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Asia
Origin England
Genre(s) Rock, progressive rock, melodic rock
Years active 1981 - 1986; 1989- present
Label(s) Geffen, Great Pyramid, Musidisc, WEA Japan, Mayhem Recordings, Resurgence, Snapper, InsideOut, Frontiers, EMI America, King
Associated acts Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Uriah Heep, U.K., The Buggles
Website http://www.originalasia.com/
Members
Geoff Downes
John Wetton
Steve Howe
Carl Palmer
Former members
See: Asia band members
Asia Featuring John Payne
Genre(s) Rock, progressive rock
Years active 2007 - present
Label(s) Devgel
Associated acts GPS
Website http://www.theasiaband.com/
Members
John Payne
Jay Schellen
Guthrie Govan
Erik Norlander

Asia are a rock group formed in 1981. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Voiceprint Records is a Record label based in England, founded by Rob Ayling Snapper Music is an Independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher Douggie Dudgeon and funded by the deceased InsideOut (or Inside Out) is an independent Record label company specializing in the Progressive rock Frontiers Records is an Italian Record label that produces Melodic rock. EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. is a Japanese record company founded in 1931 as a division of Japanese publisher Kodansha. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously UK were a short-lived British Progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980 Buggles (the official version of the band name used on their albums singles and publicity material omits the definite article were a New Wave band formed in 1977 consisting Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English rock keyboard player songwriter and producer John Kenneth Wetton (born 12 June 1949) is an English Singer, Bass guitarist and Guitarist. Stephen James "Steve" Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is an English Guitarist Carl Palmer (born Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer, on March 20, 1950, in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English drummer A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music GPS is a Progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne (vocals bass guitar Guthrie Govan (guitars and Jay Schellen John Payne is a British Musician who was lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with Asia Featuring John Payne Jay Schellen (born 20 May 1960, Albuquerque New Mexico is a drummer who came to worldwide attention as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane and has Guthrie Govan (born December 27 1971 in Chelmsford, Essex, England) is a Guitarist known for his work with the bands Erik Norlander is an American musician who describes himself as a ' 'keyboardist', composer, producer and engineer ' Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. See also Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 List of 'years in music' The band were labelled a supergroup and included former members of veteran progressive rock bands Yes, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Uriah Heep, U.K., Roxy Music, Wishbone Ash and The Buggles. SuperGroup is a Reality show on the channel VH1. The show puts together five Heavy metal musicians packed into a large mansion that must play a show after Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously UK were a short-lived British Progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980 Roxy Music is an English Art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry ( vocals and keyboards) Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved particular success in the early and mid-1970s with their most critically acclaimed records including Buggles (the official version of the band name used on their albums singles and publicity material omits the definite article were a New Wave band formed in 1977 consisting As of 2008, there are two distinct groups using the Asia name: a reunion of the band's original line-up performing as Asia, and Asia Featuring John Payne featuring three members from later incarnations of Asia.

Contents

History

Formation

Asia began with the apparent demise of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the flagship bands of British progressive rock. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved After the break-up of King Crimson in 1974, various plans for a super group involving bassist John Wetton had been mooted, including the abortive British Bulldog project with Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman in 1976. King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 John Kenneth Wetton (born 12 June 1949) is an English Singer, Bass guitarist and Guitarist. William Scott Bruford (born May 17 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent) better known as Bill Bruford, is an English Drummer Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949 in Perivale, London) is an English Keyboard player best known as the In 1977, Bruford and Wetton were reunited in UK, along with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson. UK were a short-lived British Progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980 Allan Holdsworth (born August 6, 1946 in Bradford, West Yorkshire) is a British Jazz / rock Guitarist Edwin (Eddie Jobson (born 28 April 1955 in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, England) is an English Keyboardist and Violinist Their eponymous debut was released in 1978. By 1980, after UK's demise, a new super group project was suggested involving Wetton, Wakeman, drummer Carl Palmer and (then little known) guitarist Trevor Rabin, but Wakeman walked out of the project shortly before they were due to sign to Geffen and before they had ever played together. Carl Palmer (born Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer, on March 20, 1950, in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English drummer Trevor Rabin (born January 13, 1954) is a South African American musician best known as a guitarist and songwriter for the British Rabin, in a filmed interview from 1984 and included in the recently released and updated DVD 9012Live, said that his involvement with this project never went anywhere because "there was no chemistry" among the participants. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is 9012Live The Solos is the third live album by Yes, albeit one with a difference

In early 1981, Wetton and Yes guitarist Steve Howe were brought together by A&R man John Kalodner and Geffen Records to start working and writing. Stephen James "Steve" Howe (born April 8, 1947 in Holloway, North London, England) is an English Guitarist Artists and Repertoire ( A&R) is the division of a Record label that is responsible for talent scouting and artist development John Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive His achievements included signing Foreigner, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label They were eventually joined by Carl Palmer , and finally by Howe's recent Yes cohort, keyboardist Geoff Downes. Carl Palmer (born Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer, on March 20, 1950, in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English drummer Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English rock keyboard player songwriter and producer The band's early offerings, under the auspices of Geffen record label head David Geffen and Kalodner, were considered disappointing by music critics[1] and fans of traditional progressive rock, who found the music closer to radio-friendly AOR pop-rock. David Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American Record executive, Film producer, Theatrical producer and philanthropist Album-oriented rock (sometimes referred to as Adult-oriented rock or as West Coast Rock) abbreviated AOR and originally called album-oriented radio However, Asia clicked with fans of arena acts such as Journey, Boston, and Styx. Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1973 Boston is an American rock band from Boston Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s Rolling Stone gave Asia an indifferent review[2], while still acknowledging the band's musicianship was a cut above the usual AOR expectations.

Early years

Asia's eponymous debut album, released in March 1982, enjoyed considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one in the U. S. album chart and selling over 4 million copies in the US alone. The album sold over 10 million worldwide. The singles "Only Time Will Tell" (#17) and "Heat of the Moment" (#4) became huge Top 40 hits, with the latter cracking the Top Five, and remaining a stadium favourite at U. The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. S. sporting events.

"Sole Survivor" also received heavy air play on rock stations across the US.

In the US the band did extremely well, selling out every date on their debut tour, which began in theaters but quickly expanded into arenas because of high ticket demand. Asia would go on to receive a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist Of The Year. MTV also played Asia videos on heavy rotation. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. . . . as many as 5 times a day. Billboard named the Asia debut as album of the year. Asia's logo and cover art was handled by famed illustrator Roger Dean of Yes and Uriah Heep fame. For the vector -based drawing program by Adobe Systems, see Adobe Illustrator. Roger Dean (born August 31, 1944, in Ashford Kent) is an English Artist.

Asia became known as pioneers of phase two of the progressive rock era by avoiding long-winded forays, and by including (to at least a greater extent than phase one) enough commercial polish to attract radio airplay outside of album-rock circles. Yes' 90125 and Big Generator, ELPowell's Emerson, Lake & Powell in 1986, and the GTR album would all follow in the Asia debut album's footsteps. 90125 is the eleventh album by Progressive rock group Yes, released in 1983 Big Generator is the twelfth studio album by Progressive rock band Yes. Emerson Lake & Powell, sometimes abbreviated as ELPowell were an English Rock band, an offshoot or variant lineup of Emerson Lake & Palmer, that released Emerson Lake & Powell, sometimes abbreviated as ELPowell were an English Rock band, an offshoot or variant lineup of Emerson Lake & Palmer, that released GTR was a supergroup founded in 1986 by ex- Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and Yes and Asia guitarist Steve

However, neither the second nor any following Asia album repeated the chart success of the first. "Don't Cry" was a Top Ten single in the summer of 1983 and the video was played non-stop on MTV, while "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes," a fan favourite for John Wetton's vocal performance, charted inside of Billboard's top 40. The video for "Smile" also scored heavy MTV play. But Rolling Stone panned Alpha as an over-produced commercial album[3], while others lamented that Howe and Palmer were effectively reduced to session musicians. Alpha is a 1983 album by rock quartet Asia. After the huge commercial success of their first album Asia, Alpha sold relatively The tracks "Eye To Eye" and "My Own Time" became huge fan favourites. "Open Your Eyes" and "The Heat Goes On" became concert staples. Alpha received indifferent reviews from various critics, while still attaining platinum status. Platinum (ˈplætɪnəm is a Chemical element with the Atomic symbol Pt and an Atomic number of 78 Alpha reached #6 on the USA Billboard album chart.

In October 1983, Wetton was forced out of the group on the heels of the comparatively disappointing sales of Alpha. The band stated that Wetton quit and it remains debatable to this day what really happened. In any event, the next leg of their 1983 US tour (which had begun in the summer but shut down suddenly on September 10th after a performance at Pine Knob in Detroit), scheduled for the fall, was abruptly cancelled, reportedly because of low ticket sales. Pine Knob is a downhill Ski area in Clarkston Michigan. It is best known for its snow-making and marquee run "The Wall Ex-King Crimson and ELP front man Greg Lake replaced Wetton for the highly publicised "Asia in Asia" concert at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Dec. Gregory Stuart Lake (born 10 November 1947 in Poole Dorset England is an English Bass guitarist Guitarist, Vocalist The, often shortened to just "Budokan" is an arena in central Tokyo, Japan officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. 6, 1983, which was the first concert broadcast over satellite to MTV in the US and later made into a home video. Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment The songs had to be played in a different key to suit Lake's voice and he read most of the lyrics from a teleprompter. The Japanese dates were successful financially but not musically. Lake left in early 1984 and Asia reunited with Wetton that same year to start work on their next album. But Steve Howe soon left to be replaced by Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer. Krokus is a Hard rock / heavy metal band from Switzerland. Krokus was founded in Solothurn in 1974 by bassist (and original lead vocalist Armand Mandy Meyer is a Swiss guitar player best known for being a member of the heavy metal band Krokus and the Progressive rock Howe then enjoyed brief success with GTR, another supergroup, formed with Steve Hackett of Genesis and produced by Downes. GTR was a supergroup founded in 1986 by ex- Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950 is a British Songwriter and Guitarist. Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English rock keyboard player songwriter and producer

Astra to the USSR

The third Asia album, Astra, released in November 1985, was not as commercially successful as the first two. Geffen cancelled the projected tour because of lack of interest. Howe's replacement, Mandy Meyer of Krokus, provided more of a hard-rock guitar approach. Krokus is a Hard rock / heavy metal band from Switzerland. Krokus was founded in Solothurn in 1974 by bassist (and original lead vocalist The band enjoyed a modest charting single, "Go," (#46) with Meyer's guitar heroics centre stage. The music video was another hit with MTV. In 1986 this Asia line-up folded, bringing the group to an end for the time being. Wetton resurfaced with a 1987 album with guitarist Phil Manzanera, Wetton-Manzanera, based on material that had been originally intended for Asia. Phil Manzanera (born Philip Geoffrey Targett-Adams, 31 January 1951 in London, England) is a musician and Record producer. Asia were also credited with a contribution to the Sylvester Stallone film soundtrack to Over the Top, although Wetton was the only original band member involved. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. Over the Top is a 1987 Dramatic action film starring Sylvester Stallone, produced and directed by Menahem Golan about Wetton and Downes' attempt to restart the group in 1987 with guitarist Scott Gorham (formerly of Thin Lizzy) and drummer Michael Sturgis (ex-A-ha) fizzled when they were unable to land a recording deal. Scott Gorham (born William Scott Gorham March 17, 1951 in Glendale California) is an American guitarist and songwriter Thin Lizzy are an Irish Hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969 a-ha is a band from Norway. They initially rose to fame during the 1980s but have had continued success in the 1990s and 2000s Wetton and Palmer were more successful in reuniting the band for a few tours of Europe in 1989. Downes (who was working on a project with Greg Lake) was not available at this time, so keys were played by John Young. John Young is a British Progressive rock Keyboardist and Singer from Liverpool who spent his early years at the Liverpool Cathedral Guitars on this tour were handled by Alan Darby (who was replaced shortly after by German guitarist Holger Larish) and Zoe Nicholas and Susie Webb were brought aboard to provide back up vocals. Unlike Wetton's later anger at Asia continuing without him in the 1990s, this lineup was viewed favourably by other Asia band members.

Asia returned to the studio in 1990 with Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and other musicians (see discography below) and released Then & Now, a best-of with 4 new tracks. Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Grammy Award winning Guitarist, Singer, Pat Thrall joined Downes, Palmer, and Wetton, on tour and they performed classic material, including King Crimson and UK songs. Pat Thrall is an American rock guitarist Thrall is a native of the San Francisco area and began his recording career in 1976 King Crimson is a Progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969 UK were a short-lived British Progressive rock supergroup active from 1977 through 1980 The band toured the former Soviet Union in November 1990 to play in front of 20,000 fans, two sold out nights. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 "Days Like These" charted at #64 in 1990 and climbed all the way to #2 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. A video was planned but was scrapped because various problems hampered the single's chance at the Top 40. Asia received the RIAA gold album award for Then and Now many years later, but the initial response was poor as the album failed to dent the Top 100. The decision not to tour the US for this album did not help any. A DVD and CD can be bought of the Asia concert in the USSR. John Wetton left in 1991 after a South American tour, disgusted by Asia's lack of success in the States. He went on to focus on recording solo albums, none of which would yield any hits.

The Payne era

In 1991, vocalist/bassist John Payne joined the band, and together with Geoff Downes, enlisted new musicians and led Asia through to 2005. John Payne is a British Musician who was lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with Asia Featuring John Payne Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The first album with this line-up, Aqua (1992), also featuring Steve Howe and Carl Palmer and new guitarist Al Pitrelli (ex-Alice Cooper), was released on Great Pyramid/JRS Records in the US. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five Howe returned during the sessions having just left Yes again, but Palmer would leave soon, committing to an ELP reunion, and was able to play on just three songs. Session men then completed the drumming. Downes' environmentalist single "Who Will Stop The Rain?" (originally written for Max Bacon and the aborted Rain project, later appearing on Bacon's album From the Banks of the River Irwell) attracted some radio attention. For the Missouri jurist legislator and co-author of " Let the eagle soar. The Aqua club tour featured Howe (whose presence was heavily promoted), who took the stage after the fifth song. The tour was successful enough to warrant the band's continuation. The 1992-93 tour featured Downes, Howe, Payne, guitarist Vinny Burns and drummer Trevor Thornton. Vinny Burns (born 4 April 1965 in Oldham, Lancashire) is an English Hard rock Guitarist best known for Trevor Thornton is a British Drummer best known for his work in the rock group Asia: he plays on Archiva Vol Before a European festival tour in late 1993, Howe and Burns left replaced by guitarist Keith More. Payne acquitted himself on the tour, but many fans refused to support an Asia lineup without Wetton.

The group released Aria in 1994 and Arena in 1996. Aria is the fifth album by rock group Asia, released in 1994 It was their second album released after the band's reformation in 1992 with previous members Arena is the sixth album by rock group Asia, released in 1996 Aria featured former Danger Danger and then future Megadeth lead guitarist Al Pitrelli once again who would leave Asia during the short Aria tour. Danger Danger is a Glam metal band formed in 1987 in Queens New York. Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder front man guitarist and songwriter Dave Mustaine. Al Pitrelli (born September 29, 1962 in New York, NY) is a guitarist best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra This illustrates how the keyboard-driven band often faced trouble keeping a regular guitarist. Aria did not fair well commercially and the ensuing tour was limited to four concerts. Ex-Simply Red guitarist Aziz Ibrahim took over during the tour. Simply Red is an English pop band Their style draws influences from pop, rock, jazz, Lovers rock, and Blue-eyed soul Aziz Ibrahim is a British musician He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents Aria also introduced new drummer Michael Sturgis, who had been involved during the band's aborted 1987 reunion and had appeared on some of the sessions for Aqua.

Over New Year's Eve in 1996 a broken pipe inundated the control room in Downes and Payne's recording studio, Electric Palace, in London. Amid the lost equipment, a vault containing unreleased material was found intact. The band decided to release the double-disc Archiva, a collection of unreleased tracks recorded during the first three Downes/Payne albums. Next, Arena featured Downes, Payne, Sturgis, Ibrahim and guest guitarist Elliot Randall (ex-Steely Dan, Randy Crawford). Elliott Randall (born 1947) is an American Guitarist most known for being a Session musician with popular artists Steely Dan is a American rock band centered on core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Randy Crawford (born Veronica Crawford February 18 1952, in Macon Georgia) is an American Jazz and R&B Singer. The album featured Asia's longest track ever in "The Day Before The War". The album was released on Resurgence Records but there was no tour because of lack of interest. 2001's Aura featured three different session guitarists, including Ian Crichton (of Canadian progressive rock band Saga) who'd briefly joined Asia in 1998-1999. Aura is an album by the Progressive rock band Asia, recorded in 2000 and first released in 2001 Saga is a Progressive rock quintet formed in Oakville Ontario, Canada. An all acoustic album, Live at the Town & Country Club, was recorded by the group in September 1997 (and released in 1999) that featured a lineup of Downes, Payne, Ibrahim and Bob Richards on drums.

In 1999 there was talk of a reunion of the original lineup (minus Howe). The original proposition included Dave Kilminster on guitar, who had previously toured and recorded with John Wetton. While Howe was interested in participating, he was unable because of his busy schedule with Yes. Yes are an English Progressive rock band that formed in London in 1968. This reunion did not take place and John Payne continued to carry on Asia with Downes uninterrupted. Wetton and Palmer did, however, get together to form Qango, which included Dave Kilminster and John Young, although the band was short-lived. Qango was a short-lived progressive rock band a spin-off from Asia. Dave Kilminster went on to work with Keith Emerson and Roger Waters. Keith Noel Emerson (born 2 November 1944 in Todmorden, West Yorkshire) is a British Keyboard player and composer George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943 in Great Bookham, Surrey) is an English rock musician In 2000, Geffen/Universal released a best-of entitled "The Very Best Of Asia: Heat Of The Moment (1982-1990)" which also included three rare b-sides from the early days.

Aura (2001) took a more progressive rock form, but still did not recapture the commercial success of the first album. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Former members Howe, Thrall, Sturgis and guitarist Elliot Randall all made guest appearances. The single "Ready To Go Home" was barely distributed. Asia then signed with Recognition. 2001 did see the band with a stable lineup, achieved during the Aura sessions featuring Downes, Payne, guitarist Guthrie Govan and ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band/The Firm/Uriah Heep/Gary Numan/AC/DC drummer Chris Slade (who had first joined Asia in 1999, briefly). Guthrie Govan (born December 27 1971 in Chelmsford, Essex, England) is a Guitarist known for his work with the bands Manfred Mann's Earth Band are a jazz/rock group formed by Manfred Mann, in 1971. The Firm were an English rock supergroup comprising former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, ex- Led Gary Numan (born Gary Anthony James Webb on 8 March 1958 is an English singer composer and musician AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Chris Slade (born Christopher Rees 30 October, 1946) is a Welsh rock Drummer who has enjoyed a long and varied career Asia would tour for the first time since 1994, including the first US dates since 1993. A live album and DVD "Asia: Live In The USA" was released in 2003, recorded at the Classic Rock Festival in Trenton, NJ in October 2002 which they co-headlined with Uriah Heep.

In the summer of 2003, Downes and Payne did the "Asia Across America Tour" which got some national media attention. Performing "unplugged", the duo would reportedly play anywhere in the US that fans requested, provided there was a venue and the fans put up $3,000 to cover costs. From New Jersey to Alaska gigs took place and the fans were treated to "meet and greet" sessions after each show as well and given a rare chance to see Downes in an intimate setting.

Marking a departure from convention, for the first time, a studio release was not titled as a single word starting and ending with the letter A. Released on Asia's newly signed label SPV/Inside Out Records, 2004's Silent Nation (name influenced by the Howard Stern vs. Howard Allan Stern (born January 12 1954 is an American radio host and Television personality. FCC incident) picked up some unexpected exposure on the Internet.

In 2004 an acoustic Asia toured featuring only Downes and Payne. In 2005 the full band toured in Europe and the Americas playing settings ranging from small clubs to medium-sized theatres. Again, in the US, attendance was poor at best. Meanwhile, Wetton and Downes released some archival Asia material under the name Wetton/Downes and they then reunited to record a full-length album (Icon, released in 2005), and an accompanying EP and DVD.

In August 2005, Chris Slade left the group to be replaced by Jay Schellen. Jay Schellen (born 20 May 1960, Albuquerque New Mexico is a drummer who came to worldwide attention as a member of the hard-rock band Hurricane and has The new band started work on an album, tentatively entitled Architect of Time, which was originally planned for release in 2006, though later developments would cause this project to be shelved for the time being.

Two bands

In early 2006, the partnership between Downes and Payne was dissolved when Downes left for a reunion of the original band line-up under the Asia name - a breakup which Payne describes as "painful" [4]. The existing line-up (minus Downes) continued for a short while before morphing into GPS. GPS is a Progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne (vocals bass guitar Guthrie Govan (guitars and Jay Schellen Payne, Govan and Schellen subsequently launched the Asia Featuring John Payne name in 2007 with a new line-up. The official websites of each band reflect a split between the shared history of Payne's tenure with the band, as the reunited Asia acknowledge only pre- and post-Payne albums, whereas "Asia Featuring John Payne" claim Payne-era albums Aqua through Silent Nation as part of their own discography. Although Asia's live set lists reflect this, Asia Featuring John Payne has stated that they will perform songs from the entire history of Asia. [5]

The Four Original Members of Asia

Geoff Downes and the other three original members (Wetton, Palmer, and Howe) convened a group meeting in England in early 2006 in anticipation of formally reforming for work that year. And after a slew of rumours, they announced that this original line-up of Asia were planning a CD, DVD and world tour to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. The band appeared in October 2006 on U. S. cable channel VH-1 Classic and began a world tour largely focused on the U. S. The band secured ownership of the Asia name and toured under the description of the Four Original Members of Asia. The setlist featured most of the first album as well as a couple of songs from the second, along with one selection each from Yes, ELP, King Crimson and the Buggles to acknowledge the history of each member of the band.

The tour began on Aug. 31st, 2006 in Atlantic City, NJ. "The Definitive Collection" was released by Geffen/Universal to tie into the tour in September and peaked at #183 on the US album charts--—the first time Asia had made the charts since 1990. A limited edition release available only at Best Buy stores also included a DVD of all the band's music videos.

The reunion tour continued into 2007 with venue size based on the success of the 2006 shows where the band was mainly playing in clubs and theatres, many of which sold out, including all 7 dates in Japan. Also in 2007, the band released Fantasia: Live In Tokyo on CD and DVD through Eagle Records, commemorating the 25th Anniversary and documenting the success of the 2006-2007 tour.

In mid-2007, all four original members (Wetton, Downes, Howe and Palmer) went into the studio to record a new album, marking the first recorded material from all four original members since 1983's Alpha. [6] The band continued to tour until major heart surgery for Wetton in the second half of the year saw remaining tour dates rescheduled for 2008. The new studio album, entitled Phoenix, was released on Frontiers Records on 14 April 2008 (via EMI/Capitol on April 15 in North America[7]), along with a world tour to promote it. Phoenix is a studio album from the progressive rock band Asia, the first to feature all four original members ( John Wetton, Geoff Downes Frontiers Records is an Italian Record label that produces Melodic rock. Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as The 12-track album includes "An Extraordinary Life", based on Wetton's experience of ill health; rockers such as "Never Again" and "Nothing's Forever"; and power ballads such as "Heroine" and "I Will Remember You". The world tour features a couple of the new songs. The album cover features Roger Dean's illustration and design. An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product or Album. Roger Dean (born August 31, 1944, in Ashford Kent) is an English Artist. An illustration is a visualization such as a Drawing, Painting, Photograph or other work of Art that stresses subject more than The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation [6]

Asia Featuring John Payne

Payne, Govan and Schellen continued working together after Downes' departure for the aforementioned reunion. This included continuing work on what had been planned as the next Asia album, Architect of Time. They began to work under the name GPS with Ryo Okumoto of Spock's Beard on keys. GPS is a Progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne (vocals bass guitar Guthrie Govan (guitars and Jay Schellen Ryo Okumoto (born in Osaka Japan) is a rock Keyboardist, best known for his work with Progressive rock group Spock's Beard. Spock's Beard is a Progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Their debut release, Window to the Soul (2006), included material developed for Architect of Time. [8]

In May 2007, Payne, Govan and Schellen announced the new band name, "Asia Featuring John Payne", adding Erik Norlander on keys. Erik Norlander is an American musician who describes himself as a ' 'keyboardist', composer, producer and engineer ' The first release under this name at the end of 2007 was a live recording of the late 2005 Asia line-up of Downes, Payne, Govan and Schellen, entitled Extended Versions in the US and Scandinavia in the UK.

The band is planning to release a completed Architect of Time and tour in 2008 under the Asia Featuring John Payne name [9], with all songs written by Payne and Norlander. The band is currently playing festivals and small venues, performing songs from the entire history of Asia, including "Heat of the Moment". [10] Meanwhile, Payne, Govan, and Schellen are also continuing work as GPS.

Personnel

Many musicians participated through the years, especially during the 1990s, when the band consisted essentially of Geoff Downes and John Payne plus an ever-changing set of guests.

Current Members of "Asia" are:

Current members of "Asia Featuring John Payne" are:

Previous members of "Asia" are:

Certain musicians have joined and left after a short time without recording any studio material with the group. Armand Mandy Meyer is a Swiss guitar player best known for being a member of the heavy metal band Krokus and the Progressive rock Pat Thrall is an American rock guitarist Thrall is a native of the San Francisco area and began his recording career in 1976 Al Pitrelli (born September 29, 1962 in New York, NY) is a guitarist best known for his work with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Savatage was a progressive Heavy metal band founded by the brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1978 at Astro Skate in Tarpon Springs Florida Megadeth is an American heavy metal band led by founder front man guitarist and songwriter Dave Mustaine. Trans-Siberian Orchestra (often abbreviated as TSO) is a rock Orchestra founded by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Mike Sturgis is an American drummer having played for the band 21 Guns and later Psycho Motel, where he played on both State of Mind (1996 and Scott Gorham (born William Scott Gorham March 17, 1951 in Glendale California) is an American guitarist and songwriter Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved particular success in the early and mid-1970s with their most critically acclaimed records including This article is about the English progressive rock band For the Washington D Psycho Motel was a British Progressive rock band formed by Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith. John Young may refer to John Young (actor (1916–1996 Scottish actor John Young, (1909–1997 American (Hawaiian painter Vinny Burns (born 4 April 1965 in Oldham, Lancashire) is an English Hard rock Guitarist best known for Trevor Thornton is a British Drummer best known for his work in the rock group Asia: he plays on Archiva Vol Aziz Ibrahim is a British musician He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents The Rev Robert "Bob" Eugene Richards (born February 20 1926, in Champaign Illinois) known as the "Vaulting Vicar" or the "Pole Chris Slade (born Christopher Rees 30 October, 1946) is a Welsh rock Drummer who has enjoyed a long and varied career AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in December 1969 when record producer Gerry Bron invited keyboardist Ken Hensley (previously The Firm were an English rock supergroup comprising former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, ex- Led The most notable collaboration of this kind was the participation of Greg Lake in the "Asia in Asia" concert in bass guitar and lead vocals. Gregory Stuart Lake (born 10 November 1947 in Poole Dorset England is an English Bass guitarist Guitarist, Vocalist Yet more musicians have played as session or guest artists without formally joining Asia. Some of these names include: Simon Phillips , Steve Lukather , Elliot Randall , Luis Jardim , Ant Glynne , Tomoyasu Hotei , Ron Komie , Scott Gorham , Tony Levin and Vinnie Colaiuta. Simon Phillips (born 6 February 1957 in London) is a prolific English Jazz and rock Drummer. Steve "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American Grammy Award winning Guitarist, Singer, Elliott Randall (born 1947) is an American Guitarist most known for being a Session musician with popular artists Luis Jardim (sometimes credited as Louis Jardim is a Portuguese percussionist born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn is a Japanese musician Guitarist and Actor. Biography At 190 cm (6 foot 3 inches Tomoyasu Hotei is one of the most intimidating people in Scott Gorham (born William Scott Gorham March 17, 1951 in Glendale California) is an American guitarist and songwriter Tony Levin (born June 6 1946, Boston Massachusetts) is an American Bass guitarist Levin is best-known for his work with Progressive Vincent Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American Drummer based in Los Angeles.

Discography

Main article: Asia discography

Cultural references


See also

References

  1. ^ Asia Biography. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Simon & Schuster (2001).
  2. ^ CD Reviews Archive. Rolling Stone Magazine.
  3. ^ J. D. Considine (September 15, 1983). Asia: Alpha - album review. Rolling Stone Magazine.
  4. ^ http://www.theasiaband.com/2008/06/03/scranton-pocono-500-fanfest-interview-with-john/#more-52
  5. ^ http://www.theasiaband.com/2008/06/03/scranton-pocono-500-fanfest-interview-with-john/#more-52
  6. ^ a b Release of a brand new studio album on Frontiers Records Press release (PDF). originalasia. com.
  7. ^ Asia’s original supergroup line-up returns (PDF). originalasia. com (February 27, 2008).
  8. ^ Interview with John Payne John Payne & Guthrie Govan Interview. Dingwall Music Inc. (April 3rd, 2007).
  9. ^ Asia featuring John Payne » Blog Archive » New Keyboardist Joins “Asia Featuring John Payne”
  10. ^ http://www.theasiaband.com/2008/06/03/scranton-pocono-500-fanfest-interview-with-john/#more-52

External links

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