Asia Heat of the Moment

1982) When they appeared in the early 80s, Asia seemed to be a holdover from the 70s, when supergroups and selfimportant progressive rockers reigned supreme. Featuring members of such seminal art rock bands as King Crimson (John Wetton), Emerson, Lake Palmer (Carl Palmer), and Yes (Steve Howe), as well as Geoff Downes from the Buggles, Asia did feature stretches of indulgent instrumentals on their records. However, they also could be surprisingly poppy, and that is what brought them to the top of the charts with their debut album, Asia, and its hit single, Heat of the Alpha, their second album, also had a couple of hits ( Don t Cry and The Smile Has Left Your Eyes ) but its followup, Astra, was a flop. The group disbanded in 1985, only to reunite in 1990 without John Wetton; John Payne took his place. After churning out a couple of new songs for a greatesthits collection, the band hit the road, including two soldout dates in front of 20, 000 fan