Asia
Archiva 2
Review by Greg Olma
In 1995, Asia had a bit of a studio issue when a water pipe burst and ruined hundreds of thousands of pounds of studio equipment. Luckily, there was a box of tapes with unreleased material that was not damaged, so I guess the band felt that it would be better to put out these tracks than to lose them altogether. I’m glad they put this material out as some of it is quite good, and I’m surprised that they felt some of the cuts were not as good as the material that they did release. Not every song is a winner, but there are so many good songs that they rival their “regular” studio albums. Even though many Asia fans look at the first couple of records as their best, I find myself liking the John Payne era much more keep listening to those discs more than I listen to the originals. If you are like me and enjoy the Payne fronted tunes, then get this album and Archiva I, as they are both well worth purchasing.
This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2020 Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.
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