ASIA: Aqua [tape] Check video!

Aqua is a musical masterpiece and placed ASIA back to the top of their game in the early 90's. "Who will stop the Rain" and many other tracks on the album are quite simply superb. Payne and Downes are an awesome combo and album after album have proved to be the best at what they do - writing great meaningful, sweeping, and powerful music. Buy the rest of their albums since (especially 'Aura') and you won't be disappointed. Aqua is a must have album. This was the first studio album with John Payne. He had started working with Geoffrey Downes in 1988 on session work.
The albums open with an acoustic guitar solo from Steve Howe. Carl Palmer also returns for a while, making it another 3/4 of the original lineup. John Payne makes Asia his own, reinventing it for the '90s. To boot, "Aqua" didn't even chart here (though it went to #1 in Japan), with grunge changing the rules. Asia prevailed to a loyal following since with Payne & Co.

Track Listings
1. Aqua
2. Who Will Stop The Rain
3. Back In Town
4. Love Under Fire
5. Someday
6. Little Rich Boy
7. Voice Of Reason
8. Lay Down Your Arms
9. Crime Of The Heart
10. Far Cry
11. Don't Call Me
12. Heaven On Earth
13. Aqua
14. Obsession

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great album, 2 May 2008
By AJ "Alan" (Joburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Aqua (Audio CD)
This is a great album from the New style Asia in fact out of the 8 albums I own by this super group this is definetely one of my favourites.The remastering by SBV Germany is excellent in fact any artist you see on this label rest assured you will be getting fantastic sound quality well done to this label.The album is full of strong songs and the whole band have made a really good solid album here,compared to other Asia albums like Aura.Aria,Silent Nation etc this album is of a more up tempo nature in sound both in acoustic,electric guitaring and keyboards all in all a great solid album from Asia.If you want to start listening to the new Asia I would start here with this album then next Archiva 1&2 then Aria then just get them all there all great.Dont be put off cos John Wetton is not in this line up trust me Asia sound great and the quality of there music stands up as is.Hope review is of some help to you.