1983, cracks had already
begun to appear in the foundation. Creative tensions and egos – not to
mention the pressure of having to top the best selling album of the
previous year – made the second album’s recording sessions far less
enjoyable than the first. Recording the album outside of their native
England (in Morin Heights, Quebec) added to the difficulties.
The second album, Alpha, did ship platinum and contained the hits “Don’t
Cry” and “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”, but Geffen’s hands-on
pressure to score undeniable radio pop hits was starting to show. “We
had a precious success,” remembers Wetton. “We came in at the top, but
it was an illusion to think we’d stay there. The band was still finding
its feet as a musical entity.”
Personal conflicts on the Alpha tour began pulling the band apart. In
October, an announcement was made of a huge MTV and Westwood One Radio
Network simulcast of the band’s sold out December show at Tokyo’s
Budokan arena. Instead of a sense of euphoria within the band, John
Wetton departed Asia in a move that stunned the rock world. He was
replaced at the last moment for the Asia In Asia broadcast and Japanese
dates by Palmer’s ex-ELP band mate, Greg Lake. Lake’s time with the
band, however, would be short.
The band was re-constructed in 1984, with Wetton back on board. After a
brief period of time working on the next album, Steve Howe departed to
form GTR with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Mandy Meyer of
Krokus replaced Howe, and in 1985 the group released its third album,
Astra. The album had a hit with “Voice Of America,” but compared to the
massive success of the first two albums, the members viewed Astra as a
disappointment.
They never toured for Astra, and soon after Asia fell apart. Although no
formal break-up announcement was made, within months the members were
all off doing different projects. “We broke up too soon,” remembered
Carl Palmer during an interview in 1990. We were unique then, and we
still are: English rock with a technical side; sophisticated rock mixed
in with melodies and singles. It was taboo in those days, and you very
rarely hear that today either.”
Palmer regrouped in 1987 with Keith Emerson and unknown bassist named
Robert Berry to form 3. Wetton started a musical project with his Roxy
Music band mate, Phil Manzanera, and Downes did a myriad of projects
including working with both Mike Oldfield and Greg Lake, as well as
producing Steve Howe’s new band, GTR. He also released an experimental
instrumental solo album called The Light Programme under the moniker,
“The New Dance Orchestra”.
By 1990, Wetton, Palmer and Downes were ready to give it another go.
They regrouped with American guitarist Pat Thrall (known for his work
with Pat Travers and Glenn Hughes) and recorded new material. The new
songs eventually surfaced as extra tracks in a best-of collection on
Geffen, called Then & Now. “We were so musically compatible.” said
Wetton, at the time. “We had tried other things and had been frustrated
by them. (1990) seemed to be the right time for Asia again.”
They were placed on a summer tour of Europe with the unlikely
headliners, The Beach Boys, where they played to 25,000 seat open
arenas. Needless to say, the band was nervous about the audience
reaction. However, they need not have worried as Asia received
overwhelming positive response on every show of the tour.
“Each of us had been doing mainly studio work just prior to that tour,”
says Downes. “When it gets right down to it, we all missed playing
together and the feeling of a band, the excitement of playing live and
getting on a big stage again.”
The reunion lasted nearly two years, including a memorable show that was
filmed in Moscow’s Red Square. “What I remember about that show,” jokes
Palmer, today, “is that we had Gorbachev’s limo and we had to wait two
hours for lunch from McDonald’s!”
Shortly after the show in Russia, the band took another break. Palmer
had the chance to reform Emerson, Lake & Palmer and did so in late
1991 with the Black Moon album. Wetton launched his long-awaited solo
career, recording the critically acclaimed Battle Lines. Geoff Downes
decided to carry on with Asia, reforming the band around him. In 1992,
he enlisted newcomer John Payne on bass and vocals and recorded the Aqua
album. The two men would record together for several years, working
with various other musicians.
Palmer had a successful run again with ELP until the fall of 1998, when
that band, too, went on hiatus. With John Wetton in-between solo
projects and Downes willing to entertain offers for a reunion, suddenly
all three men were available again to regroup as Asia. Due to his
commitments with the re-formed Yes, Steve Howe was unavailable. However,
the three other members all exchanged phone calls, and by Christmas of
1998, a reunion was looking possible.
The band announced plans for a world tour to begin on June 11th, 1999.
After the tour, they had hoped to record a new album, with Downes and
Wetton already writing songs again. Unfortunately, it was never to be.
Almost as quickly as the whole project had begun, it dissolved. The
event which so many had hoped for would have to wait for another day…
Shortly thereafter, Carl Palmer and John Wetton reunited in a new band
called Qango. Featuring guitarist David Kilminster and keyboard player
John Young, the group played a series of showcase dates in the UK in
February 2000 which featured classic ELP, ASIA, and King Crimson
material, along with some new material.
The shows were packed and well received, prompting the band to do
several encores each night. “It was a wonderful feeling to be back on
stage playing this material with our new band,” said Palmer. Wetton
added, “The shows went down very well and have made us excited about
continuing with more tours and the recording of new material.” Once
again, however, this lineup was short-lived and, after the triumphant UK
tour, Qango went their separate ways.
For the next few years, the original members remained busy with their
individual projects. John Wetton returned to his solo career; Carl
Palmer assembled his own outfit, “The Carl Palmer Band”. Steve Howe
toured extensively with Yes, and Geoff Downes continued on with his own
Asia lineup.
Fate intervened in 2005 when Wetton and Downes found time to work
together on new material that would eventually become the ICON album.
The duo toured on the heels of the release, revisiting the glory years
of Asia with standing ovations every night for the classic tunes.
But as the old saying goes, patience is a virtue…
Like a bolt from the blue, the stars aligned once again in early 2006.
In April, all four original members of Asia confirmed that they would be
reuniting for a world tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the
band’s creation and debut album.
“This is the REAL ASIA,” says guitarist Steve Howe. “There have been
other versions of the band, but this original line-up is the one that
the public truly embraced. Since we only toured for a couple of years,
it will be nice, finally, to play for audiences all over the world, many
of whom never had a chance to see the group in concert.”
An American tour was confirmed beginning in August, followed by dates in
the UK, Japan, and Latin America. The sold-out Japanese tour yielded a
live release, Fantasia: Live in Japan. The setlist for the tour featured
the entire debut album, heritage tracks from each band member’s
pre-Asia bands as well as a few choice tracks from Alpha. As a special
nod to fans who had stuck with the band over the years, an acoustic
version of “Ride Easy”, a b-side from the debut, was played live for the
first time.
The tour continued well into 2007 with shows in North America and Europe
and the band entered the studio for what would be yet another
dream-come-true for fans; the first full studio album from the four
original members of Asia since 1983′s Alpha, entitled Phoenix.
Geoff described the enthusiasm within the band for the new project:
“It’s great finally to give some new music to those Asia fans who have
remained with us patiently all these years.” Steve emphasised the band’s
ability to focus and called the new album “an enormous test, a
challenge worthy of our intent. All the distractions usually evident
vapourised, as we focused on collaborating to select and arrange these
new songs, all in the style of Asia.” Carl pointed to the dynamics
within Asia that resulted in Phoenix, indicating the “chemistry and
energy that comes out when the four of us are working together and the
new material reflects this.” For his part, John marvelled at how far the
band had come from their tumultuous early years in the 1980s: “Each one
of us is comfortable as a human being, and the sound on the CD Phoenix
finally reflects the collective maturity of these four people who are
not only eager to explore, but also relaxed enough to luxuriate in the
strength of the material.”
Fans and critics world-wide welcomed the new release enthusiastically,
and the band hit the road once again through 2008 and 2009 touring in
the UK, North America, Japan and Europe. Touring for Phoenix culminated
in the summer of 2009 with a number of European festivals and a tour
with Yes, featuring Steve Howe performing onstage with both bands. A
live video from those shows, Spirit of the Night, was later released in
2010.
With the touring cycle for Phoenix behind them, Asia returned once again
to the recording studio for a follow-up album, Omega, this time joined
in the studio by producer Mike Paxman (Status Quo, Uriah Heep).
Immediately upon its release they launched their 2010-2011 Omega world
tour beginning with dates in Europe and Russia, before heading off to
Japan, North America, Central America and South America, along with a
second tour leg of Europe, closing off the Omega tour on June 18, 2011
in Malanga, Spain. A third official live release, Resonance, would be
recorded in Switzerland for release in the autumn of 2012.
With six years of touring and two new studio albums under their
collective belts, the four members of Asia decided to take a
much-deserved break at the end of the Omega tour, with each returning to
their own solo and other non-Asia band projects. 30 years after the
Drama album, Geoff Downes accepted an invitation to return to Yes for a
tour and the recording of a new album, Fly From Here. Steve Howe, in
addition to his duties in Yes, recorded a new solo album, Time. Carl
Palmer toured Europe and North America with his solo band, while also
releasing the third volume in his Working Live series. John Wetton
released and toured in support of his own new solo album, Raised in
Captivity, and began to lay the groundwork for a reunion with his former
UK bandmates, Eddie Jobson and Terry Bozzio.
Early 2012 brough the band back together in the studio, once again with
Mike Paxman, to record their third post-reunion studio album, XXX,
commemorating the 30th anniversary of the band. Once again, fan and
critical reaction was exemplary, with many hailing the release as their
best since the 1980s. An extensive world tour is scheduled for late 2012
and planning is already actively underway for 2013 and beyond.
The heat goes on, indeed!
Info: This DVD was recorded on the 24th July 2010 at the inaugural High
Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London, this ASIA live DVD captures
the band, in the original line-up (featuring Steve Howe on guitar),
performing classic material from the 80’s, plus songs from the first two
albums of its reunion, “Phoenix” and “Omega”.
The show was performed to an enthusiastic festival crowd, ready to hear
ASIA’s eponymous debut album – the world’s biggest selling album of 1982
– performed in its entirety for the first time in Europe. In fact, this
remains the only video document of the original line-up performing the
debut album in full.
This live DVD is an irreplaceable companion to the original studio album
and the reunion that saw the original members of ASIA return to and
stay at the top of their game, this time in front of a ‘home audience’.
Line-Up: John Wetton - bass, vocals
Carl Palmer - drums
Geoff Downes - keyboards
Steve Howe - guitars
Tracklist: 01. Only Time Will Tell
02. Wildest Dreams
03. One Step Closer
04. An Extraordinary Life
05. Time Again
06. Cutting it Fine
07. Without You
08. I Believe
09. Here Comes the Feeling
10. Sole Survivor
11. Heat of the Moment
Video quality: 720*480, 29,970 fps, MPEG2 video
Sound quality: AC3, 48000Hz, 16bits, 2 channel
Duration: 01:03:47 Disponible sólo a los usuarios 
