Asia "Alpha (Japan Edition, Platinum SHMCD, Geffen Records)"

Alpha is the second studio album by British rock band Asia, released on 26 July 1983 in the United States and on 12 August 1983 in the United Kingdom by Geffen Records. Recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, and Manta Sound in Toronto from February to May 1983, the album was produced, like its multi-platinum predecessor, by Mike Stone. Guitarist Steve Howe left the band in 1984. Thus, Alpha was the last album to feature the band's original line-up until Phoenix which was released in 2008. The original line-up re-formed two years earlier in 2006.

The cover artwork was designed by Roger Dean, known for his work with Yes, of which Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes had previously been members.

Alpha has been re-issued numerous times, especially in Japan. Platinum SHM-CD with a DSD flat transfer from original master tapes was released by Universal Music in 2014 and included "Daylight" and "Lying to Yourself" as bonus tracks. In 2017, the album was released on Audio Fidelity hybrid SACD remastered by Kevin Gray.

In comparison with the enormously successful debut album, Alpha focuses more on mainstream pop rock sounds and is less characterized by progressive rock elements. It failed to meet record company expectations, which was reflected by performance that did not match that of the first recording, angering management. The album did reach number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified platinum for over 1 million copies sold in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 5 and has been awarded a silver certification for over 60,000 copies sold.

Alpha spawned two singles. The lead-off single, "Don't Cry", reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart. It was the sole Top 40 entry for Asia in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 33. The B-side of the single, "Daylight", was featured as a bonus track on album original cassette editions. The second single, "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 25 on the Mainstream Rock charts and was the group's last major hit. Along with the singles, "The Heat Goes On" and "True Colours" were quite popular on mainstream rock radio stations.

The album has received lukewarm reception from music critics. J. D. Considine in his review for Rolling Stone described Alpha as "a sort of sonic confection, a concoction of tasty melodies, sweet harmonies and goopy lyrics intended more for greedy consumption than for artistic appreciation". Chas de Whalley of Kerrang! was less than restrained and openly said that "this album is complete and utter rubbish from beginning to end and a waste of the good vinyl it's pressed on". Tom Demalon has given the album a retrospective rating of three stars out of five on AllMusic. "Don't Cry", "My Own Time (I'll Do What I Want)" and "Open Your Eyes" have been selected as three "Track Picks". He has compared the album with Asia and has summarized that "nothing on Alpha packs the sheer sonic force of the band's debut".

Track listing

All tracks written by John Wetton and Geoff Downes, except "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" written by Wetton and "Lying to Yourself" written by Wetton and Steve Howe.

Side one: Alpha

1. "Don't Cry" 3:33
2. "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" 3:13
3. "Never in a Million Years" 3:47
4. "My Own Time (I'll Do What I Want)" 4:50
5. "The Heat Goes On" 4:57

Side two: Beta

1. "Eye to Eye" 3:13
2. "The Last to Know" 4:39
3. "True Colors" 3:51
4. "Midnight Sun" 3:48
5. "Open Your Eyes" 6:25

Total length: 42:16

Asia "Asia (2014 Japan Reissue, SHMCD, Mini LP)"

Asia is the self-titled debut studio album by English rock band Asia, released in 1982. According to both Billboard and Cash Box, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982. It contains their biggest hit "Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Asia's logo and cover artwork were created by Roger Dean, known for his work with Yes (of which guitarist Steve Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes had previously been members) and Uriah Heep (of which bassist/vocalist John Wetton had previously been a member) which depicts a leviathan gazing into a crystal orb.

Since its release, Asia has received highly mixed reception, largely due to a more commercial and pop-oriented sound as opposed to progressive rock, given the past of the group's members. Robert Christgau blasted the album, and particularly its lyrics. He stated that it had been a rare occasion that "a big new group is bad enough to sink your teeth into any more" and called the album "pompous – schlock in the grand manner". On the other side, in a Billboard review, it was favourably noted that "the caliber of the [band's] playing is superb and the music sounds fresh and perfect fare for AOR". In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Tom Demalon awarded Asia four-and-a-half out of five, saying that "there's no denying the epic grandeur of the music, which provided some much-needed muscle to radio at the time, and did so with style".

In 2010, Audio Fidelity released a 24 Karat Gold CD (AFZ 068) remaster of the album, mastered by Kevin Gray.

Upon its release in March 1982, Asia reached #1 in the US and spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart. Asia was certified 4x-platinum in the US by the RIAA on 10 February 1995.

In the band's native UK, Asia did not perform as well as in the US, peaking only at #11 and spent a total of 38 weeks in the UK Albums Chart. The record received a gold status in Britain on 18 October 1982. "Heat of the Moment" climbed to No. 46.

Asia's total worldwide sales are estimated at over ten million copies.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Heat of the Moment" John Wetton, Geoff Downes 3:50
2. "Only Time Will Tell" Wetton, Downes 4:44
3. "Sole Survivor" Wetton, Downes 4:48
4. "One Step Closer" Wetton, Steve Howe 4:16
5. "Time Again" Downes, Howe, Carl Palmer, Wetton 4:45

Side two

1. "Wildest Dreams" Wetton, Downes 5:10
2. "Without You" Wetton, Howe 5:04
3. "Cutting It Fine" Wetton, Downes, Howe 5:35
4. "Here Comes the Feeling" Wetton, Howe 5:42

Total length: 44:22

Bonus Track

1. "Ride Easy" Wetton, Howe 4:35

Total length: 48:57

Survivor "Reach"

Reach is the eighth studio album from rock band Survivor, released under Frontiers Records on 25 April 2006. This is the band's latest album in 18 years. Some of the material originates from a period from 1993 to 1996 when the band recorded demos for an unreleased album that can be heard on the Fire Makes Steel bootleg.

By this time, Frankie Sullivan was the only original member of Survivor, as Jim Peterik left the band in 1996. Following the release of this album singer Jimi Jamison left Survivor as well, though he subsequently reunited with them in 2012. Ultimately, this turned out to be his final album with the band, due to his death in 2014.

Track listing

1. "Reach" Jimi Jamison, Todd Smallwood, Frankie Sullivan 4:42
2. "Fire Makes Steel" Jim Peterik, Sullivan 5:12
3. "Nevertheless" Peterik, Sullivan 4:03
4. "Seconds Away" Mary Beth Derry, Adrian Gurvitz, Sullivan 4:33
5. "One More Chance" Dave Bickler, Sullivan 5:02
6. "Give Me the Word" Jamison, Smallwood, Sullivan 3:42
7. "Rhythm of Your Heart" Curt Cuomo, Peterik, Sullivan 3:59
8. "I Don't" Bickler, Sullivan 4:29
9. "Half of My Heart" Smallwood, Sullivan 5:24
10. "Talkin' 'Bout Love" Chris Grove, Sullivan 4:11
11. "Don't Give Up" Jamison, Smallwood, Sullivan 3:52
12. "Home" Jamison, Smallwood, Sullivan 4:44

Recorded at Track Record Studios (North Hollywood, California) and Chicago Recording Company (Chicago, Illinois).
Mixed at Track Record Studios
Mastered at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).
Frankie Sullivan – producer
Phil Bonanno – engineer
Tim LeBlanc – engineer, mixing
Chris Steinmetz – engineer
Andy Hayes – assistant engineer
Sangwook Nam – mastering
Doug Sax – mastering
Ioannis – art direction, design, artwork
Alex Solca – band photography