Absolute Radio: Discover real music

Listen with an open mind, and you'll be treated to a great mix of good tunes, great harmonies and brilliant musicianship. Extraordinary life should be high on the Radio 2 playlist and IMO is the highlight here together with the Parallel Worlds trilogy. Well done Asia.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I'm glad this Cd is so good because I was dismayed that John Payne was kicked out of the band.His voice was fantastic and his albums with Asia are easily as good as ,if not better than,the groups first 3 with Wetton.
Thankfully,the old Asia has crafted a lush album which is choc-full of songs,all of which are of a fantastic quality.
After a month I still can't decide which tracks I like the best,although"an extraordinary life" is instantly unforgettable and should be released as a single."heroine" is my girlfriend's favourite and she can't stop singing it! I also love the "Parallel Worlds" mini epic,full of tempo changes and very atmospheric.
This is certainly one of the best Asia albums,along with the Debut,Aqua and Aria.I just hope that John Payne's career doesn't now suffer as he is one amazingly talented musician.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Back in 1982 ASIA was huge and I was among the millions of fans. I only got the first and second albums, and when I listen to this aptly named "Phoenix" it feels like lost sessions from those days, so similar it sounds. The guys have aged (Steve Howe really looks horrible on the cover!!), so have I, but this is a trip back in time with an album that is certainly as good as what they did in the 80's. And Wetton's voice is just like before. Perfect.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Although loving Never Again I've had to take drastic action to save me going off it quickly - with my MD player I've removed 6 of the 20 sung Never Agains and the second and third sung choruses, and my final almost 4 minute version sounds even better without needless repetition. Asia copy themselves on the guitar intro, which is rather ominous for the remainder of Phoenix. On Nothing's Forever, the instrumentation after the Beach Boyish start rudely interrupts what is a lovely song. Heroine is a great tune, but the lyrics make it unlistenable to me, because having become an Asia fan through the poppy Buggles route I'm not shock proof enough to cope with a lyric with razor blade and heroine in it. I'll leave track 4 comments to anyone who likes it. I hope the melody in the verse of Alibis grows more on me because I like everything else about it. The same almost goes for I Will Remember You, in which one 2 or 3 times sung line is the same words and tune as in an Abba song called I Wonder -
"these streets and these houses" and this part of an Abba melody is repeated in the flute solo! Should Have Seen It Coming is a good ELO like track. I'll need more listens to decide about the 3 part track 8, but the guitar solo sounds just like part of My Boy by Elvis and John's singing is like Paul McCartney. Songs 9 and 10 wash over me, but on the latter John now sounds like the REM singer. I like the melodic Over And Over. My favourite is Extraordinary Life, which has the extreme of beauty and sadness in the intro. middle eight and instrumental, and rousing ELO sounding chorus. This would have been a top 10 single in the early eighties.

Rating: 3 out of 5

I have always been a big fan of Asia, whatever the line up. They have never made a bad album in my opinion. They almost rate as highly for me as Rush and Magnum, surely the best 2 rock groups ever!!!!!

Having said that, at first I couldn't quite get into this album. However after a few plays I was soon hooked. There are 3 or 4 classic tracks including 'Never Again' which must rate as one of their best tracks. Asia have always produced outstanding rock music of the highest musicianship and this album is no different. Clocking at over 60 minutes there is so much to listen to and enjoy

On a slight downside some of the songs do sound a little samey, but hey I love Status Quo as well so I can't really complain. You may need to listen to it a couple of times, though, to really appreciate it.

More of the same please.

Rating: 5 out of 5