Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Real Best of Asia!, June 11, 2000
Don't be fooled by the boatload of Asia collections. This is the greatest hits package to purchase. There are 3-4 Asia greatest hits CDS that focus on Asia from 1992 onward. The new band doesn't include John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe. This CD includes all the hits that made Asia a huge smash in the eighties. They were all remastered and sound wonderful. As others have stated, it's a shame that the CD contains two edited tracks(Here Comes The Feeling and Sole Survivor). These two tracks are classics and should be heard in their entirety. The CD does include three b-side tracks. These three tracks make the CD a must have, even if you own all of the original albums. To hear Steve Howe's guitar playing along with John Wetton's voice on three tracks that I haven't heard before is great! This CD rocks!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Geffen Records blows it again!, June 10, 2000
I'm giving this CD four stars on the strength of the elegant packaging art and robust track listing. But once again Geffen Records shows no respect to this great supergroup by totally messing up the most important part: sound quality. When I saw first saw the track listing and cool sleeve graphics, I thought this would be the perfect compilation. However, these tracks are NOT digitally remastered, and in most cases, sound like fifth-generation 8 track copies simply wrote to disc. There is no excuse for this kind of effort, regardless of how minute an audience Geffen believes Asia to attract. The sound engineer should be fired. Trimming the 5.5 minute track Here Comes the Feeling down by 2 minutes is a horrible decision. Same with Sole Survivor. Basically, this is the only band in my 250+ CD collection where the LPs sound much brighter and crisper than the CDs do. Compare this package to ELP: The Atlantic Collection, a remastered set that highlights mostly early 70s material. The sound quality on that package absolutely shimmers. On the bright side, the long-awaited B-sides are nice to have finally. This one could have been a knockout!
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of the Classic Asia!!!, September 10, 2004
"The Very Best Of Asia" truly is what it says. This 18-track compilation encompasses over 77 minutes of music from one of the greatest progressive rock bands of the '80s, Asia. Most of the tracks feature the band's original line-up of bassist/lead vocalist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes and drummer Carl Palmer. All of the music is taken from Asia's classic trilogy of original albums, "Asia", "Alpha" and "Astra" along with one track from the "Then and Now" compilation and three rare B-sides.
Classic tracks such as "Only Time Will Tell", "Heat Of The Moment", "Wildest Dreams", "Don't Cry", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Go" are all included here alongside powerful album tracks such as "Sole Survivor", "The Heat Goes On", "Open Your Eyes", "Here Comes The Feeling" and "Days Like These".
The band's strong musical hooks and unprecidented craft shine through in every track on this CD and offers an excellent sampling of Asia during its classic era during the 80s. John Wetton's commanding vocals, Steve Howe's soaring guitar work, Geoff Downes' melodic pop sensibilies rounded out by Carl Palmer's forceful powerhouse percussion gel into an effortless musical blend.
Beginning in the '90s, Asia went through a slew of personnel changes with Geoff Downes being the only original member left in the band. John Wetton left the band in 1991 and was replaced by John Payne who has remained with Asia ever since. Various guitarists and drummers have come and gone with the band over years - its current drummer being the legendary sessionman Chris Slade while the guitar slot is presently being filled by a relative newcomer named Guthrie Govan.
The original Asia band was a special treasure as clearly proven by the music in this compilation. While the current Asia continues to make great music, nothing can take the place of the classic band line-up that took the world by storm over 20 years ago. "The Very Best of Asia" captures the very essence of what Asia was all about and is a fantastic journey down memory lane.
Definitely a must-have collection!!
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