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Carl Palmer<\/a> recalled suggesting that Roy Wood<\/a> should be hired as lead singer for his progressive rock supergroup Asia<\/a> when they were forming in 1981.<\/p>\n Wizzard leader Wood, formerly of The Move<\/a> and Electric Light Orchestra<\/a>, seemed like an obvious choice to the drummer \u2013 who also liked the idea that they were both from the Birmingham area of England.<\/p>\n In a recent interview with MusicRadar<\/a>, Palmer remembered extensive discussions with guitarist Steve Howe<\/a>, bassist John Wetton<\/a> and keyboardist Geoff Downes<\/a> about who should front Asia. They\u2019d already rejected future Yes<\/a> member Trevor Rabin<\/a> when Palmer suggested Wood.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Asia Name New Album \u2018Indigo,\u2019 Release Video for \u2018The Traveller\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018This guy has had 18 top 10 singles. He\u2019s a great writer. So let\u2019s get hold of him and just see what he\u2019s got.\u2019 They said, \u2018Are you serious, Carl?\u2019 I said, \u2018Well, I\u2019m as serious as I was with Trevor Rabin. We should give it a go.\u2019 John Wetton said, \u2018It\u2019s true. He is a damn good writer, isn\u2019t he?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n So Palmer called Wood, who came to meet his potential bandmates in his usual style. \u201cHe had his silver shoes on, and his tights, and his red jacket, and his hair all over the place and his round glasses. And he kept saying to Steve Howe, \u2018Can you play some of that posh guitar?\u2019 He was great. I remember to this day he had a tune called \u2018Aerial Pictures.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But gut instinct was against Wood. \u201cJohn and I were looking at each other,\u201d Palmer continued, \u201cand we said, \u2018This is good\u2019 \u2013 but there was something sort of not quite there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s weird: here\u2019s a man with a pedigree as long as your arm, an absolute diamond. But the following day, after we sent Woody away, we had a band meeting and we said, \u2018He\u2019s good, he\u2019s bloody good, but it\u2019s not right.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s when Wetton offered his own suggestion. \u201cJohn said\u2026 \u2018Will you give me a shot at being the lead vocalist?\u2019 We said, \u2018Why not? Let’s see what we can do. And if it\u2019s not right, then you know you\u2019ve got to own up as well, and say you\u2019re not comfortable.\u2019 Because we had to get the vocals right.\u201d<\/p>\n Palmer listed Wetton\u2019s credentials as former King Crimson<\/a> frontman, having taken over from the drummer\u2019s ELP<\/a> colleague Greg Lake<\/a>. \u201cJohn had a very radio-friendly voice, very similar to Greg. It wasn\u2019t that blues rock voice. It wasn\u2019t a David Coverdale<\/a> type thing. It was a good, solid, straightforward voice. So we went with it, and that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n Asia went on a level of success that surprised the members, so there was no need to spend much time wondering what might have been if they\u2019d hired Wood. Looking back, though, Palmer said: \u201cHe\u2019s a force to be reckoned with. And he\u2019s a lovely fella, but he\u2019s also an oddball, which is hard to be around, I would imagine.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just that the connection was missing. When you\u2019re a musician, it doesn\u2019t matter how good somebody is. It either works or it doesn\u2019t, and in Woody\u2019s case it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n From Kansas and Can to King Crimson and Curved Air.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Ryan Reed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow John Wetton Became Asia\u2019s Singer<\/h3>\n
Top 50 Progressive Rock Artists<\/h2>\n