Asia (Asia album)

Asia
Studio album by Asia
Released 18 March 1982
Recorded June – November 1981
Studio Townhouse Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock, pop rock, AOR
Length 44:22
Label Geffen
Producer Mike Stone
Asia chronology
Asia
(1982)		 Alpha
(1983)
Singles from Asia
  1. "Heat of the Moment"
    Released: April 1982
  2. "Only Time Will Tell"
    Released: 1982
  3. "Sole Survivor"
    Released: 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC–[2]

Asia is the self-titled debut studio album by British rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982. It contains their biggest hit and signature song, "Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3]

Commercial success

Upon its release in March 1982, Asia enjoyed massive commercial success, reaching #1 in the US and spending nine weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart.[3] According to both Billboard and Cash Box, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982.[4] Asia was certified 4x-platinum in the US by the RIAA on 10 February 1995.[5]

In the band's native UK, Asia did not perform as well as in the US, peaking only at #11. At the same time, it spent a total of 38 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.[6] The record received a gold status in Britain on 18 October 1982.[7] "Heat of the Moment" climbed to No. 46.[6]

Asia's total worldwide sales are estimated at over ten million copies.[8]

Critical reception

Asia's debut album was met with mixed reviews. Robert Christgau panned the record and gave it a rating of "C–". In his Consumer Guide Review the critic stated that "rare that a big new group is bad enough to sink your teeth into any more" and called Asia "pompous – schlock in the grand manner".[2] On the other side, Tom Demalon of AllMusic, in a four-and-a-half-star review, praised the album 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".[1]

Cover 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 had previously been members) and Uriah Heep (of which bassist/vocalist John Wetton had previously been a member) which depicts a leviathan gazing into a crystal orb.

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.[8]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by John Wetton and Geoff Downes except when noted. 

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Heat of the Moment"   3:50
2. "Only Time Will Tell"   4:44
3. "Sole Survivor"   4:48
4. "One Step Closer" (Wetton, Steve Howe) 4:16
5. "Time Again" (Downes, Howe, Carl Palmer, Wetton) 4:45
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "Wildest Dreams"   5:10
7. "Without You" (Wetton, Howe) 5:04
8. "Cutting It Fine" (Wetton, Downes, Howe) 5:35
9. "Here Comes the Feeling" (Wetton, Howe) 5:42

Credits

Production

Release history

Region Date
US 18 March 1982[5]
UK 2 April 1982[7]

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1982 UK Albums Chart 11[6]
Billboard 200 1[3]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1982 "Heat of the Moment" UK Singles Chart[6] 46
"Only Time Will Tell" 54
"Heat of the Moment" Billboard Hot 100[3] 4
"Only Time Will Tell" 17
"Heat of the Moment" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[3] 1
"Here Comes the Feeling" 40
"Only Time Will Tell" 8
"Sole Survivor" 10
"Time Again" 43
"Wildest Dreams" 28

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
Chariots of Fire by Vangelis
Tug of War by Paul McCartney		 Billboard 200 number-one album
15–22 May 1982
19 June – 31 July 1982 		Succeeded by
Tug of War by Paul McCartney
Mirage by Fleetwood Mac

Certifications

Country Organization Sales
UK BPI Gold[7]
US RIAA 4x-Platinum[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Demalon, Tom. "Asia review". AllMusic.
  2. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Asia consumer guide reviews". www.robertchristgau.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Asia chart positions in the US". Billboard.
  4. ↑ "The Billboard 200 – Year-end albums – 1982". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "RIAA's Gold & Platinum Program searchable database". RIAA.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Asia chart positions in the UK". The Official Charts Company.
  7. 1 2 3 "BPI's certified awards search". BPI.
  8. 1 2 "Asia::Asia". Audio Fidelity.

External links

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