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Artist: Asia

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Asia Homepage

CD Title: Asia

 

Category: AOR

Year: 1982

Label: Geffen

Catalog Number: DIDX 000484 2008-2

Personnel

Geoff Downes keyboards, vocals
Steve Howe guitars, vocals
Carl Palmer drums, percussion
John Wetton lead vocals, bass

Tracks

1.	Heat of the Moment	3:50
2.	Only Time Will Tell	4:44
3.	Sole Survivor	4:48
4.	One Step Closer	4:16
5.	Time Again	4:45
6.	Wildest Dreams	5:10
7.	Without You	5:04
8.	Cutting it Fine	5:35
9.	Here Comes the Feeling	5:42
Total Running Time:		43:54

If you see any errors or omissions in the CD information shown above, either in the musician credits or song listings (cover song credits, live tracks, etc.), please post them in the corrections section of the Heavy Harmonies forum/message board.

The music discographies on this site are works in progress. If you notice that a particular Asia CD release or compilation is missing from the list above, please submit that CD using the CD submission page. The ultimate goal is to make the discographies here at Heavy Harmonies as complete as possible. Even if it is an obscure greatest-hits or live compilation CD, we want to add it to the site. Please only submit official CD releases; no bootlegs or cassette-only or LP-only releases.

EPs and CD-singles from Asia are also welcome to be added, as long as they are at least 4 songs in length.

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Existing comments about this CD

From: HITMAN	Date: April 18, 2001 at 19:53
...cool...very cool...

From: Kim	Date: March 15, 2002 at 4:14
I never really cared for ASIA and still dont. But this cd is a must for any fan of music from that period. Super album.

From: West Of Sunset	Date: March 31, 2002 at 4:27
The album is good but John Wetton is a very bad singer. It´s a shame but a good debut at least. for contact:haremscarem@eresmas.com

From: Roger	Date: May 4, 2002 at 14:05
My all-time favourite album, great singing

From: Bari	Date: June 13, 2002 at 10:32
what can i say of this album??one of my all time aor´s favourite albums.The duet wetton-downes is great, the guitar of Howe is magic and the drums of Palmer are wonderful.West of sunset..you are wrong with Wetton..he´s a brilliant musician.ASIA ES MUY GRANDE MUCHACHOS!!

From: koogles

Date: June 28, 2002 at 9:21

With the possible exception of Howe, ASIA's debut represented a career high for all involved. Wetton's voice, now thick & confident, soars as Geoff and Carl get their pompous rocks off in the background. Howe's never rocked like this before or since: his lean, angular style is just perfect for the prog-rockers-straight-off-the-fat-farm approach. Mike Stone's wall of sound and Roger Dean's dragon playing with a beach ball solidifies this as one of the best & most cohesive packages ever assembled.

From: Rockforever

Date: July 13, 2002 at 14:47

A change from their previous work,these prog-rockers wrote a top album.Much more commercial than much of their previous stuff (Geoff Downes' Video Killed the Radio Star excluded),'Asia' is a fantastic progressive AOR record.Heat of the Moment,in my opinion,remains the bands best song,even though there are more interesting and complex tracks.It is just so evocative.Wetton's rich vocals,Howe's precise guitar,Downes' layered synths and Palmer's powerful drumming all contribute to a great album.

From: B. CASARIN -MEX	Date: September 6, 2002 at 23:56
buen disco pero prefiero el astra 88/100

From: jgolden	Date: September 28, 2002 at 22:43
This was a great album in the early 80's. Very musical

From: Andre Tekken	Date: November 13, 2002 at 11:19
A cult release!Icon of the 80`s!Songs like 'Heat of the Moment','Time Will Tell'are outstanding 80`s landmarks!Typical epic neo-prog,quite commercial this first effort, like ELP and Yes.Only after their third CD I guess, they became an AOR act.But this one is their true signature album.Also features John Wetton forme UK.Awsome Roger Dean cover!

From: koogles	Date: November 14, 2002 at 9:23
A 'cult' release? No, 'Electric' was a cult release. This sucker sold over 4 million copies and spent 7 weeks at no. 1. That doesn't spell 'cult' to me!! And it didn't take them 3 releases to sink into the AOR routine... it began here.

From: ThunderDan	Date: November 17, 2002 at 8:52
Correction, koogles, this album has sold over 5 (maybe even six?) mills. It spent 9, not 7, weeks on top. I agree that this is anything but a cult release, Andre was at least right w/ the 'Icon of the 80's' comment.

From: MALLORCA´S ROCK	Date: December 5, 2002 at 8:30
Muy fojo, destaco la archiconocida heat of the moment pero nada mas

From: manos	Date: December 29, 2002 at 13:57
This is a great album of the early 80s. It's not Asia's best effort as many people are claiming but yet it is their most popular record as it is including the massive hit ''heat of the moment''. Moreover, it is the most heavy album of the Wetton era so Hard Rock fans may like this one.

From: Melodiker	Date: January 6, 2003 at 14:13
Ein Klassiker und nicht nur wegen Heat Of The Moment ! 8,5\10 Pflichtscheibe !

From: steve	Date: February 28, 2003 at 14:06
never heard of them fill me in

From: Andy	Date: June 27, 2003 at 15:30
Asia's 1st & best album, & one of the best releases I've EVER heard. enough said.

From: Rycheage

Date: July 4, 2003 at 15:48

Though comprised of members of Yes, King Crimson and ELP, Asia sound nothing like any of those bands, nor were they trying to. Asia were rooted firmly in the AOR-influenced pop-rock school of the early 80's, groups distinguished as much by the amount of mousse they put in their hair and the guitar-shaped keyboards they wielded as by any specific sound they all possessed. Getting past these trappings, though, I think Asia's first few albums, and this one in particular, were pretty good.

From: Scandinavia	Date: October 7, 2003 at 7:43
Good & classic album....Sounds terribly dated though....Tracks 1, 2, 3 & 6 are the highlights...

From: AOR freaky	Date: December 11, 2003 at 10:35
Still fresh and great stuff to my ears ! A perfect mix of AOR and prog. Their first and still one of their best !, although more recent releases are more than worth a listen ! Great band anyway !!!

From: Scandinavia	Date: December 11, 2003 at 13:23
Hey AOR freaky (Freddy)...How do you feel about the ASTRA album???

From: AOR freaky	Date: December 12, 2003 at 7:49
Like most of Asia's album, I think Astra is also a bloody good record. Asia is not my fave band, but I like their work a lot !

From: Qwertyazerty

Date: December 22, 2003 at 9:05

The album of my schooldays everybody was crazy about it in the basement of Culham's UK european school,that's why the tape remained in the k7 player for years.... I only recently listened to it again ... and even if the drums sound a bit like Survivor's eye of the tiger and the intro of only time will tell has been copied since on Europe's final countdown..... I still love it . I came across the live acoustic version of Heat of the moment recorded in 96 .In Wetton's voice we here all the nostal

From: Qwertyazery	Date: December 22, 2003 at 9:07
-gy of a past era

From: kesseldorz	Date: January 18, 2004 at 13:15
Asia's best album, raw and super sound, still love it Wetton a very bad singer?lmao 10/10 one of the best albums ever made Greets, Kess

From: sid_meier	Date: January 22, 2004 at 15:23
best songs : 'only time will tell' , 'wildest dreams' and 'without you' and 'here comes the feeling' not so good : 'cutting it fine' overall : 9/10

From: Blaine	Date: February 8, 2004 at 3:20
Everybody overlooked it! Gotta love the album covers, that's for sure. They get my vote right there for that!

From: kyny	Date: February 26, 2004 at 16:00
Disco Pop Pop pop sin nada q aportar al AOR

From: gener8tr	Date: April 30, 2004 at 15:11
By FAR their best. Hard to top this debut...

From: illimey	Date: May 2, 2004 at 22:14
Once in a lifetime achievement by some great talent. Haven't heard much of Asia's other stuff, but there are some instances where less is more. I will probably pick up one of their DVDs soon though to get an idea of what all this sounded like live. Gotta be a 9.5/10.

From: Big Papa K	Date: June 23, 2004 at 2:22
Starts off great with the first two tracks that are deserved classics. The problem is that by the second half, the songs start to sound the same. It is still weird to see all the progressive rock musicians playing in a band that plays aor style rock. 6/10

From: Wotty	Date: August 30, 2004 at 17:53
The tour-de-force of early 80s melodic rock.A classic that still stands the test of time.Includes the anthem Only Time Will Tell,and the other tracks highlight the proficientcy of Wetton,Howe,Downes and Palmer.GREAT ALBUM...

From: Spiderman	Date: August 31, 2004 at 0:25
In my opinion, one of the best albums ever. Just listen to the complex music. Alot like classical music and less like pop music with it's repetative music and vocals. I went to the 1982 concert in St. Louis and still think it was incredible.

From: Wotty	Date: September 1, 2004 at 7:13
Just about to listen to SILENT NATION by ASIA.I wonder what genre I shall be hearing?....

From: jarett r.	Date: December 28, 2004 at 19:12
i just got this album. reminds me a lot of yes, which isn't a surprise since it has 2 yes members.

From: TOKIOBLADE	Date: January 19, 2005 at 5:28
ME ENCANTA ESTE DISCO SUAVE Y GENIAL,MUY BUENA VOZ.EXCELENTE.UN SALUDO TOKIOBLADE@HOTMAIL.COM

From: Geoff	Date: March 22, 2005 at 5:21
This is one I believe I still have in the collection. The first 2 are especially great songs, but this is a good solid slab of AOR.

From: Dreamaholic

Date: May 16, 2005 at 4:42

Asia was billed as the 'first supergroup of the 80s'. It was certainly an accurate description considering the members' backgrounds and talents. Palmer's drumming is magnificent and Howe's guitar never sounded this good. Mike Stone's production can't be underestimated, check out his work on Journey's Escape and Frontiers. I had a huge promo poster hanging in my bedroom through the 80s (love that dragon). Oh yeah, the music is top notch too, though I can't stand One Step Closer. Recommended!

Heavy Harmonies Volunteer
From: Jez	Date: November 21, 2005 at 8:37
Another one of those that would appear on my Desert Island list & an album I feel deserves it's 'Classic' status. At the time,I remember being really surprised that this didn't turn out to be as Proggy as I was expecting, baring in mind who is involved, & it was really one of the first albums of it's type that it combined a more accessible mix of AOR, with a Proggy twist which worked superbly well. Of all the Asia catologue, this is my Top one,although the latter day 'Aura' also runs it close.

From: juan carlos	Date: July 16, 2007 at 0:16
Simplemente genial. 'Heat of the Moment' archiconocida pero no por eso me da dolor de estomago ni mucho menos, 'Only Time Will Tell' otra súper joya clásica Temazo por donde se el mire, 'Sole Survivor' y 'Wildest Dreams' mis Mega-Favoritas. Una joyaza de disco. 9.5/10

From: Carlos A.

Date: July 16, 2007 at 12:02

De acuerdo juan carlos,Clasico del rock sinfonico y hecho por el 1º Super-grupo 80`s,'heat of the moment' y 'only time will tell' son como soundtracks de vida para muchos q crecieron en los 80`s,el resto de temas son tambien memorables:'Wildest dreams'(redobles matadores de Palmer mi favorita)o 'Time again'.En el comcierto de Asia en Lima aperturaron tocando todo este disco finalizandolo Downes magicamente con un superinstrumental del 'video kill...'de Buggles. Clasicazo q quizas pudo ser mejor.

From: DanDare	Date: October 16, 2010 at 19:04
I prefer the second disc, but it's hard to argue against this album. This one always feels 'darker' to me. Maybe it's the lyrics, maybe it's the production or the melodies, I don't know what it is. I love Yes, so Steve Howe's guitar work is always a delight. A true maestro and criminally underated IMO.

From: RClap	Date: August 10, 2012 at 17:04
This is great AOR-Symphonic Rock. A classic and a must have for any AOR lover. 95/100

From: pibe	Date: November 5, 2012 at 17:08
gran disco obra maestra del rock sinfonico -aor

From: rick kerch vzla	Date: April 26, 2014 at 11:49
A debut album that opened with 2 mega hits on the row in the shape of "Heat Of The Moment" & "Only Time Will Tell" that are by far the best ones in here..."Sole Survivor" followed very close as well...tracks 5,6 & 9 are also fine ones...an enjoyable release...85/100

From: Doug	Date: January 29, 2015 at 15:09
I remember when this came out and I was in college. At the time I was just so-so with it. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate it more.

From: 707STAR	Date: January 31, 2017 at 23:15
WE LOST A GREAT VOCALIST TODAY IN THE ROCK WORLD. JOHN WETTON WILL BE REMEMBERED AS AN AWESOME SINGER AND BASS PLAYER. THIS ALBUM WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST DEBUT ALBUMS OF ETERNITY. REST IN PEACE J.W.

From: titothetitan	Date: January 9, 2020 at 12:58
After the killer opening song [Heat of the Moment] it's level is never reached again and the album turned out into a big disappointment to me.

From: Yiro	Date: February 1, 2021 at 22:14
My first comment in years!! Finally! Yiro´s back! Amazing album with two of the best AOR POp symphonic songs of all time. Sorry If I don´t go further with the comment but i think everything has been said about this record. Essential.

From: Dx7	Date: October 30, 2021 at 7:52
Seminal album for the developments of a certain type of aor balanced with tech and pop-rock elements. Steve Howe, however, should have changed his job.

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