Silent Nation

Last updated

Silent Nation
Asia - Silent Nation (2004) front cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released31 August 2004
StudioClear Lake Audio, North Hollywood, Los Angeles
Genre Progressive rock
Length58:20
Label Inside Out Music
Producer John Payne
Asia chronology
Aura
(2001)
Silent Nation
(2004)
Fantasia: Live in Tokyo
(2007)
Singles from Silent Nation
  1. "Long Way from Home"
    Released: 10 January 2005

Silent Nation is the ninth studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 2004. It was the last album with longtime vocalist and bassist John Payne, prior to the reunion of the original line-up in 2006.

Contents

Production

Silent Nation was recorded at Clear Lake Audio in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and produced, engineered and mixed solely by Payne. The album features a stable line-up consisting of Payne, keyboard player Geoff Downes, guitarist Guthrie Govan and drummer Chris Slade, which had been achieved during Aura (2001) sessions. Early writing sessions were with guitarist and future member Billy Sherwood and drummer Jay Schellen. Eventually, two songs, "Ghost in the Mirror" and "I Will Be There for You", co-written by Sherwood, made the final album. "Darkness Day" and "The Prophet" were initially announced as "The Sun Don't Shine" and "Sail Away", respectively. An early track listing included "Long and Lonely Ride", but it was not finished in time. The main lyricist for Silent Nation was Payne. The lyrics are essentially based around the idea of the power centralization in the modern world, disfranchising the general public. [1]

The album finally broke the tradition of naming Asia studio recordings with a word beginning and ending with the letter 'a'. The exception is Rare (1999), a collection of instrumental music, which was composed only by Payne and Downes, and, thus, may be viewed as their solo album. Silent Nation is also the first album to feature a photograph, not an illustration, as was Asia's trademark.

Release

Silent Nation was released on 31 August 2004 by Inside Out Music on CD and special edition CD/DVD-Video (featuring the making of the album). [2] In Japan, it became available on 22 September 2004 through Victor and featured "Rise" as a bonus track.

Reception

The reviews for Silent Nation were mixed to positive. Eleni Mouratoglou wrote a glowing review for Metal Temple in 2004: "Talent, maturity, inspiration. The judgment seemed hard in the beginning. But now there is only one thing left to say. The title does not start with an “A any more but I give them an A+. Long Live Asia!" [3] Steve Pettengill gave the album 3 1/2 stars out of 5 on Sea of Tranquility, stating "I'm not exactly sure who or what constitutes an Asia audience these days, but for those who have been following the band through the years, they should be pleased with Silent Nation. It's much better than the schmaltzy Aura album of 2001. Though better cover art (where's Roger Dean?!) might help sales, Asia are not out of the game yet." Alfonso Algora of review site Progvisions also saw the album as decent, writing "Although you could think the album is not worthy after looking at the rating, I think old Asia fans could give this band a chance after the latest fiascos. Of course those who don´t like easy-to-listen progressive (¿?) sounds won´t be happy with this album. But if you like Asia, Saga and that kind of bands that blend mainstream (pop or AOR) with progressive sounds, and you thought that Asia was finished as a good band, you´ll have a good time listening to this album that it´s better, by far, than any other of Payne´s era." [4] Sputnikmusic, however, was far less forgiving with a harsher take than most. "The music by this point was dying: Arena being the last album to actually have something good about it. It could be the saddest thing in the band's history since they decided to stop mainstream music." [5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Payne and Geoff Downes, except "Ghost in the Mirror" and "I Will Be There for You" written by Payne, Downes and Billy Sherwood.

No.TitleLength
1."What About Love"5:25
2."Long Way from Home"6:01
3."Midnight"6:24
4."Blue Moon Monday"7:17
5."Silent Nation"6:04
6."Ghost in the Mirror"4:38
7."Gone Too Far"6:48
8."I Will Be There for You"4:10
9."Darkness Day"6:18
10."The Prophet"5:16
Total length:58:20
Japan bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Rise"4:47
Total length:63:07

Personnel

Asia

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [6] 77

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia (band)</span> English rock band

Asia are an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful line-up was its original, which consisted of four members of different progressive rock bands who had enjoyed great success in the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe (Yes), keyboardist Geoff Downes and drummer Carl Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their bestselling album and went to number one in several countries. Billboard listed it as the top album in the U.S. in 1982. The lead single from the album, "Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets. It peaked at #4 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Sherwood</span> American singer and multi-instrumentalist

William Wyman Sherwood is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes as guitarist and keyboardist in 1994 and from 1997 to 2000 and as bassist since 2015, following the death of original bassist Chris Squire. He is also known for working with former and current Yes members on other projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Payne (singer)</span> English musician (born 1958)

John Payne is an English musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1991 to 2006, then from June 2007, with Asia featuring John Payne. He also is now in Dukes of the Orient but continues to tour with The Rock Pack and also Asia Featuring John Payne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guthrie Govan</span> English musician (born 1971)

Guthrie Govan is an English guitarist and guitar teacher, known for his work with the bands the Aristocrats, Asia, GPS, the Young Punx and the Fellowship, as well as his solo project Erotic Cakes. More recently, he has collaborated with Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer. He is a noted guitar teacher, working with the UK magazine Guitar Techniques, Guildford's Academy of Contemporary Music, Lick Library, and formerly the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Govan was named "Guitarist of the Year" by Guitarist magazine in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Schellen</span> American drummer (born 1960)

Jay Schellen is an American drummer who is best known as the current drummer of progressive rock band Yes, having toured with the band as an additional drummer since 2016 before becoming an official member in 2023. Schellen has also worked with a number of other heavy rock and progressive rock bands, including with Hurricane, Asia, World Trade, Circa, and Unruly Child.

<i>Back Against the Wall</i> 2005 studio album (tribute album) by Billy Sherwood

Back Against the Wall is an album released in 2005 by Billy Sherwood in collaboration with a number of (mostly) progressive rock artists as a tribute to Pink Floyd's album The Wall. A year later, Sherwood followed it with the release of Return to the Dark Side of the Moon, a tribute to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

<i>Arena</i> (Asia album) 1996 studio album by Asia

Arena is the sixth studio album by British rock band Asia, released in March 1996 by Bullet Proof Records. Recorded at Electric Palace Studios in London during 1995, it was produced by vocalist John Payne and keyboard player Geoff Downes. The album was a departure from Asia's usual sound, adopting a more acoustic production style with Latin and Middle Eastern influences.

<i>Aura</i> (Asia album) 2001 studio album by Asia

Aura is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Asia. As a result of the diverse array of guest musicians, Aura had a wide mix of sounds with some songs trying to replicate Asia's earlier style, while others retained the more acoustic Latin production started by Arena five years prior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GPS (band)</span> British band

GPS were a progressive rock group formed in 2006 by John Payne, Guthrie Govan (guitars) and Jay Schellen. These three had been working together in Asia, specifically on an album to have been called Architect of Time, when the fourth member of Asia, Geoff Downes, joined a reunion of the band's classic line-up, dissolving the then current line-up. Payne, Govan and Schellen announced the formation of a new band in February 2006 to be called One. However, after discovering another rock act with the same name, the band changed its name to GPS, from the initials of the three founders.

Hurricane is an American heavy metal band formed in 1983, originally featuring current Foreigner lead vocalist Kelly Hansen, Robert Sarzo (guitar), Tony Cavazo (bass), and Jay Schellen (drums). Cavazo and Sarzo are the younger brothers of Quiet Riot's Carlos Cavazo and Rudy Sarzo.

Circa is a progressive rock supergroup founded by four musicians associated with Yes: former Yes members Alan White (drums), and Tony Kaye, current Yes member Billy Sherwood, and guitarist Jimmy Haun, who played on the Yes album Union.

<i>Return to the Dark Side of the Moon</i> 2006 studio album (tribute album) by Billy Sherwood

Return to the Dark Side of the Moon is a tribute album organised by Billy Sherwood, and released in 2006 on Purple Pyramid. It is a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and a sequel to Sherwood's Back Against the Wall, itself a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Wall. Return to the Dark Side of the Moon, in addition includes an original piece composed by Sherwood in the style of the original album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asia featuring John Payne</span> Rock band

Asia featuring John Payne is a British–American rock group band formed in 2007 following a schism in the lineup of Asia. The band is a continuation of singer and bassist John Payne's career as the band's frontman, which lasted from 1991 until 2006, when Asia's original 1982 lineup reunited. In December 2017, Payne and keyboardist Erik Norlander formed a new group, Dukes of the Orient, with various members and ex-members of Asia featuring John Payne as collaborators. Asia featuring John Payne remains active as a touring stage show.

<i>Frequency Unknown</i> 2013 studio album by Geoff Tates Queensrÿche

Frequency Unknown is a studio album released under the name Queensrÿche; it was released by Geoff Tate's temporary version of the band, before a settlement determined that only the other band members were entitled to use the name Queensrÿche. The album was released on Cleopatra Records' sub label, Deadline Music, on April 23, 2013, as music download, on CD and limited edition vinyl LP in the United States and on May 21, 2013, as audio cassette which excludes the re-recorded classics, and on June 3, 2013, on CD in the United Kingdom.

<i>Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome</i> 2014 live album by Yes

Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome is a live album and video by English progressive rock band Yes, released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray on 8 December 2014 by Frontiers Records. It is their first live album featuring keyboardist Geoff Downes and lead vocalist Jon Davison in the band, after joining the group in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

<i>Topographic Drama – Live Across America</i> 2017 live album by Yes

Topographic Drama – Live Across America is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 24 November 2017 by Rhino Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dukes of the Orient</span> Rock band

Dukes of the Orient are an English and American AOR and progressive rock band formed in 2017 by lead vocalist, guitarist and bassist John Payne and keyboardist Erik Norlander. Payne and formerly Norlander had worked together in Asia Featuring John Payne, an offshoot of British progressive rock group Asia of which Payne was a member from 1991 to 2006, when Asia's original lineup reunited. Following Asia lead singer John Wetton's death on 31 January 2017, Payne and Norlander formed Dukes of the Orient as a vehicle to release new material, both out of respect for Wetton, and to distinguish themselves from Payne's former band. Asia Featuring John Payne remains active in a touring capacity, and members and former members of the group; Jay Schellen, Bruce Bouillet, Guthrie Govan, Jeff Kollman and Moni Scaria, have contributed to Dukes of the Orient's debut album.

<i>Yes 50 Live</i> 2019 live album by Yes

Yes 50 Live is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 2 August 2019 by Rhino Records.

<i>The Quest</i> (Yes album) 2021 studio album by Yes

The Quest is the twenty-second studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 1 October 2021 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music. It is their first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), replacing bassist Chris Squire following his death in 2015, and their first album without any original members. It is also their first album since Talk (1994) to be produced by only one member, namely guitarist Steve Howe, and their last studio album to be released before the death of drummer Alan White in 2022.

<i>Mirror to the Sky</i> 2023 studio album by Yes

Mirror to the Sky is an upcoming studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, scheduled for release on 19 May 2023 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music. It will be their first studio album with American drummer Jay Schellen as a full-time member following the death of long-time Yes drummer Alan White in 2022, and to whom the album is dedicated.

References

  1. "Silent Nation". Yescography. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  2. Raymond, Jean-Luc (25 July 2004). "Asia Silent Nation New Album and DVD". The Official Blog for Westcoast Music in France. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. Beast, The. "Metal-Temple.com :: Asia - Silent Nation (CD) (CD Review)". www.metal-temple.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  4. "CD review - Asia, Silent Nation". www.progvisions.nl. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  5. "Asia - Silent Nation (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Asia – Silent Nation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 May 2018.