--- product_id: 170359315 title: "Aqua" price: "£0.71" currency: GBP in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/170359315-aqua store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Aqua **Price:** £0.71 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Aqua - **How much does it cost?** £0.71 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/170359315-aqua) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Review: Asia Aqua - Great product at a great price Review: The Real Beginning of Asia! 3.8 Stars - Most people will say that this is the beginning of the end of the band they grew up with. As for me though, this is the true beginning of a good band. Their 80's material, while catchy, lacked what I wanted to here from an 80's rock band (especially a progressive rock band!). Astra was easily the finest offering form that lineup. This album continues with Astra left off but with a new singer. John Payne's vocals are introduced to us on this album. Unfortunately, the music on this album isn't the best. It's definitely like a first album because of this. I also doesn't even really hint at the genius that is to come in the albums that follow this one. Not at all. Downes is always improving his keyboards, and all the session musicians are good. Al Pitrelli (who would join Megadeth in the late 90's / early 2000's plays a mean guitar here, but is much better on the next album, Aria. The music: 1. Aqua (Part 1)- Waves crash and we are treated with a nice acoustic guitar passage. It does more than set the scene for the listener. It is a beautiful passage. Very ambient and very majestic! I quite like it for an instrumental. 2. Who Will Stop the Rain?- This song is actually one of Asia's best songs. Even with the stuff that came out after it, I still enjoy this one as much as the very first time I heard it! This is the first time we hear the new singer and wow...what a difference! This song is in the typical Asia progressive pop-rock style, but with the stronger vocals, there is a much bigger emphasis on the ROCK for this listener. While there are quite a bit of acoustic/steel guitars through this song, it retains the rock factor more than many of the songs did on Asia's first 2 albums (Astra came across as a more rock album than the first 2). The drumming on this song is pretty good and the keys on this track are really good. The electric guitar solo toward the end of the song is short, but dang is it good! This song is a gem that most fans write off because it lacks Wetton. Very strong track! Nicely done! 3. Back in Town- Opening with a bluesy guitar part, it turns into a galloping hard rock song. This one definitely gets the listener moving along and jamming, but I find this one to be a little weaker than a bunch of the other songs on the album. It's not one that I'd skip all the time, but I find myself skipping it enough to note it. I think this one wasn't strong enough to make the final cut, but that's just my opinion. 4. Love Under Fire- This song is beautiful. It's made up of mostly keys, pianos, and acoustic guitars. Payne's vocals contain a passion and soul to it that I didn't really hear/feel in Wetton's singing. While I got into Asia before Evergrey (and while Asia is for sure older than Evergrey) Payne's vocals bring Tom Englund of said band to mind, though even with as much praise as I'm throwing to Payne, no vocalist can match Englund, but that's another topic. This song accomplishes something that was missing on the first 2 Asia albums; a focus on making music that really impacts the listener. The vocals in here are good, but the music behind them are what make it a great song! This song, had it been released in the 80's on a big label, could've been huge!!! Good song! 5. Someday- This song is a slower, heavier rock song and it has an 80's hard rock/hair metal sound, until the synths come in. The synth sound doesn't sound like something from that style. It's a very nice difference though. It gives the song personality. Payne conveys the lyrics really well and the guitar in this song is nice. The middle of the song goes from having a groove to it to a smooth instrumental passage that really earns the title of progressive rock. The nice extended instrumental passage on this song is well done and actually adds something to the song. The guitar solo on this one is equally impressive and comes out of nowhere. The chorus is big and really has depth. There is a steel guitar part at the end and it really gives a nice contrast to the song. It ends it on a good note! Nice! 6. Little Rich Boy- I can see why this wasn't released in the US on the original release. While it is a good grooving song, the lyrics aren't that great. I actually don't mind the music to it, but the lyrics are indeed...different. It's a good groove track though. The keys are cool and the atmosphere fairly dark. The thing that makes this track so week is just that it's too dang long. Sure, 4:37 is nothing, but this specific song is just structured as pretty repetitive and it's killed by the length. 7. The Voice of Reason- This song starts off with a steel guitar part that really does give an aquatic atmosphere. It has a kind of Italian sound too. The vocals come in and it's very soulful. Payne's voice is smooth and clear at the beginning of this song as opposed to the raspier style he's been using on the other songs. There are slight accents done by either the keys or electric guitar and they really add to the beauty of the song. It's a really sparse song and it builds up emotionally in the middle. Then the drums come in and the piano adds some more soul to it. Then the chorus becomes bigger with all the added instruments. Payne also does the raspier vocals as the music builds up. Very versatile voice, very good use of it. The music that supports him is genius, while it's not even technical, but this is mostly John's song to own the vocals! 8. Lay Down Your Arms- This is another one that could've been a hit had it been released in the 80's on a bigger label. I could picture this one being heard on a classic rock radio station. It's got a nice beat, a rather big chorus, and it's pretty up beat. It brings Asia's earlier works to mind, but this is pulled off with more style and emotion than anything I've heard the past Asia (maybe except for After the War off of Astra. THAT is Wetton's Asia's best song!). There is a key solo in this song. It's done rather well. I rather enjoy this song. Good tune! 9. Crime of the Heart- This starts off with a sad sounding violin and then Downes plays a piano-synth part that sounds like a Jonathan Cain composition for Journey. Payne comes in and it sounds like one of those cheesy 80's Hair Metal Bands' ballads. Musically, it is. Lyrically, while it is about that subject, it is beautifully written. As for the music, while it is in that cheesy style, it isn't cheesy. It's pulled off rather beautifully as well. I really do like the song as it is, but I would love to hear Steve Perry of Journey sing this song just because of how the opening piano part reminded me of that band. Now though, the song is really good. Payne puts a huge amount of soul into it and the music behind him only matches his emotion. The solo is really good and in a few ways, it even reminds me of Neal Schon's style (guitarist for Journey). Asia must've had Journey in mind when they wrote this song because all that's missing is Steve Perry's vocals lol. All the Journey references aside though, this is a great song! I think it could've been a huge hit as well. Great job! 10. A Far Cry- This one starts off with an epic sounding synth and an emotional guitar solo with it. Then the drums come in and the song takes off. I used to like this song a lot, but this one kinda lost its touch. It's a good song, but to me it's lost that special something that made it fun to hear. It still gets me nodding my head along with the beat, but it's not as good as it used to be. The steel guitar part is good, like all the other songs though. 11. Don't Call Me- I haven't ever really liked this song. When the music comes in after the sounds that open the beginning, it sounds cool and gets my attention, but the chorus is a little uninspired to my ear and I don't enjoy the song for that reason. To each his own, but I don't like this song. 12. Heaven on Earth- This song starts off with some spacey-sounding synths and John's voice softly comes in over the synths. After a while, the full band comes in and it turns into a really heavy-heart-felt rocker. My head nods along to this song and John's vocals soar in this song! I like this song, though it's not as good as the 2013 Boston song of the same title (Not many things do compare to Boston). This song does have a good middle instrumental section. It's brooding and features an eerie feeling. There is a guitar solo that comes in and really picks up the song! With a solo like this, it's not hard to see how Al Pitrelli ended up in Megadeth. His playing is technical and skilled, but with gusto and emotion. Very good solo and good song! 13. Aqua (Part 2)- This is nowhere near as good as the opening Aqua. It's a synth-driven instrumental and it has a drum-machine sounding rhythm part with a few guitar cameos through it, but because of how it came out, I believe this track to be filler. I would've preferred either no Aqua 2 or to have one that's actually a sequel to the opening track with Steve Howe. i.e more steel guitar work. Bonus Tracks: 14. Obsession- This song is pretty much the best on this album. Think that the strength of this album could've been raised had they removed a few of the not-so-great songs and put this and another song by the name of Heart of Gold on the album. Payne's vocals really shine on this song and the music in it is really good as well. This song is such an upbeat song that I don't know why they didn't put it on the actual album. It would've fit in so well!!! I really love the chorus in the song! The guitar solo in this song is too short though. My only complaint about the actual song. There is a small solo that happens as a counter melody to the final chorus and it really adds to the emotion. Then the solo continues after the chorus is finished. Great song! Should've made the album!!! 15- Little Rich Boy (Live) 16- Love Under Fire (Live)- Both live tracks are good cuts, but I don't really listen to live tracks. Good quality recordings for those that enjoy hearing live bonus tracks. Verdict- If you like Asia, you should definitely pick up this album. If you haven't gotten into John Payne's Asia, you should go in chronological order because this one starts off in familiar territory musically and then the others go off into very different sounds, but you can hear some of what would come on the next album in here, but for the most part, it's hard rock mixed with Asia's typical sound. Good mix with this vocalist. Good album overall! Happy New Year and Happy Shopping! ## Images ![Aqua - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41FPG44RXBL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Asia Aqua *by J***S on September 8, 2024* Great product at a great price ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Real Beginning of Asia! 3.8 Stars *by M***1 on January 4, 2014* Most people will say that this is the beginning of the end of the band they grew up with. As for me though, this is the true beginning of a good band. Their 80's material, while catchy, lacked what I wanted to here from an 80's rock band (especially a progressive rock band!). Astra was easily the finest offering form that lineup. This album continues with Astra left off but with a new singer. John Payne's vocals are introduced to us on this album. Unfortunately, the music on this album isn't the best. It's definitely like a first album because of this. I also doesn't even really hint at the genius that is to come in the albums that follow this one. Not at all. Downes is always improving his keyboards, and all the session musicians are good. Al Pitrelli (who would join Megadeth in the late 90's / early 2000's plays a mean guitar here, but is much better on the next album, Aria. The music: 1. Aqua (Part 1)- Waves crash and we are treated with a nice acoustic guitar passage. It does more than set the scene for the listener. It is a beautiful passage. Very ambient and very majestic! I quite like it for an instrumental. 2. Who Will Stop the Rain?- This song is actually one of Asia's best songs. Even with the stuff that came out after it, I still enjoy this one as much as the very first time I heard it! This is the first time we hear the new singer and wow...what a difference! This song is in the typical Asia progressive pop-rock style, but with the stronger vocals, there is a much bigger emphasis on the ROCK for this listener. While there are quite a bit of acoustic/steel guitars through this song, it retains the rock factor more than many of the songs did on Asia's first 2 albums (Astra came across as a more rock album than the first 2). The drumming on this song is pretty good and the keys on this track are really good. The electric guitar solo toward the end of the song is short, but dang is it good! This song is a gem that most fans write off because it lacks Wetton. Very strong track! Nicely done! 3. Back in Town- Opening with a bluesy guitar part, it turns into a galloping hard rock song. This one definitely gets the listener moving along and jamming, but I find this one to be a little weaker than a bunch of the other songs on the album. It's not one that I'd skip all the time, but I find myself skipping it enough to note it. I think this one wasn't strong enough to make the final cut, but that's just my opinion. 4. Love Under Fire- This song is beautiful. It's made up of mostly keys, pianos, and acoustic guitars. Payne's vocals contain a passion and soul to it that I didn't really hear/feel in Wetton's singing. While I got into Asia before Evergrey (and while Asia is for sure older than Evergrey) Payne's vocals bring Tom Englund of said band to mind, though even with as much praise as I'm throwing to Payne, no vocalist can match Englund, but that's another topic. This song accomplishes something that was missing on the first 2 Asia albums; a focus on making music that really impacts the listener. The vocals in here are good, but the music behind them are what make it a great song! This song, had it been released in the 80's on a big label, could've been huge!!! Good song! 5. Someday- This song is a slower, heavier rock song and it has an 80's hard rock/hair metal sound, until the synths come in. The synth sound doesn't sound like something from that style. It's a very nice difference though. It gives the song personality. Payne conveys the lyrics really well and the guitar in this song is nice. The middle of the song goes from having a groove to it to a smooth instrumental passage that really earns the title of progressive rock. The nice extended instrumental passage on this song is well done and actually adds something to the song. The guitar solo on this one is equally impressive and comes out of nowhere. The chorus is big and really has depth. There is a steel guitar part at the end and it really gives a nice contrast to the song. It ends it on a good note! Nice! 6. Little Rich Boy- I can see why this wasn't released in the US on the original release. While it is a good grooving song, the lyrics aren't that great. I actually don't mind the music to it, but the lyrics are indeed...different. It's a good groove track though. The keys are cool and the atmosphere fairly dark. The thing that makes this track so week is just that it's too dang long. Sure, 4:37 is nothing, but this specific song is just structured as pretty repetitive and it's killed by the length. 7. The Voice of Reason- This song starts off with a steel guitar part that really does give an aquatic atmosphere. It has a kind of Italian sound too. The vocals come in and it's very soulful. Payne's voice is smooth and clear at the beginning of this song as opposed to the raspier style he's been using on the other songs. There are slight accents done by either the keys or electric guitar and they really add to the beauty of the song. It's a really sparse song and it builds up emotionally in the middle. Then the drums come in and the piano adds some more soul to it. Then the chorus becomes bigger with all the added instruments. Payne also does the raspier vocals as the music builds up. Very versatile voice, very good use of it. The music that supports him is genius, while it's not even technical, but this is mostly John's song to own the vocals! 8. Lay Down Your Arms- This is another one that could've been a hit had it been released in the 80's on a bigger label. I could picture this one being heard on a classic rock radio station. It's got a nice beat, a rather big chorus, and it's pretty up beat. It brings Asia's earlier works to mind, but this is pulled off with more style and emotion than anything I've heard the past Asia (maybe except for After the War off of Astra. THAT is Wetton's Asia's best song!). There is a key solo in this song. It's done rather well. I rather enjoy this song. Good tune! 9. Crime of the Heart- This starts off with a sad sounding violin and then Downes plays a piano-synth part that sounds like a Jonathan Cain composition for Journey. Payne comes in and it sounds like one of those cheesy 80's Hair Metal Bands' ballads. Musically, it is. Lyrically, while it is about that subject, it is beautifully written. As for the music, while it is in that cheesy style, it isn't cheesy. It's pulled off rather beautifully as well. I really do like the song as it is, but I would love to hear Steve Perry of Journey sing this song just because of how the opening piano part reminded me of that band. Now though, the song is really good. Payne puts a huge amount of soul into it and the music behind him only matches his emotion. The solo is really good and in a few ways, it even reminds me of Neal Schon's style (guitarist for Journey). Asia must've had Journey in mind when they wrote this song because all that's missing is Steve Perry's vocals lol. All the Journey references aside though, this is a great song! I think it could've been a huge hit as well. Great job! 10. A Far Cry- This one starts off with an epic sounding synth and an emotional guitar solo with it. Then the drums come in and the song takes off. I used to like this song a lot, but this one kinda lost its touch. It's a good song, but to me it's lost that special something that made it fun to hear. It still gets me nodding my head along with the beat, but it's not as good as it used to be. The steel guitar part is good, like all the other songs though. 11. Don't Call Me- I haven't ever really liked this song. When the music comes in after the sounds that open the beginning, it sounds cool and gets my attention, but the chorus is a little uninspired to my ear and I don't enjoy the song for that reason. To each his own, but I don't like this song. 12. Heaven on Earth- This song starts off with some spacey-sounding synths and John's voice softly comes in over the synths. After a while, the full band comes in and it turns into a really heavy-heart-felt rocker. My head nods along to this song and John's vocals soar in this song! I like this song, though it's not as good as the 2013 Boston song of the same title (Not many things do compare to Boston). This song does have a good middle instrumental section. It's brooding and features an eerie feeling. There is a guitar solo that comes in and really picks up the song! With a solo like this, it's not hard to see how Al Pitrelli ended up in Megadeth. His playing is technical and skilled, but with gusto and emotion. Very good solo and good song! 13. Aqua (Part 2)- This is nowhere near as good as the opening Aqua. It's a synth-driven instrumental and it has a drum-machine sounding rhythm part with a few guitar cameos through it, but because of how it came out, I believe this track to be filler. I would've preferred either no Aqua 2 or to have one that's actually a sequel to the opening track with Steve Howe. i.e more steel guitar work. Bonus Tracks: 14. Obsession- This song is pretty much the best on this album. Think that the strength of this album could've been raised had they removed a few of the not-so-great songs and put this and another song by the name of Heart of Gold on the album. Payne's vocals really shine on this song and the music in it is really good as well. This song is such an upbeat song that I don't know why they didn't put it on the actual album. It would've fit in so well!!! I really love the chorus in the song! The guitar solo in this song is too short though. My only complaint about the actual song. There is a small solo that happens as a counter melody to the final chorus and it really adds to the emotion. Then the solo continues after the chorus is finished. Great song! Should've made the album!!! 15- Little Rich Boy (Live) 16- Love Under Fire (Live)- Both live tracks are good cuts, but I don't really listen to live tracks. Good quality recordings for those that enjoy hearing live bonus tracks. Verdict- If you like Asia, you should definitely pick up this album. If you haven't gotten into John Payne's Asia, you should go in chronological order because this one starts off in familiar territory musically and then the others go off into very different sounds, but you can hear some of what would come on the next album in here, but for the most part, it's hard rock mixed with Asia's typical sound. Good mix with this vocalist. Good album overall! Happy New Year and Happy Shopping! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pleased with this order. *by B***K on January 4, 2023* Vendor description accurate of product received. Pleased with condition and product received. Would I order from this vendor again? Yes. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/170359315-aqua](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/170359315-aqua) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*