Asia

Asia is the debut album, on which members who had digested complex playing headed toward concise, big melody. This is the first work of a supergroup gathering masters of progressive rock: John Wetton (bass/vocals) of King Crimson and UK, Steve Howe (guitar) and Geoff Downes (keyboards) of Yes, and Carl Palmer (drums) of ELP. From then on, Downes would remain the band's sole constant member. Expansive keyboards, hard-edged guitar and powerful rhythm create a majestic scene in each song. From the immediacy of "Heat of the Moment" to the lyricism of "Only Time Will Tell" and the elation of "Sole Survivor," the album uses its skill not to show technique but to maximize the exaltation of the singing. With the dawn of the MTV era, "Heat of the Moment" became a huge hit, and the album reached US number 1 for nine weeks, becoming the best-selling album worldwide of 1982. A brilliant record that turned the meeting point of prog and AOR into world-scale pop-rock.