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Fantasia - Live In Tokyo (DVD)
Asia
Eagle Vision, 2007
http://www.originalasia.com
REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/27/2007
Asia fans who’ve read my review of their eponymous first disc are doubtless unhappy to see my by-line on another review of the band, and it’s a reasonable response. If I shuddered at Asia in 1982, how much more could I possibly like the same songs performed by the same lineup now that they’re twenty-five years older?
A bit, comes the occasionally surprising answer… a bit.
This DVD was filmed in Tokyo during the 25th anniversary reunion tour mounted last year by the original members of
Asia – Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton, progressive rock stalwarts all. Said reunion tour was so successful that the band has continued playing together and there has even been talk of a new studio album. Be that as it may, Fantasia: Live In Tokyo serves as a document of the group’s anniversary tour and a testament to its enduring appeal.
The strength and vulnerability of
Asia have always been one and the same. These four men are all superb musicians capable of making music of great complexity and depth. The music they made as
Asia, however, was essentially pop -- overblown, often pompous pop that wore the label of “arena rock” with more pride than it has ever deserved.
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