Progressive rock was struggling to find its footing in the 1980s, as the vast changes in music left the genre out in the cold. But a new band made up mostly of prog rock stalwarts found massive success right off the bat by tweaking the formula ever so slightly.
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That band was Asia, and they made a lot of fans when they released their 1982 debut album, many of whom had no idea about the musical past lives of the members. Here’s the story behind this band’s sudden rise to prominence.
From Prog to Practical
Many of the top bands who flew the banner for progressive rock during its ’70s heyday were either staggering or defunct as they approached the end of the decade. It didn’t help that many of the styles of music that were dominating the charts in that era (soft rock, disco, punk, new wave) had little to do with the song suites and complex song topics associated with prog rock.
John Wetton, Steve Howe, and Carl Palmer knew this situation all too well. Wetton had passed through four or five bands throughout the ’70s, most notably King Crimson and Roxy Music. Howe had been aboard for Yes’ greatest successes, only to watch that band splinter over creative differences. Palmer was the drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, whose classics in the early part of the decade gave way to a 1978 album (Love Beach) all three men hated, leading to their breakup.
The moving parts of the various prog rock bands that were imploding started to consider joining forces in a new band. At different points, Rick Wakeman (of Yes), Trevor Rabin (soon to join Yes), and former ELO and The Move frontman Roy Wood were considered to be parts of this new collective, but none of them followed it through.
Bringing in a Buggle
The catalyst in the formation of Asia was a record executive named John Kalodner, who suggested Wetton and Howe join forces. Palmer followed soon afterward. The fourth member would be Geoff Downes, who gained notoriety as part of the new wave duo The Buggles, but also earned some prog rock credibility by joining Yes for a single album.
The name Asia seems to have been chosen for no other reason than there were four members of the band and the word had four letters. While it was Wetton and Howe who were originally supposed to be driving the artistic bus, Downes struck up a solid songwriting partnership with Wetton (who also sang lead for the band). That duo was responsible for the most successful singles from the first album in 1982.
When fans heard lead single “Head of the Moment,” with its slamming power chords and highly harmonized chorus, most assumed this band was in line with Foreigner or Journey or other arena rockers of the moment. But those who knew the members’ histories were surprised at what they heard from this outfit.
The Critics Weigh In
The critical reception to the Asia’s self-titled debut album, which spun off big hits “Heat of the Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell,” was somewhat harsh. (Ironically, these were some of the same critics that blasted the excesses of the prog bands for whom these guys had originally played). That didn’t stop the band from enjoying a No. 1 album in the U.S. right off the bat.
Asia’s M.O. was to focus on the melodic aspects of their former bands, while trimming off the extended instrumental parts. And it worked quite well for a while, as they scored another Top-10 single in 1983 with “Don’t Cry.” Soon, they were undergoing their own internal squabbles, which pretty much squelched their commercial momentum after the 1985 album Astra, after which they went on a seven-year hiatus. When they returned in 1992, Wetton had been replaced by John Payne.
From 2008 to 2012, the original four-man lineup of Asia came together to record three more albums. John Wetton died in 2017. Geoff Downes currently tours with a new version of Asia. And they play many of the songs that thrilled new fans and confused older fans when they were unleashed some 40 years ago.
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Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images
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