Originally Posted by Rufus
Indeed. They didn't break any ground, they conformed to it. Some would call that selling out. I will give them credit for using a formula that became quite popular. But, I don't see any ground-breaking here.No, it's not.
Give it up, Rufus.
IMO, a great, very successful album that isn't remotely "groundbreaking."
Who did they influence? What trend did they start? What "ground" did they "break?"
ASIA: Four prog legends (ignoring their prog legacies and chops) playing pop together for the first time. Enjoying massive success literally over night(thanks to MTV),then fading into cult obscurity merely a year later when Steve Howe split prior to the release of their 3rd record,Astra.. Wtf is Mandy Meyer anyway? Steve knew it was time to get up and GO! and he went.
I've read that John Wetton had written "Here Comes The Feeling" and offered the song to Wishbone Ash during the time he was with them. Then Wetton was offered to produce Atoll's new album. What happened was that Atoll needed a singer and a bassist and Wetton offered to fill this role for the band. Atoll were looking a recording contract with Polydor and they (with Wetton) went into Polydor's studio to rehearse new songs that were to be sung in English. Wetton brought "Here Comes The Feeling" and Atoll brought two originals, "No Reply" and "Eye To Eye". But because Wetton was with another record company at the time (E.G.), negotiations between Polydor and E.G. dragged and Wetton decided to return to England. Then Atoll decided to go with another record company (RCA) and convinced them to sign the band but, by that time, Wetton had formed ASIA and could not participate with the band and that was the end of Atoll.
I recall, at the time, a dj referring to them as an "REO Speedwagon with talent".
Groundbreaking musically? No....
Groundbreaking commercially? Certainly.
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Thing is...Howe left and then formed the "even lamer than Asia if you can believe it" GTR, AKA Asia Minor, with Steve Hackett. IMHO it took until ABWH for him to even start to get it back and until Keys 2 for him to get most of the way back. I don't think he's ever quite come ALL the way back, though he can still kick some ass.
"It was a cruel song, but fair."-Roger Waters
Heat of the Moment- Pop #4/charted 4-17-1982; Album Rock #1/charted 5-1-1982
Only Time Will Tell- Pop #17/charted 7-24-1982; Album Rock #8/charted 7-24-1982
Sole Survivor- Album Rock #10/charted 4-3-1982
Time Again- Album Rock #43/charted 7-31-1982
Wildest Dreams- Album Rock #28/charted 4-10-1982
Here Comes The Feeling- Album Rock #40/charted 7-3-1982
If you take the Album Rock Top 40, then it was 5, but only two on the Pop charts.
Last edited by Gerardo; 05-29-2013 at 09:29 AM.
Right - and no one gives a shit about the "Album Rock" chart.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Cheese will be cheese ...whether you call it Mozarella or Cheddar
I think Genesis beat them by a few years with "And Then There Were Three" and "Follow You, Follow Me."
I know the individual members of Asia all "Broke Ground" building their new estates from the residuals of the album.
Some might argue that they also broke wind.
I don't know about groundbreaking but it was definitely surprising given the background of the people involved (with poss exception of GD cos he was Buggles)
I can get behind that! Er um, well not behind... maybe in the next room.
I'm a bit surprised to see Asia being remembered fondly on a Prog Rock board, considering that the reaction to them by Prog Rock fans at the time (that I knew) was universally negative. Yeah, they got coverage in the UK fanzines at the time, but that was likely down to the members' previous work.
YA TELLIN' ME THE ARCHIES WEREN'T PROG, HUH? EVEN IN THE EARLY DAYS?!
Great thread, this one. Never ridiculous.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
4 x Platinum !
Groundbreaking !
One moment I won't forget (hope I get the details right) was at Progfest 97, when Wetton played "Heat of the Moment" as his last song/encore, the crowd rushed the stage - grown men that were placidly seated at a festival, got up and ran to the stage because of this song.
Shudder as I did, there is an undeniable love for Asia in the Prog world.
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Wonder why da big prog ain't more popular these days.
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
They would have been better with Holdsworth.
No, Asia is not groundbreaking; the musical territory that they explored had already been mapped out by Styx, Boston, Kansas, and the other AOR space-cadets. And, yes, I am hard-pressed to identify a single band that they influenced (although one could easily say the same about many other AOR acts as well). That said, for me, they remain a guilty-pleasure of sorts. Everybody needs their AOR fix, and the first two Asia discs serve my needs excellently.
What I do find perplexing is the number of Asia-bashers (on this thread and elsewhere) who take a more generous view of other bands that are very similar in musical style. Boston is a good example. While Boston are not exactly critical darlings, I have noted that the critical establishment treats them with markedly more respect than Asia. Indeed, Boston's debut album is listed among the top 500 albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Of course, on the same list, Asia, Styx, and Kansas are entirely absent. What gives? Of course, the limited musical imagination of Jann Wenner and his cronies should be an entirely different discussion...
Different fan base maybe...
"Ceasar's Palace Blues" wasn't-- Just wasn't the kind of song that he and Bruford could get their heads around (and I think it's a great song).
Maybe the term you're looking for here is "wind-breaking." I thought Asia broke wind and smelled like shit.
I like this album. It's melodic, catchy, and there's some good playing and some good instrumental passages.
Is it deep or complex or innovative? No. Is it cheesy? Yes. Do I like it anyway? Yes.
But groundbreaking? No. What ground did they break? AOR with slight prog leanings? Boston, Journey, and Queen had that covered for years. Did they influence anybody who came after them? Um .... hmmm ........ ... . . . . . . .
flute juice
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