Asia, the progressive rock supergroup born in the '80s

On March 18, 1982, the debut album of the superband Asia, consisting of John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe and Carl Palmer, was released.

This album marked a milestone in the evolution of rock, especially after the commercial downfall of progressive rock in the late 1970s, which had seen the collapse of iconic bands such as Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

However, former members of these groups came together to form Asia, making one of the most successful debuts of the 1980s.

Asia's story began in the mid-1970s, when Wetton, after his time with King Crimson, was looking for new horizons.

Through various collaborations, he teamed up with the likes of drummer Carl Palmer and keyboardist Geoff Downes.

With the support of A&R executive John Kalodner, Wetton connected with Steve Howe, leading to songwriting sessions that piqued the interest of the Geffen label.

The quartet settled into London's Townhouse Studios in the summer of 1981, creating songs that combined the grandiloquence of progressive rock with the accessibility of pop.

Tracks like “Heat of the Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell” became hits, leading the album to sell more than four million copies in the U.S. and reaching number one on the Billboard chart.

Despite its success, Asia faced internal tensions that led to a series of lineup changes.

After a second album, “Alpha”, failed to meet sales expectations, the band became embroiled in creative conflicts.

Their third album, “Astra”, released in 1985, did not feature Steve Howe, who was replaced by Mandy Meyer, former member of Cobra and Krokus.

It was not until 1992 that a new album was released called “Aqua” which featured the original members, Downes, Howe and Palmer, plus Al Pitrelli on second guitar and John Payne on lead vocals and bass.

“Aria” released in 1994 would not feature Howe and Palmer and Mike Sturgis would be on drums. Two years later “Arena” saw the light of day, which kept Downes, Payne and Sturgis and added Elliott Randall and Aziz Ibrahim on guitars.

In '99 “Rare” would be released, an instrumental album that would only feature Downes on keyboards and Payne on guitar and bass. Aura” would follow in 2001 with the same duo and in 2004: ‘Silent Nation’ also featuring Guthrie Govan on guitar. and Chris Slade on drums.

The following albums: Phoneix (2008), Omega (2010) and XXX (2012) would represent the return of the original members and their last album that was released in 2014, “Gravitas” features Sam Coulson replacing Howe.

They are still active giving concerts with the line-up of Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Billy Sherwood and Mark Bonilla.

It is worth mentioning that Greg Lake died in 2016 and John Wetton in 2017, the latter still belonging to the band at the time of his death.