In Asia
THE LEGENDARY TOKYO BROADCAST BY THE GREG LAKE FRONTED ASIA Asia's eponymous debut album, released in March 1982, gained considerable commercial success, spending nine weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart and selling over four million copies in the States alone. In the US the band sold out every date on their debut tour, which began at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York on 22 April 1982. Asia would go on to receive a Grammy Award nomination as Best New Artist of 1982. However, neither the second album, Alpha (released in July 1983), nor any further Asia albums, could repeat the chart success of their first release. Rolling Stone panned Alpha as an over-produced commercial album, while others lamented that Howe and Palmer were effectively reduced to session musicians. Alpha received indifferent reviews from various critics, while still attaining platinum status and reaching #6 on the Billboard album chart. In October 1983, Wetton was forced out of the group on the heels of the comparatively disappointing sales of Alpha. The band stated that Wetton quit; Wetton countered that he was fired by phone and there is no universally agreed-upon version of what happened. In any event, the next leg of their 1983 US tour, scheduled for the autumn, was abruptly cancelled, reportedly because of low ticket sales. Ex-King Crimson and ELP front man Greg Lake replaced Wetton for the highly publicised "Asia in Asia" concert at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on 6 December 1983, which was the first concert broadcast over satellite to MTV in the United States and later made into a home video. Some of the songs had to be played in a lower key to suit Lake's voice and he read most of the lyrics from a teleprompter; Lake later commented in interviews that he was asked to cover Wetton's parts at very short notice. Lake's stint with the band was very short-lived - he had essentially only covered the concert as a favour to Carl Palmer. But the Tokyo concert was a triumph that even those who had criticised the second record conceded was a dynamic event, with Greg Lake on vocals proving more than a match for the currently absent Mr. Wetton, and providing the perfect frontman for Asia, even though his tenure with the group was short lived. Recorded by the Westwood One network for live broadcast across Japan and in the US too, this CD now contains this full electrifying show which the Japanese audience witnessed first-hand, but which the rest of us can now enjoy in retrospect in perfect sound quality. 1. Time Again 5:17 2. The Heat Goes On 4:48 3. Here Comes The Feeling 5:45 4. Eye To Eye 4:41 5. Guitar Solo/Sketches In The Sun 2:44 6. Only Time Will Tell 5:07 7. Open Your Eyes 6:56 8. Geoff Downes Solo 3:26 9. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 2:08 10. Wildest Dreams 4:59 11. Drum Solo 3:17 12. The Heat Of The Moment 6:19 13. Cutting It Fine 6:07 14. Daylight 3:56 15. Sole Survivor 8:02
Asia   Format: Audio CD
{"Package Dimensions": "5.5 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches; 4.23 Ounces", "Manufacturer": "Sutra", "Date First Available": "August 20, 2020", "Label": "Sutra", "Number of discs": "1"}