2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Today, many rock lovers know about such a unique phenomenon as the Asia group. However, even among them, one can count only a few of those who really appreciated the work of this legendary team. For some reason, she occupies a secondary position in comparison with the giants of art rock, but the true admirers of this style think differently.
Group "Asia": sunrise on the wave of art-rock
If you look at the history of the development of such a musical movement as rock, at the dawn of the 80s, several main directions were formed, which were followed by many of today's idols. Heavy metal and thrash metal were especially popular, but against the background of all this, art rock, which makes the listener think about music, developed no less successfully, despite the fact that the times of Yes and King Crimson seemed to have passed.
No matter how! These two groups, their members and creativity served as the basis for the creation of such a successful team as Asia. The group is still positioned as one of the brightest representatives of the second wave of art rock.80s.
Outside influence
Leaving aside Yes and King Crimson, it's worth saying separately that since its inception in 1981, the group has been influenced by such giants as ELP and UK. In addition, the newly created project was produced by none other than Mike Stone, who at one time distinguished himself with unique work with the bands Queen and Foreigner. It is not surprising that the new project received a rather interesting sound, which was at the same time between everyone and at the same time did not look like anyone else.
Asia. Group. Biography
The starting point in the history of Asia is 1981. In 1980, John Wetton, a well-known vocalist and bass guitarist at that time, who had been in the bands of such giants as Uriah Heep, UK, King Crimson, Wishbone Ash and Roxy Music, recorded the album Caught In The Crossfire. As he himself claimed, he lacked something - he wanted something more solid and permanent.
It was at this time that he met a representative of the Atlantic Records record company, John David Kalodner, who advised John to form his own team, and as the first member of the new project, Wetton invited a keyboard player named Jeff Downes, who did not differ in special technique, but he had a very peculiar attitude to the selection of timbres for the overall sound of the group.
The guitarist was former Yes member Steve Howe, and the drums were entrusted to Carl Palmer (ELP - Emerson, Lake & Palmer). This was the Asia group at the time of its creation. The composition speaks for itself. Do I need to explainthat it was under his influence that the group's creativity was formed, aimed exclusively at art-rock?
Asia released their self- titled debut album in 1982. Unprecedented success awaited him. The circulation amounted to 10 million copies, and the disc itself became multi-platinum. This album stayed at the top of the UK charts for 9 weeks.
After such commercial success, the Asia group went on a world tour in support of the album, which became a real sensation. It is a well-known fact that incomes only in Britain were so great that the musicians had to leave the country in a hurry in order to avoid paying taxes, which at that time amounted to about 90% of concert fees.
Dashing 90s
In the 90s, the band toured extensively around the world. The concerts were mainly held in Brazil, Japan, Germany and England.
However, our listener also got it. How not to remember two amazing concerts at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex in Moscow, the first of which took place in 1991?
The audience literally roared with delight when such world-famous hits as Only Time Will Tell and Heat Of The Moment were performed. At the same time, a video was shot for the famous composition Praying For A Miracle, which showed the harsh Soviet reality and almost fell under a ban in the then USSR. But everything worked out, and the clip was successfully shown even on Soviet television. Nevertheless, the fact remains, no matter how much anyone would like it.
On the other hand,Asia was one of those bands that visited the Soviet Union in the first wave along with Metallica and Pantera. And for that time it was a truly amazing event.
Breakup and reunion
Despite all the successes, the group ceased to exist for some time, and a new and, I must say, long-awaited album was released only in 2008. It was called Phoenix. A very symbolic name, because the phoenix bird, burning, is reborn from the ashes. So is the Asia group. Both the public and the critics accepted the new work simply enthusiastically. Yes, what to say? The album entered the TOP-10 on the Billboard Internet chart.
The concerts are organized quite simply. The emphasis is not even on the light show, but on the performance technique and the material presented. It is not surprising that all the attention of the listeners is focused on the music and the people who perform it. And if we take into account the age of the current art rockers, then in general, many wonder how the "oldies" can perform such virtuoso parts. We must pay tribute - not all modern musicians own this technique.
The most famous compositions
The group "Asia" performs songs masterfully. They are popular with numerous fans and are released regularly. Not to mention the aforementioned hits, it is worth noting separately the compositions Here Comes The Feeling (something like symphonic progressive in the style of the 70s), Don’t Cry, Kari-A "ne, Who Will Stop The Rain? and many more.
Unfortunately, the general public does not particularly know the group, but true connoisseurs of art reverethese musicians is very high, despite the small number of released albums. It's not the quantity that matters, but the material itself. Well, the group "Asia" has no song - a hit.
It is worth noting that the musicians of that time had a serious influence on the band (Yes, King Crimson, Rush, ELP). And the group itself became a kind of starting point for many other performers. In our time, interest in art rock, as such, has somewhat weakened, but the classics of the genre always remain in demand. And the constant re-release of Asia's albums is a clear confirmation of this.
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