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Performer: Asia (Rock)
Engineer: Steve Rispin
Producer: Asia; Steve Rispin
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Asia (Rock): John Wetton (vocals, electric bass); Steve Howe (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar); Geoff Downes (keyboards); Carl Palmer (drums, percussion). The 1980s supergroup Asia, comprising members from prog rock heavyweights Yes, King Crimson, and E.L.P., softened prog's elaborate solos and upped its pop quotient, selling 15 million records in the process. Some 25 years after the band's heyday, the four original members of Asia released PHOENIX, a return to vintage musical form. In truth, the band's consistent command of popcraft and instrumental chops makes it sound as if very little time has passed. "Never Again," with its catchy chorus, recalls Asia classics like "The Heat of the Moment." "Alibis" and "An Extraordinary Life" are also highlights. Old-school fans may feel that it doesn't stacks up to Asia's 1982 debut, but PHOENIX does a surprisingly good job of peeling away the years.

Splintering off from some of the most influential prog-rock bands of the 1970s (Yes, King Crimson, ELP), the members of Asia converged in the early '80s as a globe-conquering supergroup. Their sound mixed straightforward, commercial pop/rock riffs and hooks with a more sophisticated progressive-rock sensibility, and they scored a batch of huge hits in the early '80s ("Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell," etc.). Eventually various members wandered off (Greg Lake even replaced John Wetton for a while), ultimately leaving keyboardist Geoff Downes as the only original member. Downes soldiered on for decades with a variety of bandmates, logging a considerable number of concert tours and album releases.

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