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factoids

2 April 1982 (UK)HTTPS://WWW.BPI.CO.UK/AWARD/591-164-2, BPI, | recorded = June–November 1981| studio = {hide}hlist {edih}| genre = {hide}hlist {edih}m=44|s=22}}Geffen Records>GeffenMike Stone (record producer)>Mike StoneAlpha (Asia album)>Alpha| next_year = 1983| misc = {hide}Singles }}Asia is the debut studio album by English rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982. According to both Billboard and Cashbox, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982.MAGAZINE,www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+200&g=Year-end+Albums&year=1982, The Billboard 200 – Year-end albums – 1982, Billboard, dead,www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+200&g=Year-end+Albums&year=1982," title="web.archive.org/web/20090205011206www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+200&g=Year-end+Albums&year=1982,">web.archive.org/web/20090205011206www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+200&g=Year-end+Albums&year=1982, 5 February 2009, It contains their biggest hit “Heat of the Moment”, which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.MAGAZINE,www.allmusic.com/artist/asia-mn0000623254/awards, Asia chart positions in the US, Billboard (magazine), Billboard,

Recording

Asia included keyboardist Geoffrey Downes and guitarist Steve Howe from Yes; King Crimson singer-bassist John Wetton, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer drummer Carl Palmer.WEB,www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/music/despite-prog-rocks-critics-yes-asia-keep-genre-going-strong-1810173/, Despite prog rock’s critics, Yes, Asia keep genre going strong, Jason Bracelin, July 24, 2019, February 24, 2023, “The production was a bit Journey-esque,” Howe noted. “That was down to Mike Stone, who’d co-produced Escape, which was a huge album for Journey. But ‘Heat of the Moment’ was the last song we recorded for the Asia album. By then we’d already done stuff like ‘Time Again’ and ‘Wildest Dreams,’ which were very progressive. There was also this sweetness in ‘[Only] Time Will Tell.’ But as soon as I stacked up the guitar and John started singing, we knew we had something special in ‘Heat of the Moment’.“WEB,ultimateclassicrock.com/steve-howe-john-wetton-asia/, Steve Howe Says John Wetton Struggled With Asia’s Success, Martin Kielty, April 28, 2020, February 24, 2023, “People said, ‘No, that’s not going to work. It’s all keyboards now. It’s all synthesizers.’ I think A Flock of Seagulls was No. 1,” Wetton commented. “Actually, what we did was make a sound that blew synthesizers out of the water. Everyone said, ‘Oh, no, no, no. A prog-guitar band ain’t gonna work.’ But it did.“WEB,ultimateclassicrock.com/asia-debut-album/, How Asia Mixed Prog and Pop on Their Self-Titled Debut, Jeff Giles, March 18, 2017, February 24, 2023,

Artwork

Asia’s logo and cover artwork were created by Roger Dean, known for his work with Yes (of which guitarist Steve Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes were previous members) and Uriah Heep (of which bassist/vocalist John Wetton had previously been a member). The debut album’s art depicts a sea serpent gazing into a crystal orb.There was a concern that having Dean do the cover would produce something that looked too much like his famed artwork for Yes, but Howe and Downes pushed for his involvement. Geffen’s John Kalodner did not initially like Dean’s logo for the band.WEB,www.youtube.com/watch?v=KybT1T0CKtA, Roger Dean and Geoff Downes in Conversation, 26 March 2023, www.youtube.com,

Critical reception

{{Music ratings| rev1 = AllMusic4.5 class = album label = Asia: Asia > Review last = Demalon | access-date = 28 October 2016}}(Christgau’s Record Guide: The ‘80s>Christgau’s Record Guide)AUTHOR-LINK=ROBERT CHRISTGAUCHAPTER=ATITLE=(CHRISTGAU’S RECORD GUIDE: THE ‘80S)PANTHEON BOOKS>YEAR=1990VIA=ROBERTCHRISTGAU.COM, }}Robert Christgau blasted the album, and particularly its lyrics. He stated that it had been a rare occasion that “a big new group is bad enough to sink your teeth into any more” and called the album “pompous – schlock in the grand manner”. Melody Maker’s Adam Sweeting similarly lambasted the band: “Designed by computer, hand-built by robots...Completely calculated, thoroughly contemptible, Asia is every bit as hollow, shallow and nasty as anyone had a right to expect.“WEB,rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/asia-asia-geffen, Asia: Asia (Geffen), rocksbackpages.com, 26 March 2023, On the other side, in a Billboard review, it was favourably noted that “the caliber of the [band’s] playing is superb and the music sounds fresh and perfect fare for AOR”.MAGAZINE, Top Album Picks: Asia – Asia, Billboard (magazine), Billboard, 27 March 1982, 94, 12, 98, In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tom Demalon awarded Asia four-and-a-half out of five, saying that “there’s no denying the epic grandeur of the music, which provided some much-needed muscle to radio at the time, and did so with style”.

Commercial performance

Upon its release in March 1982, Asia reached #1 in the US and spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart. Asia was certified 4x-platinum in the US by the RIAA on 10 February 1995.WEB,www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS, RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Program searchable database, Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, dead,www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS," title="web.archive.org/web/20070626051113www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS,">web.archive.org/web/20070626051113www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS, 26 June 2007, dmy, It was the best-selling album of 1982 in the US.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}In the band’s native UK, Asia did not perform as well as in the US, peaking only at #11 and spent a total of 38 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.WEB,www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/asia/, Asia chart positions in the UK, The Official Charts Company, The record received a gold status in Britain on 18 October 1982.WEB,www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx/search.aspx, BPI’s certified awards search, British Phonographic Industry, BPI, “Heat of the Moment” climbed to No. 46.Asia’s total worldwide sales are estimated at over ten million copies.WEB,www.audiofidelity.net/content/asiaasia, Asia::Asia, Audio Fidelity, dead,audiofidelity.net/content/asiaasia," title="web.archive.org/web/20121011003846audiofidelity.net/content/asiaasia,">web.archive.org/web/20121011003846audiofidelity.net/content/asiaasia, 11 October 2012,

Aftermath

“It was really most unlikely that musicians who derived from ‘70s bands would come out and be the pinup boys on MTV and People magazine and all that kind of stuff .... There was a difference between the Yes and Asia audiences to some degree, because Asia was such a big thing across America to all age groups.” Downes said. “Yes’ following is really quite eclectic — it’s a big following of course, but with Asia, teenage girls would be into it and stuff like that. It’s an interesting combination for me, because having been with both bands and still at it, it’s nice to get that whole cross section of people following the music.”

2010 Audio Fidelity remastered edition

In 2010, Audio Fidelity released a 24 Karat Gold CD (AFZ 068) remaster of the album, mastered by Kevin Gray.

Track listing

{{Track listing| headline = Side oneHeat of the Moment (Asia song)>Heat of the Moment| writer1 = John Wetton, Geoff Downes| length1 = 3:48Only Time Will Tell (song)>Only Time Will Tell| writer2 = Wetton, Downes| length2 = 4:44Sole Survivor (Asia song)>Sole Survivor| writer3 = Wetton, Downes| length3 = 4:48| title4 = One Step CloserSteve Howe (musician)>Steve Howe| length4 = 4:16| title5 = Time Again| writer5 = Downes, Howe, Carl Palmer, Wetton| length5 = 4:45}}{{Track listing| headline = Side two| total_length = 44:22| title6 = Wildest Dreams| writer6 = Wetton, Downes| length6 = 5:10| title7 = Without You| writer7 = Wetton, Howe| length7 = 5:04| title8 = Cutting It Fine| writer8 = Wetton, Downes, Howe| length8 = 5:35| title9 = Here Comes the Feeling| writer9 = Wetton, Howe| length9 = 5:42}}{{Track listing| headline = Bonus Track| title10 = Ride Easy| writer10 = Wetton, Howe| length10 = 4:35| total_length = 48:57}}

Personnel

Asia

• John Wetton – lead vocals, bass guitar
• Geoff Downes – keyboard, vocals
• Steve Howe – guitars, vocals
• Carl Palmer – drums, percussion

Technical personnel

• Mike Stone – producer, engineer
• Roger Dean – cover design
• Brian Griffin – inner sleeve photography

Charts

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Weekly charts{| class“wikitable sortable plainrowheaders”

! scope=“col“| Chart (1982)! scope=“col“| Peakposition! scope=“row“| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)BOOK, Kent, David, David Kent (historian), Australian Chart Book 1970–1992, illustrated, Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W., 1993, 0-646-11917-6, 19, 13{{Album chart | Austria | 13 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}{{Album chart | Canada | 1 | chartid = 6528 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}{{Album chart | Netherlands | 10 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}! scope=“row“| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)BOOK, Pennanen, Timo, Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972, 1st, Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, Helsinki, 2006, 978-951-1-21053-5, fi, 25!scope=“row“| French Albums (SNEP)WEB,www.infodisc.fr/Album_A.php, Infodisc.fr, fr, 9 June 2012, Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – A, dead,infodisc.fr/Album_A.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20141022124902infodisc.fr/Album_A.php,">web.archive.org/web/20141022124902infodisc.fr/Album_A.php, 22 October 2014, Select Asia from the menu, then press OK. 9{{Album chart | Germany4 | 6 | id = 7749 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}!scope=“row“|Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)WEB,www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php, Classifiche, Musica e dischi, it, 3 June 2022, Set “Tipo” on “Album”. Then, in the “Titolo” field, search “Asia”.19!scope=“row“|Japanese Albums (Oricon)BOOK, Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005, Oricon, Oricon Entertainment, Roppongi, Tokyo, 2006, 4-87131-077-9, ja, 15{{Album chart | New Zealand | 17 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}{{Album chart | Norway | 4 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}{{Album chart | Sweden | 27 | artist = Asia | album = Asia | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016}}{{Album chart | UK2 | 11 | date = 19820410 | rowheader = true | access-date = 28 October 2016 | refname = “UK Albums, weekly“}}{{Album chart | Billboard200 | 1 | artist = Asia | rowheader = true | refname = “US Billboard 200, weekly“}}{{col-2}}“>

Year-end charts{| class“wikitable sortable plainrowheaders”

! scope=“col“| Chart (1982)! scope=“col“| Position! scope=“row“| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)WEB,dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1982&cat=a, Jaaroverzichten – Album 1982, dutchcharts.nl, 2 March 2021, 68! scope=“row“| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)WEB,www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1982, Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts, de, GfK Entertainment, offiziellecharts.de, 2 March 2021, 17! scope=“row“| UK Albums (OCC)BOOK, Rees, Dafydd, Lazell, Barry, Jones, Alan, 1983, The Top 100 UK Albums, Chart File, Volume 2, London, Virgin Books, 82–83, 0-907080-73-1, 35! scope=“row“| US Billboard 200MAGAZINE, Top Pop Albums, Billboard (magazine), Billboard, 25 December 1982, 94, 51, 1“>

All-time chart{| class“wikitable plainrowheaders”

! scope=“col“| Chart! scope=“col“| Position! scope=“row“| US Billboard 200MAGAZINE,www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboard-200-albums, Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums, Billboard (magazine), Billboard, 28 October 2016, 95{{col-end}}

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Australia|award=Gold|certref=MAGAZINE,worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/80s/1982/CB-1982-11-20-OCR-Page-0028.pdf, 20 December 2020, Asia strikes it rich, Cash Box, November 11, 1982, 28, |relyear=1982|certyear=1982}}{{Certification Table Entry | type = album | region = Canada | artist = Asia | title = Asia | award = Platinum | number = 3 | relyear = 1982 | access-date = 28 October 2016 }}{{Certification Table Entry | type = album | region = France| artist = Asia | title = Asia | award = Gold | relyear = 1982 | access-date = 9 September 2021|source=infodisc |certyear=1983}}{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Japan|award=Platinum|certyear=1982|certref=|relyear=1982}}{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1982|region=Switzerland|award=Gold|certref={{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101224453www.bonhams.com/auctions/25431/lot/63/|date=1 November 2021|title=Bonhams : Carl Palmer: Album cover artwork and a ‘gold’ sales award, 1982}}}}{{Certification Table Entry | type = album | region = United Kingdom | artist = Asia | title = Asia | award = Gold | certyear = 1982 | relyear = 1982 | access-date = 28 October 2016 | refname = UK certification|id=591-164-2}}{{Certification Table Entry | type = album | region = United States | artist = Asia | title = Asia | award = Platinum | number = 4 | certyear = 1995 | relyear = 1982 | access-date = 28 October 2016 | refname = US certification}}{{Certification Table Bottom}}

References

{{reflist|30em}}

External links

• The official Asia web site

{{Asia (band) |state=collapsed}}{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1970–1989}}{{Authority control}}