Customer Reviews

Then & Now

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an album that can't figure out what it wants to be. Is it a Greatest Hits album, a comeback album, or what? Asia was trying to get off the ground again (minus Steve Howe), and I guess Geffen felt they couldn't sell a new album after 5 years and the regrettable failure of Astra without a few of the tried-and-true classics. It doesn't really work. The "Then" part of the album is a fine group of songs, but there are just too many good ones missing (particularly "Go" and "The Heat Goes On") for it to really work. There are actually only 4 new tracks on the album. Of these, the best by far is "Days Like These", a very uplifting song that was a minor hit in 1990. I also liked "Summer Can't Last Too Long". It is very much like the material that was soon to come on Aqua in 1992. In fact, the album almost seems like a transition between the "Wetton" Asia of the 80s and the "Payne" Asia of the 90s. If it wasn't for the 4 new tracks, I would call this album superflous, especially after the release of "Heat of the Moment" in 2000, which does a much better job as an 80's Asia Greatst Hits album. I bought this album, but it seems like kind of a cheat to pay full album price for essentially only 4 songs. Since "Days Like These" is available on "Heat of the Moment", I would say this album for serious Asia fans only. If you're looking for an intro to Asia, get "Heat of the Moment" instead. This one should have been released as a 4-song EP, for a lower price, or else they should have come up with a few more songs and done a full album of new material.

"Asia" was one of those bands who sounded structurally complete with original sound, innovative rhythm, supported by an extraordinary set of first rate trained musicians and captivating chorus; and the merit is still remarkable according the circumstances in which the creativity as vehicle of expression had experienced a sensible decay. And I want to be specific with this statement; I mean those bands whose sound was beyond of a rock band, bands such as The Queen, Scorpions or Genesis, who explored new roads and blended rhythms and melodies.

The creative vein was product of this untiring keyboardist Geoff Downes who in this compilation didn't compose the piece "Days like these", whose muse was inspiration of Steve Jones. Of course, it's worthy to remark the presence of the legendary Carl Palmer in drums and percussion, after having been part of that unforgettable band "Emerson, Lake and Palmer in the late sixties and early seventies.

The album smartly was divided in then and now. This is essential to find the experienced evolution. Pay attention for instance in the piece "days like these in which the synthesizer leads opens with a sort of innovative fanfare the rhythm to come, I mean the influence of Palmer is more than evident in this first stage. You may realize how the band experienced a sensible transformation with major emphasis in the chorus, trying to fill the enormous void left by the premature departure of Freddie Mercury.

Asia is now part of an important period in the musical evolution of the eighties and nineties.

The "Then" material is fine with all four of Asia biggest commercial hits ("Heat of the Moment", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", "Only Time Will Tell" and "Don't Cry") and the excellent "Wildest Dreams" (featuring a nice Palmer solo in the middle of this song). The "Now" side is weak. "Days Like These" is fun and energetic. But, "Prayin' 4 A Miracle" struggles. "Am I In Love?" is too sappy and "Summer (Can't Last Too Long)" sounds like Asia trying to immitate A-Ha (Yuck!). And, of all the songs on the "Astra" CD to put on this release for the "Now" side, Geffen or somebody else picked "Voice of America". Why in the world would anybody use this song when they could have used the excellent "Go" instead? Don't commit to this CD. Buy the new "The Very Best of Asia - Heat of the Moment -(1982-1990)" instead if you want to see how good this group really was in the 80s. Nice cover art though.

The first half of this CD contains the Asia's greatest hits, the comercial succeses that everybody knows: Only Time Will Tell, Heat Of The Moment, Wildest Dreams, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes and Dont Cry. But these are not the best of the group (Where are Cutting it fine, Without you, Here comes the felling?) And the second half contains four new songs, good songs but totally pop and ballad oriented without Steve Howe,and the Astra's song Voice of America.If you want the best of Asia, buy their debut and Alpha albums.

Then and Now is good. It could have been better, though. While I think that what's on it is decent, I also believe that it doesn't have enough meat to it. There should have been more songs included from the previous three albums. The songs that are included are good, though. "Sole Survivor" and "Here Comes the Feeling" should have been included. Just including two songs from Alpha wasn't good enough, either. More than just one song from Astra should've been included, too. It sounds like I don't like this compilation, but that's not completely the case. I like the four new songs that they recorded for this album. All four of the songs are listenable. "Am I in Love?" is a really nice ballad. "Days like These" is really energetic, too. Then and Now leaves out a few songs, but it is still okay (just a bit incomplete). The album cover is cool, also. Worth a listen.

As a big fan of Asia's first three albums I was surprised, excited yet very puzzled when this was first released in the summer of 1990.

Six of their best songs makeup the "Then" section of this unusual collection. John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and a few different guitarists (one being Steve Lukather of Toto) are featured on the "Now" songs. The four new songs featured on this release is a real mixed bag. Days Like These is a sprite and very uplifting song. Prayin 4 A Miracle, a song cowritten by John Wetton and David Cassidy (yep Keith Partridge himself) is a decent song with a nice sense of drama. Am I In Love? is just too sappy and maudlin. Summer (can't last too long) sounds like a song dug up from the Beach Boys archives.

At this point Asia was clearly searching where they belonged. In the few years after Astra, The band struggled to find a new identity. Upon the release of Then and Now, guitarist Pat Thrall came aboard for a European tour which including some concerts in Moscow. A US tour never happened and Asia once again dissapeared for the time being.

The main reason to buy this CD is for the additional tracks on the second half of the CD; all of which feature Asia's incredible vocalist John Wetton. Studio albums released after Then and Now had other vocalists who did not measure up. The additional tracks are OK, but not the spectacular songs Asia put out in the 1980s. The best of the "new" tracks is "Summer (Can't Last Too Long)" which is very catchy and reminiscent of their early masterpieces. The rest are adequate. There are no lyrics to these new songs in the CD booklet. "Voice of America" being on the "Now" side always seemed strange to me. It is off their very underrated third release Astra. I am not sure why it is considered a "Now" song here except that it came out later than the other "Then" tracks. The songs on the "Then" side are the singles that most people already have (especially the first two) and "Wildest Dreams" off their smash debut album which is a fan favorite although it is my least favorite track on that album. John Wetton fans need this CD for the "Now" tracks, but record buyers who just want an Asia greatest hits package would do better looking for one with more tracks off of Asia's three excellent albums released from 1982-85.

This album was released in 1990, five years after the original Asia line-up's (Wetton, Downes, Howe, Palmer) final studio album, "Astra", was released. I was excited to see that John Wetton, Geoff Downes, and Carl Palmer had teamed up again, so I rushed out and bought this collection on cassette (I have since purchased the cd version). As with earlier Asia albums, this one contains the teriffic vocals and insturmentals that made the group famous. The signature songs "Only Time Will Tell" and "Heat of the Moment" kick off this disc, and four new studio songs have been added as well, including the radio hit "Days Like These". Songs from the albums "Alpha" ("Don't Cry", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes") and "Astra" ("Voice of America") also compliment "Heat" and "Time". If you're a John Wetton fan, you'll definitely want to pick this cd up, because he left the band after its release. I would also recommend the disc "Heat of the Moment 1982-1990". It has a few more songs than this one.

This one has always bothered me. Generally, I dislike it whenever new & old material are mixed. It always feels like a rip-off! In this case, we have 6 "oldies"-- hardly a "complete" set of hits. (No "Sole Survivor"? No "The Heat Goes On"?? No "Go"??? And surely they could have included the leftover "b" sides!) Then we have 4 new songs. "Days Like These" is one of the BEST songs Asia ever recorded-- and the other 3 aren't bad either! Had these appeared on the ASTRA album, it would surely have been more highly regarded. In earlier days this might have been a highly-regarded 4-song EP (remember The Beatles' LONG TALL SALLY ?). As it is...

I've only recently learned that between 1986 and 1989 Asia went thru a variety of line-up changes and recording sessions-- none of which were released at the time. Apparently at the time of THIS "album", original members Palmer & Wetton decided to stage a "reunion", leading to a tour (and the terrific LIVE IS MOSCOW album). Too bad they couldn't have put more time into doing a more "complete" album here.

I hope no one expects a long-winded missive on this album. Primarily, I purchased it as an add-on to my Asia collection, and also because I wanted the 5 songs from "Now". The stuff on the Now section sounds fresh and enthusiastic, even though its 20 years old. Steve Lukather took time from Toto to add a majestic guitar line to "Days Like These". "Prayin For A Miracle", co-written by David Cassidy(of all people) and his wife Sue Shifrin, is pure pop, but John's voice is as good as ever on the track. "Summer Can't Last Too Long" is a nostalgic look back on a broken relationship, but with a hopeful forward view to another golden season. All in all, I'd recommend it to any and all hard-core Asia fans, as well as those looking to build their collections.