Album Review #22 - Asia - "Phoenix" (2008)
Album Review #22
Album: Phoenix
Year of Release:
2008
Grade: 4.5
/ 5
Band Members
John Wetton – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
Steve Howe – electric, acoustic and steel guitars,
harmony vocals on "Wish I'd Known All Along"
Geoff Downes – keyboards
Carl Palmer – drums, percussion
Additional Musicians:
Hugh McDowell - cello
Background
Asia released their monstrously successful self titled
debut album, which was the biggest selling album of 1982. Their rushed follow up album “Alpha” was
released in 1983. While it was
successful, it fell far short in sales than their debut album but still went
platinum. This caused friction in the
band. MTV announced “Asia in Asia” live
concert broadcast. Singer/bassist John
Wetton was booted from the band with no notice and shortly before the “Asia in
Asia” promotion. Part of the issue was
Wetton’s alcohol abuse and attitude.
Greg Lake filled in admirably.
Shortly afterwards, Wetton agreed to come back to the band as long as
Steve Howe left the band (who he felt led the insurrection against Wetton).
Their third album “Astra” in 1985 sold even less than
“Alpha”. At that point, Asia split
up. It was reformed in 1992 with only
Geoff Downes from the original lineup.
This lineup featuring John Payne on bass/vocals continued recording
until 2004. In 2008, the original Asia
lineup of John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, and Steve Howe reformed. One of the primary reasons was Wetton’s
sobriety, which he maintained until his death from cancer. Their first reunion album was called
“Phoenix” (as in rising from the ashes).
The original lineup released two more albums – “Omega” in 2010 and “XXX”
in 2012 (marking their 30th anniversary of their debut album). Howe would once again leave the band to focus
on his other band Yes. Joining the
lineup was young guitarist Sam Coulson who recorded “Gravitas” before Wetton’s
passing.
Track Listing
1.
“Never Again” (John Wetton, Geoff Downes)
2.
“Nothing’s Forever” (Wetton)
3.
“Heroine” (Wetton, Downes)
4.
“Sleeping Giant / No Way Back / Reprise”
(Wetton, Downes)
5.
“Alibis” (Wetton, Downes, Steve Howe, Carl
Palmer)
6.
“I Will Remember You” (Wetton, Downes)
7.
“Shadow Of A Doubt” (Wetton, Downes)
8.
“Parallel Worlds / Vortex / Deya” (Wetton,
Downes)
9.
“Wish I’d Known All Along” (Howe)
10. “Orchard
Of Mines” (Jeffrey Fayman, Daniel Pursey)
11. “Over
And Over” (Howe)
12. “An
Extraordinary Life” (Wetton, Downes)
Review
“Never Again” is a great album opening track. It is pure Asia that harkens back to their
first two albums. Excellent guitar
sounds with layered keyboards and punctuating drums. Wetton’s voice is in better form than their
first three albums. There is a tone to
Wetton’s that is fresh. This song was an
exclamation point to say Asia is back!!
“Nothing’s Forever” opens with an acapella sound
followed by keyboard derived horns. It
has a great melody to it. The song’s
opening makes you believe the track will be an upbeat song but the song throws
a curve straight into a ballad. But it
isn’t a sentimental ballad.
“Heroine” is one of my favorite tracks on this
album as well as all of Asia’s songs.
The song is a love song in a “Wind Beneath My Wings” sort of way without
being mushy. It is a testament to a
spouse who supports and lifts up each other.
It has sort a big sound like it could be a triumphant movie song.
“Sleeping Giant / No Way Back / Reprise” is more
of a progressive rock song in terms of length and complexity. However, melody-wise this is just a great
song. It is in three parts although the
first and third parts basically repeat each other. My favorite is the middle portion called “No
Way Back”. It is more rocking that the
chorale parts that buffer it. It is a
very underrated song.
“Alibis” is another song of Asia being Asia. Great melody and instrumentation. It is a melodic rocker and one that really
showcases the guitar work of Steve Howe.
The layered vocals add a deeper texture.
“I Will Remember You” starts out very slowly then
builds into a beautiful song. When
Wetton sings a ballad, his voice conveys so much emotion. He doesn’t have the range of someone like
Freddie Mercury but his voice has an incredible depth.
“Shadow Of A Doubt” moves back into a rocking
territory. The chorus is one that I
really enjoy. One of the secret weapons
of Asia is that all of them are virtuoso players and this is one of those songs
where the meld together without trampling over each other but complementing
each other.
“Parallel Worlds / Vortex / Deya” is another three
part song. The first part is a straight
ahead ballad the accentuates Wetton’s vocals and Downes keyboards as well as
Howe’s guitar work. The middle section sounds
almost like it could be an instrumental from Yes. The last section and longest was originally
written by Wetton in 1976. It has a
lovely melody between guitar and keyboards.
All three parts nestle together in a wonderful way.
“Wish I’d Know All Along” starts out rather
blandly but changes direction (a Wetton/Downes general approach) to a more
melodic harder edge song. It has a funky
beat to it that wouldn’t normally be expected from Asia. It is a not a song that I would skip on the
album but it isn’t also one that I’d seek out with so many other really good
songs on this album.
“Orchard Of Mines” is to me the weakest song on
the album. I wonder why it was included
as it was not written by a member of the band.
It has moments but I feel it pales to the rest of the album.
“Over And Over” is a nice melodic mid tempo
song. The chorus is quite engaging. It once again features Wetton’s vocals. It expresses optimism and a features a little
steel guitar without feeling country at all.
“An Extraordinary Life” is probably one of my
favorite Asia tracks on any of their albums.
The song is about looking back on life, appreciating the moments, taking
responsibility for failures, and looking forward to the future. It has an anthemic quality to it. It must have been one of Wetton’s favorites
because his posthumous book was titled that as well as his solo album box set.
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