LIVE IN HYOGO

Another "Official Bootleg" album, "From the Asia Archives", as the cover says, like other albums from the same series (with "Live in Buffalo", "Dragon Attack", "Live in Massachusetts 1983" being the other live albums) which "Voiceprint - Trademark of Official Quality" released between 2003 and 2004 (and that maybe all are out of print now). "Live in Hyogo" is clearly an audience recording from a concert they played during their "Then and Now" tour in 1990, in Japan. The line-up included original members John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Geoff Downes, plus the energetic Heavy Metal guitar playing style from Pat Thrall, a guitarist who played with the band during that tour replacing original guitarist Steve Howe, who left the band in 1984 before the band recorded their "Astra" album which was released in 1985.

Like in other live albums from this line-up and tour ("Now-Live in Nottingham", "Dragon Attack", and "Live in Moscow"), the band played very well, but the main difference was Thrall`s guitar playing, who played the songs in his own style, a very different style from Howe`s . The songs sound well, but one sometimes miss Howe`s guitar playing style in the songs which were played from their "Asia" and "Alpha" albums. The band also played during that tour some songs from the "Astra" album (which had Mandy Meyer as guitarist), plus some songs from KING CRIMSON and U.K. They also played some of the new songs they released in their "Then and Now" compilation album from 1990 ("Praying for a Miracle" and "Days like These"). With "Live in Moscow" and "Now-Live in Notingham" (I still have not yet listened to "Dragon Attack" but it seems that it also is an audience recording, as one review about that album says) having much better recordings than this audience live recording from Hyogo, I think that "Live in Moscow" is the best choice to buy from all the live recordings that I have listened unitl now from this line-up and tour, being a professional recording officially released by the band. So, this Hyogo album is more for the collectors and fans of the band. This audience recording is not very good.