Customer Reviews

Icon 3

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great follow up to their last, Icon II. Very strong from beginning to end with rockers (Twice the Man I Was, Don't Go Out Tonight, Sex, Power and Money) and ballads (Raven and Destiny). The instrumental (Anna's Kiss) is also great. The rest of the songs are middle of the road pop with excellent vocals from Wetton and nice keyboards from Downes. If you liked the first two Icon's along with Asia you won't be disappointed here. Highly recommended.

Amazing music from these two songwriters from the supergroup ASIA!!!...easily the best song from this studio album is "My Life Is In Your Hands." It's simply magnificent!!...and the rest of the tunes are also awesome!!...Highly recommended!!!

After last year's superb Asia Phoenix album, my appetite was wet for more music from these guys. Thus I was happy to hear a 3rd installment of the Icon series would be released and it is a great listen. If you're a fan of Asia, previous John Wetton (and Downes) albums, AOR, Progressive and/or Classic Rock, this is a worthwhile addition to your collection.

Song by Song Breakdown:
1) Twice the Man I Was - A strong rocking opener that would be a great concert beginner.
2) Destiny - A great ballad with some wonderful vocal harmonies.
3) Green Lights and Blue Skies - A good middle of the road track reminiscent of previous Icon songs.
4) Raven - Beautiful duet ballad with Anne-Marie Helder.
5) My Life is in Your Hands - Flawless! Easily the best song on the CD and one of the best put out these guys (with or without Asia). From a beautiful keyboard opening, the song builds to a brilliant chorus of vocals, guitars and keyboards. The song winds down at the end and demands replaying.
6) Sex, Power and Money - A hard driving rocker that could have been on Asia's Astra album. Crank this one up!
7) Anna's Kiss - Nice instrumental.
8) Under the Sky - A good easy pop/rock song.
9) Don't Go Out Tonight - A quicker good pop/rock song than the last one. Anne-Marie Helder appears on this one.
10) Never Thought I'd See You Again - Another quick pop/rock song, but better than the last two.
11) Peace in Our Time - A strong closer with Anne-Marie Helder appearing again.

There you have it in a nutshell. If Asia's Phoenix got me hungry for more, this gets me even hungier. I hope we don't have to wait too long for another Asia or Icon.

Considering my devotion to John Wetton and his pure vocals I love this album. Age doesn't diminish this guy. The songs are a little too "formulae" and predeictable, they sometimes sound like other songs on previous albums. Chord patterns and such. I don't think this CD would appeal to anyone other than die-hard Asia or Wetton fans like me. But as for me, "I love you guys!---keep 'em coming!"

Met Asia 2x this year. My BF is a huge fan. He enjoyed this side project CD. I got it for him as a gift.

ive collected their solos over the years after i first heard the original ASIA got their 1 2 now 3 i highly would tell that its worth listening too john wetton and geoffe downes i place them right next to brian wilson of the BEACH BOYS i even saw them at the sparks rib cookoff concert and the photos were great this is bud lucas from yerington

My Husband is a huge Asia/Wetton/Downes(?) fan so I got this as a Christmas gift for him.

They came in new condition, in about a week and will buy from this seller again. No problems....and when you get close to the Holidays, sometimes "mail oder" can be tricky.

I have been a big fan of King Crimson going back to the early-mid-70s and I am a huge Yes fan, Genesis, et al. I just naturally gravitate to prog rock and English art rock. I have been listening to a number of Icon CDs - I love John Wetton's reedy baritone and he happens to be a creative and prolific song writer. I cannot jump on the bandwagon of the other reviews here and give this CD an unqualified 5-star thumbs up for a very simple reason; Icon consistently falls short of greatness since they set their sights on far too limited a goal. I always felt Asia compromised key prog-rock integrity by focusing on overly simple song structures that never seem to feel sufficiently thought-out and Icon falls prey to the same malaise - good intentions thwarted by musical laziness. Yes, there are some brief flashes of brilliance but there's a fundamental flaw in the formula here. They keep churning out albums to try and find another hit like 'Heat of the Moment' but that time is gone and it's time to move on.

Geoff is more than competent a keyboard player and his past contributions to the Buggles and Yes (Drama) has been strong but his sound is stuck in the 80s candy-ass electric piano twinkle-toes maudlin morass. These guys pretend to come off as being 'dark angels' like 'Crimson' but they are floundering with song formulas that try to hit the top 40 but wind up sounding false and incomplete. They forget the roots that made them stars; experimental, progressive jazz-rock that delves deep into the new models of psychology, esoteric philosophy, and creative process. Early Yes and Crimson were less about making money and more about a deep integrity in the music and the musical creative process. Icon doesn't take enough chances, the songs are taking formulaic stabs at the narrow interest band that Asia addresses yet without the saving guitar graces of Steve Howe. This music is too keyboard driven, not enough guitar and bass. The melodic formulas feel too contrived, 'off the cuff' and not nearly as innovative as John's history could certainly support.

In contrast, take a listen to Steve Hackett's "Out of the Tunnel's Mouth" and you will hear a 70s prog-rock genius who has retained his integrity and still displays sonic greatness. Icon 3 has some interesting moments yet, like the previous Icon releases, it is regrettably forgettable. Stop trying to create songs that will appeal to 17 year olds and let the music take the lead again. Break out of the formulaic restraints and be great again. Let's hear some real musicianship; just play your instruments with the innovative intensity that made you stars in the first place. I will wait patiently for the next King Crimson release.

I JUST PURCHASED ICON 3 WITH JOHN WETTON AND GEOFFREY DOWNES FROM AMAZON. (A GREAT WAY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT.) IF YOU LIKE ASIA AND WETTON / DOWNES THEN YOU'LL LIKE THIS CD. (I ALMOST LIKE IT BETTER THAN ASIA'S PHEONIX.) THIRD TIME'S A CHARM. WE'RE ALL GETTING OLDER BUT I BELIEVE THIS CD IS STILL A GOOD STRONG EXAMPLE OF A GENUINE TALENT. ENJOY.

I couldn't bring myself to wait any longer for the CD, so I purchased my first ever MP3 download from Amazon. The process was simple. The songs are showcases of further excellence from this duo. I hope they keep more releases coming (as Icon or Asia)! Let me put to rest any concerns about the audio quality of the MP3 version - I have thoroughly enjoyed this download version on several high-end systems.