How Yes Set a Course for the ‘80s With ‘Drama'

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

As jarring because it might need been on the time, the Drama album turned out to be an enchanting 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 Sure style, the lineup shifted once more although Horn would stay in a special capability as producer to assist craft the next blockbuster 90125.

“I feel it actually began Sure into the route they took within the ’80s,” Downes tells UCR. “Drama was actually the paving stone for [90125] going ahead.”

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Because the seeds of 90125 had been taking form, nevertheless, Downes was off on his personal adventures. He teamed up with hisfellow Sure mate Steve Howe on guitar, Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Carl Palmer on drums and King Crimson / U.Okay. 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 “Warmth of the Second.” The album would finally promote greater than 10 million copies.

Within the 4 a long time since, Downes has been the continuous presence and guiding pressure for Asia. The band has “all the time had a barely amorphous really feel about it,” he says. “There have been folks out and in all through the years.” In 2024, he has once more assembled a brand new lineup, anchored by vocalist Harry Whitley, who made his debut final yr 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 Warmth of the Second Tour brings Asia again to the US as a part of a multi-act invoice that additionally consists of 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 Sure.

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

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

Watch Asia Carry out ‘Warmth of the Second’ on 2024 Tour

Roger Dean can be a part of the tour and his album artwork for Asia and Sure is famous. What do you’re keen on about what Roger does?
I first met Roger once I was doing the Drama album [with Yes]. He did the quilt for the album and clearly, he’s synonymous with Sure from the very early days, beginning with Fragile. The long-lasting brand has stayed all through. Once I left Sure 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 protracted relationship with Roger and mentioned, “You realize, Roger’s the person who would become involved with Asia.” So once more, he got here up with the enduring triangular brand and the serpent on the entrance sleeve. He’s a improbable artist. I’ve gotten to know him very effectively over time. The truth that he might truly come out with us [is great]. He’s practically 80 years previous now, in order that he desires to nonetheless come out and do it and meet the followers and signal the entire albums that individuals deliver, it’s an actual good factor to do. He has his personal show within the lobby of most venues and it’s nice to have him alongside.

What was the method of working with Roger, when he was designing one thing?
I feel we’d give him a short, however one factor about Roger is that he likes to hearken 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 within the music and the entire presentation. A variety of what he does, I feel, is basically attribute of the music that’s contained contained in the album. He’s very, excellent at greedy sure issues. John Wetton was actually good at giving him ideas, as the primary lyricist. So he’d give him concepts and Roger would come again with an thought. Usually with Roger, his paintings was very central. There’s all the time a central determine just like the serpent on the primary album, the eagle on Alpha, the robotic lady on Astra. He’s very, excellent at doing that. One of many options of his paintings is that it’s very putting, the pictures that he manages to get throughout. He’s nonetheless very related at present, you realize, for him to have been doing what he does and nonetheless be round, being inventive and breaking new obstacles, it’s nice.

Take me again to the second while you bought this present Asia lineup right into a room for rehearsals.
I’d form of reached out to all of them individually prior, so they’d some thought of what we’re going to be coping with. The wonderful factor was, when everybody began enjoying, it simply sounded so alive. Harry is a lifeless ringer for John in some ways when it comes to his vocal supply and his common presentation. He was an actual discover. To me, he’s a really, very proficient man, there’s no query about that. … It appeared like a really, very good method of paying tribute to John as a lot as anything. You realize, the concept that we might put collectively this workforce of musicians that might actually do justice to Asia’s music. John’s all the time in my thoughts. Clearly, I had a improbable friendship and writing relationship with John. We broke down some partitions with our writing. It was all the time a really inspirational day spent writing with John. I cherish these reminiscences.

Watch Asia Carry out ‘Solely Time Will Inform’ on 2024 Tour

With the entire totally different evolution that Asia went by means of, it is a particular factor that finally you and John, Carl and Steve had been in a position to reunite.
The reunion interval was very rewarding for us. Previous to that, I don’t assume we felt that we’d ever get again collectively once more with the unique lineup. It lasted an excellent seven or eight years and we did three or 4 albums within 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 protracted sufficient shot. The unique lineup solely lasted a number of years originally. It was good to return to that and revisit it. Nobody had any qualms. There have been no gremlins; there was no backbiting. Everybody simply mentioned, “This is able to be an important thought. Let’s give it a shot.” These had been very joyful instances, to return collectively like that in 2006. We did some in depth touring and recording. I’ll all the time have fond reminiscences of that interval too.

It feels prefer it put a greater finish on that exact interval of Asia, in comparison with the way it wrapped up initially.
I feel it began one other chapter within the ebook. We felt the ebook was too skinny, so we added some extra chapters. It was an important factor. As soon as Steve left in 2013, we’d lined numerous floor. He was getting too busy with Sure on the time or didn’t really feel that he might [focus] his consideration to 2 fully totally different initiatives. However you realize, we carried on. We did one other album, Gravitas, which was good and did a tour. The factor is, with Asia, it’s all the time had a barely amorphous really feel about it. There have been folks out and in all through the years. However clearly, the unique lineup is one thing that I maintain very expensive. On the similar time, it’s clearly not going to be the identical, as a result of we don’t have John anymore. We are able to’t actually do something about that however I feel he would have wished me to hold on and exit and promote the songs and play to the followers. You realize, Asia was crucial for lots of people on the time. It was the largest promoting album of 1982. We had an infinite following at the moment. A variety of the school college students had been actually into Asia. Clearly, everyone seems to be grown up now. There’s a complete new technology of [fans, as well]. However definitely from my standpoint, I feel it’s necessary that there’s some nice music there. It ought to be carried out.

You have talked about how the majority of the Asia members had spent numerous time engaged on progressive music and also you got here from extra of the pop aspect. However you’d executed Drama with Sure. How did that develop you creatively as a musician?
Trevor and I had been each massive Sure followers, in addition to Genesis. Despite the fact that our route had taken us to the pop space, we had been nonetheless massive into Pink Floyd, Sure and Genesis, King Crimson and all of these bands. We’d grown up on that stuff. Typically, we needed to make a dwelling and numerous the dwelling that we did was by means of session work, backing bands and all of that form of factor. It was solely actually once we determined to go forward with the Buggles [that things changed], however we nonetheless had some progressive components within the Buggles. Despite the fact that it’s pop, it’s quirky pop. It’s not your common straight song-orientated stuff. We experimented with expertise quite a bit. I feel that’s one of many issues that once we bought concerned with the identical administration as Sure, I feel Chris, Steve and Alan weren’t doing quite a bit on the time – or they had been simply rehearsing as a three-piece. After all, Trevor being a singer and me being a keyboard participant, there was an area there. They requested us at some point, “Do you need to write a music for us?” We bought right into a rehearsal room with them and began engaged on a number of bits and items. I feel “Machine Messiah” was the grounding factor we began.

We additionally had a music known as “I Am a Digicam,” which was a Buggles music. They redeveloped that and it changed into “Into the Lens.” So we form of morphed into Sure. I feel they actually appreciated having a few technological guys in there as a result of, you realize, they’ve executed the entire massive stuff. They’d executed the 20-minute “Near the Edge” [type of songs]. They’d executed Story From Topographic Oceans and all of those nice, improbable massive songs, however they had been on the lookout for one thing a bit extra updated, I feel. So, it was an enormous turning level for Sure at the moment, going from the ’70s into the ’80s. The Drama album is basically the top of that for them. We helped to inject some modernism. Actually, numerous the lyrical stuff of Sure, it’s fabulous nevertheless it was numerous pastoral lyrics and stuff like that – whereas once we got here in, there have been crunchy sounds and I feel it actually began Sure into the route they took within the ’80s, definitely when Trevor Rabin got here in and Trevor Horn produced 90125. I feel Drama was actually the paving stone for that going ahead.

Hearken to Sure’ ‘Machine Messiah’