Asia - Alpha (1983)

Artist:  Asia
Title:  Alpha
Release:  1983
Format:  LP
Label:  Geffen Records
Catalog#  GEF 25508

Alpha is the second studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 1983.
The eagerly awaited follow-up to the supergroup’s debut, Alpha landed with a resounding thud a year later. The album still managed to be a platinum-selling Top Ten hit, as did the leadoff single “Don’t Cry,” but where Asia managed to make old sounds fresh, Alpha fails miserably. Nothing on Alpha packs the sheer sonic force of the band’s debut. Instead, much of the record is lightweight both lyrically and musically, leaning heavier on keyboard-laden ballads like “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes,” which managed to scrape into the Top 40, and “My Own Time (I’ll Do What I Want).” The only real meat on the record comes during the last cut, “Open Your Eyes” (and only at the end of the song). Rumored creative differences, the album’s lukewarm reception, and flagging ticket sales for the ensuing tour led to lead singer John Wetton leaving the band before the year was out.


Side one
1.  Don’t Cry  (3:41)
2.  The Smile Has Left Your Eyes  (3:13)
3.  Never in a Million Years  (3:46)
4.  My Own Time (I’ll Do What I Want)  (4:49)
5.  The Heat Goes On  (5:00)

Side two
1.  Eye to Eye  (3:14)
2.  The Last to Know  (4:40)
3.  True Colors  (3:56)
4.  Midnight Sun  (3:48)
5.  Open Your Eyes  (6:26)

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