When Yes launched Drama in 1980, it took some followers abruptly. Vocalist Jon Anderson and keyboard legend Rick Wakeman had been gone. In their place, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes of the Buggles stepped in on vocals and keyboards respectively.

As jarring because it might need been at the time, the Drama album turned out to be a fascinating hear and over time turned each a fan favourite and a cult traditional. It was additionally Horn and Downes’ solely album with that configuration of the group. In traditional Yes style, the lineup shifted once more although Horn would stay in a totally different capability as producer to assist craft the subsequent blockbuster 90125.

“I think it really started Yes into the direction they took in the ’80s,” Downes tells UCR. “Drama was really the paving stone for [90125] going forward.”

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As the seeds of 90125 had been taking form, nevertheless, Downes was off on his personal adventures. He teamed up with hisfellow Yes mate Steve Howe on guitar, Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Carl Palmer on drums and King Crimson / U.Ok. alum John Wetton on vocals to kind the pop/progressive hybrid Asia. Their self-titled 1982 debut broke loads of floor. Asia soared to No. 1 on Billboard’s album charts, spawning three hit singles together with “Heat of the Moment.” The album would ultimately promote greater than 10 million copies.

In the 4 many years since, Downes has been the continuous presence and guiding drive for Asia. The band has “always had a slightly amorphous feel about it,” he says. “There have been people in and out throughout the years.” In 2024, he has once more assembled a new lineup, anchored by vocalist Harry Whitley, who made his debut final 12 months performing the band’s songs with Downes at a tribute live performance for the late Wetton, who handed away in 2017.

This summer time’s Heat of the Moment Tour brings Asia again to the United States as a part of a multi-act invoice that additionally contains Focus, former Wishbone Ash lead singer Martin Turner and Curved Air. Downes checked in with UCR to debate the present trek and his previous historical past, together with that formative expertise with Yes.

I like the method this present Asia lineup got here collectively. It looks as if it was a very natural factor.
It began off actually as a tribute that we did for John Wetton final summer time. We received a lot enthusiasm round it – actually with Harry. You know he actually raised a lot of eyebrows. It actually got here collectively nicely and such as you say, it was a very natural formation. That’s what actually prompted me to say, “Well, a lot of people love Asia’s music. Let’s take it out.” The different acts on the invoice, Focus, you understand, they haven’t performed in America for 30 years. Martin Turner, previously of Wishbone Ash, so there’s a lot of the stuff from the early Wishbone Ash in the ’70s. And then you definitely’ve received Curved Air as nicely with Sonja Kristina. So there’s a good 20-odd-year span of music to absorb, simply for starters.

For followers that need to take a journey with progressive music, this tour lineup actually indulges that.
It does certainly. You know, on the floor, it doesn’t appear completely suitable as a result of Asia was not a lot of a progressive rock band per se – though all of us got here from big progressive rock bands like ELP, Yes and King Crimson. But it’s a good nod to the historical past of the earlier Asia members as nicely that had been all a part of that period. There’s a lot of hits between us, when you consider Asia, Focus, Wishbone Ash and Curved Air. It’s a actual feast of music.

Watch Asia Perform ‘Heat of the Moment’ on 2024 Tour

Roger Dean can be a part of the tour and his album artwork for Asia and Yes is known. What do you’re keen on about what Roger does?
I first met Roger after I was doing the Drama album [with Yes]. He did the cowl for the album and clearly, he’s synonymous with Yes from the very early days, beginning with Fragile. The iconic brand has stayed all through. When I left Yes and Trevor [Horn] went his personal method, I carried on working with Steve [Howe]. Chris [Squire] and Alan [White] had gone off to do one thing else. Steve had a lengthy relationship with Roger and stated, “You know, Roger’s the man who would get involved with Asia.” So once more, he got here up with the iconic triangular brand and the serpent on the entrance sleeve. He’s a incredible artist. I’ve gotten to know him very nicely over the years. The incontrovertible fact that he may really come out with us [is great]. He’s almost 80 years previous now, in order that he desires to nonetheless come out and do it and meet the followers and signal all of the albums that folks convey, it’s a actual good factor to do. He has his personal show in the lobby of most venues and it’s nice to have him alongside.

What was the means of working with Roger, when he was designing one thing?
I feel we’d give him a transient, however one factor about Roger is that he likes to take heed to the music. He likes to know what the titles are and what the lyrics are. He’s very a lot a hands-on man who doesn’t simply offer you a portray and say, “That’s it.” He actually desires to get infused in the music and the entire presentation. A variety of what he does, I feel, is basically attribute of the music that’s contained inside the album. He’s very, superb at greedy sure issues. John Wetton was actually good at giving him suggestions, as the major lyricist. So he’d give him concepts and Roger would come again with an thought. Often with Roger, his art work was very central. There’s at all times a central determine like the serpent on the first album, the eagle on Alpha, the robotic woman on Astra. He’s very, superb at doing that. One of the options of his art work is that it’s very hanging, the photos that he manages to get throughout. He’s nonetheless very related at the moment, you understand, for him to have been doing what he does and nonetheless be round, being inventive and breaking new limitations, it’s nice.

Take me again to the second once you received this present Asia lineup into a room for rehearsals.
I’d type of reached out to all of them individually prior, so that they had some thought of what we’re going to be coping with. The wonderful factor was, when everybody began taking part in, it simply sounded so alive. Harry is a lifeless ringer for John in some ways when it comes to his vocal supply and his basic presentation. He was a actual discover. To me, he’s a very, very proficient man, there’s no query about that. … It appeared like a very, very good method of paying tribute to John as a lot as anything. You know, the concept that we may put collectively this group of musicians that will actually do justice to Asia’s music. John’s at all times in my thoughts. Obviously, I had a incredible friendship and writing relationship with John. We broke down some partitions with our writing. It was at all times a very inspirational day spent writing with John. I cherish these recollections.

Watch Asia Perform ‘Only Time Will Tell’ on 2024 Tour

With all of the totally different evolution that Asia went by way of, it is a particular factor that ultimately you and John, Carl and Steve had been in a position to reunite.
The reunion interval was very rewarding for us. Prior to that, I don’t suppose we felt that we’d ever get again collectively once more with the unique lineup. It lasted a good seven or eight years and we did three or 4 albums in the interim. It was actually rewarding as a result of I feel all of us felt that we by no means actually gave it a lengthy sufficient shot. The unique lineup solely lasted a few years at the starting. It was good to return to that and revisit it. No one had any qualms. There had been no gremlins; there was no backbiting. Everyone simply stated, “This would be a great idea. Let’s give it a shot.” Those had been very joyful instances, to return collectively like that in 2006. We did some intensive touring and recording. I’ll at all times have fond recollections of that interval too.

It feels prefer it put a higher finish on that individual interval of Asia, in comparison with the way it wrapped up initially.
I feel it began one other chapter in the ebook. We felt the ebook was too skinny, so we added some extra chapters. It was a great point. Once Steve left in 2013, we’d coated a lot of floor. He was getting too busy with Yes at the time or didn’t really feel that he may [focus] his consideration to 2 utterly totally different initiatives. But you understand, we carried on. We did one other album, Gravitas, which was good and did a tour. The factor is, with Asia, it’s at all times had a barely amorphous really feel about it. There have been individuals out and in all through the years. But clearly, the unique lineup is one thing that I maintain very pricey. At the identical time, it’s clearly not going to be the identical, as a result of we don’t have John anymore. We can’t actually do something about that however I feel he would have needed me to hold on and exit and promote the songs and play to the followers. You know, Asia was crucial for a lot of individuals at the time. It was the greatest promoting album of 1982. We had an infinite following at the moment. A variety of the school college students had been actually into Asia. Obviously, everyone seems to be grown up now. There’s a entire new era of [fans, as well]. But actually from my standpoint, I feel it’s necessary that there’s some nice music there. It must be carried out.

You’ve talked about how the bulk of the Asia members had spent a lot of time engaged on progressive music and also you got here from extra of the pop aspect. But you’d carried out Drama with Yes. How did that develop you creatively as a musician?
Trevor and I had been each large Yes followers, in addition to Genesis. Even although our course had taken us to the pop space, we had been nonetheless large into Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis, King Crimson and all of these bands. We’d grown up on that stuff. Sometimes, we needed to make a residing and a lot of the residing that we did was by way of session work, backing bands and all of that type of factor. It was solely actually after we determined to go forward with the Buggles [that things changed], however we nonetheless had some progressive components in the Buggles. Even although it’s pop, it’s quirky pop. It’s not your common straight song-orientated stuff. We experimented with know-how a lot. I feel that’s one among the issues that after we received concerned with the identical administration as Yes, I feel Chris, Steve and Alan weren’t doing a lot at the time – or they had been simply rehearsing as a three-piece. Of course, Trevor being a singer and me being a keyboard participant, there was a house there. They requested us at some point, “Do you want to write a song for us?” We received into a rehearsal room with them and began engaged on a few bits and items. I feel “Machine Messiah” was the grounding factor we began.

We additionally had a track known as “I Am a Camera,” which was a Buggles track. They redeveloped that and it became “Into the Lens.” So we sort of morphed into Yes. I feel they actually appreciated having a couple of technological guys in there as a result of, you understand, they’ve carried out all of the large stuff. They’d carried out the 20-minute “Close to the Edge” [type of songs]. They’d carried out Tale From Topographic Oceans and all of those nice, incredible large songs, however they had been trying for one thing a bit extra updated, I feel. So, it was a large turning level for Yes at the moment, going from the ’70s into the ’80s. The Drama album is basically the pinnacle of that for them. We helped to inject some modernism. Certainly, a lot of the lyrical stuff of Yes, it’s fabulous nevertheless it was a lot of pastoral lyrics and stuff like that – whereas after we got here in, there have been crunchy sounds and I feel it actually began Yes into the course they took in the ’80s, actually when Trevor Rabin got here in and Trevor Horn produced 90125. I feel Drama was actually the paving stone for that going ahead.

Listen to Yes’ ‘Machine Messiah’

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