Asia: A Retrospective, 1982-2014

Asia A Retrospective: 1982-2014

Overview: The rock group Asia formed in 1981 in England. The original members had impressive resumes. Keyboardist Geoff Downes had been with the Buggles and Yes. Guitarist Steve Howe was also from Yes. Carl Palmer was the drummer with Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Singer John Wetton had previously worked with King Crimson. Despite their prog-rock credentials, the supergroup created a polished, commercially successful brand of mainstream rock. “However, the group received “venomous criticism from the so-called hip music press.” BA “Perhaps the formation seemed cooked up by dollar-blinded record-company brass and even the musicians themselves,” BA but the group “expertly combined stellar instrumental prowess with killer hooks and choruses – and, yeah, more than a little bombast.” BA The original lineup only lasted through two albums and Asia appeared to be done after 1985’s Astra. However, after the 1990 compilation Then & Now, which featured four new cuts, Geoff Downes took up the mantle and soldiered on with an ever-changing lineup whose only other consistent member was vocalist John Payne. Then, in 2007, the original lineup reunited for a tour and released four studio albums from 2008 to 2014. Sadly, John Wetton passed away on January 31, 2017, but at least Asia fans got to see the original foursome back together over the last decade. The Players Ian Crichton (g – Saga, Asia: 98-99, 01) Geoff Downes (k – Yes, Buggles, Asia: 81-present, Wetton/Downes: 05) Guthrie Govan (g – Asia: 01-06, GPS: 06) Steve Howe (g – Yes, Asia: 81-84, 92, 01, 2006-13; GTR: 86) Aziz Ibrahim (g – Simply Red, Asia: 96-99) Mandy Meyer (g – Krokus, Asia: 85-90) Carl Palmer (d – ELP, Asia: 81-85, 90-92, 2006-present) John Payne (v: 92-06, GPS: 06) Al Pitrelli (g: 92-96) Elliot Randall (g – Steely Dan, Randy Crawford, Asia: 96, 01) Jay Schellen (d – Asia: 05-06, GPS: 06) Billy Sherwood (b/v – Asia: 2017-present) Chris Slade (d - Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The Firm, Uriah Heep, Gary Numan, AC/DC, Asia: 99-05) Michael Sturgis (d – aha, Asia: 87, 91-01) Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (v/g: 2019-present) Pat Thrall (g: 90, 01) John Wetton (v – King Crimson, UK, Asia: 81-90, 2006-17, Wetton/Downes: 2005). Died in 2017. v = vocals; g = guitar; b = bass; k = keyboards; d = drums Links DMDB encyclopedia entry for Asia OriginalAsia.com (original lineup) Facebook (original lineup) Wikipedia (original lineup) Facebook page for Asia featuring John Payne Wikipedia page for Asia featuring John Payne

Awards

Studio Albums

Compilations TN Then and Now (1981-1990, released 1990) VB Heat of the Moment: The Very Best of (1981-1990, released 2000) DC Definitive Collection (1981-1990, released 2006) AN Anthology (1981-1997, released 1997) Spotify Playlist Here’s my Asia 1982-1990 playlist at Spotify. It features all songs from Then & Now plus some personal selections. Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Asia Asia

Released: March 18, 1982 Charted: April 3, 1982 Peak: 19 US, 11 UK, 13 CN, 13 AU, 14 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.1 UK, 10.0 world (includes US and UK) Rating: 3.861 out of 5.00 (average of 30 ratings)

Tracks: Heat of the Moment TN, VB, DC, AN Only Time Will Tell TN, VB, DC, AN Sole Survivor VB, DC One Step Closer Time Again VB, AN Wildest Dreams TN, VB, DC Without You Cutting It Fine Here Comes the Feeling VB, DC About the Album: Regardless of what the critics thought, the record-buying public lapped up Asia’s 1982 self-titled debut, sending it to the top of the Billboard album chart for nine weeks in the U.S. It was “a strong collection of melodic, sweeping, muscular arena rock” TD which produced a top-five pop hit with Heat of the Moment) and a top-twenty follow-up Only Time Will Tell. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Alpha Asia

Released: July 26, 1983 Peak: 6 US, 5 UK, 10 CN, 45 AU, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.06 UK, 1.06 world (includes US and UK) Rating: 3.550 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings)

Tracks: Don’t Cry TN, VB, DC, AN The Smile Has Left Your Eyes TN, VB, DC Never in a Million Years VB My Own Time (I’ll Do What I Want) The Heat Goes On VB, DC, AN Eye to Eye The Last to Know True Colors Midnight Sun Open Your Eyes VB, DC Daylight VB, DC About the Album: Their sophomore album, Alpha, came a year later. The album was another top-ten, platinum seller led by top-ten hit Don’t Cry. That album also produced the top-40 hit The Smile Has Left Your Eyes. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Astra Asia

Released: November 11, 1985 Peak: 67 US, 68 UK, 66 CN, 99 AU, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Rating: 3.395 out of 5.00 (average of 24 ratings)

Tracks: Go VB, DC, AN Voice of America TN, VB, DC Hard on Me Wishing DC Rock and Roll Dream Countdown to Zero Love Now Till Eternity Too Late VB, DC Suspicion After the War About the Album: After two albums, original guitarist Steve Howe left Asia. He was replaced by Mandy Meyer, whose biggest claim to fame was with the band Krokus, which hardly put him in the same ballpark as Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Howe. Still, the album was “unjustly ignored.” BA It offered up the “explosive rocker Go,” BA a top-10 hit on the album rock chart, but it stalled short of the top 40 on the pop charts. The album also featured the minor album rock hit Too Late (#30). Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Then & Now Asia

Released: August 13, 1990 Recorded: 1981-1990 Peak: 114 US, -- UK, 82 CN, -- AU, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.579 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Only Time Will Tell (2) Heat of the Moment (3) Wildest Dreams (4) Don’t Cry (5) The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (6) Days Like These (7) Prayin’ 4 a Miracle (8) Am I in Love? (9) Summer Can’t Last Too Long (10) Voice of America Total Running Time: 42:29 About the Album: Asia released three studio albums from 1982 to 1985 and then went dormant for the rest of the decade. In 1990, this collection emerged. While it featured four new songs, they were “flaccid musically and insipid lyrically.” TD The exception is “the anthemic Days Like These, which nearly matches the band’s strong debut material” TD and features Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. The song did revive interest in the group at album rock radio, where the song reached #2, but the pop world had largely abandoned Asia at this point; “Days” peaked at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the end, Then & Now is a “poorly conceived compilation.” BA Considering the few hits Asia had, it would seem to be an easy task to gather them together in one package, but Then & Now largely misses the boat. Sure, it gathers the most obvious songs with “Heat of the Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” “Don’t Cry,” and “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,” but the collection is flawed because of the absence of top-ten album rock songs “Sole Survivor,” “The Heat Goes On,” and “Go.” Also, how did the band miss the obvious and not title this collection Anthology given their predilection for giving their previous albums titles all starting with “A”? Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Days Like These (8/17/90, 64 BB, 2 AR, 31 CN) TN, VB, DC Prayin’ 4 a Miracle TN Am I in Love? TN Summer Can’t Last Too Long TN

Heat of the Moment: The Very Best of Asia

Released: June 6, 2000 Recorded: 1981-1990 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.901 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Heat of the Moment (2) Only Time Will Tell (3) Sole Survivor (4) Time Again (5) Wildest Dreams (6) Here Comes the Feeling (7) Don’t Cry (8) Daylight (9) The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (10) Lying to Yourself (11) The Heat Goes On (12) Never in a Million Years (13) Open Your Eyes (14) Go (15) Voice of America (16) Too Late (17) Days Like These (18) Ride Easy Total Running Time: 77:00 About the Album: The flaws with Then & Now were corrected with this collection. The three unnecessary new songs from Then & Now were eschewed in favor of the three aforementioned top-ten album rock songs, although “Sole Survivor” and “Here Comes the Feeling” are “the choppily edited single versions.” BA The collection also added the B-sides “Ride Easy,” “Daylight,” and “Lying to Yourself.” However, the set is bloated with six songs each from the first two albums, meaning a few unnecessary album cuts creep in. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Ride Easy (B-side of “Heat of the Moment”) VB Lying to Yourself (B-side of “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”) VB

The Definitive Collection Asia

Released: September 12, 2006 Recorded: 1981-1990 Peak: 183 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU, 11 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 3.0 worldwide Genre: classic rock/progressive rock Rating: 3.587 out of 5.00 (average of 12 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) Heat of the Moment (2) Only Time Will Tell (3) Sole Survivor (4) Wildest Dreams (5) Here Comes the Feeling (6) Don’t Cry (7) The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (8) The Heat Goes On (9) Open Your Eyes (10) Daylight (11) Go (12) Voice of America (13) Too Late (14) Wishing (15) Days Like These (16) Go (extended version) About the Album: This set weeded out some of the forgettable album cuts which clogged up The Very Best of, including the three B-sides which, while interesting to Asia’s faithful followers, are not vital songs. In the end, this ends up being the most focused of the three collections covering 1981 to 1990. I’d prefer to see “Rock and Roll Dream” and “Countdown to Zero” from Astra instead of “Open Your Eyes” and “Wishing,” but that’s just a personal choice.

Aqua Asia

Released: January 1992 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Aqua, Pt. 1 AN Who Will Stop the Rain? (8/92, --) AN Back in Town Love Under Fire Someday AN Little Rich Boy The Voice of Reason Lay Down Your Arms Crime of the Heart A Far Cry Don’t Call Me Heaven on Earth Aqua, Pt. 2 About the Album: Asia’s superstar lineup from 1982 didn’t last long. After two albums, Steve Howe left the group. After 1985’s Astra, the group went on hiatus, returning for 1990’s Then & Now, which featured only four new songs. Then, in 1992, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer reunited but now John Payne was on vocals and bass instead of John Wetton and Al Pitrelli was on guitar instead of Steve Howe, although Howe did guest on the album. Downes and Payne would become the core of the band for the next 15 years, but had nothing close to the success of the first three albums. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Aria Asia

Released: May 1994 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Anytime (5/94, --) AN Are You Big Enough? Desire Summer (1994, --) Sad Situation Don’t Cut the Wire Feels Like Love (1994, --) AN Remembrance Day Enough’s Enough Military Man (1994, --) AN Aria Reality (bonus track added to later editions) AN About the Album: Yet another original member bolted. Carl Palmer was replaced on drums by Michael Sturgis. Only keyboardist Geoff Downes from the original group remained. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Arena Asia

Released: July 2, 1996 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Into the Arena Arena AN Heaven Two Sides of the Moon AN The Day Before the War Never Falling Words U Bring Me Down Tell Me Why Turn It Around (1996, --) Bella Nova About the Album: This was the third album featuring John Payne on vocals. Sturgis, who stepped in on 1994’s Arena, returns here, but guitarist Al Pitrelli is gone, replaced by Elliott Randall and Aziz Ibrahim. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Anthology Asia

Released: 1997 Recorded: 1982-1996 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Genre: veteran classic rock Rating: 3.003 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Tracks: (1) The Hunter (2) Only Time Will Tell (3) Arena (4) Anytime (5) Don’t Cry (6) Aqua Part One (7) Who Will Stop the Rain? (8) The Heat Goes On (9) Two Sides of the Moon (10) Reality (11) Go (12) Feels Like Love (13) Someday (14) Heat of the Moment (15) Military Man (16) Different World (17) Time Again (acoustic) Total Running Time: 74:07 About the Album: Despite the presence of classic-era Asia (1981-1990) songs, these are actually all recordings from 1992 on. John Wetton filed a lawsuit when the originals of “Heat of the Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” “Time Again,” “Don’t Cry,” “The Heat Goes On,” and “Go” were used on the original Japanese release so the band re-recorded them with John Payne on vocals. This collection also includes a cover of “The Hunter,” originally recorded by Steve Howe’s band GTR. Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: The Hunter AN Different World AN

Aura Asia

Released: June 5, 2001 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Awake Wherever You Are (2001, –) Ready to Go Home (2001, --) The Last Time Forgive Me Kings of the Day [Regis Diem] On the Coldest Day in Hell Free You’re the Stranger The Longest Night Aura About the Album: After a five-year layoff, the Downes-Payne lineup of Asia returned. A slew of guitarists appeared on the album, including original member Steve Howe. Michael Sturgis was also back on drums, a role also filled out by Chris Slade. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Silent Nation Asia

Released: August 31, 2004 Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: What about Love? (2004, --) Long Way from Home (2004, --) Midnight Blue Moon Monday Silent Nation Ghost in the Mirror Gone Too Far I Will Be There for You Darkness Day The Prophet Rise About the Album: This was the last Asia album to feature John Payne, who’d stepped into the roll of singer and bassist with 1992’s Aqua. Chris Slade and Guthrie Govan, who’d both appeared on the last album, now filled the roles of drummer and guitarist respectively. Payne and Govan recorded the album Window to the Soul with drummer Jay Schellen as GPS in 2006. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Phoenix Asia

Released: April 11, 2008 Peak: 73 US, 166 UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Never Again (2008, --) Nothing’s Forever Heroine Sleeping Giant/ No Way Back/ Reprise Alibis I Will Remember You Shadow of a Doubt Parallel Worlds/ Vortex/ Deya Wish I’d Known All Along Orchard of Mines Over and Over An Extraordinary Life (2008, --) About the Album: John Wetton and Geoff Downes released a pair of albums in 2005 (Icon) and 2006 (Rubicon). In 2007, they reunited with Steve Howe and Carl Palmer for a tour in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their debut album. Then, to the delight of Asia fans, they went back into the studio to record together for the first time since 1983’s Alpha. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Omega Asia

Released: April 23, 2010 Peak: -- US, 135 UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Finger on the Trigger Through My Veins Holy War Ever Yours Listen, Children End of the World Light the Way Emily I’m Still the Same There Was a Time I Believe Don’t Wanna Lose You Now About the Album: The original four were back again with another studio album which featured a reworking of “Finger on the Trigger,” a song Wetton and Downes originally recorded for their 2006 album. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

XXX Asia

Released: June 20, 2012 Peak: 134 US, 69 UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Tomorrow the World Bury Me in Willow No Religion Faithful (2012, --) I Know How You Feel Face on the Bridge (5/14/12, --) Al Gatto Nero Judas Ghost of a Chance About the Album: Here they are, back again! This would be the last album to feature the original Wetton-Howe-Palmer-Downes lineup. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Gravitas Asia

Released: March 19, 2014 Peak: 159 US, 92 UK, -- CN, -- AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): --

Tracks: Valkyrie (2014, --) Gravitas The Closer I Get to You Nyctophobia Russian Dolls Heaven Help Me Now I Would Die for You Joe DiMaggio’s Glove Till We Meet Again About the Album: Steve Howe flew the coop again, replaced by Sam Coulson on guitar. This would be the last album to feature John Wetton, who died in 2017. Go to the DMDB page for more about this album.

Resources/References: BA Bret Adams All Music Guide review of The Very Best of TD Tom Demalon All Music Guide review of Then & Now Wikipedia (Then & Now) Related DMDB Links: First posted 9/10/2020; last updated 6/28/2026.