Tag: Carl Palmer

Review – ASIA – FANTASIA, LIVE IN TOKYO 2007

2023 seems to be the year of the multiple vinyl live album, first The Tangent with the triple vinyl release of the excellent ‘Pyramids, Stars & More: The Tangent Live Recordings 2004-2017’ and then Transatlantic with a quadruple (yes, you read that right!) vinyl release of the monumental ‘The Final Flight: Live at L’Olympia’. Well, it’;s now the turn of venerable prog supergroup ASIA with a triple vinyl version of ‘FANTASIA, LIVE IN TOKYO 2007’, have we got another slam dunk brilliant release? read on and you will find out…

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of ASIA’s formation, this exciting 18-track live show from their 2007 world tour features the reformed original line-up pooling the talents of lead vocalist/bassist John Wetton (King Crimson), Steve Howe (guitars, Yes), Geoff Downes (keyboards, Yes and Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The setlist focusses on their globally successful 1982 debut album ‘Asia‘ and features key tracks Only Time Will Tell, Sole Survivor and their worldwide anthem Heat Of The Moment along with select tracks from their second LP ‘Alpha‘ and one song each from the band members’ previous bands – Video Killed The Radio Star, Roundabout, Fanfare For The Common Man and The Court Of The Crimson King.

The package itself is a rather fine thing with artwork form the legendary Roger Dean and a very knowledgeable LP sized booklet telling the whole story behind the concert.

Now, to me, live albums can either be good or bad, there is nothing worse than a badly performed version of a classic song with a horrendous mix from the sound desk meaning you really cannot tell what you are listening to but, when done well, they can become a lasting monument to some of our favourite musicians.

I’ll cut the suspense and get to the point, this new live release is absolutely fantastic for the die hard Asia fan and newcomers to the band alike. Stand out highlights for me are the obvious ones. The versions of Heat Of The Moment and Sole Survivor are without a doubt the best live versions you are likely to hear, John Wetton’s distinctive vocals are on seriously good form and you can literally feel the dynamism and intensity in his performance. His banter with the crowd is particularly good between songs and means there is never any lull or drop in energy levels from the band or the crowd.

Wildest Dreams, Without You, Don’t Cry, Here Comes The Feeling, the hits keep coming with passion and fervour and you really get to feel the strong bond between Wetton and Carl Palmer, a very tight rhythm section indeed. The inclusion of tracks form the band member’s previous bands is also a masterstroke, I found myself mesmerised by Roundabout, one of my favourite tracks from Yes and you can hear that Steve Howe is having the time of his life as his guitar literally dances through this classic track. John Wetton does a great job on vocals for Video Killed The Radio Star but it’s really Geoff Downes time to shine on this track and I can’t help but break into a smile when the intro to the song begins. Downes is obviously having a blast on a wonderfully inspired version of Fanfare For The Common Man and the quartet’s delivery of the King Crimson mainstay, The Court Of The Crimson King is positively masterful.

This three LP boxset is a wonderful way to spend an evening and the format definitely gives you a feeling of nostalgia, it’s full of memories and a lasting legacy for four of progressive rock’s greatest musicians having the time of their life, they really don’t make them like this anymore! As the last notes of Heat Of The Moment play out and the audience’s cheers and applause fade out, I can’t help but wish I’d been there that evening, right in the midst of what was obviously an amazing concert and experience and that’s what the best live albums do, isn’t it?

Released 24th February, 2023

Order the boxset here:

Fantasia – Live In Tokyo (lnk.to)

Asia Release 3 LP Version Of ‘FANTASIA, LIVE IN TOKYO 2007’ on 24th February

Multi-platinum selling English supergroup ASIA announce they are to release for the first time ever on vinyl ASIA ‘FANTASIA, LIVE IN TOKYO 2007’ as a 3LP set.  Recorded on Asia’s 25th anniversary 2007 world tour, and featuring the reformed original line-up, FANTASIA, LIVE IN TOKYO 2007 is to be issued on vinyl as a 3LP set with booklet, including band photos, and sleeve notes through BMG Records on 24th February 2023.

Pre-order it here: https://asiaband.lnk.to/fantasia3LPPR

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of ASIA’s formation, this exciting 18-track live show from their 2007 world tour features the reformed original line-up pooling the talents of lead vocalist/bassist John Wetton (King Crimson), Steve Howe (guitars, Yes), Geoff Downes (keyboards, Yes and Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The setlist focusses on their globally successful 1982 debut album Asia and features key tracks Only Time Will Tell, Sole Survivor and their worldwide anthem Heat Of The Moment along with select tracks from their second LP Alpha and one song each from the band members’ previous bands – Video Killed The Radio Star, Roundabout, Fanfare For The Common Man and The Court Of The Crimson King.

Album artwork is by legendary designer Roger Dean, who produced all the ASIA original albums covers.

By simultaneously celebrating their debut album alongside the legacy of their foundational bands, the four band members crafted a standing testament to their collective impact on the world of music. Fantasia is a clear reminder of the majestic legacy of this incredible band and to the artistic pedigree of the four original members of ASIA.

For ASIA fans, this exciting live show is an indispensable set.

Tracklist:

Side A

1.Time Again

2. Wildest Dreams

3. One Step Closer

Side B

1. Roundabout

2. Without You

Side C           

1. Cutting It Fine

2. Intersection Blues

3. Fanfare For The Common Man

Side D

1. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

2. Don’t Cry

3. In The Court Of The Crimson King

4. Here Comes The Feeling

Side E

1. Video Killed The Radio Star

2. The Heat Goes On

3. Only Time Will Tell

Side F

1. Sole Survivor

2. Ride Easy

3. Heat Of The Moment

About ASIA

Pooling the talents of bassist/vocalist John Wetton, drummer Carl Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes and guitarist Steve Howe, ASIA immediately became the epitome of a supergroup of rock aristocracy and the natural heir to its members’ legendary bands of the 70s – King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Buggles and Yes.

Leaving behind their progressive roots, ASIA embraced the commercial FM rock sound that dominated US airwaves and took that, and the new MTV video channel, by storm.  The single Heat Of The Moment was a world-wide monster smash and their eponymous 1982 debut album spent an incredible 9 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart as Asia became the biggest selling album of the year and world tour dates sold out.

A second album, Alpha, was released in 1983. The four original members reconvened in 2006 for a world tour, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that incredible success, and the album Phoenix followed.

While the members were still heavily involved in other projects, they came together again to record Omega in 2010 and XXX in 2012, both albums were acclaimed by their faithful fans and supported by more world tours.

Steve Howe stepped back from ASIA to concentrate on his work with YES and was absent for 2014’s Gravitas. Following this tour came the news of John Wetton’s treatment for cancer, a fight he sadly lost in 2017.

ASIA – FANTASIA LIVE IN TOKYO 2007 – 3 LP SET – out 24th February 2023

Website: https://originalasia.com/

Review – Asia In Asia Live At The Budokan Arena, Tokyo, December 1983 – by John Wenlock-Smith

The history of Asia is an often complex, involved and even a troubled one as the back story to this latest instalment in the Asia canon testifies. This latest release in band’s history is the then ground breaking satellite broadcast, live from Tokyo’s legendary Budokan theatre on 9th December 1983. This was also the first live video broadcast by MTV, however there was a problem in that, weeks earlier, after lacklustre sales of their hastily recorded follow up album saw it peak at number 67 on the Billboard chart, as opposed to the colossal sales of the band’s debut ‘Asia’ (1982).

Not only had ‘Alpha’ failed to match their debut’s success, the band themselves were also unhappy with the album’s mix and also the haste in which they had been ushered back to the studio to record it. On top of all that Asia were struggling internally with tensions between members, namely John Wetton and, well, anyone really! The success of the debut had hit John hardest as he was unaccustomed to the level of celebrity success had bought, John was also drinking heavily and this was affecting his performances with the ‘Alpha’ tour being particularly affected. So much so that latter dates were pulled. All of these frustrations reached a head and the band’s Management and label demanded a change be made and so John was duly dismissed..

The difficulty was that Asia were scheduled to do the MTV gig but had no lead singer. Time to call in a favour…

Carl Palmer called his old colleague Greg Lake from his ELP days and asked him for his help, Greg consented but was unfamiliar with Asia’s music and had to rely on a teleprompter for the actual show. The band started rehearsals in London with a view to being competent enough for the show. In fact, they played a rehearsal show the evening before at the Budokan to evaluate everything out and to make sure it all worked. The gig went off well and was a success technically, the show was released on video and laser disc but was then largely forgotten and subsequently overtaken by other events in the Asia world. It is now forty years since that show and the film has been overhauled for a re-release. This set includes vinyl and CDs of the show and the rehearsal show and a Blu-Ray of the show and, also, a version of the original laser disc cut of the show.

The sound has been remixed and remastered for premium sound and there is new artwork for the set and lovely it is too. The draw here will be this much improved sound and, when coupled with the previously unreleased rehearsal disc, this should be a rather good selling point. In fact, the sound is exceptionally good and clear and you can hear the band really giving it some oomph! In addition, you can see this for yourself t in the accompanying Blu-Ray, where you can enjoy the energy of show and witness all the members of Asia really playing their hearts out, especially Geoff Downes impressive keyboard set up and his antics during the show.

Greg Lake proves to be an exceptionally good fill in for the departed John Wetton and his bass is muscular when needed. It’s good to see him this way as his Asia tenure was short lived, one that sadly failed to bear any additional fruit. There are no bonus features, as such, and a documentary detailed in the booklet does not appear to be there. Even so, this set has merit and it reintroduces a not insignificant global event that was unique and ground-breaking in many ways.

The band were on form, and it is good to have this record of this event in its remixed and remastered glory once again. The tracks are from the debut with a few select tracks from the ‘Astra’ album. With both Wetton and Lake no longer with us, this set gives opportunity to view that strange moment of musical history once more and I, for one, am extremely glad to be able to do so.

Released 10th June, 2022.

Pre-order here:

Asia – Live At The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983 [VINYL] (lnk.to)

ASIA IN ASIA – LIVE AT THE BUDOKAN ARENA,TOKYO, DECEMBER 1983 – VIDEO FOR SOLE SURVIVOR – DELUXE BOX SET, 2LP, 1CD & DIGITAL

Released on 10th June

Multi-platinum selling English supergroup ASIA recently announced they are to release ASIA In Asia – Live At The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983, as a Deluxe box set containing: 2LP, 2xCD, 40 page 12” book, Blu-ray video, printed memorabilia and ‘ASIA’ pin badge, through BMG Records on 10th June 2022. Also available as a 2LP Gatefold, 1CD and Digital Formats.

Pre-order here: https://asiaband.lnk.to/budokanPR

Here’s a link to a live performances of Sole Survivor and Here Comes The Feeling from the concert:

ASIA, Geoff Downes (The Buggles & YES, keyboards & backing vocals), Steve Howe (YES, guitars & backing vocals) and Carl Palmer(Emerson, Lake & Palmer, drums) with special guest Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, bass & lead vocals), visited Japan at the end of two years of touring to promote their phenomenally successful eponymous debut album (1982) and the follow-up Alpha (1983). 

The second of three shows at the historic Budokan arena in Tokyo, on 6th December 1983, would make history as first live broadcast between Japan and MTV in America, an amazing achievement for its time. This performance has previously only been available on VHS. The concert featured some of ASIA’s biggest and most memorable tracks including, Time Again, Only Time Will Tell, Sole Survivor, Wildest Dreams and the global hit single Heat Of The Moment.

Greg Lake stepped in, at short notice, following the sudden departure of ASIA’s founder member John Wetton ahead of the Japanese dates. Despite a short period for Lake to learn the songs, and some changes to the arrangements to accommodate Lake’s different vocal range, the Japanese shows were hailed a great success.

Carl Palmer was proud of his former ELP bandmate for performing exceptionally in the situation. “Greg Lake did a great job jumping into John’s shoes. So many songs to sing, he did it so well. It was impressive.”

Geoff Downes, too, was pleased with the event, especially given the massive undertaking. “It was a grand and sumptuous affair. The stage was the iconic ‘A-frame’ shape we had for the US tour. I think we pulled it off admirably in the end. There were some good people behind us: crew, lighting designers, cameramen and backing singers, it was quite a production.”

“The show was an important global commitment,” says Steve Howe, “so we had to rise to the occasion, which we did, with Greg’s help. We couldn’t have done it without him, for sure.”

For Downes, the release stands as a testament to the band’s resilience. “It deserves its place in the Asia catalogue. Aside from its musical strengths, it demonstrates the level of professionalism that we have always striven to bring to the ASIA name.” 

This newly packaged box set includes:
· Exclusive new artwork by Roger Dean

· Colour vinyl 2LP of original MTV Telecast concert audio, remixed 2022 from the master tapes, with two previously unreleased, post broadcast encore tracks

· 2 x audio CD: 

· Live at The Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan, MTV satellite telecast concert (6 December 1983, USA time), remixed 2022 from the master tapes by Matt Wiggins and Rick Nelson

· Live at The Budokan Arena, Tokyo, Japan, previous night’s show (6 December 1983, Japanese Time), remixed 2022 from the master tapes by Hiroki Furutani

· Audio-visual Blu-ray of restored original broadcast concert with 2022 remixed audio (Duration: 1hr 20 mins), plus restored original concert laserdisc featuring alternate camera angles (Duration: 1hr)

. 40 page, deluxe 12” book with rare and unseen band photos, memorabilia and extensive new sleeve notes new quotes from the original band members

· New, bespoke metal and enamel ‘ASIA’ logo pin badge

· Printed memorabilia: 

· 2 x exclusive new Roger Dean artwork A3 posters 

· 2 x reproduced live broadcast original concert tickets 

· Replicated, matt laminated original AAA backstage pass

· Original concert VHS advert

· 3 x glossy 8” x 5” rare band photos

ASIA In Asia – Live At The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983 Tracklist (2 x LPs, CD1 & CD2)

1. Introduction From Mark Goodman (MTV)

2. Time Again

3. The Heat Goes On

4. Here Comes The Feeling

5. Eye To Eye

6. Steve Howe Solo (Sketches In The Sun)

7. Only Time Will Tell

8. Open Your Eyes

9. Geoffrey Downes Solo (Ihiri – The Setting Sun / Bolero)

10. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

11. Wildest Dreams

12. Carl Palmer Solo

13. Heat Of The Moment

14. Sole Survivor

15. Cutting It Fine

16. Daylight

ASIA In Asia – Live At The Budokan, Tokyo, 1983 is available as a Deluxe box set containing: 2LP, 2xCD, 40 page 12” book, Blu-ray video, printed memorabilia and ‘ASIA’ pin badge, as well as 2LP, 1CD & Digital formats on 10th June 2022 through BMG Records.  Pre-order here: https://asiaband.lnk.to/budokanPR

About ASIA

ASIA was a true rock ‘supergroup’ bringing together the talents of John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe who had already amassed tens of millions of record sales with their collective bands of the 70s.

Leaving behind their progressive roots, ASIA embraced the commercial FM rock sound that dominated US airwaves and took that, and the new MTV video channel, by storm.  The single Heat Of The Moment was a world-wide monster smash and their eponymous 1982 debut album spent an incredible 9 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart as ASIA became the biggest selling album of the year and world tour dates sold out.

A second album, Alpha, was released in 1983. The four original members reconvened in 2006 for a world tour, to celebrate the 25thanniversary of that incredible success, and the album Phoenix followed.

While the members were still heavily involved in other projects, they came together again to record Omega in 2010 and XXX in 2012, both albums were acclaimed by their faithful fans and supported by more world tours.

Steve Howe stepped back from ASIA to concentrate on his work with YES and was absent for 2014’s Gravitas. Following this tour came the news of John Wetton’s treatment for cancer, a fight he sadly lost in 2017.

Review – ASIA – The Official Live Bootlegs – Volume 1 – by John Wenlock-Smith

Asia are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their debut album next year, can you believe it has been 40 years since ‘Heat of the Moment’ first graced our airwaves! That album, of course, was a spectacular success and gave a new lease of life to a disgruntled Steve Howe who had been left in the cold by Yes as they had regrouped around Trever Rabin and Chris Squire. Steve was invited to join John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Geoff Downes in his then latest venture that brought the worlds of progressive music and AOR together in spectacular musical and financial success.

This set consists of five double CD’s featuring hitherto unreleased recordings of Asia in 1982, 1983, 2007, 2008 and, finally, 2010, recorded in the USA, Brazil, Japan and London. These sets are quite different in that the sound is always good and most noticeable is the bass of John Wetton, being often prominent and the band are playing very tightly and obviously enjoying themselves Naturally, many of the tracks are repeated over the five shows, although Carl Palmer’s drum solo moves from track to track as these albums progress.

The first set was recorded on Asia’s first US tour and, obviously, their debut album is prominently featured, although a new track that would appear on ‘Alpha’ was unveiled, albeit in a quite different version to the one that ended up on the album, as this features all four members playing keyboards to a drum machine backing before morphing into a full band performance where Steve Howe gets to wail and Carl Palmer hits things loudly. A lively rendition of Only Time Will Tell stands out with Geoff’s keyboard being prominent and John in fined voice indeed. In fact, Asia have seldom sounded rawer than this and everyone sounds in good form, this performance is particularly feisty and energetic. The rest of this set is fuelled by the balance of songs from their debut, Carl Palmer’s Drum solo and the double whammy of Sole Survivor and Heat of The Moment.

The second set is from August 1983 in Worcester, Massachusetts and this is a mixture of the debut and ‘Alpha’ albums along with Steve Howe’s solo segment of Beginnings/Valley of Rocks/Clap and Carl Palmer’s drum solo in Here Comes the Feeling, culminating in Sole Survivor and Heat of the Moment again.

The third set  was recorded in Brazil shortly after the band reformed in 2007 and this set features tracks from their recently released album ‘Phoenix’, which stand up well to their earlier classics. Also Roundabout gets a dusting off here with John Wetton taking on the Jon Anderson parts. Well, he even gets a Chris Squire type sound and tone and his bass drives the song along nicely. It is great to hear these musicians really stretching themselves, though the sound is a bit crackly on this number, for some reason, but it doesn’t detract from what is an excellent version of a great song.

There is a version of Fanfare for the Common Man from Carl’s old band, ELP, and, again, we are in for a real treat here with Geoff Downes’ keyboards sounding not unlike a certain Mr. Emerson, and Steve’s guitar interjects and adds little flourishes throughout before he lets fly with a brief solo. It’s all highly effective stuff, as is the short bass solo from John Wetton. This set also includes a King Crimson track, In the Court of the Crimson King, and The Buggles’ song Video Killed the Radio Star.

Set four is from Tokyo in 2008, just before ‘Omega’ was released. The ‘Phoenix’ album is featured with An Extraordinary Life standing out. Again, solo tracks from each member are included and this is also the longest of these sets at nearly 2 hours in length. The sound is uniformly good throughout and it is great to hear .

The last set in this collection comes from London in 2010 and is a great return to form for the band. Featuring, as it does, lesser played tracks like Finger on The Trigger and Through My Veins from the ‘Omega’ album, along with a Steve Howe solo and the usual Carl Palmer drum solo during The Heat Goes On. The set concludes with Sole Survivor, Go (from ‘Astra’) and Heat of The Moment.

The collection features new art from Roger Dean and a brief, but informative, booklet detailing each of the shows, just a shame that John Wetton is no longer with  us to celebrate this significant anniversary. This box set is a wonderful way in which to both remember, and celebrate, a rather rawer and more ferocious Asia than their albums showed. It is a great collection, pricey but worthwhile as Christmas is soon with us!

Released 26th November, 2021.

Order the box set here:

Asia – The Official Live Bootlegs, Volume One – Horizons Music

ASIA – The Official Live Bootlegs – Volume 1 – Out 26th November

Multi-platinum selling English supergroup ASIA are to release a 10CD boxset The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1 through BMG Records on 26th November 2021. There will also be a digital album featuring a selection of 24 tracks taken from the full boxset, out on the same day.

Pre-order it here:-https://asiaband.lnk.to/OLB1PR

ASIA: Geoff Downes (The Buggles, YES, keyboards), Steve Howe (YES, guitars), Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, drums) and John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, bass/vocals), took the world by storm with their eponymous debut album, globally the biggest-selling album of 1982, and the single Heat Of The Moment.

The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1 celebrates the huge appeal of the concert tours that followed ASIA’s first two albums in 1982 and 1983. The success continued following ASIA’s 25th anniversary reunion in 2006 and three more highly acclaimed albums. The slipcase boxset features 5 x 2CD concerts from 1982 (Buffalo, NY, USA), 1983 (Worcester, MA, USA), 2007 (São Paulo, Brazil), 2008 (Tokyo, Japan) and 2010 (London, UK).

“This historical collection represents some of our finest and most defining live moments,” says Geoff Downes, “from the very first ASIA tour in 1982 and the Alpha tour the following year through three of our many ‘Reunion’ shows. It was such a privilege to take ASIA’s music to these different continents and feel the warmth and support from fans all over the world. We hope this brings back great memories and inspires others to appreciate the music of ASIA”. 

The sets for ASIA’s original 1980s tours featured only the band’s new music. For the ‘Reunion’ years tours, ASIA included heritage tracks from each of the band member’s pre-ASIA groups. The 2007 and 2008 concerts also feature the Wetton/Howe composition Ride Easy, a song omitted from the debut album that was issued as the B-side of Heat Of The Moment, and included in their later live repertoire as a thank you to their fans for their support over a quarter of a century.

This the first time these recordings have been made officially available by ASIA and they are presented together in a superb collector’s edition boxset with original artwork by Roger Dean, who created all of ASIA’s album artwork. 

ASIA, The Official Live Bootlegs, Volume 1 is available as a 10CD boxset and a Digital Album on 26th November 2021 through BMG Records.

About ASIA

ASIA was a true ‘supergroup’ pooling the talents of Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton, who had already amassed tens of millions of record sales with their collective bands of the 70s.

Leaving behind their progressive roots, ASIA embraced the commercial FM rock sound that dominated US airwaves and took that, and the new MTV video channel, by storm. The single Heat Of The Moment was a world-wide monster smash and their eponymous 1982 debut album spent an incredible 9 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart as ASIA became the biggest selling album of the year and world tour dates sold out.

A second album, Alpha, was released in 1983. The four original members reconvened in 2006 for a world tour, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that incredible success, and the album Phoenix followed.

While the members were still heavily involved in other projects they came together again to record Omega in 2010 and XXX in 2012, both albums were acclaimed by their faithful fans and supported by more world tours.

Steve Howe stepped back from ASIA to concentrate on his work with YES and was absent for 2014’s Gravitas. Following this tour came the news of John Wetton’s treatment for cancer, a fight he sadly lost in 2017.

ASIA THE OFFICIAL LIVE BOOTLEGS – VOLUME 1 PRE-ORDER HERE: https://asiaband.lnk.to/OLB1PR

Asia: The Reunion Albums: 2007 – 2012 – Box Set Out Now!

ASIA, the multi-platinum selling English supergroup, formed in London in 1981, celebrate their 40th anniversary with a 5CD boxset The Reunion Albums: 2007 – 2012 through BMG.

Watch the unboxing here:

Buy it here: https://asiaband.lnk.to/reunionalbumsPR

This 5CD deluxe clamshell box set features the 2CD live recording Fantasia, Live In Tokyo together with the three reunion studio albums Phoenix, Omegaand XXX.

ASIA took the world by a storm with their eponymous debut album, globally the biggest-selling album of 1982. The single Heat Of The Moment, a huge soft-rock anthem, reached the top 40 in over a dozen markets, peaking in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The four original members of ASIA – John Wetton (King Crimson, lead vocal/bass), Steve Howe (YES, guitars), Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, drums) and Geoff Downes (The Buggles, YES, keyboards), reunited to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2006 and 2007 with a world tour.

A live album from the tour Fantasia, Live In Tokyo was released in 2007 as they returned to the studio together for the first time in a quarter of a century. The reunion would yield three stunning albums Phoenix (2008), Omega (2010) together with XXX (2012) as they celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Of these later albums Carl Palmer said, “The chemistry and energy that comes out when the four of us are working together, is reflected in the new material.” For his part, John Wetton marvelled at how far the band had come. “Each one of us is comfortable as a human being, and the sound 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.”

This boxset features the original ASIA line-up, reformed in 2006, and brings together, for the first time, all of ASIA’s essential music into one concise collection.

Fantasia, Live In Tokyo, the 2CD live show from their 2007 World Tour, features many of the tracks from their first two albums Asia (1982) and Alpha (1983) and includes Heat Of The Moment and Don’t Cry together with heritage tracks from each of the band member’s musical history. The band also performed live, for the first time, an acoustic version of Ride Easy, a B-side from the debut single Heat Of The Moment.

The boxset collection is completed by the three reunion studio albums Phoenix, Omega and XXX. These represent some of ASIA’s finest moments and allowed the band to explore fully their rock and progressive roots.
These albums are presented together in a superb collector’s edition boxset designed by Roger Dean, who produced all of the original albums’ artwork. The boxset cover image was previously unused and the Fantasia sleeve design has been updated by Roger. 

ASIA, The Reunion Albums: 2007 – 2012 5CD boxset is out now through BMG Records.

About ASIA
ASIA was a true ‘supergroup’ pooling the talents of John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe and was the logical successor to their collective bands of the 70s.

Moving beyond their progressive roots, ASIA embraced the commercial FM rock sound that dominated US airwaves and took that, and the new MTV video channel, by storm. The single Heat Of The Moment was a world-wide monster smash and their eponymous 1982 debut album spent an incredible 9 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart as ASIA became the biggest selling album of the year and world tour dates sold out.

A second platinum selling album, Alpha, was released in 1983. The four original members reconvened in 2006 for a world tour, to celebrate the 25thanniversary of that incredible success, and the album Phoenix followed.

While the members were still heavily involved in other projects, they came together again to record Omega in 2010 and XXX in 2012. Both albums were acclaimed by their faithful fans and supported by more world tours.

Steve Howe stepped back from ASIA to concentrate on his work with YES and he was replaced by Sam Coulson for 2014’s Gravitas. Following this tour came the news of John Wetton’s treatment for cancer, a fight he sadly lost in 2017, just before Asia started an arena tour with JOURNEY, a tour which became a tribute to John’s life and legacy. John had requested that Billy Sherwood YES replace him on bass and vocals.

ASIA supported YES’s 2019 US Royal Affair Tour with Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns N’ Roses) on guitar and vocal duties. Steve Howe also returned as special guest.
In 2021 ASIA signed a deal with BMG to re-release their reunion albums Phoenix, Omega, Fantasia: Live In Tokyo and XXX, along with Gravitas (with Sam Coulson), to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary in 2022. They also plan to release a box-set ASIA In Asia, of the first simulcast from 1983, with Greg Lake temporarily replacing John Wetton.

Beatrix Players announce headline show and Carl Palmer support!

Beatrix Players are a London-based all-female trio whose unconventional but evocative   music straddles the boundaries of folk, prog rock, acoustic, classical and pop music.  The band have now announced they will be supporting Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy (In Memory of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & John Wetton) at The Stables in Milton Keynes next  Sunday November 19th. They will also be performing a warm-up London show at  Camden’s Green Note on Friday 19th January; before heading to The Robin 2 in Wolverhampton on February 11th next year to support Serpentyne.

Beatrix Players recently released double A-side single All That Thinking / Hurt in October. All That Thinking being taken from their 2017 debut album, Magnified, while Hurt is a previously unreleased studio recording of the Nine Inch Nails song, famously covered by Johnny Cash on his American IV: The Man Comes Around album.

The trio recently won the Limelight Award at the 2017 Prog Awards which took place at London’s Globe Theatre on September 14th, and performed Hurt live to an audience of peers, critics and industry insiders. The Limelight Award highlights the best of the talent that has emerged over the past 12 months on the progressive rock scene.Previous winners of the coveted award include The Anchoress, Messenger and TesseracT.

Through their enchantingly dark and evocative melodies, expansive arrangements and empowered orchestral sound Beatrix Players tell stories of real life and fantasy. Citing influences as diverse as Michael Nyman and Regina Spektor and drawing comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush and Einaudi Ludovico. There are tempestuous passages in the bands’ music that you can imagine being delivered by traditional rock instrumentation but it is the veryabsence of guitars and drums that means there’s nobody out there quite like Beatrix Players.

BEATRIX PLAYERS UK SHOWS

 

Sunday 19th November

The Stables, Milton Keynes

(supporting Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy: In Memory of

Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & John Wetton)

SOLD OUT

Friday 19th January

Green Note, London

(Serpentyne warm up show)

www.wegottickets.com/greennote/event/420455

  Sunday 11th February

Robin 2, Wolverhampton

(supporting Serpentyne)

www.therobin.co.uk

Carl Palmer of ELP crowned 2017’s Prog God, pays tribute to former bandmates for his success.

Host to the most iconic names in rock music, Prog Magazine’s Progressive Music Awards returns for a sixth year on September 14, presenting Carl Palmer with the highly coveted Prog God award for 50 years of service to progressive music.

Palmer will join 300 other musicians, industry figureheads and VIPs, plus our host for the third year running, Matthew Wright, in celebrating the fascinating world of progressive music, from the brightest up-and-coming talent, to the most recognised names on the scene.

Carl Palmer first rose to international fame during his years as drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and has since pursued a career with the multi-platinum selling supergroup Asia as well as solo. He was recognised accordingly when he was previously awarded the title of Virtuoso at the 2012 Progressive Music Awards. This year’s Prog God award follows in the hallowed tread of previous recipients Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel and Yes’ Jon Anderson, celebrating Carl Palmer’s ever-experimental musical style and, most recently, his development of the art technique ‘rhythm on canvas’ as a further means of creative self-expression.

However, Palmer still credits his former bandmates with his success:

“This is a fantastic award to have, and I feel very honoured, but I also feel a little bit sad that Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, who both died last year, aren’t here as well. They played a big part in the progressive movement, and in helping me to get where I am, so I’m accepting it in honour of them.”

Formed in 1970, Emerson, Lake & Palmer became one of the most commercially successful and influential prog rock bands of the decade, earning a global fanbase. This winter Palmer will pay tribute to his late bandmates, touring the UK as Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy, playing ELP classics and celebrating the collective achievements of the band.

The awards, in association with Orange Amplification, will take place on September 14 at the Underglobe in London, a dramatic space which perfectly reflects the theatrical influences on progressive music.

The Progressive Music Awards, in association with Orange Amplification, can also be live streamed via www.progmagazine.com

For more information visit http://2017.prog.awards.teamrock.com/