Search - John Wetton, Geoffrey Downes :: Icon II: Rubicon +1

Worth the extra money

John Sposato | Syracuse, NY, USA | 12/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a longtime Asia fan, I had to get this album. As many collectors know, releases in Japan, and concurrently South Korea, and sometimes Hong Kong and even mainland China, there will be an extra track or two to keep fans in these countries from buying cheaper imports from the West. I looked around to see if there was another way to get that Holy Grail, but this was the only way. I came here after being ripped off by two lesser known sites.

"Shannon" sounds almost like a folk song. "Tears of Joy" was co-written with Wetton's former UK partner Eddie Jobson, possibly an unfinished track. That and "To Catch a Thief" features Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen, formerly of The Gathering. Former King Crimson lyricist Richard Palmer-James wrote the lyrics for "The Glory of Winning" (previously on the demo collection 'Monkey Business') and the coveted bonus track "The Harbour Wall", which is really "Sleep Angel" with new lyrics from Palmer-James..

This is a bit different from Asia proper. The EU import was available at the two Asia shows I saw. This album coincided with the first leg of the 25th Anniversary Reunion tour. This picks up where the first iCon left off. We need more music like this on the Top 10 and not hip hop.

There will be a third studio release in the coming months. I just hope this time, there won't be a track not available at all outside the real Asia. I went nuts the past couple years trying to get that bonus track!

You will not be disappointed. It's value for money (a bit though), even though I was able to afford it when I bought it."