Asia | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
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| Website | originalasia |
Asia are an Englishrocksupergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful lineup was its original, which consisted of four members of differentprogressive rock bands who had enjoyed great success in the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassistJohn Wetton (King Crimson,Uriah Heep andU.K.), guitaristSteve Howe (Yes), keyboardistGeoff Downes (Yes andthe Buggles) and drummerCarl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, itself a supergroup). Theirself-titled debut album released in 1982, remains their best-selling album and went to number one in several countries.Billboard listed it as thetop album in the U.S. in 1982. Thelead single from the album, "Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching thetop 40 in over a dozen markets. It peaked at No. 4 in the U.S. on theBillboard Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on theBillboardMainstream Rock chart.
The band underwent multiple lineup changes before the original four members reunited in 2006. As a result, a band calledAsia featuring John Payne exists as a continuation ofJohn Payne's career as Asia's frontman from 1991 until Wetton's return in 2006.[1] In 2013, the original lineup was broken once again when Howe retired from the band and was replaced by guitaristSam Coulson.[2] After a few years of inactivity,Billy Sherwood (of Yes,World Trade andCirca:) replaced an ailing Wetton (who died shortly thereafter) in Asia for a summer 2017 tour withJourney.[3][4] Following the end of the tour, the band went on hiatus again, re-emerging in 2019 withRon "Bumblefoot" Thal replacing both Sherwood on vocals and Coulson on guitar.[5] In 2022,Marc Bonilla joined the group as guitarist and vocalist in place of Thal,[6] but this brief lineup of the band never performed or recorded together. In 2024, Downes announced a new touring line-up of himself,Virgil Donati,John Mitchell and Harry Whitley.
Asia began in early 1981 after the apparent ending ofYes andEmerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the founding bands of Britishprogressive rock.[7] After the breakup ofKing Crimson in 1974, various plans for asupergroup involving bassistJohn Wetton had not been successful, including the abortive British Bulldog project withBill Bruford andRick Wakeman in 1976. In 1977 Bruford and Wetton were reunited inU.K., augmented by guitaristAllan Holdsworth and keyboardist/violinistEddie Jobson. Their self-titled debut was released in 1978. But by January 1980, U.K. had folded after one lineup change and three recordings.[7] A new project was then suggested involving Wetton, Wakeman, drummerCarl Palmer and (then little known) guitarist/singerTrevor Rabin, 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 guitaristSteve Howe were brought together byA&R manJohn Kalodner andGeffen Records to start writing material for a new album.[8] They were eventually joined by Palmer and finally by Howe's fellow member of Yes, keyboardistGeoff Downes.[7] Two other players auditioned and considered during the band's formation were formerThe Move andELO founderRoy Wood and the aforementioned guitarist/singer Trevor Rabin, who would end up replacing Steve Howe in a reformed Yes in 1983. Rabin, in a filmed 1984 interview included in the DVD9012Live, 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 headDavid Geffen and Kalodner, were extremely popular with record buyers, while considered disappointing by music critics[9] and fans of progressive rock, who found the music closer to radio-friendlyalbum-oriented rock (AOR).[10] However, Asia clicked with fans of popular arena acts such asJourney andStyx; Kalodner had once introduced Wetton to Journey's short-lived frontmanRobert Fleischman, 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.[11]
Rolling Stone gaveAsia an indifferent review,[12] while acknowledging the band's musicianship was a cut above the usual AOR expectations.
Asia's debut albumAsia, released in March 1982, gained considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one on the United States album chart[7] 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 "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" becameTop 40 hits,[7] both boosted by popularMTV music videos. Both tracks went on to become stadium favourites at United States sporting events.[citation needed] "Sole Survivor" 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 recognised and popular hit song, "Heat of the Moment", spent six weeks at No. 1 onBillboard's Album Rock Tracks chart and climbed to No. 4 on the Hot 100.[7]
In the United States the band sold out every date on their debut tour, which began atClarkson University inPotsdam, New York[13] 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 aGrammy Award nomination as Best New Artist of 1982. MTV also played Asia videos on heavy rotation—as many as five times a day. BothBillboard andCash Box named Asia's debut the No. 1 album of the year. Asia's logo and cover art were created by illustratorRoger Dean.
Asia's second albumAlpha (released in August 1983) and future Asia albums did not achieve the chart success of their debut release;[7] however,Alpha's "Don't Cry" was a No. 1 Album Rock Track and Top 10 Pop hit in the summer of 1983,[7] 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 criticizedAlpha as an "over-produced commercial album",[14] 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 ofAlpha.[7] 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 said that his alcohol dependency may have been a factor. Howe, in his 2021 autobiographyAll 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.[15]
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 atPine Knob outsideDetroit, Michigan), 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.[15]
In December 1983 ex-King Crimson andELP lead singer and bassistGreg Lake replaced Wetton for a few concerts in Japan, including the highly publicised "Asia in Asia" concert at theNippon Budokan 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 had not 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."[16][17] Howe says Lake 'was' interested in remaining a member and recording with the band but Palmer was opposed.[15]
Following Lake's departure in early 1984, Wetton was asked to return (in Howe's account, Wetton approached the band via management)[15] after a three-month absence; he returned on the condition that Howe be ousted from the band. For a while, the group considered continuing as a three-piece without a permanent guitarist, inviting guest guitarists such asJeff Beck andDavid Gilmour into the studio. Geffen Records suggested recruitingKrokus guitaristMandy Meyer, 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 withGTR (another supergroup, this one formed with formerGenesis guitaristSteve Hackett and produced by Geoff Downes).
The third Asia album was tentatively titledArcadia, but during production it was discovered that that name was being used by a forthcomingspin-off project from Duran Duran. The retitledAstra, released in November 1985, was not as commercially successful as the first two albums.[7] The record label cancelled the planned tour because of lack of interest. The band charted another single with "Go" (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."[18]
Wetton resurfaced in January 1987 with an album recorded with guitaristPhil Manzanera,Wetton-Manzanera, based on material that had been originally intended for Asia. Also in 1987, Wetton played withPhenomena on theirDream Runner album and landed a number one hit in South America with thePhenomena single "Did It All for Love", also appearing in the related music video.
Asia were also credited with contributing theGiorgio Moroder produced track "Gypsy Soul" to theSylvester Stallone film soundtrack toOver the Top (1987), although Wetton was the only band member involved.
Wetton and Downes' attempt to restart the group in 1987 with guitaristScott Gorham (formerly ofThin Lizzy) and drummerMichael Sturgis (ex-A-ha) 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 byJohn Young. 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 favourably by other Asia band members.
Asia returned to the studio in 1990 with Downes,Toto guitaristSteve Lukather and other studio musicians and releasedThen & Now (August 1990), a best-of with four new tracks. "Days Like These" from the disc received substantial airplay during the summer of 1990 onAOR radio stations and re-sparked some interest in the band. Lukather later revealed that Wetton had asked him to join the band, but he had obligations with Toto who at that time had recently come off of a short hiatus.[19] Lukather later contributed to Wetton's solo albumBattle Lines in 1994. Instead,Pat Thrall joined Downes, Palmer and Wetton on tour and they performed classic material, includingKing Crimson andU.K. songs.
The band toured the formerSoviet 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. But a U.S. tour was scrapped when various problems hampered the single's chance at the Top 40. Asia received the RIAA Gold album award forThen 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 withFrancis Dunnery contributing a guitar solo).[20][21] Wetton left the group in April 1991 after a South American tour, discouraged by Asia's lack of success in the United States.
After Wetton's departure, vocalist/bassistJohn Payne joined the band and, together with Downes, enlisted new musicians and led Asia through to 2006. The first album with this lineup wasAqua, released in June 1992. In addition to Downes and Payne, the album featured Howe, Palmer, and guitaristAl Pitrelli (ofDanger Danger,Megadeth andAlice Cooper). 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. DrummersSimon Phillips andNigel Glockler then completed the sessions. Downes' environmentalist single "Who Will Stop the Rain?" (originally written forMax Bacon and the abortedRain project, later appearing on Bacon's albumFrom the Banks of the River Irwell) attracted some radio attention. TheAqua 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, guitaristVinny Burns 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 releasedAria in May 1994, which featured lead guitaristAl Pitrelli once again, who would leave Asia during the shortAria tour. TheAria album did not fare well commercially and the ensuing tour was limited to four concerts. Ex-Simply Red guitaristAziz Ibrahim 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 forAqua.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 on two discs,Archiva 1 andArchiva 2. TheArchiva sets were collections of unreleased tracks recorded during the first three Downes/Payne albums.
Next,Arena, released in February 1996, featured Downes, Payne, Sturgis, Ibrahim and guest guitaristElliott Randall (ex-Steely Dan, andRandy Crawford). 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 programmeAlive in London to play the song "Never".
An all-acoustic album,Live Acoustic, was recorded by the group at Stadthalle,Bruchsal, Germany on 21 September 1997 (and released in December 1999) that featured a lineup of Downes, Payne, Ibrahim, and drummerBob Richards. Also in 1997, a best of albumAnthology, 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 includedDave Kilminster 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 Yes. 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 formQango, which included Kilminster and John Young, although the band was short-lived. Kilminster went on to work withKeith Emerson,The Nice andRoger Waters.
Also in 1999,Rare, Asia's seventh studio album, was released onResurgence. It was made up of instrumental music which Downes and Payne had composed for the soundtrack forDavid Attenborough's documentary nature filmSalmon: Against the Tides (tracks 1–16) and for an unreleased CD-ROM video game (tracks 17–22).[22]
In 2000 Geffen/Universal released a best-of entitledThe Very Best of Asia: Heat of the Moment (1982–1990), which also included three rare B-sides from the early days.
2001'sAura featured three different session guitarists, includingIan Crichton (of Canadian progressive rock bandSaga) who had briefly joined Asia in 1998–1999.Aura took a moreprogressive rock 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 theAura sessions featuring Downes, Payne, guitaristGuthrie Govan and ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band/The Firm/Uriah Heep/Gary Numan/AC/DC drummerChris Slade (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 titledAmerica: Live in the USA, were released in 2003, recorded at the Classic Rock Productions Classic Rock Festival at The Patriots Theater at theTrenton War Memorial inTrenton, New Jersey 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 albumThen & Now). Released on Asia's newly signed label SPV/Inside Out Records, 2004'sSilent Nation (the name being influenced by theHoward Stern vs.FCC 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 drummerJay Schellen. The new band started work on an album, tentatively entitledArchitect 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 albumWindow to the Soul in August 2006 under the new band name ofGPS, which was an acronym for the three players involved: Govan, Payne and Schellen. After this, the three continued on asAsia Featuring John Payne in 2007.
Meanwhile, Wetton and Downes had released some archival Asia material under the nameWetton/Downes in September 2002 and they then reunited to record a full-length album (Icon, released in August 2005) and an accompanying EP and DVD. Two additional Icon projects have since followed:Icon II: Rubicon (November 2006) andIcon 3 (March 2009).
In early 2006, Downes left for a reunion of the original band lineup under the Asia name, a breakup that Payne described as "painful".[23] The existing lineup (minus Downes) continued for a short while before morphing into the aforementionedGPS.
Following Downes' departure, on 9 May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that Payne could continue his 15-year period with Asia asAsia Featuring John Payne. 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) albumsAqua (1992) throughSilent Nation (2004) as part of their own discography.[24] Asia Featuring John Payne perform songs from before and during Payne's time in Asia.[23]
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 US 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 stated, "This is the real Asia. There have been other incarnations of the band, but this is the one that the public truly embraced".
The tour began on 29 August 2006 inRochester, New York.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 releasedFantasia: 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'sAlpha.[25] 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, entitledPhoenix, was released onFrontiers Records on 14 April 2008 (viaEMI/Capitol on 15 April in North America[26]), 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.[25] ThePhoenix 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 USPhoenix 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" fromPhoenix, 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) andEmerson, Lake & Palmer ("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 albumDrama, which featured Downes on keys. A series of shows late in the tour featured a special appearance byIan McDonald (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 toPhoenix. 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], andMike Paxman 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, titledOmega, 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, titledXXX, and released in the UK on 2 July 2012 and worldwide around the same time.[27] 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 ofE. coli.[28]
On 10 January 2013, Steve Howe announced his retirement from the band to focus on other projects,[29] including Yes, bringing an end to the reunion of the original lineup. Asia in turn announced they would be continuing with new guitaristSam Coulson, with a new album in the works entitledGravitas.[30][31][32] The new lineup performed live in 2013.[2]
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 didFly 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 forGravitas in December 2013[33] 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 collaboratorRoger Dean. On 30 January 2014, Wetton revealed the album's track listing through Asia's official website and talked about each song from the album.[34] The album was released on 24 March 2014[35] and reached Number 1 in the Progressive Rock Chart for emusic on 27 March.[36]
FollowingGravitas and the subsequent tour, the band went on an almost three-year hiatus due to Wetton having cancer and undergoingchemotherapy.[32][37][38] On 5 December 2016, Asia announced a US tour opening for American rock bandJourney, beginning with twelve dates from 15 March 2017 at theYakima Valley Sundome inYakima, Washington,[39] and four days later, announced their live albumSymfonia: Live in Bulgaria 2013, which they performed with thePlovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra.[40]
On 11 January 2017, Wetton released a statement that, due to receiving another round of chemotherapy, he would be unable to perform on the dates announced for theJourney tour, and that he would be substituted byBilly Sherwood, one of Downes' Yes bandmates, and Wetton's own co-writer and producer of the albumRaised in Captivity.[41] The band originally wanted to cancel the tour altogether, but Journey's management and agents refused, forcing them to pick Sherwood as a last-minute replacement.[42]
Wetton died on 31 January 2017 at the age of 67;[43][3] 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."[42] On 17 June 2017 Asia performed a show in homage to Wetton, titledAn Extraordinary Life.[44] 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.[45] 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.[42]
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On 2 April 2019, the band announced it would join Yes,John Lodge, andCarl Palmer's ELP Legacy as part ofThe Royal Affair Tour, a 26-date Summer 2019 North American joint tour, with Steve Howe joining the band for a portion of the set. The band also confirmed thatSam Coulson had amicably left Asia to focus on solo projects and that he would be replaced as guitarist on the tour byRon "Bumblefoot" Thal, who also took over lead vocals, with Sherwood remaining on bass but moving to backing vocals. Coulson confirmed his departure on Twitter the same day.[46][47][48]
In 2019, aNew York Times investigation revealed that Asia was among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the2008 Universal fire. While Universal Music has generally disputed the severity of the fire's damage, they have yet to publicly confirm or deny the status of Asia's masters, while Downes has stated that he has it "on good authority" that the masters survived.[49][50][51]
In 2022, Asia announced a 40th Anniversary Tour, withMarc Bonilla on guitar and vocals.[6] However, the tour was later cancelled due toAlan Parsons, the band's opening act, backing out in order to undergo surgery. Following the cancellation, Palmer said in February 2023 that there were no plans for any activity for the rest of the year.[52]
The band toured the US in summer 2024. Carl Palmer announced that he would not be on the tour, although he said "I plan to eventually embrace the music of ASIA again at some point in the future."[53] The tour saw a new line-up of Downes (keys), along withVirgil Donati (drums),John Mitchell (guitar) and Harry Whitley (bass, vocals).
In June 2025, the band announced that they had been signed on byFrontiers Music to release several albums, including a new studio album set to be released in 2026.[54]
Throughout the years,Geoff Downes 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 lineup initially lasted from 1981 until 1983 whenJohn Wetton left. It was reunited on two occasions: first, one year later when Wetton rejoined, butSteve Howe left before the band could work together again, and a second time in 2006, when Downes, the last original member in the band at the time, replaced his then-current lineup with his original bandmates. This last original reunion lasted until 2013, when Howe left once again. Wetton died from cancer in 2017.[55]
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 ofGreg Lake in the "Asia in Asia" concert on bass guitar and lead vocals. Yet more musicians have played assession musicians or have guested with the band without formally joining. Some of these artists include:Robert Fleischman,Vinnie Colaiuta,Francis Dunnery, Ant Glynne,Scott Gorham,Tomoyasu Hotei,Luís Jardim, Ron Komie,Tony Levin,Steve Lukather,Thomas Lang,Kim Nielsen-Parsons,Nigel Glockler,Simon Phillips, andAlex Thomas.
Current members
Nothing could have given anti-Progressive forces a bigger target than this FM-rock band ... Asia were luridly launched in April 1982, and the fact that the US AOR market took them to its heart speaks volumes. Asia sold millions, but their links with Progressive rock were as tenuous asGeorge Formby's links withMozart.
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