Please read my Conditions!
My only method of cleaning is a soft brush and cloth and some Audio Advisor product. That requires to listening to the LP with my turntable & needle... (Which cost more money these days) and collecting the dust from the grooves. If a stubborn noise erupts, I will then look under a light and microscope. It is quite time consuming. So, I may miss a thing or two sometimes on my listings, like overlook a defect or to over grade; but it is not intentional! I will always be here to help resolve the issue! I am a one man show, while taking care of an elder... That being said... Please play record a few times if I mentioned I have cleaned it and do not use another product until u do so! The enzymes work at eating the debris and play gets better, each time, usually much better If after a few plays you could try cleaning again with your product if stubborn static persists... All I ask is my buyers realize these points and be rest assured I offer a refund policy,  but I would prefer you email me so we can work something out first, I may have a backup copy... I have been collecting records since my 20's... It has been a passion and a part-time hobby, I hope you love and enjoy music as much as I do, and selling is another way to get to know other people with a likeminded interest as I. I offer a refund policy, so please give me the opportunity to make good if there is a problem with a transaction. I reserve the right to cancel a transaction after the sale If I find a missed defect on your behalf. Feel free to compare prices elsewhere you will find I am very reasonable. Don't waste your time if the seller does not listen to the lp's, I have return 100's because of defects. Also please be aware I am A human being, and I do make mistakes! So be gentle and straight forward if you are having any issues, I do not like having debates, I would rather listen to my music!  Happy Hunting!


Jackets~ vg/vg+/ex alpha has notch cut Records ~ vg+ & better! Haven't cleaned, running low on cleaner, but play tested nicely!

Asia began in early 1981 after the apparent ending of  and , two of the founding bands of British . After the break-up of  in 1974, various plans for a  involving bassist  had not been successful, including the abortive British Bulldog project with  and  in 1976. In 1977 Bruford and Wetton were reunited in , augmented by guitarist  and keyboardist/violinist . Their self-titled debut was released in 1978. But by January 1980, U.K. had folded after one lineup change and three recordings. A new project was then suggested involving Wetton, Wakeman, drummer  and (then little known) guitarist/singer , but Wakeman left this project shortly before they were due to sign to Geffen and before they had played together.

In early January 1981, Wetton and former Yes guitarist  were brought together by  man  and  to start writing material for a new album. They were eventually joined by drummer  and finally by Howe's fellow member of Yes, keyboardist . Two other players auditioned and considered during the band's formation were former  and  founder  and the aforementioned guitarist/singer Trevor Rabin, who would end up replacing Steve Howe in a reformed  in 1983. Rabin, in a filmed 1984 interview included in the DVD , said that his involvement with Asia never went anywhere because "there was no chemistry" among the participants.

The band's first recordings, under the auspices of Geffen record label head  and Kalodner, were extremely popular with record buyers, while considered disappointing by music critics and fans of progressive rock, who found the music closer to radio-friendly  (AOR). However, Asia clicked with fans of popular arena acts such as  and ; Kalodner had once introduced Wetton to Journey's short-lived frontman , with a view to Fleischman becoming Asia's lead singer. As they worked on material together, Fleischman was impressed by Wetton's singing and felt the voice best suited to the new material was Wetton's own. He left Asia amicably.

Rolling Stone gave Asia an indifferent review, while acknowledging the band's musicianship was a cut above the usual AOR expectations.

1981–1985: "Heat of the Moment" and early success

Asia's debut album , released in March 1982, gained considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one on the United States album chart and selling over four million copies in the States alone. The album sold over 10 million worldwide and has never been out of print. The singles "" and "" became  hits, both boosted by popular  music videos. Both tracks went on to become stadium favorites at United States sporting events. "" also received heavy air play on rock stations across the United States, as did "Wildest Dreams" (another MTV video) and "Here Comes the Feeling". The band's best performing single, and perhaps their most recognized and popular hit song, "Heat of the Moment", spent six weeks at No. 1 on 's Album Rock Tracks chart and climbed to No. 4 on the Hot 100.

In the United States the band sold out every date on their debut tour, which began at  in  on 22 April 1982 and continued in theatres but quickly expanded into massive arenas because of high ticket demand. Asia would go on to receive a  nomination as Best New Artist of 1982. MTV also played Asia videos on heavy rotation—as many as five times a day. Both  and  named Asia's debut the No. 1 album of the year. Asia's logo and cover art were created by   of Yes and Uriah Heep fame.

Asia's second album  (released in July 1983) and future Asia albums did not achieve the chart success of their debut release; however, Alpha's "Don't Cry" was a No. 1 Album Rock Track and Top 10 Pop hit in the summer of 1983, and the video received considerable attention on MTV, while "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" was another Top 40 hit for the band. The video for "Smile" also scored heavy MTV play. However, Rolling Stone criticized Alpha as an over-produced commercial album, while others stated that Howe and Palmer were effectively reduced to session musicians. Alpha received indifferent reviews from various critics, while attaining platinum status and reaching No. 6 on the Billboard album chart.

In October 1983 Wetton left the group after the comparatively disappointing sales of Alpha. The band says that Wetton quit; Wetton stated that he was fired by phone. There is no universally agreed version of what happened. Wetton later stated a factor may have been his alcohol dependency. Howe, in his 2021 autobiography All My Yesterdays, says that tensions had been building gradually, as songs began to work out differently on stage than they had while recording the album, which had itself not gone smoothly. After a show in New York where some members of the band had, after giving an interview, taken the stage and given a subpar performance, Howe recalls that he, Downes and Palmer confronted Wetton about his increasing mistakes on stage.

The next leg of their 1983 United States tour (which had begun in the summer but shut down suddenly on 10 September following a performance at  outside ), scheduled for the autumn, was abruptly cancelled, reportedly because of low ticket sales. Howe says this was because Wetton's issues had worsened; the ensuing two-month break in the tour marked Wetton's departure from the band as a practical matter regardless of who had initiated it.

In December 1983 ex- and  lead singer and bassist  replaced Wetton for a few concerts in Japan, including the highly publicized "Asia in Asia" concert at the  Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on 6 December 1983, which was the first concert broadcast over satellite to MTV in the United States and was later made into a home video. Some songs were played in a lower key to suit Lake's voice. He sang some lyrics assisted with a teleprompter, as he had been asked to cover Wetton's parts on short notice as a Favour to Carl Palmer; although he initially declined due to the short preparation time, eventually he accepted because Geffen Records "offered me so much money there was no way I could refuse it." In a 2011 interview, asked why he hadn't stayed a member of Asia, he stated, "I did a brief stint with them and didn't want to go in that corporate rock direction. I didn't believe in that sort of music, so I didn't continue." Howe says Lake was interested in remaining a member and recording with the band, but Palmer was opposed to that.

Following Lake's departure, Wetton was asked to return (in Howe's account, Wetton approached the band via management) to Asia after his three-month absence; he returned on the condition that Steve Howe was ousted from the band. For a while, the group considered continuing as a three-piece without a permanent guitarist, inviting guest guitarists such as  and  into the studio. Geffen Records suggested recruiting  guitarist , who got on well with the band and was offered a permanent position: his playing style was more inclined to straightforward hard rock, thus changing the sound of the band. Meanwhile, Howe went on to brief success with  (another supergroup, this one formed with former  guitarist  and produced by ).

1985–1991: Astra, break-up and new lineups

The third Asia album was tentatively titled Arcadia, but during production it was discovered that that name was being used by a forthcoming . The retitled , released in November 1985, was not as commercially successful as the first two albums. The record label cancelled the projected tour because of lack of interest. The band charted another single with "" (No. 46), featuring Meyer's guitar work as a primary element. The music video was another hit with MTV but in 1986 this Asia lineup folded, bringing the group to an end for the time being. Wetton is quoted as saying "[Astra] did really well in Sweden ... but Swedish sales aren't that large."

Wetton resurfaced in January 1987 with an album recorded with guitarist , Wetton-Manzanera, based on material that had been originally intended for Asia. Also in 1987, Wetton played with  on their Dream Runner album and landed a number one hit in South America with the  single "Did It All for Love", also appearing in the related music video. Asia were also credited with contributing the  produced track "Gypsy Soul" to the  film soundtrack to , although Wetton was the only band member involved.

Wetton and Downes' attempt to restart the group in 1987 with guitarist  (formerly of ) and drummer  (ex-) failed when they were unable to land a worldwide recording deal.

Wetton and Palmer reunited the band for tours of Europe in the summer and autumn of 1989. Downes (working on a project with Greg Lake) was not available, so keyboards were played by . Guitars on the tour were handled by Alan Darby (replaced by German guitarist Holger Larisch); and Zoe Nicholas and Susie Webb were brought aboard to provide back-up vocals. Unlike Wetton's later anger at Asia continuing without him in the 1990s, this lineup was viewed favorably by other Asia band members.

Asia returned to the studio in 1990 with Downes,  guitarist  and other studio musicians and released  (August 1990), a best-of with four new tracks. "" from the disc received substantial airplay during the summer of 1990 on  radio stations and re-sparked some interest in the band.  joined Downes, Palmer and Wetton on tour and they performed classic material, including  and  songs.

The band toured the former Soviet Union in November 1990 to play in front of 20,000 fans on two sold-out nights. "Days Like These" charted in the United States at No. 64 in 1990 and No. 2 on the United States Album Rock Tracks chart. A video was planned but scrapped when various problems hampered the single's chance at the Top 40. Asia received the RIAA Gold album award for Then and Now years later, but initially the album did not reach the Top 100. A DVD and CD are available of the Asia concerts in the USSR (featuring a bonus studio track, "Kari-Anne" recorded by the 1987 Wetton-Downes-Gorham-Sturgis lineup and with  contributing a guitar solo). Wetton left the group in April 1991 after a South American tour, discouraged by Asia's lack of success in the United States.

1991–2006: Downes/Payne era  (pictured in 2011) replaced John Wetton as Asia's  between 1991 and 2006, and now continues with the spin-off group, .

After Wetton's departure, vocalist/bassist  joined the band and, together with Downes, enlisted new musicians and led Asia through to 2006. The first album with this lineup was , released in June 1992. In addition to Downes and Payne, the album featured Howe, Palmer, and guitarist  (of ,  and ). Howe returned during the sessions having just left Yes again, but Palmer would leave soon, committing to an ELP reunion, and was able to play on just three songs. Drummers  and  then completed the sessions. Downes' environmentalist single "Who Will Stop the Rain?" (Originally written for  and the aborted Rain project, later appearing on Bacon's album From the Banks of the River Irwell) attracted some radio attention. The Aqua club tour featured Howe (whose presence was heavily promoted), who took the stage after the fifth song. The tour was successful enough to warrant the band's continuation. The 1992–93 tour featured Downes, Howe, Payne, guitarist  and drummer Trevor Thornton. Before a European festival tour in late 1993, Howe and Burns left and were replaced by guitarist Keith More.

The group released  in May 1994, which featured lead guitarist  once again, who would leave Asia during the short Aria tour. The Aria album did not fare well commercially, and the ensuing tour was limited to four concerts. Ex- guitarist  took over during the tour. Aria also introduced new drummer Michael Sturgis, who had been involved during the band's aborted 1987 reunion and had appeared on some of the sessions for Aqua. Aria was not released in the United States until May 1995.

Over New Year's Eve 1995/1996, a broken pipe inundated the control room in Downes' and Payne's recording studio, Electric Palace, in London. Amid the lost equipment, a vault containing unreleased material was found intact. The band decided to release the material in two discs,  and . The Archiva sets were collections of unreleased tracks recorded during the first three Downes/Payne albums.

Next, , released in February 1996, featured Downes, Payne, Sturgis, Ibrahim and guest guitarist  (ex-, and ). The album was released on Resurgence Records but there was no tour because of lack of interest. The group's lone promotional performance in conjunction with the album occurred on 19 April 1996, when Downes and Payne appeared with guitarist Elliott Randall on the Virgin FM radio programme Alive in London to play the song "Never".

An all-acoustic album, Live Acoustic, was recorded by the group at Stadthalle, , Germany on 21 September 1997 (and released in December 1999) that featured a lineup of Downes, Payne, Ibrahim, and drummer . Also in 1997, a best of album , featuring songs from the past six albums was released. However, a lawsuit from Wetton meant that songs from the first three albums needed to be re-recorded.

In 1999 there was talk of a reunion of the original lineup minus Howe. The original proposition included  on guitar, who had previously toured and recorded with Wetton. While Howe was interested in participating, he was unable to because of his busy schedule with . This reunion did not take place and John Payne continued to carry on Asia with Downes uninterrupted. Wetton and Palmer did, however, get together to form , which included Kilminster and John Young, although the band was short-lived. Kilminster went on to work with ,  and .

Also in 1999, , Asia's seventh studio album was released on . It was made up of the instrumental music, which Downes and Payne had composed for the soundtrack for 's documentary nature film Salmon: Against the Tides (tracks 1–16) and for an unreleased CD-ROM video game (tracks 17–22).

In 2000 Geffen/Universal released a best-of entitled The Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982–1990), which also included three rare B-sides from the early days.

Asia in 2001; left-to-right: Downes, Payne,  and 

2001's  featured three different session guitarists, including  (of Canadian progressive rock band ) who'd briefly joined Asia in 1998–1999. Aura took a more  form, but still did not recapture the commercial success of the first album. Former members Howe, Thrall, Sturgis and Elliott Randall also made guest appearances. The single "Ready to Go Home" was barely distributed. Asia then signed with Recognition Records. 2001 did see the band with a stable lineup, achieved during the Aura sessions featuring Downes, Payne, guitarist  and ex-//// drummer  (who had first joined Asia in 1999, briefly).

In 2001 and 2002, Asia toured for the first time since 1994, including their first United States dates since 1993. A live album and DVD, both titled America: Live in the USA, were released in 2003, recorded at the Classic Rock Productions Classic Rock Festival at The Patriots Theater at the  in  on 5 October 2002, which they co-headlined with Uriah Heep.

In the summer of 2003, Downes and Payne undertook the "Asia Across America Tour", which received some media attention. Performing "unplugged", the duo would reportedly play anywhere in the United States that fans requested, provided there was a venue and the fans put up $3,000 to cover costs.

Marking a departure from convention, for the first time a studio release was not titled as a single word starting and ending with the letter A (excepting the partial compilation / partial new album ). Released on Asia's newly signed label SPV/Inside Out Records, 2004's  (name influenced by the  vs.  incident) picked up some unexpected exposure on the Internet.

In 2004 an acoustic Asia toured once again featuring only Downes and Payne. In 2005 the full band toured in Europe and the Americas playing settings ranging from small clubs to medium-sized theatres. In the United States attendance was poor at best.

In August 2005 Slade left Asia to be replaced by drummer . The new band started work on an album, tentatively entitled Architect of Time, which was originally planned for release early in 2006, though subsequent developments would cause this project to be shelved. Half of this material ended up being released on the album Window to the Soul in August 2006 under the new band name of , which was an acronym for the three players involved: Govan, Payne and Schellen. After this, the three continued on as  in 2007.

Meanwhile, Wetton and Downes had released some archival Asia material under the name  in September 2002 and they then reunited to record a full-length album (, released in August 2005) and an accompanying EP and DVD. Two additional Icon projects have since followed: Icon II: Rubicon (November 2006) and  (March 2009).

2006–2013: "Original Asia" reunion

In early 2006, Downes left for a reunion of the original band lineup under the Asia name, a breakup that Payne described as "painful". The existing lineup (minus Downes) continued for a short while before morphing into the aforementioned .

Following Downes' departure, on 9 May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne could continue his 15-year period with Asia as . Asia featuring John Payne debuted in 2007 with Payne on vocals/bass, Guthrie Govan on guitar, Erik Norlander on keyboards and Jay Schellen on drums. Downes, Wetton, Palmer and Howe continued to perform and record as Asia thereafter.

The official websites of each band reflect a split between the shared history of Payne's tenure with the band, as the reunited Asia acknowledge only pre- and post-Payne albums, whereas Asia Featuring John Payne claim Payne-era (1991–2006) albums Aqua (1992) through Silent Nation (2004) as part of their own discography. Asia Featuring John Payne perform songs from the entire history of Asia.

Downes and the other three original members (Wetton, Palmer and Howe) convened a group meeting in England in early 2006 in anticipation of formally reforming for work that year. And after a slew of rumours, they announced that this original lineup of Asia were planning a CD, DVD and world tour to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. The band appeared in October 2006 on United States cable channel VH-1 Classic and began a world tour largely focused on the United States. The band secured ownership of the Asia name and toured under the description of the Four Original Members of Asia. The set list featured most of the first album as well as a couple of songs from the second, along with one selection each from Yes, ELP, King Crimson and the Buggles to acknowledge the history of each member of the band. In a 2006 interview, guitarist Steve Howe states, "This is the real Asia. There have been other incarnations of the band, but this is the one that the public truly embraced".

Asia in 2006; left-to-right: Howe, Palmer and Wetton (off-camera: Downes)

The tour began on 29 August 2006 in . "The Definitive Collection" was released by Geffen/Universal to tie into the tour in September and peaked at No.183 on the United States album charts--—the first time Asia had made the charts since 1990. A limited edition release available only at Best Buy stores also included a DVD of all the band's music videos.

The reunion tour continued into 2007 with venue size based on the success of the 2006 shows, where the band was mainly playing in clubs and theatres. Many of these sold out, including all seven dates in Japan. Also in 2007, the band released Fantasia: Live In Tokyo on CD and DVD through Eagle Records, commemorating the 25th Anniversary and documenting the success of the 2006–2007 tour.

In mid-2007, all four original members (Wetton, Downes, Howe and Palmer) went into the studio to record a new album, marking the first recorded material from all four original members since 1983's Alpha. The band continued to tour until major heart surgery for Wetton in the second half of the year saw remaining tour dates rescheduled for 2008.

The new studio album, entitled , was released on  on 14 April 2008 (via  on 15 April in North America), along with a world tour to promote. The 12-track album includes "An Extraordinary Life", based on Wetton's experience of ill health; rockers such as "Never Again" and "Alibis"; and power ballads such as "Heroine" and "I Will Remember You". The world tour also featured a couple of the new songs. The album cover featured Roger Dean's illustration and design. The Phoenix album did well in both the American and European/Japanese markets. It debuted at No.73 on the American Billboard 200; the band had not charted with a studio album since 1985.

As a special finale to the US Phoenix tour, the band performed, for the first time ever, the entire first Asia album from beginning to end at their San Francisco concert at The Regency Center on 5 May. The album comprised the entire second set of the evening's concert.

In summer 2009, Asia toured the United States with Yes. Asia opened with a 55-minute show, while Yes closed with a 1-hour and 50-minute set. Asia's set included only "An Extraordinary Life" from Phoenix, the rest of the songs coming from the first two albums plus one cover each from The Buggles ("Video Killed the Radio Star" with Wetton on lead vocals and Downes on vocoder), King Crimson ("The Court of the Crimson King", which was recorded by the original incarnation of that band with Greg Lake on lead vocals) and  ("Fanfare for the Common Man"). Yes songs were omitted from this tour's setlist, though Asia also covered "Roundabout" on earlier legs of the "Four Original Members" tour. Contrary to some early expectations, Downes did not perform with Yes, although their set list included two songs from the 1980 album Drama, which featured Downes on keys. A series of shows late in the tour featured a special appearance by  (flute and vocals on "The Court Of The Crimson King", which he co-wrote, and backing vocals on "Heat Of The Moment").

In late 2009, the band began working on their follow-up CD to Phoenix. According to Wetton's website in late November 2009: "Good news is that the new album is starting to leap, rather than creep (or sleep) in terms of progress. This week I have two completed lead vocals, with complete harmony/chorus voxes on three. It's just me, Geoff [Downes], Steve R[ispin], and  in the studio--- Carl [Palmer] is pretty much all done, Steve H[owe] is half done, and returns to the fold after Yes tour. It sounds absolutely wonderful". The follow-up, titled , was released in the UK on 26 April 2010.

The band finished a new studio album timed to coincide with the band's thirtieth anniversary, titled , and released in the U.K. on 2 July 2012 and worldwide around the same time. In September 2012 they played four shows in Japan and a North American tour started on 11 October 2012. The UK tour, however, had to be cancelled after a number of shows due to Palmer contracting a serious case of .

2013–2017: Howe's retirement, Gravitas and hiatus

On 10 January 2013, Steve Howe announced his retirement from the band to focus on other projects, including Yes, bringing an end to the reunion of the original lineup. Asia in turn announced they would be continuing with new guitarist , with a new album in the works entitled . The new lineup performed live in 2013.

On the website ultimateclassicrock.com, Howe explained his decision to leave Asia:

Something had to give. Because I'd just done five years with both bands and then Geoff had joined [Yes] when we did Fly From Here, which is maybe a lot shorter, only a quarter of that time for him. He only experienced the tip of the iceberg of being on call for two bands. But there were times in the first three years — it actually got easier when Geoff joined. It was easier because we were both in the band and we could both wrestle with the schedules — but before that, at times, Yes or Asia would extend a tour by a day and then Yes or Asia would then expand the start of the tour, so the gap would start to close.

And I would start freaking out saying "yeah, but hang on ... if you add that date here and they've just added this date here, I'm now squeezed like a concertina." So there was going to be a time at some point when this was unworkable and unfortunately it was the end of last year that made me realize that this being on call was really too much. I couldn't keep either really happy. I was either making Yes miserable or Asia miserable, because of the other one being in existence.

So I think that Asia had a terrific run and we made three great albums. In fact, XXX, I think, is a fantastic record.

— Steve Howe

The band finished the recording sessions for Gravitas in December 2013 and in January 2014 they started shooting the music video for "Valkyrie", which was released as a single. The album's cover artwork was designed by Asia longtime collaborator . On 30 January 2014, Wetton revealed the album's track listing through Asia's official website and talked about each song from the album. The album was released on 24 March 2014 and reached Number 1 in the Progressive Rock Chart for emusic on 27 March.

Following Gravitas and the subsequent tour, the band went on an almost three-year hiatus due to Wetton having  and undergoing . On 5 December 2016, Asia announced a US tour opening for American rock band , beginning with 12 dates from 15 March 2017 at the  in , and four days later, announced their live album Symfonia: Live in Bulgaria 2013, upon which they performed with the .

2017–2018: Wetton's death and tour with Journey

On 11 January 2017, Wetton released a statement that, due to receiving another round of chemotherapy, he would be unable to perform on the 12 dates announced for the  tour, and that he would be substituted by , one of Downes' Yes bandmates, and Wetton's own co-writer and producer of the album . The band originally wanted to cancel the tour altogether, but Journey's management and agents refused, forcing them to pick Sherwood as last-minute replacement.

Wetton died on 31 January 2017 at the age of 67; Palmer later stated "So, we used Billy and we had a phenomenal time. It was a great experience all 'round, and I'm pleased we did it. John would have loved to be on that tour, so I'm pleased we did it for him, anyway." On 17 June 2017 Asia performed a show in homage to Wetton, titled An Extraordinary Life. The show was an interactive celebration of Wetton's music and life. Fan dedications were sent into management and shown on a large projection screen above the stage.

After Wetton's death, Downes stated that the duo had been working on another Asia album and stated that he hopes to eventually finish and release it as a final testament to Wetton. It is unclear whether Wetton had recorded any parts, or if the album had only been in the songwriting process. In August 2017, Palmer stated that there were no immediate plans for Asia to continue, as it was too soon to make any decisions and the band members would be busy on other projects in the meantime.

2019–present: Lineup changes, tour with Yes, and 40th Anniversary Tour Guitarist and vocalist  joined the band in 2019.

On 2 April 2019, the band announced it would join , , and 's ELP Legacy as part of , a 26-date Summer 2019  joint tour, with founding guitarist  rejoining the band for a portion of the set. The band also confirmed that  had amicably left Asia to focus on solo projects and that he'd be replaced as guitarist by , specifically for the tour also took over lead vocals, with Sherwood remaining on bass but moving to backing vocals. Coulson confirmed his departure on Twitter the same day.

Asia was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the .

In 2022, Asia announced a 40th Anniversary Tour, with  on guitar and vocals.

Personnel

Throughout the years,  has been the longest serving member of the band and is the only one to appear on every studio album. However, he was out of the band from its 1989 reunion to 1990 due to prior commitments at the time.

The original line-up initially lasted from 1981 until 1983 when  left. It was reunited on two occasions: first, one year later when Wetton rejoined, but  left before the band could work together again, and a second time in 2006, when Downes, the last original member in the band, replaced the rest of the band with his original bandmates. This last original reunion lasted until 2013, when Howe left once again. Wetton died from cancer in 2017, making another reunion of the original lineup impossible.

Several musicians have joined and left after a short time without recording any studio material with the group. The most notable collaboration of this kind was the participation of  in the "Asia in Asia" concert on bass guitar and lead vocals. Yet more musicians have played as  or have guested with the band without formally joining. Some of these artists include , , , Ant Glynne, , , , Ron Komie, , , , , , , and .

GTR

After Steve Howe left  in 1984, he and former  manager Brian Lane discussed forming a new group, and Lane approached former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Hackett's last few solo albums had sold disappointingly, and he hoped GTR would sustain his prominence as a guitarist and finance future solo work. They recruited American drummer  (ex-), bass guitarist , and singer .

GTR sought to create a contemporary band sound without using keyboards, which Howe felt had become too dominant in Asia. Instead, Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with   pickups, which operated rack synthesizers.

While Brian Lane pursued record deals (initially, without much success), the band set about recording songs with Howe’s former Asia and Yes colleague  as producer. Howe and Hackett disagreed on method: whereas Howe favored investment in high-quality studio time, Hackett preferred a relatively low-budget recording approach but greater investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt. Hackett would later criticize Lane's work as manager, accusing him of following a "divide and conquer" approach to ensure that the band would be in dissension and agree to the final deal secured by Lane to recoup the time and money invested.

Album

GTR's  was released by  in May 1986. The album went , hit No. 11 on the album charts, and spawned a hit single, "When the Heart Rules the Mind" (No. 14), which stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. Another single, "The Hunter", received some video coverage and modest airplay, peaking at No. 85. While the album was a chart success, it was (and has remained) a work with a mixed and highly debated reputation among rock fans, especially supporters of Genesis and Yes. Some said the album contained substandard filler material beyond the two singles, and there was some criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor. 's infamous review of the album (in Musician magazine) consisted of only one word: "". (Considine later said it was the most famous thing he'd ever written in his three decades as a critic, while Hackett stated the review actually helped sales of the album.)

Tour

"I always felt that something like GTR had novelty value. As soon as people start mentioning the word 'Super Group', it basically has novelty value for one album. I suspect that no one was really that surprised that Steve and I, although we are very good friends these days, didn't ride off into the sunset together making albums for infinity."

Steve Hackett, 2001

GTR toured North America and Europe in 1986. Live rehearsals revealed that the band's "no keyboards" method did not work in concert due to the poor tracking qualities of the guitar synthesizers, and therefore the tour featured keyboard player Matt Clifford in the GTR lineup in order to recreate the studio sound. Songs in the setlist included Genesis and Yes material as well as songs from Hackett and Howe's solo albums. Howe, Hackett and Bacon also appeared as guest VJs on MTV's "Guest VJ Hour" in the summer. A show at the  in  recorded for the  radio show (and later released on album) demonstrated that the group was extremely tight and well-practiced live. Tracks played included versions of Yes's  and a re-working of the Genesis classic "I Know What I Like" as well as pieces from Hackett's and Howe's solo LPs. A preview of a new song, "Prizefighters", was included in this collection. The song was later developed for Hackett's planned 1986 solo release , which eventually appeared in 2000.

Decline and legacy

According to Hackett, by the end of the tour the band was falling apart, and his dissatisfaction with both the music and financial management of GTR (as well as a failure to see eye-to-eye with Howe) led to his beginning to question the project. He later commented "it looked like either Steve Howe or I might jump ship with GTR, and I think the possibility of it being an on-going entity was mooted ... At the time, I saw GTR as becoming more of a project than a band. Perhaps the idea of a number of guitarists all getting together." With this in mind, Hackett approached guitarist  of  with the suggestion that he join the project. Despite May's initial enthusiasm, the potential collaboration only extended to three tracks demoed with Hackett, and it is unclear whether Hackett ultimately intended May to replace himself or replace Howe.

The band's debt situation had not improved and in 1987 Hackett called time on the group. He recalled that "to create or maintain that level of success, the band was functioning on an extremely insecure footing financially. Someone had to be the bad guy and say, 'I'm calling an extraordinary general meeting and closing down the company.' Which is what I did, because we had far too many money issues to be able to continue." Hackett then left GTR, stating it had been "interesting for about five minutes", and resumed his solo career. Later, he would reflect "Yes, we had a firm deal, and I could have perhaps done it for life, but frankly, I prefer my albums to be more spontaneous and creatively free ... There are artistic limitations with any successful band, and it was a successful band." Mover also left GTR, going on to play in 's band.

Unwilling to give up on the band, Steve Howe tried to continue GTR with Bacon, Spalding, ex- drummer  (who had worked for Toyah with Spalding) and a second singer/guitarist, former  member . A bootleg of initial sessions (titled Nerotrend, which was also a new name suggested for the band) shows that half of the band's music was now sung by Berry and half by Bacon. Both sessions and band were ultimately abandoned, with some of the material later resurrected or reused on future albums by group members (including the song "This World is Big Enough for All of Us", which became "Birthright" on the  album).

Post-GTR, Steve Howe resumed his solo career and rejoined the Yes lineup (initially as part of ) while Robert Berry became part of the partial  reunion project . Phil Spalding returned to a session career and Nigel Glockler returned to Saxon. Max Bacon's 1996 solo album The Higher You Climb included GTR material, and he later sang lead on "Going, Going, Gone" on Howe's 1999 release, Portraits of . In 2018, Hackett released a re-recorded version of "When the Heart Rules the Mind" as a single.

thxs 2 wiki~

gtr:

When The Heart Rules the Mind5:25The Hunter4:55Here I Wait4:54Sketches In the Sun2:31Jekyll And Hyde4:42You Can Still Get Through4:52Reach Out (Never Say No)4:07Toe the Line4:29Hackett To Bits2:09Imagining5:52

asia:

Heat Of the Moment3:50Only Time Will Tell4:44Sole Survivor4:48One Step Closer4:16Time Again4:45Wildest Dreams5:10Without You5:04Cutting It Fine5:35Here Comes the Feeling5:42

ASIA Alpha:

AlphaDon't CryThe Smile Has Left Your EyesNever In A Million YearsMy Own Time (I'll Do What I Want)The Heat Goes OnBetaEye To EyeThe Last To KnowTrue ColorsMidnight SunOpen Your Eyes