This album was released on my birthday during my first year in high school.
My Mom took me to the mall record store to get it for me for my birthday.
It was on sale, too.

There must have been thirty copies of this record in the bin when we walked into the store.
The next time I went to the same record store in the mall (in those years of my life I probably made that trip the next weekend) there were still about the same number of copies of this album in the bin.

There was good reason for that-
Alpha was a good album, but it was not as good as Asia's first album that had come out the year before and motivated me to chase down their second album when it was released; add to that the fact that pop music was beginning to jet into a completely opposite direction that progressive/rock super groups thanks to Duran Duran, Adam Ant, The Police, etc.
This album fell off the side of the musical and cultural road.

Asia's first album worked for me because it rocked with a big, broad, full, full, layered force.

This second album of theirs was also big, broad, full and layered but just didn't rock as much.
It also felt a bit more over-produced. Maybe this album was too pretty, too glossy, so much so all of the big, broad layers failed to punch you in the gut.

Alpha is a collection of completely fine songs that are well-crafted, well constructed and well played. It's a lot like a guy who has shined up his old-school Trans Am so it looks great but when you take a ride in it, it feels like you are cruising around in a Chevette.


Alpha is a good ride in a gleaming car with only a little bit of rumble, not a full growling turbo.

Asia homepage.