Yes without Jon Anderson

Uh, no.

Wow, Steve Howe looks more and more like Skeletor every year.
Yes hasn't done much since about 1976.

Actually, I've seen video of them with the new guy. Sure, he's not Jon, but he can hit the high notes that Jon can't anymore. I'll probably look into seeing this, sounds interesting.

Don't forget 90125 which came out in the 80's, creatively named after the UPC code for the album.

Actually, the new guy sounds almost exactly like Anderson, and Asia still kicks some serious ass (even if Carl Palmer can't keep a steady beat and Geoff Downes has the keyboard skills of a second year piano student).

Approves.

You have a framed Asia poster?

And for an encore, they can get Wakeman to perform that abortion of the Ice Capades. Should be a blast.

/I'd rather fark wet rabbit nostrils.
//just trying to get it started...

Was this decision made in the heat of the moment? Was it telling them what their heart meant?

Was this decision made in the heat of the moment? Was it telling them what their heart meant?

Only time will tell.

somemoron: Was this decision made in the heat of the moment? Was it telling them what their heart meant?

Only time will tell.

Bravo Gentlemen...

- Click here for more Asia pictures -

No thanks.

Remember they tried this in 1980? With Trever Horn?

Drama was a great album (save Downes) but the tour was hellish. I have a MSG boot somewhere, I can only stand it for a minute or two. Poor, poor Trevor!

Li'lPete:

Yeah, but that's because most of the songs were out of or at the extreme limit of his vocal range. He hated that tour. The 'stand-in' is great, though. They did Tempus Fugit and Machine Messiah on the winter tour.

urethra_franklin: Rick's kid Oliver is playing keyboards on this tour...Rick's pretty much retired from touring.
(except for a few shows here and there, including an anniversary gig of 6 Wives of Henry the 8th, which all reports say was awesome and was recorded for DVD)

HempHead
Don't forget 90125 which came out in the 80's, creatively named after the UPC code for the album.

Wrong: The album is the ZIP code of the record label at the time.

drakmar: HempHead
Don't forget 90125 which came out in the 80's, creatively named after the UPC code for the album.

Wrong: The album is the ZIP code of the record label at the time.

Both wrong: it was taken from the album's catalogue number.

This is the only Asia I'd want to see on tour:

DjangoStonereaver
YES

Saw them in the 80s as Yes
Saw them in the 90s as Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe

Damn good shows

So, they brought back Trevor Horn to sing? Are they going to play "Tempus Fugit"? How about "Machine Messiah"?

*read article*

Who the fark is that?

Li'lPete: Remember they tried this in 1980? With Trever Horn?

Drama was a great album (save Downes) but the tour was hellish. I have a MSG boot somewhere, I can only stand it for a minute or two. Poor, poor Trevor!

my favorite Yes album. Just rockin'...

GypsyJoker: drakmar: HempHead
Don't forget 90125 which came out in the 80's, creatively named after the UPC code for the album.

Wrong: The album is the ZIP code of the record label at the time.

Both wrong: it was taken from the album's catalogue number.

no, it's the upc code, i'm looking at it

Read somewhere that Rick Wakeman is interested in re-staging King Arthur on Ice again. I guess he's quite the ubiquitous TV/radio panelist in the UK.

Cute model. I wish she looked a bit more Asian though. Wish I could post something from Lin Si Yee's golf series... she looks Asian with a killer face.....but hey what the hey.

Never cared for Asian the band. Wasn't John Whetton in them? Kind of a huge letdown after Starless and Bible Black by King Crimson.

I don't have it in front of me, but I believe 90125 is both the catalog number and in the UPC code.

Second concert I've ever went to was 10th row center for Yes during the Big Generator tour. I started playing bass a few years earlier and was in awe of Squire throughout the show. I've been to four other Yes shows throughout the years including the big reunion tour, "Open Your Eyes", the tour with Igor when they played "Gates" and "Ritual", and the '02 show with Rick Wakeman.

I came away from each show very impressed until that last show. I had lawn seats for that show, and the sound mix was horrible - especially the bass and drums. I had lawn seats about a year later at the same outdoor venue for Rush, and it was the best sound mix I've ever heard from the lawn.

As for Asia, one of the first VHS tapes we had back in the '80s was the Asia in Asia concert with Greg Lake replacing Wetton, and they had to transpose half the songs down a key. Would always crack up at Geoff Downes keyboard setup (all in a row at the back of the stage, and he would have to run across the stage everytime he switched keyboards).

"Drama" by Yes is very underrated, IMHO.

I. M. Foreman
As for Asia, one of the first VHS tapes we had back in the '80s was the Asia in Asia concert with Greg Lake replacing Wetton, and they had to transpose half the songs down a key. Would always crack up at Geoff Downes keyboard setup (all in a row at the back of the stage, and he would have to run across the stage everytime he switched keyboards).

that's weird... i thought that Greg Lake had a more versatile and higher range voice than Wetton!! ie. greg = the "choirboy" of Prog Rock.
[they do sound kind of similar tho...
i read a comment on the net years ago that said something like "John Wetton's singing is like Greg Lake after 50 cigarettes".

I heard a rumour that Greg replaced John because John was an alcoholic and kind of unreliable... or something. or maybe he was just too drunk to perform.

And that Lake had to read the lyrics off of a teleprompter.

i've never seen the vid, but I lol'd at your comment about Downes keyboard setup lol.

Third_Uncle_Eno: "Drama" by Yes is very underrated, IMHO.

agreed. My personal #2 favorite after Close to the Edge.


I heard a rumour that Greg replaced John because John was an alcoholic and kind of unreliable... or something. or maybe he was just too drunk to perform.

Dunno about the alcoholism, but Fripp commented about there being a fair amount of cocaine usage from one contingent of the "Red" Crimson line-up, and I'm assuming he meant Wetton.

Re: Asia, there was a lot of friction between Wetton and Howe over the direction of the band, and it came to a head just before the Asia in Asia concert, which was one of the first (if not the first) live concert broadcasts on MTV. Lake came in with almost no notice, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did have a teleprompter. They were going to continue with Lake, but Howe commented that he was "getting really pushy" and nothing came of it. By that time, management was begging them to make up with Wetton and do the third album, which they tried, but by that time Howe had enough.

Thinking back, Wetton was with Brufford after Red with a band called UK. Allan Holdsworth was on guitar.The first CD was pretty good, but I think Wetton was pushing for HITs while Bill and Allan wanted to play it pure on their second CD. Thumbs up for Bill and Allan...Anyways Bill and Allan were out of that band after the first CD/albumn

Asia was a progressive band trying to chart. Too many music people in that band, I mean the bean counters trying to make the huge seller. It tried too hard to do that IMO. Not the best bands of that genre.

Yes was a great band, Close to the Edge was/is one of my favorites too.

Olympus Mons: Thinking back, Wetton was with Bruford after Red with a band called UK. Allan Holdsworth was on guitar.The first CD was pretty good, but I think Wetton was pushing for HITs while Bill and Allan wanted to play it pure on their second CD. Thumbs up for Bill and Allan...Anyways Bill and Allan were out of that band after the first CD/albumn

NP on my media player: Bruford - "One of a Kind": an excellent jazz-rock album which sounds like how UK would've went if Bruford and Holdsworth stayed. However, I thought "Danger Money" was a solid pop-progressive album.

Asia was a progressive band trying to chart.

Asia was in no way progressive. I don't think they ever set out to be progressive.

Little known fact (or maybe not): During the formation of the band, Wetton and Howe had tryouts for a second guitar slot with one of the auditioners being none other than Trevor Rabin . Wetton was also dead set on having a keyboardist, but Howe was insisting they tryout Geoff Downes because of how impressed he was with his work with the Fairlight synthesizer.

Too many music people in that band, I mean the bean counters trying to make the huge seller. It tried too hard to do that IMO.

The first album was a huge seller. I remember Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" being all over top 40 radio. "Alpha" was only moderately successful as I recall.

The Asia tour bus kept cutting people off and doing hit and runs...that's why they broke up.

I. M. Foreman

thank you for all that cool and interesting info!

I. M. Foreman: The first album was a huge seller. I remember Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" being all over top 40 radio.

Ah, the summer of '82. Remember it well.

Heat of the Moment '83 w/Lake and the horrible keyboard stage setup

pure cheese, especially when the keytar is pulled out. Howe's blazing on this, though.

I. M. Foreman: Heat of the Moment '83 w/Lake and the horrible keyboard stage setup

pure cheese, especially when the keytar is pulled out. Howe's blazing on this, though.

Wow, that's one shiatty synthesizer setup. Also, am I the only person who has a serious gripe about musicians NOT FACING THE AUDIENCE WHLE PLAYING?!

Sure, we get some facetime during the Keytar solo (Moog Liberation FTW), but it's the principle of the thing, darn it.

Also, am I the only person who has a serious gripe about musicians NOT FACING THE AUDIENCE WHLE PLAYING?!

lol yeah... when i clicked the link, i expected a line of keyboards at the back behind the group, but FACING the audience. ugh.
at least he has a camera facing him tho.

oh another thing:
i knew they made a electric guitar version of Greg's bass guitar... [the black body, no visible tuning head] [ie. Mark Knopfler 1986...]
but i never knew they made a bass version!!! first time i've seen one.

Third_Uncle_Eno: oh another thing:
i knew they made a electric guitar version of Greg's bass guitar... [the black body, no visible tuning head] [ie. Mark Knopfler 1986...]
but i never knew they made a bass version!!! first time i've seen one.

Ah, the Steinberger bass. Jerry Casale of DEVO's been using a Stenberger L-Series bass since 1981. He's a lefty player, but plays a right hand-strung bass upside down.

ah.... thank you DarKrow

lol crazy devo...

i think i even saw Lou Reed using one...

bbernardini: Actually, the new guy sounds almost exactly like Anderson, and Asia still kicks some serious ass (even if Carl Palmer can't keep a steady beat and Geoff Downes has the keyboard skills of a second year piano student).

Please link us to your youtube channel where you showcase your mad keyboard and drumming skilz