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░ ██ ██ Artist: Wetton Downes ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Icon Zero █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-02-26 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Epicon Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ For anyone who finds the music of Asia too █
█ progressive for their taste, be assured that this █
█ release from John Wetton and Geoff Downes always █
█ lands firmly on the AOR side of the rock fence. █
█ Icon Zero is a repackaged edition of the 2002 █
█ Wetton Downes album that was a collection of a █
█ bunch of demo tracks and outtakes recorded by the █
█ duo. Presumably the new title indicates a desire █
█ to position this as the precursor to their Icon █
█ project, although the material here dates from █
█ after AsiaÆs split in the 1980s, long before the █
█ first Icon album was even a twinkle in either █
█ partyÆs eye, eventually emerging in 2005. ThereÆs █
█ certainly no mistaking the vintage of these songs █
█ as everything is smothered in synthesisers and █
█ electronic drums. Walking On Air and Running Out █
█ Of Time sound custom crafted to appeal to American █
█ rock radio, while I Would Die For You could have █
█ come from the soundtrack to an 80s movie, probably █
█ playing over a montage sequence. Only You is a █
█ rather bland ballad, while Soul is the worst █
█ offender on the cheesy synthesiser front û soul █
█ being the one thing that track definitely doesnÆt █
█ possess. DonÆt Say It Again manages to get the █
█ pulse moving a little, while Kari-Anne, which █
█ appeared on AsiaÆs Live In Moscow 1990 album, is █
█ the standout cut with a great riff from Thin █
█ LizzyÆs Scott Gorham and a very tasty guitar solo █
█ from Francis Dunnery. █
█ Included here is an earlier demo of that called █
█ Oh! Carolann, although what Carolann did to be █
█ replaced by Kari-Anne history does not record. We █
█ Stand As One features a lead vocal by Agnetha █
█ FΣltskog from ABBA and is pure radio fodder, a █
█ lighters-in-the-air power ballad untouched by any █
█ hint of prog. Lost In America is, sadly, not a █
█ cover of the Alice Cooper song of the same name, █
█ but a rather vapid attempt at social commentary. █
█ Wetton and Downes wrote a lot of great songs █
█ together, but this rounding up of the █
█ partnershipÆs prototypes is for completists only. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Walking on Air 4:32 ░
░ 2. I Would Die for You 3:09 ░
░ 3. Only You 5:41 ░
░ 4. Running out of Time 4:11 ░
░ 5. Soul 4:16 ░
░ 6. Just as Long (As I Need You) 4:13 ░
░ 7. Don't Say it Again 3:29 ░
░ 8. Kari-Anne 5:20 ░
░ 9. Lost in America 4:41 ░
░ 10. Please 4:49 ░
░ 11. Summer (Can't Last Too Long) 3:58 ░
░ 12. We Move as One (featuring Agnetha 4:06 ░
░ FΣltskog) ░
░ 13. Oh! Carolann (Additional Track) 5:23 ░
░ 14. She Knows (Demo) (Additional Track) 3:34 ░
░ 15. I Would Die for You (Alternate Version) 3:18 ░
░ (Additional Track) ░
░ 64:40 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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