GEOFF DOWNES LEGENDARY KEYBOARDIST WITH THE BUGGLES/ASIA/YES/ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH RAY SHASHO ON BBS RADIO TV

 

G E O F F 

D O W N E S

and

A S I A

Celebrate their 40th anniversary

by releasing a 5-CD boxset 

THE REUNION ALBUMS:

'2007-2012'

Exclusive Interview with

 GEOFF DOWNES 

 (The Buggles- ASIA- YES)

GEOFF DOWNES INTERVIEW 

CLICK BELOW 

TO LISTEN IN ITS ENTIRETY

ASIA, the multi-platinum selling English supergroup, formed in London in 1981, are celebrating their 40th anniversary by releasing a 5CD boxset 'THE REUNION ALBUMS:2007-2012' through BMG Records available now at amazon.com.

This 5CD deluxe clamshell box set features the 2CD live recording Fantasia, Live In Tokyo together with the three reunion studio albums Phoenix, Omega and XXX. 

ASIA took the world by a storm with their eponymous debut album, globally the biggest-selling album of 1982. The single Heat Of The Moment, a huge soft-rock anthem, reached the top 40 in over a dozen markets, peaking in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The four original members of ASIA – John Wetton (King Crimson, lead vocal/bass), Steve Howe (YES, guitars), Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, drums) and Geoff Downes (The Buggles, YES, keyboards), reunited to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2006 and 2007 with a world tour. 

This boxset features the original ASIA line-up, reformed in 2006, and brings together, for the first time, all of ASIA's essential music into one concise collection. In 2021 ASIA signed a deal with BMG to re-release their reunion albums Phoenix, Omega, Fantasia: Live In Tokyo and XXX, along with Gravitas (with Sam Coulson), to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary in 2022. They also plan to release a box-set ASIA In Asia, of the first simulcast from 1983, with Greg Lake temporarily replacing John Wetton. For all things ASIA please visit: www.originalAsia.com 

Virtuoso keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Geoff Downes has been legitimizing the art of great music since the inception of The Buggles with Trevor Horn in 1977. Downes symphonic savvy has allowed him to venture into multiple musical genres while perpetuating Prog- Rock prominence as the illustrious keyboardist for supergroups YES and Asia. Geoff Downes is undeniably one of the hardest working musicians in the business.

Purchase

ASIA

The Reunion Albums:

 '2007 – 2012’

Original Asia celebrate their 40th Anniversary with the release of The Reunion Albums: 2007 - 2012 a 5CD box set out through BMG UK on 11th June featuring Fantasia, Live In Tokyo, Phoenix, Omega and XXX

PURCHASE NOW 

at

 amazon.com

For more information

About

GEOFF DOWNES

ASIA and YES

Visit

for Geoff Downes:

www.geoffdownes.com

www.facebook.com/Geoffrey.Downes.Official

https://twitter.com/asiageoff

for ASIA:

www.originalasia.com

for YES:

www.yesworld.com

 

GEOFF DOWNES

Discography

Solo

Studio albums

The Light Program (1987, Geffen)

Vox Humana (1992, JIMCO/Blueprint Records)

Evolution (1996, Blueprint Records)

The World Service (2000, Blueprint Records)

Shadows & Reflections (2003, Voiceprint Records)

Electronica (New Dance Orchestra ft Anne-Marie Helder) (2010)

Live albums

Live at St. Cyprian's (2003)

Asia

Studio albums

Asia (1982)

Alpha (1983)

Astra (1985)

Then & Now (1990, half greatest hit)

Aqua (1992)

Aria (1994)

Arena (1996)

Rare (1999)

Aura (2000)

Silent Nation (2004)

Phoenix (2008)

Omega (2010)

XXX (2012)

Gravitas (2014)

Live albums

Live Mockba 09-X1-90 (1991)

Now - Live in Nottingham (1997)

Live in Philadelphia (1997)

Live in Osaka (1997)

Live in Koln (1997)

Live at the Town & Country Club (1999)

Live Acoustic (1999)

Alive in Hallowed Halls (2001)

Asia / Boston: Winning Combination (2001)

Asia Enso Kai (Live in Tokyo) (2001)

Alive in Hallowed Halls (2001)

America: Live in the USA (2002)

Quadra (2002)

Live at Budokan (2002)

Bedrock in Concert (2002)

Dragon Attack (2003)

Live in Buffalo (2003)

Live in Massachusetts `83 (2004)

Live in Hyogo (2004)

Different Worlds Live (2005)

Extended Versions (2007)

Fantasia: Live in Tokyo (2007)

Asia - Live Around the World (2010)

Spirit of the Night - Live in Cambridge 09 (2010)

Resonance - The Omega Tour 2010 (2012)

High Voltage - Live (2014)

Axis XXX Live in San Francisco MMXII (2015)

Symfonia - Live in Bulgaria 2013 (2017)

The Buggles

Studio albums

The Age of Plastic (1980)

Adventures in Modern Recording (1981)

With Chris Braide

Studio albums

Pictures of You (2012)

Suburban Ghosts (2015)

Skyscraper Souls (2017)

Halcyon Hymns (2021)

Live albums

Live in England (2019)

With John Wetton

Studio albums

Wetton Downes (1996, demo)

Wetton Downes (2002)

Icon (2005)

Heat of the Moment 05 (2005, EP)

Icon II: Rubicon (2006)

Icon 3 (2009)

Live albums

Icon Acoustic TV Broadcast (with John Wetton, 2006, Frontiers Records)

Icon Live - Never in a Million Years (with John Wetton, 2006, Frontiers Records)

Heat of the Rising Sun (with John Wetton, 2012)

Trapeze

Welcome to the Real World (1993)

Yes

Studio albums

Drama (1980)

Fly from Here (2011)

Heaven & Earth (2014)

Live albums

The Word is Live (Tracks taken from the 1980 tour) (2005)

Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome (2014)

Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center (2015)

Topographic Drama - Live Across America (2017)

Yes 50 Live (2019)

The Royal Affair Tour: Live in Las Vegas (2020)

Other appearances

Kate Bush: The Dreaming (1982)

Agnetha Faltskog: Eyes of a Woman (1985)

GTR: GTR (1986)

Glenn Hughes and Geoff Downes: The Work Tapes (1998, demo)

Alan White: White (2004)

The Prog Collective (2012)

Producers: Made In Basing Street (2012)

David Cross and Peter Banks: Cr

MY NEW BOOK

 IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE 

ROCK STAR

 CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM

 FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS 

THAT SET US FREE!

 

…Order yours today on

 (Collector edition) Hardcover

 or E-book

 at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations 

with some of the greatest

 rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

 

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   Gold Award Winner

JOHN PAYNE IS THE SPECIAL GUEST ON THE RAY SHASHO RADIO SHOW

Intelligent Music Project III Releases New Single & Video MIND PROJECTION feat. John Payne & Drum Legend Simon Phillips From Forthcoming “Touching the Divine” Album

 Sofia, Bulgaria – A year after releasing the all-star project “My Kind O’ Lovin’” producer and composer Milen Vrabevski returns to fulfill, as earlier claimed, his promise and ambition with Intelligent Music Project III – “Touching the Divine”. The new album features session legends Simon Phillips and Tim Pierce, and Nathan East courtesy of YEG. Тhe production concept relies again on two project launchers – guest stars John Payne (ex-Asia) and Toto’s Joseph Williams. Says Joseph, “It’s wonderful to explore working with Milen. The project has a wonderful message, accompanied with some beautiful music and some great rock ‘n’ roll – the musicians in this project are top-noch.” 

Musically “Touching the Divine” delivers a thrilling example of straightforward songwriting combined with rich and layered sound and gently executed dynamic spins. The first single MIND PROJECTION is a melodic and energetic slice of AOR, scored with John Payne’s powerful vocal arrangement and virtuoso instrumental charge, that lets you in deeper to the magic ingredient of this sophisticated project. Bass great Nathan East and fabulous Simon Phillips stamp their own authority in this piece, as well on the record throughout. 

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnoMT7oZaG0

Full creative input by all guest stars in the project. Recording sessions took place at Simon Phillips’ Phantom recordings (Williams, Pierce, Phillips and East) and at Intelligent Music Studios in Sofia (Payne, Pierce and vocals from Carl Sentance, recently appointed as Nazareth’s lead singer). Says Simon, “Music is an universal language. It’s really a blessing to have the opportunity to work with musicians from around the world.” 

MIND PROJECTION brings together once again the positive idea of the producer and composer Milen Vrabevski, that following the true excitement of our hearts and souls will give us the key to living a conscious live and to spiritual satisfaction, we often call happiness. Says Nathan, “This project is very special to me, because of the nature of the message of the project. I was very inspired and happy with the idea, because the message has value and meaning and I am about that. The word ‘inspirational’ is what I use to describe this project.” 

John Payne, who continues his 14 year legacy as “ASIA Featuring John Payne” says, “Doing this project with Milen – it has been great, really – these songs have a lot of structure and melody. It’s a very mature project, it’s a very intelligent project for the mind.” 

Says Milen Vrabevski, “I believe we managed to deliver an astonishing sound once again and it will delight the ears and sound systems of hardcore rockers all around the world. Bearing in mind the top-noch level of our guest stars, I allowed myself mainly to record the acoustic guitar of the first single MIND PROJECTION. The video was shot in Bulgaria by Vasil Stefanov, a very prolific and talented video director. The explicit idea was to show the level of collaboration and collective effort of all featuring musicians, which I believe, would be one of the most intriguing aspects for the music fans.” 

Says Tim Pierce, “My DNA is ‘a rock player’. Musically, this project is fun, because it travels a lot of different places.” 

“I really enjoyed working with Milen in his studio. There is a great sense of depth in his songs. We tried to get the best of my voice.” (Carl Sentance) 

Intelligent Music Project III – “Touching the Divine” is coming out in late September 2015. 

“The coming album is to bring us to the subject of the essence of life. It directs to searching for this special place within our souls that brings the spiritual satisfaction we often call happiness. It is our source of love and creation, balance and harmony. This place is the Divine in us all…” (Milen Vrabevski, MD) 

Intelligent Music Project III – “Touching the Divine”

Author and producer – Milen Vrabevski, MD

Featuring:

Simon Phillips – drums and percussion

Nathan East (appears courtesy of Yamaha Entertainment Group) – bass 

John Payne – lead & backing vocals 

Joseph Williams – lead & backing vocals 

Carl Sentance – backing vocals & ad-lib, lead vocal part on 7

Tim Pierce – guitars

All: Invaluable full creative input! 

Previous albums by the same author, featuring Simon Phillips, Joseph Williams & John Lawton are IMP I & II, respectively titled  “The Power of Mind ”  &  “ My Kind O’Lovin’  ”

 For more information:  http://intelligent-music.com/productions/touchingthedivine/

JOHN PAYNE INTERVIEWED ON 

THE RAY SHASHO RADIO SHOW

BBS RADIO 1 POSTED ON YOU TUBE 10-12-2015

Ray Shasho Interviews Geoff Downes

Interviewed on Thursday January 23rd 2014




Geoff Downes Interview: YES /ASIA keyboardist diligentlycreates without boundaries




www.examiner.com/review/geoff-downes-interview-yes-asia-keyboardist-diligently-creates-without-barriers