Asia (Asia album)
| Asia | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Asia | ||||||||||
| Released | 18 March 1982 | |||||||||
| Recorded | June – November 1981 | |||||||||
| Studio | Townhouse Studios, London | |||||||||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||||||||
| Length | 44:22 | |||||||||
| Label | Geffen | |||||||||
| Producer | Mike Stone | |||||||||
| Asia chronology | ||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | C− |
Asia is the self-titled debut studio album by the English rock band Asia, released in 1982. According to both Billboard and Cash Box, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982. It contains their biggest hit "Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Upon its release in March 1982, Asia reached #1 in the US and spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart.Asia was certified 4x-platinum in the US by the RIAA on 10 February 1995.
In the band's native UK, Asia did not perform as well as in the US, peaking only at #11 and spent a total of 38 weeks in the UK Albums Chart. The record received a gold status in Britain on 18 October 1982. "Heat of the Moment" climbed to No. 46.
Asia's total worldwide sales are estimated at over ten million copies.
Since its release, Asia has received highly mixed reception, largely due to a more commercial and pop-oriented sound as opposed to progressive rock, given the past of the group's members. Robert Christgau blasted the album, and particularly its lyrics. He stated that it had been a rare occasion that "a big new group is bad enough to sink your teeth into any more" and called the album "pompous – schlock in the grand manner". On the other side, in a Billboard review, it was favourably noted that "the caliber of the [band's] playing is superb and the music sounds fresh and perfect fare for AOR". In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tom Demalon awarded Asia four-and-a-half out of five, 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".
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.
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Wikipedia