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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Asia are a curious supergroup, with their roots firmly entrenched in Progressive Rock, boasting members who derive from progressive mainstays, such as Yes, King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer. However, their approach is appreciably dissimilar. Asia's sound is probably best classified as Arena Rock, defined notably by an intrinsic accessibility, prompted by their mostly concise song structures, and the clean, produced vocals of John Wetton.
Elements of the individual band members' progressive leanings are traceable here, on their eponymous debut, with the keyboards, in particular, reminding me of Yes, during their most productive 1970s period. The guitar work is also invariably impeccable, considering Yes maestro, Steve Howe, is the man behind the six-string.
Despite this, nearly all the songs on this album are hook-laden, sing-along affairs, lacking any legitimate lyrical or thematic depth, but remain great fun nonetheless. That's the appeal of Asia for me: they present music which requires little mental exertion to enjoy, and which can consequently act as an apposite antidote for progressive rock fans, who may occasionally require music that is less taxing and more immediate than their customary favourites.
The main flaw of this album, I feel, is its debilitating lack of variety. Whilst 'Heat of the Moment', 'Sole Survivor' and 'Wildest Dreams' are paradigms of arena rock, the other tracks have little else to offer. Still, there is no perceptibly poor track; they just seem to merge into a big, redundant mishmash of samey, polished rock. This certainly doesn't render the album utterly inadequate, as it can still be relished in moderation, however, ideally, Asia would have been well advised to eliminate this stylistic dearth before releasing the album.
Also, from a completely personal standpoint, I feel that the vocals are a little too refined. This can lead to a sense of needless overproduction and, resultantly, the vocals and the music can appear somewhat detached and incongruous at times.
Overall, though, this is a solid debut from Asia, and a decent album for those who simply crave an occasional, mindless rock-out, accompanied by music that is fun, yet remains technically impressive.
Elements of the individual band members' progressive leanings are traceable here, on their eponymous debut, with the keyboards, in particular, reminding me of Yes, during their most productive 1970s period. The guitar work is also invariably impeccable, considering Yes maestro, Steve Howe, is the man behind the six-string.
Despite this, nearly all the songs on this album are hook-laden, sing-along affairs, lacking any legitimate lyrical or thematic depth, but remain great fun nonetheless. That's the appeal of Asia for me: they present music which requires little mental exertion to enjoy, and which can consequently act as an apposite antidote for progressive rock fans, who may occasionally require music that is less taxing and more immediate than their customary favourites.
The main flaw of this album, I feel, is its debilitating lack of variety. Whilst 'Heat of the Moment', 'Sole Survivor' and 'Wildest Dreams' are paradigms of arena rock, the other tracks have little else to offer. Still, there is no perceptibly poor track; they just seem to merge into a big, redundant mishmash of samey, polished rock. This certainly doesn't render the album utterly inadequate, as it can still be relished in moderation, however, ideally, Asia would have been well advised to eliminate this stylistic dearth before releasing the album.
Also, from a completely personal standpoint, I feel that the vocals are a little too refined. This can lead to a sense of needless overproduction and, resultantly, the vocals and the music can appear somewhat detached and incongruous at times.
Overall, though, this is a solid debut from Asia, and a decent album for those who simply crave an occasional, mindless rock-out, accompanied by music that is fun, yet remains technically impressive.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Asia was the first band I called "my favourite one". Via Asia, I got to know my later and present favourite Yes.
The influence of Yes shines through in this first album of the band. It is especially obvious in the afterplay to »Cutting It Fine«.
But this is mainly a rock album. Some call it prog rock - who knows why - indeed, it is true that there is more to it than just plain 1980's rock. It has a touch, it has more soul. It is bombastic rock without even being close to hardrock. Well worth listening to!
My favourites on this debut album are »Wildest Dreams«, »One Step Closer«, and of course the first single »Heat Of The Moment«.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Asia brought together four fine songwriter/musicians from Emerson Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Yes; They ended up in a studio with one of rock's best producers and the end product was gob-smackingly good. Even now the tracks on 'Asia' sound fresh and vibrant. There is something to please fans of melodic rock, pop and prog everywhere.
'Heat Of The Moment' and 'Only Time Will Tell' were the big hits and remain the albums most commercial moments, but the best tracks will always be the bigger, showstopping numbers. 'Sole Survivor', 'Time Again' and 'Wildest Dreams' not only kick arse but showcase the vast musical talents of all four members involved. The very Yes-like 'Without You' remains one of my personal favourites, Steve Howe's acoustic and electric guitar work on this track alone makes the album worth purchasing. 'Cutting It Fine' and 'Here Comes The Feeling' maintain the very standard on display here. Mike Stone's no frills, no nonsense production is good and Roger Dean's artwork completes the package very nicely. It would be nice if Geffen did something to commemorate the reunion tour this year, remasters anyone?...
Many fans argue that the band would never sound this good again and it is certainly a valid point. However, I feel that Asia doesn't just begin and end with this line-up or this album. 'Alpha', 'Aqua' and 'Aria' are excellent records, containing material that stands up very well against the debut. Having said that, in my humble opinion, 'Asia' is not only the greatest AOR album ever made, it's the greatest debut album in rock history. Period.
'Heat Of The Moment' and 'Only Time Will Tell' were the big hits and remain the albums most commercial moments, but the best tracks will always be the bigger, showstopping numbers. 'Sole Survivor', 'Time Again' and 'Wildest Dreams' not only kick arse but showcase the vast musical talents of all four members involved. The very Yes-like 'Without You' remains one of my personal favourites, Steve Howe's acoustic and electric guitar work on this track alone makes the album worth purchasing. 'Cutting It Fine' and 'Here Comes The Feeling' maintain the very standard on display here. Mike Stone's no frills, no nonsense production is good and Roger Dean's artwork completes the package very nicely. It would be nice if Geffen did something to commemorate the reunion tour this year, remasters anyone?...
Many fans argue that the band would never sound this good again and it is certainly a valid point. However, I feel that Asia doesn't just begin and end with this line-up or this album. 'Alpha', 'Aqua' and 'Aria' are excellent records, containing material that stands up very well against the debut. Having said that, in my humble opinion, 'Asia' is not only the greatest AOR album ever made, it's the greatest debut album in rock history. Period.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Killer
An absolute brilliant debut 30 years ago, just when MTV came out too, i can never forget the first single the classic "Heat Of The Moment" the album still sounds awesome after all... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Peter L. Crisp
excellent
i first bought this cd in the 80s and have since lost it- i repurchased it and can now play this great cd again
Published 4 months ago by Mr. A. N. Petrie
just and old rocker at heart
Used to own this album many eons ago, heard one of the tracks on the radio and had to buy the cd.
Published 7 months ago by jude
Asia-first album
I originally bought this album in 1982, when it was first released on vinyl. I was impressed with the musicianship of all the players. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. John F. H. Mcdade
Wow! What a blast from the past!
My husband bought this for me for my birthday, after we were talking about Asia with some friends of ours. OMG! What a blast from the past! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mrs. K. Houghton
1980s Rock With Some Success.
When Asia were formed in 1982 with an all star line up naturally great things were expected.
Of the 9 tracks I find only 2 which entirely hit the target, Heat Of The Moment... Read more
Of the 9 tracks I find only 2 which entirely hit the target, Heat Of The Moment... Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by J. Thompson
A good album, but not the great one that others see.
I'm going to be seeing Asia at the Cambridge Rock Festival in August so I thought I'd better do my research on them. Read more
Published on 18 April 2009 by Mr. S. Lewis
Great 80s Rock
This takes me back to the 80s great album,well worth a listen. All the tracks are good been looking for this for a bit. Had it on vinyl and amazon came up with this great CD.
Published on 14 April 2009 by solo
Normal service is resumed
I generally accept that we've all got different tastes but there are some facts of life that are inescapable.. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2009 by Nugent_Dirt
Best of all time
I bought this album back in 1982 on the strength of hearing just the one track - "Only Time Will Tell". Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2007 by Tony Roberts
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