A supergroup comprising well-known musicians from UK art-rock bands, Asia was formed in early 1981 by John Wetton (b. 12 June 1949, Willington, Derby, Derbyshire, England; vocals), Steve Howe (b. Stephen James Howe, 8 April 1947, Holloway, London, England; guitar), Geoff Downes (b. Geoffrey Downes, 25 August 1952, Stockport, Cheshire, England; keyboards), and Carl Palmer (b. 20 March 1950, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, England; drums). At the time, Wetton had recently left the English progressive band UK and released a solo album, Howe and Downes had just abandoned Yes, and Palmer had left Emerson, Lake And Palmer and released an album with PM. The band’s self-titled debut album was released a year later and, although dismissed by critics as unadventurous and overly commercial, it topped the US album charts for nine weeks, becoming one of the year’s bestsellers. A single, ‘Heat Of The Moment’, also reached the US Top 5. Neither fared as well in the band member’s homeland. A follow-up single, ‘Only Time Will Tell’, was a moderate US success. The band released its second album, Alpha, in 1983 and although it was a Top 10 hit in the USA, as was the single ‘Don’t Cry’, its sales failed to match those of the debut.
Wetton was subsequently replaced by Greg Lake (b. 10 November 1947, Poole, Dorset, England), another Emerson, Lake And Palmer alumnus. As testament to the residual affection for the band, a live television concert from Japan drew over 20 million US viewers in late 1983. Lake’s voice turned out to be unsuited to the band’s material, and he was replaced by the returning Wetton. Ongoing personality clashes saw Howe leaving during recording sessions for a third album, with Mandy Meyer (b. Armand Meyer, 29 August 1960, Balcarres, Saskatchewan, Canada) brought in as his replacement. The comparatively low chart position of Astra precipitated the band’s dissolution, with both Wetton and Downes going on to work on solo projects. The latter also produced Howe’s new project, GTR, formed with Steve Hackett and Max Bacon.
Wetton recorded ‘Gypsy Soul’ under the name Asia for the soundtrack of the 1987 Sylvester Stallone movie Over The Top. During the same year, he teamed up with Downes and 21 Guns members Scott Gorham (guitar) and Michael Sturgis (drums) for an abortive reunion, although some of the tracks would resurface on later albums. A more successful reunion took place in 1989, with Wetton and Palmer playing a series of European dates with various musicians. They were joined by Downes and Pat Thrall (ex-Hughes/Thrall) for a series of further dates to promote Then & Now, a 1990 compilation of new and old material that fulfilled their contractual agreement with Geffen Records. Wetton and Palmer subsequently moved on to other projects, leaving Downes as the sole remaining founder member. He inaugurated a new era for the band by forming a songwriting partnership with John Payne (bass/vocals). The duo recorded 1992’s Aqua with Al Pitrelli (b. 29 September 1962, New York City, New York, USA; guitar), and occasional input from Palmer and Howe. The latter joined the subsequent tour as a ‘special guest artist’.
The Downes/Payne partnership continued to release new albums, with the creative high point being 1996’s Arena. They were joined on these recordings by an ever-changing cast list of musicians, including Sturgis, Pitrelli, Thrall, guitarists Aziz Ibrahim, Elliott Randall, Ian Crichton and Guthrie Govan, drummers Chris Slade and Jay Schellen, and percussionist Luis Jardim. At the start of 2006, the Downes/Payne partnership was severed when the former chose to inaugurate a reunion of the original line-up of Asia, with a successful world tour following. Payne, Govan and Schellen formed GPS before establishing the rival band Asia Featuring John Payne.
