The 1982 release of "ASIA" was the first cassette album I purchased for my walkman (remember those?) back in the beginning throws of my teenager years. It opened a personal path for me to hear music that would become mine. 'Mine' in the sense that it wasn't the music my parents had me listen to, nor music others were into that I did not enjoy. The music of Asia provided me much needed solitude while riding my bicycle around the city bike paths and gave me a sense of freedom and escape from the stresses of youth. I connected with the music very quickly and found myself almost always selecting Asia as the band of listening choice when going on my rides.

Music is a very personal thing. I never find it worth while to spend time writing how I hate a band or their music. This being the first and only review I have written should lend some idea as to just how much I have enjoyed the music from the original Asia lineup. I not only loved Asia's debut album, but the "ALPHA" album continued to fill my craving for music I could connect with. Even to this day, these albums transfer me to a time gone by and allow me to reflect on my youthful past. It wasn't just the lyrics I liked, but the MUSIC.

I was excited to learn of the band's reunion and trip to the recording studio. These four musicians bring together talents that are becoming more rare in the music field. While "PHOENIX" brings elements of their trademark sounds from the early 80's, the maturity of each contributor is evident on this record. John's voice is in absolute top form. Steve, Geoff, and Carl give proper attention to the instrumental work. If you carefully listen each time you play the album, like the "ASIA" and "ALPHA" albums, you will notice and, hopefully, appreciate the intricate layers of sound, vocal harmonizing, and wonderful musicianship that went into the making of "PHOENIX". The songs have become imbedded in my head and I have a hard time listening to anything else since purchasing the album.

I highly recommend this album to any fan of the original ASIA. Listen to it. Not just once, but OVER and OVER. Hear the beautiful music that works so well together. Each song has qualities of a gem within them and all of the songs flow well on the album.

My hat goes off to John, Geoff, Steve, and Carl for the EXTRAORDINARY work put into this album. I hope you will continue to work together in the future and provide more wonderful, quality music for us.

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ms_shanda2205 I love all your music keep it coming