Asia
Aqua

THE REVIEW

Buying a CD because it has a nice cover might be a stupid choice.
Sometimes, however, stupid choices can turn out to be rewarding…

ASIA, for those who don't know them, are a supergroup (formed in 1982) composed of individuals such as John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer.
Despite the presence of musicians with a progressive background, the group’s sound leans towards high-class AOR/Pomp Rock.

Already after the dazzling debut of ''Asia'' (Heat Of The Moment forcefully climbed to the top of the charts worldwide), the first conflicts become apparent: the fluctuating ''Alpha'', despite some high-quality tracks, fails to replicate the success. Halfway through the tour, Wetton leaves and is replaced by Greg Lake…
However, the Geffen record label insists on having Wetton back in the band. As a result of this decision, Howe decides not to participate in the recordings of the subsequent album and is replaced by Mandy Meyer from the emerging Krokus. The commercial flop of ''Astra'' (1985) decrees the temporary demise of the quartet.

Five years will be needed to find them again with ''Then & Now'' (an anthology with four unreleased tracks) and ''Live In Moscow''.
Unfortunately, it all reeks of a purely commercial operation: despite the performances being more than good, there is a certain lack of cohesion and feeling…
1992 is the year of the real and complete resurrection of ASIA.
Wetton definitively leaves the project to pursue his personal ambitions, leaving everything in Downes' hands. Thus begin the auditions to find the new singer: the top contenders are Max Bacon (one of the main voices of the 80s AOR scene, as well as the singer of the GTR group of Howe and Hackett, where Geoff acts as producer) and John Payne (appearing in some demos of the Electric Light Orchestra and endowed with a deep and pathos-rich voice)… in the end, it is the latter who is chosen.

The lineup of ''Aqua'' is the one, among post-Wetton lineups, most similar to the original: it includes Downes, Palmer, and Howe, joined by Payne on vocals and bass, Pitrelli on rhythm guitar (Howe is not present in all the songs… he can be said to play the role of a ''finisher'') and a couple of other drummers to complete the line-up.
It's Howe himself who opens the album with Aqua Part 1: the sound of waves crashing against rocks introduces us to the aquatic world. Downes starts handling the keyboards, offering us a celestial melody to which a brilliant and relaxing acoustic guitar arpeggio is immediately added… two minutes of paradise!
The excellent levels continue with Who Will Stop The Rain?, a true melody essay. Howe and Pitrelli seek and pursue each other masterfully, Payne gives an unimaginable charge, and the keyboards blend everything in an almost perfect way. The lyrics also prove to be decidedly pleasant and fitting:
« I stand on a world
Where dreams, realities, existence are the same
We take from the mother's skin
But the world is not to blame

Who tells the wind which way to blow?