Asia Songs Ranked
Asia is an English rock band formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful line-up was its original, which was a supergroup of four members of different progressive rock bands of the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton of King Crimson and U.K., guitarist Steve Howe of Yes, keyboardist Geoff Downes of Yes and the Buggles, and drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their best selling album and went to number one in several countries. The lead single from the album, “Heat of the Moment”, remains their top-charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets and peaking in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The band underwent multiple line-up changes before the original four members reunited in 2006. As a result, a band called Asia Featuring John Payne exists as a continuation of John Payne’s career as Asia’s frontman from 1991 until Wetton’s return in 2006. In 2013, the original line-up was broken once again when Howe retired from the band and was replaced by guitarist Sam Coulson. After a few years of inactivity, Billy Sherwood (of Yes, World Trade and Circa:) replaced an ailing Wetton (who died shortly thereafter) in Asia for a summer 2017 tour with Journey. Following the end of the tour, the band went on hiatus again, re-emerging in 2019 with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal replacing both Sherwood on vocals and Coulson on guitar. Here are all of Asia songs ranked.
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20. Anytime (Aria 1994)
“For that particular genre and at a certain given time, this is as good as it gets. “Feels like love” is epic and yes, it doesn’t deliver more than advertised but it does deliver and in this day and age that’s pretty much all we should be caring about.”
19. Open Your Eyes (Alpha, 1983)
“Alpha closes with “Open Your Eyes”, a powerful lament for an Asian girl seeking fame and fortune in America. Thankfully, as on “The Heat Goes On”, everybody overcomes the other pitfalls of Alpha and really shines forth as they did in ’82. The lyrics are damn good, and I love the use of a vocoder during the intro and outro (as well as Howe’s electric sitar, not used since “Close To The Edge” in ’72!) As the song gets quiet and then thunders back for an ecstatic rush of an ending, I always get chills. Superb ending.”
18. Cutting It Fine (Asia, 1982)
“There. “Cutting It Fine” is such a good song, that I just listened to it seven times in a row. That’s how you know an album is good. More than 30 years of listening to it and you still can’t get enough of it.”
17. Don’t Cut the Wire (Brother) (Aria, 1994)
” I really enjoyed “Don’t Cut The Wire (Brother)”. A lot of it is the writing, but I love the way it is structured too If I had to choose a pair of standouts, I would have to go with the relatively priggish “Don’t Cut The Wire (Brother)”
See more: Asia Albums Ranked
16. One Step Closer (Asia, 1982)
” “One Step Closer.” It’s a charming duet sung in harmony by lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton and guitarist Steve Howe. Keyboardist Geoff Downes also adds both a nice lead vamp and a complimentary rhythm part to the verses. “
15. The Last to Know (Alpha, 1983)
“The Last to Know” is great, especially the chorus, and I really like the drums and the keyboard on here. sed to be my least favorite song on Alpha but I enjoy it more these days. It’s just that the lyrics are extremely sappy for guys in their 30’s, and aside from when I remember myself at 13 in junior high, I can’t relate. Nice classical interlude, though — especially Palmer’s drumming.”
14. The Heat Goes On (Alpha, 1983)
“The Heat Goes On” is often considered (along with “Open Your Eyes”) to be the best song on Alpha. I won’t go into too much detail, but everyone involved is at the top of their game in what is basically a straightforward classic rock tune. Play this loudly and people will likely ask who it is. A shame it gets no radio play. “The Heat Goes On” was originally titled “Eye of the Hurricane”, but the lyrics were changed to basically make it a sequel to “Heat of the Moment”. I would have preferred the original lyrics. (After the success of HotM, it struck me as kinda lame that they were trying to remind people of their biggest hit.)”
13. Tomorrow the World (XXX, 2012)
“Tomorrow the World opens strangely enough for an Asia album(more like an Icon album though which is a side product of Wetton and Downes)but quickly changes tempo and opens up to a great classic track. John Wetton vocals kick in followed by the percussion work of Carl Palmer and Geoffrey Downes on keyboard and then Steve Howe adds his unforgettable riffs to the mix and it will impress you.”
12. Voice of America (Astra, 1985)
” This song has some great lines and while the guitar is absent from most of the song, it doesn’t need to have a strong presence here. Palmer’s drums sound good here too.”
11. Time Again (Asia, 1982)
” Sad to say this but people think Asia only made Heat of the Moment and Only Time will Tell. They are good songs, but they are far from being the best. Time Again is my favorite but they are many good other songs, and not just on the first album.”
10. Never Again (Phoenix, 2008)
“The album opens with a rocker in the form of “Never Again”, and holy crap is it nice to hear Steve Howe on guitar once again. Starting out on a song that opens with the guitar and drums was such a smart idea. The song is a great reintroduction to the band after all these years, only now ditching the production that made their albums sound somewhat dated.”
9. Here Comes the Feeling (Asia, 1982)
“The refrain of “Here Comes the Feeling” is the least good refrain of the entire album, but overall the song still rules. Basically the first 29 seconds of the song should have been left on the floor of the studio, where this album was mixed at. But the passage from 0:29 to 1:24 is pure heaven for me. The drums, the synthesizer sound, Wetton’s voice… Also the passages from 4:53 to 5:07 and from 5:21 to 5:40 are delicious brain food. Some people don’t like writing reviews and I understand them. Sometimes it’s just impossible to describe with words how much you love music.”
8. Wildest Dreams (Asia, 1982)
“Wildest Dreams”. Easily the best song on the album. Also the most progressive. I have driven at least ten different cars by listening to this song. That is how long this song has stayed with me. Is epic. “They fight (they fight) for king (for king) and country.” The instrumental passage at time 4:11-4:33. If my fist was able to kill the air around it, the air would be so dead that you couldn’t believe it.”
7. Who Will Stop the Rain? (Aqua, 1992)
“Asia is a fairly easy band to make fun of. Their poppy mix of AOR with synth-led symphonic prog wasn’t exactly the recipe for critical success, even among devoted progressive rock fans such as myself, while their penchant for sappy power ballads (and ridiculous album covers!) made them one of the most “unhip” artists of their era. “
See more: B’z Albums Ranked
6. Go (Astra, 1985)
“The album starts with a fantastic opener showing off Mandy Meyer’s tale ts as a guitarist. That song is the album’s lead single “Go”. This song has some great lines, and the guitar here is fantastic. Palmer’s drums even sound good here, even if they sound like the most muted thing here.”
5. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Alpha, 1983)
“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” is a pretty little ballad driven by keyboards and vocals, and is solely credited to John Wetton. This was written in 1982, along with “Midnight Sun” — both of which were played on the previous tour in different form. I think that the song turned out better in later years, played live and with a real piano sound as opposed to the Casio-sounding keyboards on this studio version.”
4. Sole Survivor (Asia, 1982)
“The song has a weird start, and continues to be weird. This is really good, but I wouldn’t say it is great enough to be a single, though as an album track it a definite highlight.”
3. Don’t Cry (Alpha, 1983)
“Don’t Cry” starts off the album positively. Very nice vocals and some good drumming from Palmer. It’s a pretty standard pop song, and it was the first Asia tune I ever heard. This song absolutely soars, and is incredibly uplifting.”
2. Only Time Will Tell (Asia, 1982)
“This song is fantastic, The keys on here are great, and the chorus is thundering. Next is the third single “Sole Survivor”. The song has a weird start, and continues to be weird. This is really good, but I wouldn’t say it is great enough to be a single, though as an album track it a definite highlight.”
1. Heat of the Moment (Asia, 1982)
“The song is a fantastic pop rock song and is the best song here. This was just lightning in a bottle. The song was the perfect radio ready song and it was sadly a kind of magic the band would be unable to recapture on their second album. A bonified classic that has and will continue to stand the test of time.”
