Silent Nation (album)
Encyclopedia
Silent Nation is an album by the progressive rock
band Asia
. Two tracks on the album were co-written by former Yes
member Billy Sherwood
. It is the last studio release with John Payne
and Geoffrey Downes together. Former Phantom Blue
bassist Kim Nielsen-Parsons
appears as a guest musician on "I Will Be There for You."
The name of the album neither begins nor ends with the letter 'A'. This breaks the tradition followed by most Asia studio albums up to this point, which do both. Exceptions are Then & Now
, which is part compilation and part new album; and Rare
, a collection of instrumentals. It is also the first studio album sleeve featuring a photograph, not an illustration, as was Asia's trademark.
The album was recorded at Clear Lake Audio, North Hollywood, CA, and was produced and engineered by Payne. This is the last Asia studio album on which he is a part, prior to the 2006 reunion of the original lineup.
The special edition DVD features "The Making of Silent Nation".
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Asia
Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a supergroup as it included former members of several veteran progressive rock bands, namely John Wetton , Geoff Downes , Steve Howe and Carl Palmer Asia are an English rock group formed in 1981. The band was labelled a...
. Two tracks on the album were co-written by former Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
member Billy Sherwood
Billy Sherwood
William "Billy" Wyman Sherwood is a musician, record producer, and engineer.-Family:Sherwood comes from a musical family which includes his father Bobby Sherwood, who was an actor, musician, and big band leader, his mother Phyllis, a singer and drummer, and brother Michael, a keyboardist and...
. It is the last studio release with John Payne
John Payne (singer)
John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....
and Geoffrey Downes together. Former Phantom Blue
Phantom blue
Phantom Blue was an all-female American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1987. Phantom Blue were the first and only female artists to be signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records, only three months after forming....
bassist Kim Nielsen-Parsons
Kim Nielsen-Parsons
Kim Nielsen-Parsons is an American hard rock bassist known for being a member of the all-female band Phantom Blue.-Biography:Kim Nielsen first picked up the bass guitar at the age of 12. In the years to come, she played with local bands in Los Angeles, California, while taking lessons from Racer X...
appears as a guest musician on "I Will Be There for You."
The name of the album neither begins nor ends with the letter 'A'. This breaks the tradition followed by most Asia studio albums up to this point, which do both. Exceptions are Then & Now
Then & Now (Asia album)
-External links:*...
, which is part compilation and part new album; and Rare
Rare (Asia album)
Rare is an instrumental album by the progressive rock band Asia.Tracks 1 to 16 were recorded in 1997 for the documentary "Salmon - Against The Tides" and 17 to 22 for an unreleased Sega video game...
, a collection of instrumentals. It is also the first studio album sleeve featuring a photograph, not an illustration, as was Asia's trademark.
The album was recorded at Clear Lake Audio, North Hollywood, CA, and was produced and engineered by Payne. This is the last Asia studio album on which he is a part, prior to the 2006 reunion of the original lineup.
Track listing
- "What About Love?" (Payne, Downes) – 5:25
- "Long Way from Home" (Payne, Downes) – 6:00
- "Midnight" (Payne, Downes) – 6:23
- "Blue Moon Monday" (Payne, Downes) – 7:13
- "Silent Nation" (Payne, Downes) – 6:04
- "Ghost in the Mirror" (Payne, Downes, Sherwood) – 4:37
- "Gone Too Far" (Payne, Downes) – 6:48
- "I Will Be There for You" (Payne, Downes, Sherwood) – 4:09
- "Darkness Day" (Payne, Downes) – 6:17
- "The Prophet" (Payne, Downes) – 5:15
Japanese/South Korean bonus track
- "Rise" (Payne, Downes) (unavailable elsewhere except as an import)
The special edition DVD features "The Making of Silent Nation".
Members
- John PayneJohn Payne (singer)John Payne is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1992 to 2006 and from June 2007 with ASIA Featuring John Payne....
– Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Geoff DownesGeoff DownesGeoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
– Keyboard, backing vocals, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Chris SladeChris SladeChris Slade is a Welsh rock drummer.-Career:Slade has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John , and Uriah Heep. He was a member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1972 to 1978...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Guthrie GovanGuthrie GovanGuthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s
Release details
- 2004, USA, InsideOut Music 0060842IOM, Release date 30 August 2004, CD
- 2004, USA, InsideOut Music 0060840IOM, Release date 30 August 2004, CD Special edition with DVD
- 2004, Germany, InsideOut Music IOMACD2087/IOMCD175, Release date 30 August 2004, CD
- 2004, Japan, VictorVictor Entertainmentis a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
VICP-62852, release date 22 September 2004, CD with bonus track