Asia – Audio Fidelity reissue – remastered – 2010
I’ve been listening to Audio Fidelity’s remastered Asia CD for the past week and I can enthusiastically confirm to all the Asia fans out there that it’s definitely the best sounding version of Asia’s 1982 debut album available. Most fans probably own the Asia Gold 2-disc anthology released by Geffen/Universal since it compiled the first three Asia albums plus all the b-sides into one package. Convenient, yes but the sound left a lot to be desired. Geffen/Universal felt it necessary to remaster the disc to compete with other modern day CDs. in other words, the audio ended up compressed, limited, re-EQ’ed and ultimately, not that pleasant to listen to.
Thankfully the audiophile record label, Audio Fidelity chose to issue their own version of this landmark pop-prog album. I’m not totally sure how they ended up choosing Asia since they’re not a band high on an audiophile’s list but I ain’t complaining.
Mastering engineer Kevin Gray made sure to produce a more faithful representation of the original master tapes with the dynamic range restored. The general public need to finally realize that “louder” isn’t always “better”. And yes, this CD is most definitely not as “loud” as the Geffen/Universal Gold edition. The sound is much more natural and clearer than before. Just listen to the smooth decay of the cymbal crashes as one reference point. Also the mid to high frequencies aren’t as harsh sounding as before. The recording is now easier on the ears and less prone to ear fatigue which tends to happen now with modern masterings.
The only thing missing in my opinion are the B-sides/bonus tracks. But from what I understand Audio Fidelity only focuses on creating the best sounding version of the original album and never adds bonus tracks on their releases.
Now if only we can get a better sounding Alpha album. but from what I understand, a better mastering job can only do so much. With such a dense sounding mix, I believe Alpha requires a full remix to get things cleared up!
retroGrade : A
Asia (self-titled)
label: Audio Fidelity
reissued: June 2010
features: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe
Produced by: Mike Stone
remastered by: Kevin Gray
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
—
—
Related posts:
Go to Amazon.com and read Jamie Tate’s review of this CD.
It’s funny, but it did lead me away from any thoughts I had of dropping $23.99 on this. I guess I just need to buy a turntable and hope my vinyl is still playable.
As an addendum to my CD post: I’m really trying to decide whether to drive 7 hours roundtrip to see Asia. Maybe I’m too old, and maybe because no one wants to go with me.
Anybody seen this tour? I have the Fantasia DVD, so I’ve seen this line-up “live”. Does an “old man” really need to make the trip?
yeah, the $24 price is a bit hard to justify for some folks. but for those that love the album, I think it’s a good buy.
as for the tour, I’m headed to the Raleigh gig. I posted about the tour a while back..
http://www.retroblog.net/2010/04/15/asia-omega-u-s-summer-tour-dates-august-2010/
as for the 7 hour drive, it’s a tough call. I personally won’t drive that long to see a band but that’s just me. luckily I won’t have to drive far to see them in August.