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Regardless of his soundtrack work, healthy stack of solo releases and dozens of albums under the Asia banner, Geoff Downes may be best known for being part of The Buggles with future producer extraordinaire Trevor Horn. Their 1979 single "Video Killed The Radio Star" is famous/infamous for being the first video aired on MTV in 1981. Since that glossy bit o' nihilism, Downes has been an active and prolific keyboardist and producer, working with his bands and the likes of Kate Bush and Mike Oldfield. He has been the torchbearer for Asia, keeping things going pretty much continuously since the group's inception with various lineups. 27 years on it's easy to forget that Asia was a massive success out of the gate, with their self-titled debut going quadruple platinum and producing two Top 10 singles with "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" – songs that crop up endlessly in TV and film to this day. The follow-up, Alpha (1983), also went platinum but proved the end of the original configuration. Downes took time to talk to us about playing with his mates again and the chance to take care of some unfinished business.
JamBase: It's cool that the original lineup is revisiting Asia again. It always seemed like a good time for all of you.
Geoff Downes: I think it was a release for a lot of the guys, who had been in sort of heavier bands, you know progressive rock, pompous bands, I think Asia cut that all down a bit. It was a bit more of a pop-rock band really.
JamBase: My sense from the beginning was you guys were just digging in to see what you could accomplish in the pop world. You'd already had some experience with that world but the rest of the band wasn't known for writing ditties.
Geoff Downes: I think that was one of the reasons they warmed to having me involved, to balance their kind of stuff. We formed a hybrid combination. When you look at Asia it's all very different personalities that came together, and that's the beauty of the sound really. It makes it quite unique.
And you'd had some experience with Steve Howe before this band.
I did one album with Yes, Drama [1980]. That was rather funny, a big shift for me. Trevor [Horn] and I were very big fans of Yes and bands like them. We were kind of steeped in that music. I think Yes fans were quite divided at the time, but it's stood the test of time and now sounds quite fresh and modern.
What was the impetus to get the original lineup of Asia back together?
 Asia |
We'd all kept socializing, and we made the decision a few years ago. When we ended we were uncomfortable where it was going but all felt there was still something left to achieve, something we set out to achieve 25 years ago. So, a case of unfinished business, I think. And then everyone was available and everyone wanted to do it. It started out as a touring idea and then the ideas for Phoenix [Asia's 2008 studio album] started permeating through.
What was some of the "unfinished business" that you wanted to get to?
We only did two albums and only really did two tours. So, it was a new band but we'd all had experiences in other bands, so the "super group" moniker got attached. We all felt that we'd not really explored all the possibilities and avenues. So, the opportunity to do another album, even 25 years later, is something we all grabbed with both hands.
Chemistry is not to be sneezed at. When you have people you like to collaborate with it's attractive to revisit that creative connection.
There was something good about what we were doing, and we all felt we wanted a bit more of it. As soon as we got rehearsing for the [first reunion] tour it was quite evident that the Asia vibe was still there.
There's something pure about the basic configuration of four guys in a rock band, too – a classic model.
We wanted to maintain the musical aspects of the group and the individuals. As you point out, you've got bass, drums, guitar and keyboards - the four kind of main elements of a band – and John's vocals and Steve and my backing vocals. So, we had quite a set and kind of a defining band, which is part of why we opted for the name Asia with that impactive logo.
Do you play non-Asia material on tour now, dipping into the individual member's varied histories? This seems like an enjoyable way to revisit the past in a new light.
 Howe & Downes - Asia by Mike Inns |
Yeah, it's actually a great deal of fun. We positively shied away from it in the early days, as we were so conscious of establishing Asia. We were wary to have anything connected to our respective past. 25 years on, we can see that Asia was actually formed from the DNA of all these other bands, so we honor that tradition as well. And played by the four guys, it sits quite well next to the Asia material.
We do "Video Killed The Radio Star," which is a tribute to my past, which is quite significant to Asia because when we first came out MTV and videos were just gaining some significance. We established ourselves on MTV early on. Now, we show video and projections and some people say, "Why do you do that?" Well, it's like looking through an old family photo album. The whole thing about Asia is it has a relevant history. There's not many bands that can go out and do what we do, do something from each guy's past and still have it seem appropriate.
And these songs have a different character that's still Asia even if we know the tunes originally by another band.
We do try to put our stamp on things. When we do "Roundabout" Steve says, "Well, that was 'Roundabout' played by four people not five." It shows a slightly different angle on the piece. I'm quite a different player [than Rick Wakeman] but I learned a lot from Rick and Keith Emerson. They were people I looked up to when I was at school. I'm five or six years younger than those two, and they were very much the kind of thing I wanted to do. It was quite ironic when I ended up in Yes and then I'm working with Carl in Asia, so that's kind of weird.
Continue reading for our conversation with Carl Palmer...
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