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Alpha (Asia album)

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AllMusic[1]

Alpha is the second studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 1983. It was certified platinum in the United States, eventually selling close to two million copies.

Released one year before the departure of guitarist Steve Howe, Alpha was the last album with the band's original line-up until 2008's Phoenix, after the original members reunited in 2006, and the last album with Howe until Aqua in 1992.

Writing and recording

Alpha was written by the songwriting tandem of John Wetton and Geoff Downes, with the exception of "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", which was written by Wetton alone. Alpha was recorded during the spring of 1983 at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec and Manta Sound in Toronto.

Reception

Alpha focused more on mainstream pop/rock sounds, and is less characterized by progressive rock elements than its predecessor. The album reached #6 on the Billboard album chart[2] and Top Five in the UK Albums Chart.[3] It was certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA on 11 October 1983[4] and silver in Britain by the BPI on 5 September 1983.[5] The lead single, "Don't Cry", was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and returned the band to #1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.[2]

Although Alpha achieved commercial success, it did not meet music industry expectations after the band's enormously successful debut album. Tom Demalon of Allmusic compared these two albums and concluded that "where Asia managed to make old sounds fresh, Alpha fails miserably. Nothing on Alpha packs the sheer sonic force of the band's debut".

Cover artwork

The cover artwork was created by Roger Dean, known for his work with Yes (which guitarist Steve Howe and keyboard player Geoff Downes had previously been members of) and Uriah Heep.

Track listing

All songs are written by Wetton/Downes except "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" by Wetton.

Side one
No.TitleLength
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
No.TitleLength
6."Eye to Eye"3:14
7."The Last to Know"4:40
8."True Colors"3:53
9."Midnight Sun"3:48
10."Open Your Eyes"6:26
Total length:42:16

B-sides

  • "Daylight" (Wetton/Downes) – 3:32
  • "Lyin' to Yourself" (Wetton/Howe) – 3:54

"Daylight" was also included on the cassette tape version of the album as a bonus track.[6]

Credits

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Asia

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Production

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Release history

Region Date
US 26 July 1983[7]
UK 12 August 1983[5]

Charts

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Album

Year Chart Position
1983 Billboard 200[2] 6
UK Albums Chart[3] 5

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Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1983 "Don't Cry" Billboard Hot 100[2] 10
"The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" 34
"Don't Cry" Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[2] 1
"The Heat Goes On" 5
"The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" 25
"True Colors" 20
"Don't Cry" UK Singles Chart[3] 33

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Certifications

Country Organization Sales
US RIAA Platinum[4]
UK BPI Silver[5]

References

  1. ^ Demalon, Tom. "Alpha review". Allmusic.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Alpha chart position in the US". Billboard. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Asia chart positions in the UK". The Official Charts Company.
  4. ^ a b "RIAA's Gold & Platinum Program searchable database". RIAA.
  5. ^ a b c "BPI's certified awards search". BPI.
  6. ^ "Asia (2) – Alpha (Cassette, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.
  7. ^ "The Official Carl Palmer Global Web Site -> Discography".
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