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The Beatles: Official Video Station
JON ANDERSON & THE BAND GEEKS - FULL SHOW@Hershey Theatre Hershey, PA 4/28/26
King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man Dub
老舗そば屋】平井の住宅街にある地元民に愛される満腹そば屋でかつ丼セットを食べたら腹パン必死！！
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road (Official Music Video)
満留賀】おじさんの夏と言えば冷やしたぬき！平井の老舗そばやでボリューム満点冷やしたぬき
Toyah and Robert - Its all gone wrong!
【東京】圧倒的ウマさ！「天ざる・天せいろ」発祥の店から住宅街の名店までベスト7
All Along the Watchtower - Dave Mason | The Midnight Special
Dave Mason "Can't Find My Way Home, We Just Disagree " Live @College St. Music Hall, CT 08/20/19
JON ANDERSON & THE BAND GEEKS - FULL SHOW@Hershey Theatre Hershey, PA 4/28/26
King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man Dub
老舗そば屋】平井の住宅街にある地元民に愛される満腹そば屋でかつ丼セットを食べたら腹パン必死！！
Ringo Starr - Long Long Road (Official Music Video)
満留賀】おじさんの夏と言えば冷やしたぬき！平井の老舗そばやでボリューム満点冷やしたぬき
Toyah and Robert - Its all gone wrong!
【東京】圧倒的ウマさ！「天ざる・天せいろ」発祥の店から住宅街の名店までベスト7
All Along the Watchtower - Dave Mason | The Midnight Special
Dave Mason "Can't Find My Way Home, We Just Disagree " Live @College St. Music Hall, CT 08/20/19
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カテゴリ： UK～ASIA～ジョン・ウェットン
エイジアの最高傑作はいまだ「ＡＳＴＲＡ」ではないかと思っています。
《送料無料》エイジア／アストラ（初回生産限定盤／SHM-CD）(CD)
The general background to the recording of "Astra' is that my well-documented alcoholism at this time was raging,and many days I would be too intoxicated to make any sense at all after mid-afternoon.I was legally medicated to lessen my dependence on alcohol,but all this served to do was to give the insane monster an insatiable appetite. I now know that abstinence is the only solution to addiction---any mood-altering substance just adds fuel to the unquenchable fire.The My deepest thanks to Geoff Downes and Mike Stone for their love,patience and dedication. Many would have just thrown in the towel as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I don't exclude Carl from this,I thank him equally,but he had to endure slightly less of the daily nightmare. Geoff's keyboards and production throughout this album are superb,and Mike Stone,God bless him, was at the top of his game.
VOICE of AMERICA
This was one I had written during the time I had been out of the band. In the weeks after my expulsion from ASIA I wrote "Let Me Go", "Voice of America",and "Wishing".
Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records was ready to sign me as a solo artist on those three songs,plus what I had to offer (revenge). Geffen (who had me under contract)could not/would not suffer the humiliation of a rival label having a runaway hit (which undoubtedly would have happened,given the huge wave of public,and industry, empathy with me at the time.Aside from that,it was my toy (ASIA) that had been taken away from me,and I wanted it back."Let Me Go" was written about the record company/management desire to keep me to my contract,despite having publicly humiliated me with redundancy,and tales of drunkenness and incompetence. Hence the opening lines of 'Let me Go'---'Stone cold sober/So glad it's over/Don't stay to bore me/End of story/I'm on my feet again/There's no deceit again,retreat again/The song I sing's a simple one/Leave me alone...."
However, "Voice of America' had been touched on during 'Alpha",but not completed.I made a demo with Simon Kirke and Mike Moran,which is pretty much the same arrangement as the finished article on 'Astra".It was,as has already been stated, a tribute to Brian Wilson,and the sound that changed my life forever,and the mid 8 vocal harmonies are a homage to Brian's Beach Boys vocal arrangements. In retrospect,I wish we had made more of that section,taking the dynamic down further with just vocal blocks and Hammond bass pedal,before it gradually built to the crescendo(which is itself a pastiche of the vocal chord,Eb/f, that occupies the same position in Good Vibrations),back into chorus, then Mandy has a ball with the solo,and I must say,his Les Paul has exactly the right attitude for the chorus slam dunk chords. Carl's monster drum break leads us back into the out- choruses.
WISHING
As previously mentioned,this was written,by me,during my hiatus from the band. I wasn't that keen on it being included,but Kalodner was---he heard a hit.It was one of the handful of songs I've written on guitar ,but it really is so simple,it could have been written on a kazoo. Having said that,simplicity isn't the be all and end all,it's what one does with it,and harmonically the B section of the song is a very tasty sequence which leads right back into the verse again--a very satisfying,balanced result. The entire population of the studio (including second engineers,road crew) emptied into the studio for the "Herberts' Chorus" in the coda over the same verse chords.
ROCK and ROLL DREAM and LOVE NOW TILL ETERNITY
As Geoff and I were plotting my return to Asia,he played me two ideas which,to my mind,verged on the 'musical'.By that I mean a 'Musical'---a show with consecutive,relevant songs that make up a whole evening's extravaganza in story form. I found this a mouth-watering prospect,so started to think the lyrics into a storyboard,or screenplay. You might notice that the lyrics to both of these pieces tell a story not dissimilar to what had just happened to Asia itself. The idea of a musical was probably a bit ambitious considering my deluded physical and mental state at the time ,but the ambition took us to Geoff's old cohort Louis Clark,who did a fabulous job on the orchestration. if the album had been the 'hit' we had hoped,we would have had the money, credibility,to pick up the strings later for an opera.
All of these following are true Wetton/Downes collaborations ( with the single exception Too Late,which has an added Palmer contribution,but my point is that none of these were conceptualized before our collaboration by either Wetton or Downes, so you can see how the material dynamic changes when we write together.
GO
The intro and bridge to this some will recognize as a sequence(and guitar tune) from 'The Sinking of the Enterprise' from Monkey Business. The main fanfare/riff is by Downes,and the lyrics are by both of us,in a stream-of-consciousness sequence. It's a direct and to the point song . a single word,single syllable title piece of positive thought that was the result of us stopping what we were doing in the writing of this album, and taking some time to ask questions. When we write,we tend towards ballads,so we looked at each other,and decided to fill the gap in our program with a dose of simplicity that came directly and jointly from the two of us. it still forms a great rocking opener (or encore) for iCon),as everyone thinks they know that riff,even if they don't! It's the nearest thing we'd done then to a 'rap'.
TOO LATE
Rocky,down to earth,four chords,two words,great drums from Carl,and a FRIGGIN' WICKED guitar solo.Looking back it was very 'Foreigner' in construction,probably not conscious on our part,but remember the year,and it was hard to ignore Mssrs. Jones and Gramm every time you turned on the radio. This track performed very well at FM radio for us,and would have been a great second or third single,if the record company had done what they had done with the first two albums.
HARD on ME
An afterthought, 'Hard on Me' was a song that Geoff and I already had, originally called "Trick of the Light'. "American kids won't understand that title,I want sex in there," said John Kalodner.
"Hard on Me" quipped Wetton. It was difficult to refute that every 'kid' knew what that was.
It's not a great song,and probably the only piece on this collection that lacks conviction and direction. Normally,our last-minute contributions were spectacular (Heat of the Moment,Don't Cry),but I'll take full responsibility to not being 'of this world' at the end of this record.
The flanged bass introduces one of the highlights of the record for me. Great sounds,well-played,crafted material,and imaginative production.
The chord sequence for the solo is vintage Downes,in that it just keeps taking the listener round the block until before you know it,you're in the vocal bridge
------I mean this as a positive---it's just a great song that wouldn't be out of place on an Eagles record.
These last two songs have the same subject matter,and IMHO are the best on the record.
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO
about a desolate post nuclear situation. Very much indicative of the way that we co-write really well,the monolithic verse hovers around Eminor before the dramatic change to Amajor for the chorus.
AFTER THE WAR
This all started with the piano intro,which I had doodled on the 'Magic Piano' in Shepherd's Bush where we had written Heat of the Moment,Sole Survivor,Only Time Will Tell, et al.
I also had the chorus,and the title,but the rest we created together. Geoff's ascending keyboard sequence after the initial piano intro is magnificent.It's all harmonically related,in that all the sequences' tunes can be played over any of the others----roughly,it's Dminor/Bb/C/A,and they are all interchangeable. I love the lyric,even if I say so myself-and it hasn't dated---everyone's playing --Carl,Mandy,Geoff-is exemplary,and sonically it is absolutely brilliant.It sums up for me what Astra is all about. Now if you want to know the story about how the explosions were created,it's fascinating,but maybe someone else can tell you that one at another time.................
《送料無料》エイジア／アストラ（初回生産限定盤／SHM-CD）(CD)
The general background to the recording of "Astra' is that my well-documented alcoholism at this time was raging,and many days I would be too intoxicated to make any sense at all after mid-afternoon.I was legally medicated to lessen my dependence on alcohol,but all this served to do was to give the insane monster an insatiable appetite. I now know that abstinence is the only solution to addiction---any mood-altering substance just adds fuel to the unquenchable fire.The My deepest thanks to Geoff Downes and Mike Stone for their love,patience and dedication. Many would have just thrown in the towel as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I don't exclude Carl from this,I thank him equally,but he had to endure slightly less of the daily nightmare. Geoff's keyboards and production throughout this album are superb,and Mike Stone,God bless him, was at the top of his game.
VOICE of AMERICA
This was one I had written during the time I had been out of the band. In the weeks after my expulsion from ASIA I wrote "Let Me Go", "Voice of America",and "Wishing".
Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records was ready to sign me as a solo artist on those three songs,plus what I had to offer (revenge). Geffen (who had me under contract)could not/would not suffer the humiliation of a rival label having a runaway hit (which undoubtedly would have happened,given the huge wave of public,and industry, empathy with me at the time.Aside from that,it was my toy (ASIA) that had been taken away from me,and I wanted it back."Let Me Go" was written about the record company/management desire to keep me to my contract,despite having publicly humiliated me with redundancy,and tales of drunkenness and incompetence. Hence the opening lines of 'Let me Go'---'Stone cold sober/So glad it's over/Don't stay to bore me/End of story/I'm on my feet again/There's no deceit again,retreat again/The song I sing's a simple one/Leave me alone...."
However, "Voice of America' had been touched on during 'Alpha",but not completed.I made a demo with Simon Kirke and Mike Moran,which is pretty much the same arrangement as the finished article on 'Astra".It was,as has already been stated, a tribute to Brian Wilson,and the sound that changed my life forever,and the mid 8 vocal harmonies are a homage to Brian's Beach Boys vocal arrangements. In retrospect,I wish we had made more of that section,taking the dynamic down further with just vocal blocks and Hammond bass pedal,before it gradually built to the crescendo(which is itself a pastiche of the vocal chord,Eb/f, that occupies the same position in Good Vibrations),back into chorus, then Mandy has a ball with the solo,and I must say,his Les Paul has exactly the right attitude for the chorus slam dunk chords. Carl's monster drum break leads us back into the out- choruses.
WISHING
As previously mentioned,this was written,by me,during my hiatus from the band. I wasn't that keen on it being included,but Kalodner was---he heard a hit.It was one of the handful of songs I've written on guitar ,but it really is so simple,it could have been written on a kazoo. Having said that,simplicity isn't the be all and end all,it's what one does with it,and harmonically the B section of the song is a very tasty sequence which leads right back into the verse again--a very satisfying,balanced result. The entire population of the studio (including second engineers,road crew) emptied into the studio for the "Herberts' Chorus" in the coda over the same verse chords.
ROCK and ROLL DREAM and LOVE NOW TILL ETERNITY
As Geoff and I were plotting my return to Asia,he played me two ideas which,to my mind,verged on the 'musical'.By that I mean a 'Musical'---a show with consecutive,relevant songs that make up a whole evening's extravaganza in story form. I found this a mouth-watering prospect,so started to think the lyrics into a storyboard,or screenplay. You might notice that the lyrics to both of these pieces tell a story not dissimilar to what had just happened to Asia itself. The idea of a musical was probably a bit ambitious considering my deluded physical and mental state at the time ,but the ambition took us to Geoff's old cohort Louis Clark,who did a fabulous job on the orchestration. if the album had been the 'hit' we had hoped,we would have had the money, credibility,to pick up the strings later for an opera.
All of these following are true Wetton/Downes collaborations ( with the single exception Too Late,which has an added Palmer contribution,but my point is that none of these were conceptualized before our collaboration by either Wetton or Downes, so you can see how the material dynamic changes when we write together.
GO
The intro and bridge to this some will recognize as a sequence(and guitar tune) from 'The Sinking of the Enterprise' from Monkey Business. The main fanfare/riff is by Downes,and the lyrics are by both of us,in a stream-of-consciousness sequence. It's a direct and to the point song . a single word,single syllable title piece of positive thought that was the result of us stopping what we were doing in the writing of this album, and taking some time to ask questions. When we write,we tend towards ballads,so we looked at each other,and decided to fill the gap in our program with a dose of simplicity that came directly and jointly from the two of us. it still forms a great rocking opener (or encore) for iCon),as everyone thinks they know that riff,even if they don't! It's the nearest thing we'd done then to a 'rap'.
TOO LATE
Rocky,down to earth,four chords,two words,great drums from Carl,and a FRIGGIN' WICKED guitar solo.Looking back it was very 'Foreigner' in construction,probably not conscious on our part,but remember the year,and it was hard to ignore Mssrs. Jones and Gramm every time you turned on the radio. This track performed very well at FM radio for us,and would have been a great second or third single,if the record company had done what they had done with the first two albums.
HARD on ME
An afterthought, 'Hard on Me' was a song that Geoff and I already had, originally called "Trick of the Light'. "American kids won't understand that title,I want sex in there," said John Kalodner.
"Hard on Me" quipped Wetton. It was difficult to refute that every 'kid' knew what that was.
It's not a great song,and probably the only piece on this collection that lacks conviction and direction. Normally,our last-minute contributions were spectacular (Heat of the Moment,Don't Cry),but I'll take full responsibility to not being 'of this world' at the end of this record.
The flanged bass introduces one of the highlights of the record for me. Great sounds,well-played,crafted material,and imaginative production.
The chord sequence for the solo is vintage Downes,in that it just keeps taking the listener round the block until before you know it,you're in the vocal bridge
------I mean this as a positive---it's just a great song that wouldn't be out of place on an Eagles record.
These last two songs have the same subject matter,and IMHO are the best on the record.
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO
about a desolate post nuclear situation. Very much indicative of the way that we co-write really well,the monolithic verse hovers around Eminor before the dramatic change to Amajor for the chorus.
AFTER THE WAR
This all started with the piano intro,which I had doodled on the 'Magic Piano' in Shepherd's Bush where we had written Heat of the Moment,Sole Survivor,Only Time Will Tell, et al.
I also had the chorus,and the title,but the rest we created together. Geoff's ascending keyboard sequence after the initial piano intro is magnificent.It's all harmonically related,in that all the sequences' tunes can be played over any of the others----roughly,it's Dminor/Bb/C/A,and they are all interchangeable. I love the lyric,even if I say so myself-and it hasn't dated---everyone's playing --Carl,Mandy,Geoff-is exemplary,and sonically it is absolutely brilliant.It sums up for me what Astra is all about. Now if you want to know the story about how the explosions were created,it's fascinating,but maybe someone else can tell you that one at another time.................
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