Tag Archives: Geoff Downes

ASIA – ‘Live in England’, release in new year

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Well, this comes out in the new year, and I am excited to hear this! Saw the band when they played in Niagara Falls last year, and thought they sounded great. *Check out my interview with Harry Whitley from the beginning of his time with the band. Here is the press release, new video, artwork, track-listing, etc….

Today, legendary English rock supergroup ASIA are thrilled to announce their upcoming live album, ‘Asia – Live In England,’ due out on March 13, 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. To celebrate the announcement, the band unveils the live version of their hit song “Heat Of The Moment,” alongside an official live video, available to view below.

Geoff Downes comments: “’Heat Of The Moment’ has an interesting story behind it. It was actually the final track John and I wrote for the ASIA album, and it ended up being the opening track and lead-off single. We threw it together in one afternoon. I had the verse, John had the chorus, although this was a guitar picking country-style piece in 3/4 time. We straightened it all out and bingo, there it was!”

He continues, “A couple of days later we wrote the middle 8 section, rehearsed it in the studio and recorded it straight down with band. Ironically, it still remains our most famous track to this day. Without it, I doubt the album would have been as big as it was, so I am very grateful to have been a part of the creation of HOTM. It’s still a really fun track to play live, and I hope it will bring back memories, and give pleasure to the listeners and fans all over the world for many years to come.”

Harry Whitley adds: “Playing ‘Heat Of The Moment’ live is always such an incredible experience, it’s always electrifying and this recording was no different – it was such an exciting night and a thrill to revisit all of ASIA’s catalog over the three nights. We’re really looking forward to fans hearing this whole live album and the others to follow…”

“This song carries decades of history – every note, every moment – and we hope listeners feel the same passion we pour into it night after night,” Virgil Donati states.

John Mitchell also expresses his love for this track: “’Heat Of The Moment’ is a very dear song close to my heart. Having performed it a vast number of times over the years both previously with the John Wetton solo band and with John and Geoff in Icon, from the quiet introspective acoustic version at The Borderline to the full band amped up version in front of 12000 strong in St Petersburg, it is both an uplifting anthem and a quiet tonic for the soul which never fails to bring warmth to the many.”

ASIA are back and roaring in their new, exhilarating line-up! Recorded live on the first of three unforgettable nights at Trading Boundaries in Sussex in April 2025, this release captures the band performing their iconic 1982 debut album ‘ASIA’ in full, along with a selection of their greatest hits.
Featuring Geoff Downes (keys), Virgil Donati (drums – ex-Planet X), John Mitchell (guitars – Arena, It Bites etc.) and the astonishing Harry Whitley (on bass and vocals), this fresh incarnation of ASIA brings both reverence for the classics and a thrilling new energy to the stage. The setlist includes fan favorites like “Heat Of The Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” “Sole Survivor,” “One Step Closer” and “Time Again,” alongside video-era and bonus tracks such as “Ride Easy,” “Video Killed The Radio Star,” “The Heat Goes On” and “Daylight” (video exclusive).
Geoff Downes shares: “Revisiting the entire first ASIA album brought all the great memories flooding back from 43 years ago. In the studio with John, Steve, Carl and, of course, the great Mike Stone at the production helm. I think at the time we knew we’d made a good album but could not have predicted the enormous success that followed, that made the band a household name across the world, and particularly in America. That said, it was a result of much hard work and effort from everyone involved. So, when I had the opportunity to put together the live album with the current and fantastic line-up of ASIA and in collaboration with Frontiers Music, it was really a no-brainer.”
“I was reminded of what a collection of great songs and performances made up the album – variety and musical dynamics to the fore. When we recorded it again earlier this year, I was drawn to some of the less featured tracks and realized how much they played an important part of overall album, in addition of course to the signature tracks such as ‘Heat Of The Moment,’ ‘Only Time Will Tell’ etc.”, he continued. “We did this for you, the fans, and hope you really enjoy hearing these songs in the live setting performed in their entirety once again and enjoy it as much as we did creating and performing it”.

TRACKLIST:

1. Heat Of The Moment

2. Only Time Will Tell

3. Sole Survivor

4. One Step Closer

5. Time Again

6. Wildest Dreams

7. Without You

8. Cutting It Fine

9. Here Comes The Feeling

10. Ride Easy (Bonus track)

11. Video Killed The Radio Star (Bonus track)

12. The Heat Goes On (Bonus track)

With ASIA’s legacy spanning over 40 years – from multi-million selling albums like ‘ASIA,’ ‘Alpha,’ and ‘Astra’ to defining the sound of the MTV era – this new line-up proves that the Year of the Dragon is bringing the legendary songs to life for a whole new generation of fans.

This is just the first of three live releases from Trading Boundaries, each capturing a full classic album from their initial trilogy in concert in audio and video. Experience the magic of ASIA, live, where past and present collide in a spectacular display of musicianship and passion.

LINKS:

http://www.originalasia.com

https://www.facebook.com/asiatheband/

https://www.instagram.com/asiatheband/?hl=en

The return of ASIA, with new album next year

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What grew from the John Wetton memorial concert in 2023 to last year’s North American tour, now sees Geoff Downes’ new line-up of ASIA signing to Frontiers, with a new album expected next year. I saw the band last year, and really liked it. New singer/bass player Harry Whitley is a great choice to front the band, he has a voice not far off from John Wetton’s, and he is young, enthusiastic, and sincere in performing the band’s classics; so a new album (despite no Carl Palmer or Steve Howe) sounds fine by me! Check out the press info and links below. Hopefully someone recorded one of last year’s shows for live release (but, who knows!?)

Scruffy Bear Media

Frontiers Music Srl proudly announces the signing of legendary English rock supergroup ASIA, for an exciting new chapter in their celebrated history.

2024 was the Year of the Dragon – and with it came a powerful rebirth: a new ASIA lineup featuring founding member, keyboardist Geoffrey Downes, acclaimed drummer Virgil Donati, virtuoso guitarist John Mitchell, and stunning vocal newcomer and bassist Harry Whitley. This new chapter promises to reignite the band’s iconic spirit, stepping into a promising new creative era.

Founder member, songwriter, producer, and keyboardist Geoff Downes expressed his excitement for the signing:

“ASIA is thrilled to have recently signed a new deal with Frontiers Music Srl. Having been loyally supported by the label throughout the ASIA reunion period from 2005-2015, we are now entering an exciting new chapter in the band’s 45-year history with a sequence of live albums, DVDs & a brand new studio album scheduled for a 2026 release. It’s very much a homecoming for the band, and so we are greatly looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with them in the future. Watch this space!”

Mario de Riso, A&R and Business Affairs VP of Frontiers, commented:

“So proud and excited for the label to be able to bring back this iconic band. There was certainly unfinished business to deal with and, thanks to this fabulous new line-up, new music from ASIA can now come to fruition. It will be a blast!”

In the Summer of 2023, Geoff Downes spearheaded a memorial concert to remember and celebrate the life of his late, much-loved friend and ASIA co-founder member, the great John Wetton. At the concert, he invited rock ‘n roll veteran John Mitchell, who had played with both Wetton and Downes in Icon and in Wetton’s own band, to join him on stage, taking on lead guitar duties. The duo was joined by newcomer Harry Whitley, whom Downes had discovered and whose vocal talents so closely resembled those of Wetton’s, it was nothing short of spine-tingling. 

In 1982, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, and Steve Howe became the founding fathers of supergroup ASIA, responsible for a string of multi-million-selling albums and chart-topping hits across the globe. ASIA’s self-titled 1982 debut album was the biggest-selling album in the world that year. The band dominated the airwaves and for many, “Heat Of The Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” and “Sole Survivor,” amongst others, were the soundtrack to their youth.

Another multi-million seller, “Alpha” followed in 1983, and in 1986 “Astra” completed the trio of MTV era hits. Greg Lake briefly joined the band for a Japanese tour, where ASIA’s show from the fabled Budokan was the first intercontinental simulcast.

In 2006, the founding members reformed ASIA and released several new albums before John Wetton’s untimely passing in 2017. Since John’s passing, Geoff and Carl have toured with Sam Coulson, Billy Sherwood, Ron Bumblefoot Thal, and Steve Howe guesting.

Busy touring the globe, Carl Palmer is now immersed in a project very dear to his heart, the ‘Return Of Emerson Lake & Palmer’, while the legendary Steve Howe remains at the helm of progressive rock legends, Yes. So, Geoff made the decision to take a fresh, new-looking ASIA back out on the road, recruiting Mitchell and Whitley as new members and bringing in the drumming excellence of the incomparable Virgil Donati, who had played with Wetton in the UK.

ASIA has entertained and delighted a multitude of audiences over the last forty years. Some of the world’s greatest musicians have taken up the ASIA baton during that time. However, Geoff Downes believes that the time is right to bring a fresh, new-looking ASIA out into the light.

The Year of the Dragon foretells good fortune, abundance, and prosperity. The Dragon blessed 1982, the year ASIA was first unleashed into the world, and now the journey has come full circle. Time for the dragon to take flight once more.

LINKS:

Home

https://www.facebook.com/asiatheband/

https://www.instagram.com/asiatheband/?hl=en

https://www.harrywhitley.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/frontiersmusicsrl

https://johnmitchellq.com

http://www.virgildonati.com

HARRY WHITLEY – ASIA’s new singer to begin on band’s North American tour

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British band ASIA is set to your North America along with other legends like FOCUS, Martin Turner (ex WISHBONE ASH), and CURVED AIR. A pretty cool collection of progressive rock with ASIA being the headliners of the Heat Of The Moment Tour. Legendary album artist ROGER DEAN will also be a guest on the tour! For ASIA fans it will be a chance to see the latest incarnation of the band put together by keyboardist Geoff Downes (who also plays in YES). ASIA also includes guitarist John Mitchell, drummer Virgil Donati, and a brand-new voice in Harry Whitley. Whitley is pretty unknown, but if you check out his YouTube channel you can see Whitley is a multi-instrumentalist, and a fine singer, who has some vocal qualities and similarities to the late great John Wetton. At just 29, Whitley wasn’t born when ASIA was huge, but has become a fan, the new singer, and this tour will be Harry’s first tour of North America, and 2nd time here since a holiday as a kid. I recently spoke with Harry about what lead up to him joining ASIA and the upcoming tour. Below are exerts from our conversation on the tour, his favorite ASIA cuts, and more. We did chat a bit more with Harry noting his recent discovery and liking of Canadian band Loverboy! 🙂 Look for the Heat Of The Moment Tour in the US & Canada throughout July….

Prior to ASIA – “So basically, I’m sort of the unknown entity to all of us. I sort of, I came from nowhere, really. I played in sort of local bands.
I was a keyboard player in a Deep Purple tribute band for a while, and yeah – all that sort of stuff. And then when COVID struck, I started just uploading videos to YouTube, and then, you know, Geoff saw one of the videos and sent me an email, and that was it, really. And that’s sort of how it all came about.”

Being invited to perform at the John Wetton memorial concert last year – “Yeah, so it was organized, obviously, as a John Wetton tribute show . And when the invite came initially, I wasn’t entirely sure what they wanted me to do. They just said, you’re invited to come and perform at this event. You know, we’d love you to come and do it, no pressure.”

Recalling the show – “And it turned into, basically, a sort of short-ish Asia set. So we played a few of the hits – Heat Of The Moment obviously, and a couple more obscure ones as well. And from there, I think the seed was planted in Geoff’s mind, really… about what the future of Asia might be.” Whitley also performed “All along The Watchtower”, along with Steve Hackett – who’d performed the song many times with John Wetton.

Looking at the opportunity Whitley is excited – “It’s an honor you know; great privilege to be able to do it and there’s huge shoes to fill, you know – with John Wetton. So, I’m really thankful that Geoff, you know, and the management and Lisa Wetton and everybody that had the confidence in me to take over the role, and you know, take Asia back out on the road.“

On fellow ASIA newcomers Virgil Donati & John Mitchell – “I play a bit of drums as well, so I sort of knew Virgil as this sort of ‘force of nature’, You know, incredible sort of technical drummer…I can never really work out what Virgil’s doing. So that’s going to be crazy to play with Virgil; it’s like I say – he’s just a force of nature!

I was aware of John Mitchell before, and obviously he played it in the John Wetton band. And I knew his work from Frost and some of the It Bites’ stuff, but, you know, John Mitchell’s in like 37 thousand bands!… So, you know, there’s no shortage of John Mitchell. But, me and John Mitchell really sort of struck up a friendship at the at the John Wetton tribute concert. So, yeah, it’s good that John’s in on this as well, because I think we’re a good team.”

Introduction to the music of ASIA – “As far as listening was concerned, I had classical piano lessons from about the age of five, because that’s sort of my main thing is I’m a piano player really.
And my piano teacher – Tim, was sort of introducing me to bands, you know, as all good teachers do, to try and sort of steer your taste to being, what might actually be beneficial for you to listen to. And he sort of worked through all sorts of different bands. He’s like, ‘oh, you might like Emerson Lake and Palmer, you might like Genesis, you know, here’s all of these different people. And then he said, ‘oh I think you’ll like Asia’. And I remember hearing, I think it was ‘The Heat Goes On’… And it was just great. It was just the sort of perfect blend of everything I loved about Prog and everything I love of that rock like Toto, Journey AOR type of thing. It was just a perfect blend.”

Favorite ASIA album – “I think my favorite Asia album is probably the 30th anniversary, the triple X album. That was the first album that I sort of got into of my own accord, you know, I was aware of them when that album came. That was the one, I was like ‘Yeah, this is great!'”

The whole ASIA catalogue – “I’ve sort of made my way through the whole catalog….The whole Asia canon is great. But, I do have a real soft stuff for the sort of John Wetton thing. I think John and Geoff, when they were together writing, they had something really, really special…
It’s sort of un-matched, really. And it’s everything that I love.
I love those chord progressions. I love that sort of hymnal, big sort of block chords and block harmonies. very sort of churchy hymnal stuff. Very, very British as well.”

The band’s set-list for the Heat Of The Moment Tour – “You know, there’s a little bit of everything. There’s a few surprises in there. I think people are going to like the set-list. …You know, we’re leaning into the first two albums. But there is some reunion stuff in there as well, there’s stuff off ‘Astra.'”

Favorite ASIA ‘deep’ cuts – “But some stuff of the reunion stuff. I love ‘Bury Me In Willow’ – that’s a lovely song. ‘There Was A Time’,, I Love that! And then going back to sort of the earlier things I love ‘Cutting It Fine’, and ‘Eye To Eye’. Eye to Eye is one of my big favorites – I love that song!”

*Check out more from Harry Whitley at his YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@Harrymusicmusings

http://www.originalasia.com

https://www.facebook.com/asiatheband

YES announce Classic Tales Of Yes Tour, plus new edition of ‘Mirror To The Sky’

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Photo by Gottlieb Bros

YES released their latest studio album ‘Mirror To The Sky’ in May 2023, and following an acclaimed US tour late last year, the band will return to the UK & Europe for ‘The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024’. To coincide with this, they have launched a brand-new video for an edited version of the album’s epic title track, and you can watch that now here:

A new Limited 2 CD+Blu-ray Digipak edition of the album will also be released on the 5th April. This edition features the full album, plus the blu-ray including Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & Instrumental Mixes of the album and is available to pre-order here: https://yes-band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky‘

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024’ will include many iconic tracks from the YES back-catalogue covering fifty-plus years. The tour will also include a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ as well as music from their current album ‘Mirror To The Sky’. “We’re all excited to be bringing our show home to Europe and the UK!” says Steve Howe, “We’ve selected a new playlist of Yes music but with some firm favourites in there too, of course! To keep our performances fresh, we ‘now’ carry our own lights, so we can present a consistent show each night, designed for us by William Succuso …….. Looking forward to seeing you out there!”

“We are very much looking forward to the 2024 European leg of our YES Classic Tales Tour. Having recently completed the US, we are now really excited to bring that out to all our fans in the UK and Europe. It promises to be one of our most interesting sets to date, scanning through much of YES’s history and with some previously unheard pieces as well as music from our latest album, ‘Mirror To The Sky’. Bring it on and see you all out there!” Best, Geoff Downes.

YES – release video for ‘Circles of Time’ from new album

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YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, have released their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music this week. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

To celebrate, the band are pleased to launch a video for the albums closing track ‘Circles of Time’

Mirror To The Sky is available now on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:

Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster

Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Ltd 2CD Digipak

Standard CD Jewel case

Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet

Digital Album

The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Mirror To The Sky can be ordered – order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

YES ONLINE:

http://www.yesworld.com 

http://www.facebook.com/yestheband 

http://www.twitter.com/yesofficial 

http://www.youtube.com/user/yesofficial 

http://www.instagram.com/yesofficial 

http://www.soundcloud.com/yesofficial  

ASIA : Reunion album ‘Phoenix’ to get issued on vinyl!

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Phoenix was the first of 3 studio albums from the reunited original line-up of ASIA. Released in 2008, following up the Fantasia (Live In Tokyo) release. At the time I thought Phoenix was a good album, and over time I’ve come to really appreciate those 3 albums (along with Omega and XXX), all made for a great set of follow ups to the band’s first 2 from 1982 and ’83. Standout tracks and favorites would be the opener “Never Again”, “An Extraordinary Life” – both of which would’ve been huge hit singles decades earlier, as well as “Alibis”, and ” Parallel Worlds / Vortex / Déyà”. Phoenix never came out on vinyl when originally released, so this will be a welcome addition to many Asia fans’ collections. *Check out the press release and links below…


ASIA are a multi-platinum selling, English Rock band who formed in 1981 and celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 2021. ASIA announce the release of Phoenix for the first time as a 2 vinyl LP set on 26th May.    Phoenix was originally released in 2008 and was their first studio album with the original line-up in a quarter century.   

In terms of sound this emotional, compelling comeback album sees Asia continue the very high standards from where they left off in 1985, as ever displaying suppleness when stretching out into multi-part suites while retaining a knack for big, arena pop hooks.

Their 1982 self-titled debut album reached number one in several countries, including 9 weeks topping the US charts, with lead single ‘Heat Of The Moment’ making the top 40 in over a dozen, including US #4.

This is the second of four critically acclaimed ‘reunion’ releases (2007-2012) featuring vocalist John Wetton ex of King Crimson, guitarist Steve Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes from Yes and drummer Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

The sleeve comprise unique artwork by world famous rock music artist Roger Dean.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Never Again

2. Nothing’s Forever

3. Heroine



Side B

1. Sleeping Giant / No Way Back / Reprise

2. Alibis

3. I Will Remember You

Side C           

1. Shadow Of A Doubt

2. Parallel Worlds / Vortex / Déyà

3. Wish I’d Known All Along


Side D           

1. Orchard Of Mines

2. Over And Over

3. An Extraordinary Life

Buy here: https://Asia.lnk.to/PhoenixPR

LINKS:

http://www.originalasia.com

https://www.facebook.com/asiatheband

YES release new single from Mirror To The Sky

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YES are set to release their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the May 19th. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.”  For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

Jon Davison comments: “I, along with my Yes band mates are excited to announce that the second single from our new album, Mirror to the Sky is out now. It’s entitled, ‘All Connected’, and it’s a longer piece, clocking in at a challenging 9 minutes. Steve added a beautifully poignant instrumental steel part which starts the journey. This section emotionally builds and crescendos into a glorious lead way for the vocals to begin telling their story. Billy composed complex and compelling musical themes which I helped to arrange, and we both composed vocals and lyrics, each of us singing our respective parts, making for a rich vocal tapestry.”

Billy Sherwood adds: “The initial idea came from a musical sketch I’d created using the idea of our “connectivity” in regards to communications in the modern age. It’s very exciting to know YES are maintaining that edge and energy we all know and love, this track is firing on all cylinders. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.”

Mirror To The Sky will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:

Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster

Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Ltd 2CD Digipak

Standard CD Jewel case

Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet

Digital Album

The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

YES are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen.

You can also watch the previously released video for “Cut From The Stars” here: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc

Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

Tracklisting:

CD1:

1. Cut From The Stars 05:27

2. All Connected 09:02

3. Luminosity 09:04

4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45

5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53

6. Circles of Time 04:59

CD2:

1. Unknown Place 08:15

2. One Second Is Enough 04:04

3. Magic Potion 04:08

Links:

http://www.yesworld.com 

http://www.facebook.com/yestheband 

http://www.twitter.com/yesofficial 

http://www.youtube.com/user/yesofficial 

http://www.instagram.com/yesofficial 

http://www.soundcloud.com/yesofficial  

http://www.insideoutmusic.com

http://www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

JOHN WETTON – a new book: An Extraordinary Life

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There is a new book on the legendary John Wetton coming soon! Titled “An Extraordinary Life”, the book features stories from numerous friends, family, former bandmates, colleagues… Wetton’s career included such bands as King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK, Wishbone Ash, and Asia, where he had his biggest commercial success. He also released numerous solo albums, and collaborations with Geoff Downes (Icon).

The sign-up is now open for people to be a part of this much anticipated book created with John’s family and management. Some seventy-plus people who knew and worked with John, from his school days through Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Roxy Music, U.K., Asia, the John Wetton solo band and beyond, pay witness and tribute to his life and work. Among those quoted along with his family are Steve Howe, Phil Manzanera, Bill Bruford, Robert Fripp, Carl Palmer, Rick Wakeman, Dave Kilminster, Geoff Downes and many, many more.

Among the stories of friendship, music and sometimes craziness are reflections on what made John Wetton such an unforgettable musician and prog rock legend.

Along with stories of John’s musical success are those from friends and family who do not steer clear of his problems, but rather explain the why, the how, and eventual triumph over them in honest and touching recollections. Along with the stories are personal and classic photos of John at work and play in two extensive photo sections of An Extraordinary Life.

“He had a love for fast cars, fine food, coffee, the Rams (that’s Derby County for non-football followers), films, books, crosswords, current affairs, sport, languages, classical music – anything that would stimulate his mind that he could use to great effect in his music and lyrics.” Geoff Downes.

*Signing up for news and special offers at http://www.johnwettonbook.com will ensure a special discount when preorder begins, allow people to have a name printed in the book and be a part of this unique project.

http://www.johnwettonbook.com

YES to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Close To The Edge.

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Progressive pioneers YES have announced a change to their forthcoming The Album Series Tour 2022 as they will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their iconic album Close to the Edge. This tour, twice rescheduled due to the Covid pandemic was intended to showcase YES’s 1974 classic Relayer album but will now feature Close to the Edge, performed in full, along with other classic tracks from YES’s extensive catalogue.  An announcement regarding the European dates will be made shortly.
The tour line-up features Steve Howe (guitars), Alan White (drums), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals) with additional drums and percussion by Jay Schellen. All tour dates are as previously announced and all tickets remain valid. A full performance of the Relayer album will now be featured in a future tour in The Album Series.The show will comprise full production and a high-definition video wall directed by Roger Dean who will also be joining the tour with an exhibition of YES related art.
Following the release of The Yes Album and Fragile, in 1971, YES released what is widely considered one of the most defining albums, not only for YES but for the whole progressive movement. Close to the Edge became an inspiration for their contemporaries and for successive generations of musicians.
“We reached a real high, doing ‘Close to the Edge’,” said Steve Howe. “We valued the musicianship, the artistic ideas and the vocalising that people bring and that’s why we’re still doing it, because it’s exciting to do! ‘Close to the Edge’ was voted the most-proggy album possibly ever made. It was very experimental. We had already done 10-minute epics but with ‘Close to the Edge’ we just took it a stage further and I’m very pleased we were brave enough to do that.”

YES 2022 UK Tour Dates Are:
June 2022 
15th June       Wednesday   Glasgow        Royal Concert Hall17th June       Friday             Manchester   Bridgewater Hall18th June       Saturday        Nottingham   Royal Concert Hall20th June       Monday          Liverpool        Philharmonic Hall21st June        Tuesday         London           Royal Albert Hall22nd June       Thursday       York                Barbican
24th June       Friday             Birmingham   Symphony Hall
26th June       Sunday          Newcastle      O2 City Hall
28th June       Tuesday         Dublin Eire    Vicar Street
29th June       Wednesday   Cork Eire       Opera House
Tickets remain valid for the rescheduled shows. For full details and to book tickets for all shows go to venue website or http://yesworld.com/live where you can also book Meet and Greets with the band. 

About YES
Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)
Alan White: drums, percussion (1972 – present)
Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)
Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)
Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)

Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125.  In 2021 YES released their 22nd Studio album, The Quest, produced by Steve Howe, which went to No.1 in the UK rock chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No.20. 
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YES – The Quest

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The 2nd YES album to featured Jon Davison on vocals. I never did give it’s predecessor much of a chance [but have picked it up while enjoying this new one]. The 2nd video released “Future Memories” I really liked right away, and that got my interest. It is still the stand out song here, for me, a classic Yes ballad, and if the band ends tomorrow Jon Davison will have left an amazing mark with this one. Lead off track / video “The Ice Bridge” is a strong track as well, love Geoff Downes bright keyboards throughout this number, with the intro briefly reminiscent of ELP, and elsewhere this song reminds me a bit of Saga, and love Steve Howe’s riff and solo. Davison and Billy Sherwood co-write and share vocals on the upbeat “The Western Edge”. Though much of this album is near ballads or acoustic numbers, it is a pretty uplifting set of songs, as The Quest according to guitarist and producer Steve Howe – “The Quest is a strong album with a common theme: posing the great questions of life and finding that we have our destiny within our own hands.” The band also pays tribute to The Beatles in the track “Mystery Tour”. YES also pays homage to their won past according to Geoff Downes – “There’s a lot of retro sounds, reminiscent of some of the early Yes recordings. I was really a big fan of Tony Kaye, his style of Hammond playing, and even going back to the Drama album, the basic keyboard instruments – like the Hammond organ and acoustic piano – have really come out on this album..” The album also includes orchestra on a couple of tracks – Howe’s “Dare To Know” – “I wanted to augment what Yes does – To have something as beautiful as an orchestra was really appealing, and that was done remotely in Macedonia. Paul K. Joyce did the arranging for me.” The orchestra was also used on the Davison / Sherwood track “Minus The Man”. Howe’s “Leave Well Alone” is an epic Yes tune with a classy mix of vocals, and plenty of changes, and I’m pretty sure I hear a nod to “Starship Trooper” later on in.

As I’ve said previously, I never was a huge Yes fan, and post 90125 albums were hit and miss with me, but I did like The Ladder, and going back recently [upon hearing this] really liked Fly From Here, so I will put The Quest up there as my next favorite Yes album, despite being fairly laid-back, overall. There are a few songs that have jumped out at me, and there is lots to still get in to here. For all that’s been said of the line-up being without a few founding members, I am quite happy with this and look forward to more.

The Quest comes in various formats, colored vinyl, a box set… Beautifully packaged in Roger Dean artwork again.

https://yes-band.lnk.to/TheQuest?fbclid=IwAR0n1ojd5KpLGNPU-vwkJx1GlMlGeDF3jkxyr8LiGCpSs5Ob_0sAB9vyhyw

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KJ, 11/’21