Alpha (Asia album)

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.

Alpha
Studio album by
Asia
Released26 July 1983
RecordedFebruary–May 1983
Studio
Genre
Length42:16
LabelGeffen
ProducerMike Stone
Asia chronology
Asia
(1982)		 Alpha
(1983)		 Astra
(1985)
Singles from Alpha
  1. "Don't Cry"
    Released: July 1983
  2. "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes"
    Released: October 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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.[2]

Reception

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[3] and has been certified platinum for over 1 million copies sold in the United States.[4] In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 5[5] and has been awarded a silver certification for over 60,000 copies sold.[6]

Alpha spawned two singles. The lead-off single, "Don't Cry", reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100[7] and climbed to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.[8] It was the sole Top 40 entry for Asia in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 33.[9] 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.[7][8] Along with the singles, "The Heat Goes On" and "True Colors" 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".[10] 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".[11] 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".[1]

Track listing

All tracks are 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
No.TitleLength
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
No.TitleLength
6."Eye to Eye"3:13
7."The Last to Know"4:39
8."True Colors"3:51
9."Midnight Sun"3:48
10."Open Your Eyes"6:25
Total length:42:16
Cassette bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Daylight"3:32
Total length:46:02
2014 Universal Music Platinum SHM-CD limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Daylight"3:34
12."Lying to Yourself"4:13
Total length:50:12

Personnel

Asia

Technical personnel

Charts
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)46[12]
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] 10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 9
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[5] 5
US Billboard 200[3] 6

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[4] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Demalon, Tom. Asia: Alpha > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. "Asia :: Alpha". Audio Fidelity. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  3. "Asia Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  4. "American album certifications – Asia – Alpha". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  5. "Asia | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. "British album certifications – Asia – Alpha". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Alpha in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  7. "Asia Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  8. "Asia Chart History (Billboard Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. "Asia". Official Charts. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. Considine, J. D. (15 September 1983). "Asia: Alpha : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. de Whalley, Chas (21 September 1983). "Asia – 'Alpha' (Geffen GEF 25508)". Kerrang!. No. 50. London: Spotlight Publications. p. 12.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4327a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Asia – Alpha" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Asia – Alpha" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Asia – Alpha". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – Asia – Alpha". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – Asia – Alpha". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. "Canadian album certifications – Asia – Alpha". Music Canada.
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