Heat of the Moment
Only Time Will Tell
Sole Survivor
One Step Closer
Time Again
Wildest Dreams
Without You
Cutting It Fine
Here Comes the Feeling
A marketing man’s dream, Asia were billed as a prog rock supergroup: Yes guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Geoff Downes, ELP drummer Carl Palmer and King Crimson / UK / Uriah Heep bassist/vocalist John Wetton.
With such a line-up, nobody expected the concise, radio-friendly vivacity of Heat Of The Moment, Sole Survivor and Only Time Will Tell, but Wetton and Downes knew all about writing hit singles. “We took our twelve-minute songs and removed the ten minutes of noodling,” explained Wetton.
Hugely commercial but with strong prog undertones and impeccable musicianship (plus the prog stamp of approval of a Roger Dean logo and cover), the album earned Asia a huge audience, topped the US chart for nine weeks, and sold 10 million copies worldwide. At one point it was selling 80,000 copies a day.
“John Wetton and I were driving somewhere in the States and Heat Of The Moment came on the radio,” Downes later recalled. “We hopped stations and it was there again and again. It was crazy!”
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Other albums released in March 1982
- Windows - Charlie Daniels Band
- Hex Enduction Hour - The Fall
- The Gift - The Jam
- One Vice At A Time - Krokus
- Shoot Out the Lights - Richard and Linda Thompson
- Five Miles Out - Mike Oldfield
- The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
- Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet - Rick Springfield
- The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads - Talking Heads
- The Blurred Crusade - The Church
- Angst in My Pants - Sparks
- Blackout - Scorpions
- Filth Hounds of Hades - Tank
- Bill Wyman - Bill Wyman
- Walk Among Us - The Misfits
What they said...
"Produced by Mike Stone, Asia's strengths were the powerful vocals of John Wetton, the nimble, classically tinged guitar work of Steve Howe, Geoffrey Downes' majestic keyboard playing, and anchoring the band, Carl Palmer's propulsive drumming. The lyrics are overwrought at moments, but 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." (AllMusic)
"The art-rock Foreigner is a find – rare that a big new group is bad enough to sink your teeth into any more. John Wetton and Steve Howe added excitement to contexts as pretentious as King Crimson and Yes, but this is just pompous – schlock in the grand manner, with synthesizers John Williams would love. And after listening to two lyrics about why they like their girlfriends, three about "surviving," and four about why they don't like their girlfriends, I'm ready for brain salad surgery." (Robert Christgau)
“Only Time Will Tell is the best song on the album. Although the song was composed by Downes and Wetton, the mocking guitar by Howe throughout makes this a real centrepiece for the former Yes axeman. The song contains instrumental rudiments and the guitar licks all above and almost-Barry-Manilow-like ballad somehow makes this a very interesting listen. The biggest flaw of this song is that it fades out way too soon." (Classic Rock Review)
What you said...
Andrew Cumming: I hadn’t listened to this for years until recently. I figured I like 80s Yes - Drama, 90125. And this is 40% of the Drama line up plus John Wetton and Carl Palmer. So I reckon this could be a bit similar. And it kind of was. Sound is parpy-80s prog. The songs are generally very strong. Heat Of The Moment, Only Time Will Tell, Wildest Dreams, Sole Survivor. All great songs. I think it stands up well as a strong album. And anyone who thinks Drama is a good Yes album I think will really like it.
Robert Baptista: Could have been better.
Bill Griffin: I always considered John Wetton to be the guy people went to when they couldn't get Greg Lake. How odd then, that Greg replaced John in Asia for a bit.
Anyway, this album is not at all what I, or probably anybody else, was expecting. It still succeeds in spite of that. It really is a good album. Not a great one but I never think about changing the radio station if a song comes on.
John Davidson: I bought this on release. To be honest, I was expecting a bit more prog given the pedigree of the artists but this is high quality pop rock with the occasional prog flourish, more reminiscent of Boston and Journey than Yes, ELP or King Crimson. Though its no surprise perhaps that when Yes returned in 1983 (sans Howe but with a restored Anderson, they also produced an AOR classic in Owner of a Lonely Heart).
Heat Of The Moment and Only Time Will Tell remain the standout tracks with Sole Survivor chasing down the opening salvo of AOR but the album rewards multiple listens , as the less obvious crowd pleasers start to reveal their charms.
Time And Again starts off with one of those heavy prog riffs based on something classical before transforming into a progged-up version of the sort of sing-along swaggering rock that Thin Lizzy made their own for a while.
Wildest Dreams starts with Steve Howes wailing guitar over a heavy beat before reverting to a softer, call and response style that made me think of Hall and Oates albeit channeling War Pigs through a background of prog keyboards.
Cutting It Fine (at least the first 3.30s of it) comes closest to the opening three numbers but its extended outro diminishes its impact too much.
Overall its an album I admired more than enjoyed (even back in the day) but if you can see past the 80s AOR production there are some really good songs on here played by seriously talented musicians.
Mike Canoe: While I try not to read too much into Spotify plays, my experience with Asia's self-titled debut matches that of the streaming services' plays. I don't know that I've heard Heat Of The Moment 230 million times but it still feels ubiquitous, popping up regularly on online playlists or what's left of commercial radio. As much as it still pops up by osmosis, it's not one I'm likely to skip. Moody teen that I was at the time, I preferred the moody second song, Only Time Will Tell, and remembered the third track, Sole Survivor, from the halcyon days of FM radio but never thought it was in the same realm as the first two songs. The other six songs, like for most Spotify listeners, are unknown territory to me.
If I had ever heard the full album before, it would have been around the time it came out in '82. I don't remember any hidden gems among the other tracks from back then and I haven't discovered any new ones this time around. It's serviceable workmanlike 80s prog but doesn't necessarily live up to the hype of "first supergroup of the 80s."
At the same time, as a teen in the '80s, Asia was what I considered progressive rock, same as Genesis's Abacab or the Moody Blues' Long Distance Voyager or Yes's 90215. Speaking of Yes, these were the years that I started thinking that most UK prog bands (that I knew of) were within three degrees of separation from Yes.
As for Asia, I was surprised to see they have a rather extensive discography. It's unlikely that I'll ever listen to any other Asia albums but only time will tell.
I'll see myself out.
Gary Claydon: I couldn't find my copy of this album. I'm not sure if it's still in my possession even. If it is, it's probably tucked away in a box, most likely nestling next to Def Leppard's Hysteria, unloved and unplayed for many a year, the pair of them. While I have no love for Lep's monster and it is decidedly not to my personal taste, I will readily admit that is very well done pop-rock.
The same can't be said for Asia. That the band pursued an unexpected commercial route wasn't (and still isn't) an issue for me. Hey, we've all got bills to pay, right? But did they really have to come up with something this bland? Insipid pop-rock with a few added widdly bits to try and add an air of prog-tinged respectability. The only good thing I can think of to say about Asia (the album) is, that, despite it being so bad, it's still, by far, the best thing that Asia (the band) ever did. Which says it all.
Artlessly artificial, anodyne AOR. An annoying aural assault. Awful.
Evan Sanders: I remember when the Asia debut album came out, and it quickly became a staple on classic rock radio. As some have pointed out, the songs are more straightforward rock with keyboards and not prog rock. Although I will point out that by that time prog had become more commercial, e.g. Yes and 90215.
About half of the songs are strong, especially the first three of Heat Of The Moment, Only Time Will Tell and Sole Survivor. Wildest Dreams is a good start to side two, for those who remember when albums had sides. The remaining songs are middling, reducing the album to good but not great. I can't picture myself listening to the entire album very often, but the four strong tracks are always worthwhile on a classic rock playlist. 6/10.
Philip Qvist: I'm not a huge prog fan, so perhaps it's no surprise that my favourite prog albums are two that were recorded during 1982/83 - a period when prog rock music was supposed to have been killed off for good. Those records are Yes's 90125 and this, Asia's self titled debut album.
Asia's debut takes me back to my final year of high school; and while both the songs and the production definitely have an 80s feel to it, it still sounds as good now as it did nearly 43 years ago. The three opening tracks, the evergreen Heat Of The Moment, Only Time Will Tell and Sole Survivor are the strongest tracks on Asia. That said, Wildest Dreams and Here Comes The Feeling are also pretty good songs, while there are no stinkers on the record.
Asia is proof of what can happen when prog rock starts cutting the excess and puts a pop feel to the songs. You get a classic.
Unfortunately, Asia is also proof of what happens when you have a Supergroup with differing egos and ambitions. The squabbling begins - with a resultant drop in quality.
Alpha was an okay follow up record; but even if the Asia name still continues nearly 45 years later, it should come as no surprise that they have never come up with an album that is even half as good as their debut was. An 8 this week from me.
Ralf Weßbecher: It sounds very eighties, but the songs have stood the test of time.
Greg Schwepe: I freely admit it... I really like this album and band. Guilty as charged. An album that filled a void for me when it came out and provided something I have commented on before that I like; “slick and polished.” When my 'music pendulum' swings away from the really raucous hard rock I like, it’s stuff like this that hits the spot. Memorable music that sticks with you; leaves you humming a riff of repeating a lyric at the end of the album. Liked this album so much I even bought Alpha and Astra right when they both came out. And yep, bought more Asia albums that also began with an “A”, even when Geoff Downes was the only original member left. Guilty, I said!
Being in a dorm with new friends mean they had their own peaches crates of albums, your musical palette gets expanded during your college years. Tons more albums to borrow and record. Yes and ELP were two examples of that. Totally loved the Yes Drama album and lineup while it lasted, and while ELP was basically spent by then, I had really gotten into their catalogue.
Then, to my surprise, I had heard of an album by a new supergroup comprised of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes (“cool, Yes and The Buggles!”), Carl Palmer, and some bassist/vocalist guy named John Wetton who I hadn’t heard of yet. Then I read list of bands he’d been in before. All bands I had heard of and liked but it seemed he didn’t play on the really popular releases for those bands.
So now we have Asia’s debut, complete with a Roger Dean cover… and a pretty unexciting one at that (“Hey, where’s all the mystical little floating islands and stuff? What the heck with the dragon and ball?”). And they say don’t judge an album by the cover. Heat Of The Moment leads off and you wonder where Steve Howe got that distortion pedal and those power chords. Riff #1 to stick in your head. Synth intro and drum fill on Only Time Will Tell. Riff #2 to stick in your head. Keyboard sweep and Howe guitar lead on Sole Survivor. Riff #3 to stick in your head. You get the picture. Rinse and repeat for remainder of album.
I know Asia usually gets derided as “prog lite” and other derivations of that. In this case you have the musicians that previously put out albums with songs sprawling out over an entire album side, but now chopping them down to concise 4-5 minute songs. With just enough solos and instrumental flourishes to let you know these guys can play.
And to some, is this set of 9 songs a little formulaic? Sure! But you get the end of this 44 minute debut and there’s plenty of stuff that sticks in your head. You find yourself playing a little air guitar, mimicking Palmer’s drum fills, or adding your own vocal harmonies. Unlike some albums where you get to the end and you have no recollection of what you just spent 40+ minutes listening to.
8 out of 10 on this one for me. Greatest debut album and band ever? No way! Slick and polished collection of tunes that fit radio and MTV formats perfectly at that time? You got it!
Joe Barry: Absolutely loved it and still listen to it.
Mark Herrington: This appeared on my radar in 82, primarily because of the single Heat Of The Moment. I managed to listen to most of it in HMV at the time, and enjoyed the more rhythm driven tracks like Sole Survivor , but much of it made little impression .
At the time , I just gravitated to other stuff , and spent my money in 82 on the likes of Priest's Screaming for Vengeance. Listening again , it’s not a bad album, but it’s not a great album in soft rock history. 6 or 7 /10
Graham Tarry: I was so disappointed when this came out. Little sign of prog anywhere; just corporate American pop-rock, with a few catchy tunes, and few chops.
Joe D Dominguez: First album I ever purchased…love this album!
Andy Elliott: Love it from start to finish
Andrew Bramah: The best selling album of 1982 took everyone by surprise. Probably including the band themselves.
An album that sounded the complete opposite of what I expected considering the backgrounds of the players.
At it's simplest Asia is high quality well played and produced commercial rock. With a very radio friendly production every song had a sing along chorus and all the elements there in abundance. Like a lot of so called supergroups it proved impossible to follow up to the same standard. Also music fashion changed rapidly leaving Asia looking dated very quickly.
It's a shame as Asia is a superb piece of work.
Duncan Godfrey: I am a prog fan, but I'm fed up with other factions of prog fans slagging it off because it's not what they expected. It is what it is meant to be, a commercial AOR album designed to shift units globally, and they did it very well and I love this album. Sadly though I felt the follow up sounded rushed in an attempt to emulate the debut and the quality declined in subsequent releases which makes this a total one-off.
John Holden: I don't care what the stiff prog lovers like, this is an absolute classic rock album, in my top 100 all time fav albums.
Adam Ranger: Lead single Heat Of The Moment is a classic bit of radio-friendly pop prog that works really well. The rest of the album isn't sure if it wants to do the same or whether it wants to be more "authentic " prog. It has a foot in both camps and that doesn't always work so well for me.
However it sold very very well so obviously worked for many. Not an album I would rush to listen to but it's certainly well played and well produced.
James Erik: This is the album of my teenage years. It is a capsule of the 80’s sound and time, but retains its genuine enjoyment and delivery by four very talented musicians not interested in rehashing the past but reaching different heights in their career. This album was astonishingly big.
I was a teen working at a record store at the local shopping mall when this came out. It didn’t explode out of the gate, but once the radio and MTV promotion kicked in, it was like a rocket. Many people hate on it and that’s their opinion and right to do so. For me, it reminds me of my teenage years in the 80s and the excitement of the future. The heat of the moment, as they say.
Sanaya Choksey Sethna: No claim on being a prog fan. I just know that I love this album. Everything that came after, all those ridiculous numbered albums, is irrelevant. But this one is gold.
Michael Anderson: I was 10 in 1982, and of course was very familiar with the two hits that got tons of airplay. So 42 years later I listened to this LP for very first time ever. This is a great record from front to back. There are no duds on this at all.
Alan Mcalister: Class album.
Pete Miles: Contrary to prog rock snobs opinion, I love this album. First cassette I bought after switching from vinyl. Wore it out and bought it again. Then bought it again on CD. Still listen to it.
Chris Elliott: The moment I see the sleeve Heat Of The Moment starts on loop in my head. It's very dated in it's production - my main criticism would be its engineered rather than produced and needs just a little polish to bring it together. If an album ever cried out for Trevor Horn it's this. Fundamentally the songs are strong and it's still an album I enjoy
Wesley Winegarden: The first two tracks on this album stand up to the test of time, but the rest of the album doesn't do a lot for me, and sounds very much like an 80s album.
Final score: 7.46 (101 votes cast, total score 7.54)
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