Asia - America: Live in the USA

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: Please find something else to do with your hard earned money than buy this. If you are a fan of ASIA circa 1982 you will be HORRIFIED at the Broadway show tune versions of classics like "Heat of the Moment", "Only Time Will Tell" and even "Go" from the third album ASTRA. The only thing more disturbing is the guitarist, Guthrie Govan soloing vomitously over every song--imagine a cut rate Steve Vai hacking away at songs you have loved for 20+ years. Just say no!!!

Rating:
Summary: Ugh.
Review: Please find something else to do with your hard earned money than buy this. If you are a fan of ASIA circa 1982 you will be HORRIFIED at the Broadway show tune versions of classics like "Heat of the Moment", "Only Time Will Tell" and even "Go" from the third album ASTRA. The only thing more disturbing is the guitarist, Guthrie Govan soloing vomitously over every song--imagine a cut rate Steve Vai hacking away at songs you have loved for 20+ years. Just say no!!!

Rating:
Summary: ASIA is OK!
Review: This DVD is really grate, the sound is clear but not very powerfull and the image is clear, but I got very disapointed when I realise that Kings of the Day and the Love under Fire/Sad Situation/Longest Night medley listed on the box are not on the DVD. That's way I just give it 4 stars. But definitely if you fill fine without the missing songs go for it, indeed is grate the performance.

Rating:
Summary: Low budget, good band
Review: This is a tricky DVD to review, because some people (as previous reviews have shown) consider Asia to be Wetton/Howe/Downes/Palmer, or nothing. In fact, the classic line-up only recorded 2 albums before Steve Howe left, to be replaced by the competent but ordinary Mandy Meyer. And since then, things have changed dramatically. The new "core", if you will, is Downes and Bass player/vocalist John Payne, who has a totally different vocal style to John Wetton. And these two have in fact just released their 5th studio album together, and having gone through a series of guitarists, drummers and assorted guests, seem to have settles on the current line-up at least for now. Drummer Chris Slade is solid, not extraordinary but does everything necessary to hold the songs together.

Guitarist Guthrie Govan is a teacher and column-writer, who can pretty much play any style you'd care to hear. I agree his sound is thin on the DVD (unlike live, where it was great), but his playing is superb, and it gives the songs where he is allowed to solo an extra dimension. "Arena" is one in particular which is significantly superior to the album version.

Apart from that, the picture is OK, not fantastic, and the songs are separated by brief interviews, which can get a bit annoying (should have been a separate section IMHO). The camarawork is also OK, not spectacular. The most charismatic musician is Govan, who pulls faces, throws his hair around, travels around the stage, and generally seems to be throughly enjoying the fact that he gets to be in a band! And Payne has his moments.

You have to accept that the "classic" songs are going to sound different with Payne singing, but he does a good job, and the new material is generally high standard, if less familiar. I'd have liked more off Aria (my Payne favourite), but you can't have everything when a band is promoting a new CD (Aura). And apart from "Awake" - which sends me to sleep - it's good stuff.

And the instrumental "Bad Asteroid", whilst totally off the wall compared to the rest of the material, is a good piece, and shows just how good Govan really is.

A bigger budget and more thought would have earned a star or two more.

Rating:
Summary: This is pathetic
Review: To have ASIA perform as ASIA with only Geoff Downes being the original member is just INSANE! It was passable after Steve Howe left, because Pat Thrall filled in so admirably, but this collection of hacks are just a waste of time. The band always had enough of a monkey on their back being collection of progressive musicians playing mostly pop songs, so they had a hard enough time earning the little respect they ever got, but the monkey has bit the head off now and all that remains is a lifeless corpse being propped up by Geoff Downes' need to pay the rent. It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years for the band. Lets hope this act won't be together another 20 minutes. Stay away from this skunk. Watch the 1989 concert with the Downes/Wetton/Palmer/Thrall lineup instead.