Asia Phoenix

Like the Phoenix of the title of their 2008 album, Asia has risen from the ashes and made their first studio album with their original lineup in a quarter century. The remarkable thing about Phoenix is that in pure sonic terms, it could have appeared as the sequel to Alpha in 1985 instead of the Steve Howe-less Astra, which is a remarkable achievement in many ways, but what makes the album more interesting is that it is suffused with a sense of mortality…

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition. Legendary band Asia released the biggest selling album in the world in 1982. The original line-up of the band reunited in 2006 and recorded the studio album Phoenix in 2008. This album features original members Geoff Downes (Yes/The Buggles)/Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP) and John Wetton (King Crimson/UK). The Phoenix album gave rise to the hit An Extraordinary Life, which has been played all around the world, including as the theme to America's Got Talent advertising. This expanded edition collects together the original European version of the album, the two bonus tracks and the US only remix into the same place for the first time ever!

The original lineup of the supergroup Asia – vocalist/bass guitarist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Carl Palmer – first reunited for a tour in 2006 to celebrate the upcoming 25th anniversary of 1982's Asia album, and then hit the road again to support 2008's Phoenix. This album was just the third Asia studio effort from these renowned progressive rock veterans. In early 2011, Asia released a solid live album, Spirit of the Night: The Phoenix Tour Live in Cambridge 2009. The special edition includes both a CD and DVD of the show, which was recorded and filmed at the Cambridge Rock Festival on August 9, 2009, in Cambridge, England…

Celebrating 30 years since the release of their 1982 debut album, Asia's 2012 full-length XXX is also the third release to feature the original line-up since they reunited for 2008's Phoenix and 2010's Omega. Once again showcasing the talents of lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton, keyboardist Geoff Downes, guitarist Steve Howe, and drummer Carl Palmer, XXX is a rock tour de force that disproves the notion that rock bands get worse as they get older. In fact, as with Phoenix and Omega, XXX is a strong follow-up to both of Asia's first two albums and, while never sounding dated, smartly sticks to the band's '80s prog-pop sound. In keeping with this aesthetic, the album even features Roger Dean cover art reminiscent of his 1982 serpent on the band's self-titled debut…

It's not easy being Asia, when you've the millstone of those early albums potentially sinking anything new. Whatever the band do these days will almost inevitably pale by comparison to those first three great records from the 1980s.
So, what do the quartet do? They ignore the past, pretend they're new to all of this and go their own way. The result is surprisingly impressive, a smoothly melodic ride that feels like a birth, or a rebirth…

With the release of 2010's Omega by the reunited original lineup of Asia, the supergroup matches its output of two studio albums from its first go round. Vocalist/bass guitarist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Carl Palmer were progressive rock all-stars who joined forces for the massively successful, chart-topping Asia in 1982 and Alpha in 1983 before splitting – an inevitability for virtually every supergroup…