Fantasia: Live in Tokyo

by

Asia

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Asia has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, so when I heard the original quartet reunited and recorded a live album, this attracted my interest. I've heard live CDs from other incarnations of Asia and the sound quality was lacking. For a live CD, the sound is good here. It could be better, but it could be a whole lot worse. Rather than a rehash of the first album, the band also decided to record one song from each of the band members' pasts. They do so with satisfying results. I wondered how Asia was going to pull off "Roundabout" since John Wetton doesn't "communicate with bats" like Jon Anderson can, nor does Jon Anderson have to play Chris Squire's bass lines, but John Wetton handled both vocals and the bass parts seemingly without effort. Geoff Downes is no Rick Wakeman, but he doesn't need to be. He held up his end. Sometimes Steve Howe gets lost in the mix, but the song sounds ok. The band delivered very well.

As the first reviewer mentioned, the acoustic versions of "Ride Easy" and "Don't Cry" are well done. I actually prefer the version of "Don't Cry" here to the original from "Alpha." Steve Howe plays the mandolin while John Wetton handles the acoustic guitar. The band also plays an acoustic version of "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" (also better than the original) with Steve Howe on dobro. Take away the studio gloss of their first three albums and you discover these guys are very good musicians. Steve Howe plays a variety of stringed instruments, John Wetton unplugs with an acoustic guitar, and Geoff Downes does very well with the piano. Carl Palmer plays flawlessly throughout as always. I don't think he ever has an off night.

Also noteworthy is the band's rendition of "In the Court of the Crimson King." Greg Lake was a fine singer in his day, but John Wetton outdoes him here. The thought of a four-piece band playing "Fanfare for the Common Man" intrigued me since ELP recorded it without guitars, but Asia makes it work. It's a bit ragged, but it doesn't suck. "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a fun listen, especially with John Wetton using a megaphone in places. Steve Howe gets a solo turn with "Intersection Blues" from his "Natural Timbre" solo CD. Good stuff.

Overall, a good CD well worth every penny spent. It's good to have the original quartet back.