ASIA

As I recollect, the first Asia album was the Billboard magazine number one selling album of 1982. Given the progressive rock "pedigrees" of its four members, this success was something of a peculiarity. As I also remember, many elements of the rock and roll critical establishment accused John Wetton, Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, and Carl Palmer of "rolling over and playing dead" for commercial success. Through the lens of the past 42 years, I can comprehend this criticism without removing this album from a singular position in my musical memory.

There is an argument that the album "Asia's" success combined with that of, for example, Yes' "90125," Genesis' "Invisible Touch," and The Moody Blues' "Other Side of Life," re-energized the late 1970's moribund and, ostensibly, bloated genre of progressive rock. As is widely attested by the membership of ProgArchives.com, this juncture in the history of progressive rock is somewhat regrettable. What happened to the Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and Moody Blues of the "vintage" of 1972?

However, as I have written before, a presupposition of "both/ and" rather than "either/or" may facilitate a more balanced and inclusive view of life.

On the surface, "Heat of the Moment" cannot escape its association with the movie, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Or, maybe not. Steve Howe contributes a rather jagged ending solo that disturbs the relatively complacent commerciality of the song.

"Only Time Will Tell" possesses an emblematic melodic synthesizer riff that evokes the milieu of 1982 in which my fiancé visited Notre Dame, IN, during my final semester there for the Michigan/Notre Dame football contest, the first night game ever on the campus. During the halftime show, the Michigan band performed "Only Time Will Tell."

As one ventures further into the album "Asia," its musical "inclusivity" becomes apparent. "Sole Survivor" may have originated as a reaction of John Wetton to the triumph of an Arthur Ashe tennis match. Yet, in its final form, the song contains an instrumental middle section that showcases the percussive precision of Palmer; one might describe Howe's guitar work as "Son of Yours is No Disgrace."

As one "flips the side of the record." "Wildest Dreams," "Without You," and "Cutting It Fine" illustrate Wetton, Howe, Downes, and Palmer's "fidelity" to the genre of progressive rock. Preeminent instrumentally in "Wildest Dreams" is Howe's torrid guitar solo that prefigures the intensity of the ensuing work of Dream Theater's John Petrucci.

Lyrically and conceptually, the song evokes in the contemporary listener acknowledgement of its "prophetic" relevance to contemporary events, within and without the United States: Putin's demonic invasion of Ukraine; the flagitious terrorist attacks of Hamas on Israel on 10/7/23 and the Israelis' ensuing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip; and, in terms of the popular vote, the anything but decisive victory of Neo-Mussolini in the US presidential election.

Perhaps, oddly, my explicit interest in Asia begins and ends with their 1982 eponymously released effort. Nevertheless, this album does occupy a germane place in my musical memory. Yes, "no pun intended," Tempus Fugit.