ASIA
Aria & Arena Special Edition
Inside Out Music 2005
www.asiaworld.org

What’s the 4-1-1?
After signing Asia earlier this year for the release of Silent Nation, Inside Out Music honors their past with special editions of Aria and Arena (they also covered Aqua). All three albums feature John Payne (who replaced John Wetton) on vocals & bonus material.

Genre
Arena rock / AOR / melodic / progressive / alt-rock

The Good
Aria: Originally released in 1994, this album saw Asia getting comfortable with their new line-up. Geoff Downes focused more on a writing partnership with new vocalist John Payne, following an album that was made up of leftovers from a previous line-up. “Anytime” is an inspirational power ballad full of emotional highs and lows. Downes’ driving keyboards and Michael Sturgis’ pounding drums set the pace for “Are You Big Enough”. The entire group chimes in with some great vocal harmonies. Heartache and abandonment is the focal point of “Sad Situation”. Payne’s vocals are smooth and soulful, similar to Michael McDonald.

Keyboard and percussive effects add dimension to the ballad “Feels Like Love”. The mood starts of somber, but builds to a powerful and over-the-top conclusion. “Military Man” sounds a bit similar to “Heat of the Moment” during its introduction, but switches to a drum/vocal heavy arrangement. Guitarist (at the time) Al Pitrelli lays down some great licks and solos here. As part of the special edition, you get the unreleased track “Reality”, which I think could have had a shot at the time, an acoustic version of “Military Man”, and the video for “Anytime”.

Arena: Originally released 1996, this album had Asia switching from AOR/arena rockers to a more experimental progressive rock/adult contemporary band. This is evident from the Santana-esque opening instrumental “Into the Arena”. “Arena” continues the same vibe of its predecessor, with some great drum beats and impressive vocal harmonizing. Cosmic keyboard tones and Payne’s warm and passionate vocals take command of “Two Sides of the Moon”. The lyrics are imbedded with simile and metaphor, but it's not hard to hear that this is a statement on the effects of war.

Musically, “Falling” solidifies the group’s transition into the progressive genre. Lot’s off effects and unique tones. Payne delivers some great falsetto from time to time. “Turn It Around” is more a guitar prominent songs, with plenty of vocal melody. As part of the special edition, you get a ballad entitled “That Season”, plus and acoustic version of “Two Sides of the Moon”.

The Bad
The acoustic version of “Military Man” isn’t really acoustic. The song “U Bring Me Down” from Arena has a rap section.

The Verdict
Aria and Arena are the proverbial yin & yang of Asia. Aria closes the chapter on the band you remember from their debut, while Arena gives you a glimpse of where the group was heading in the future. The extra material included on both is a nice touch for fans, but it’s nothing super-special.

Did You Know?
Asia attempted to name all of their studio albums with words that began with A and ended with A. Eventually they ran out of names.

Rating:

Aria - out of 5

Arena - out of 5

Related Reviews:
Wetton-Downes - Icon

--George Dionne