1985 was a LONG way from 1982.

In 1982 Asia’s debut album soared to the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for six weeks.  The follow-up Alpha, released in 1983 didn’t fare as well but still sold respectable numbers.

Astra was released in 1985 with a tremendous thud.  Originally to be called Arcadia, the band changed the title after the Duran Duran spin-off band announced they were using the name for their group.  A lot had changed in the two years since Alpha.   Vocalist, bassist John Wetton left the band , and then rejoined but the bigger blow was the departure of Steve Howe.  Replaced by Mandy Meyer from the band Krokus, the impending album took on a harder edge to the guitar sound.

Clearly influenced by 1980s global politics, the lyrics to Astra scream Cold War.  The songs are all over the gamut, from the pretty damn good, Go, Rock and Roll Dream and Voice of America, to the just terrible Countdown to Zero, with it’s unbelievably bad spoken word sections.  The album ends with the expected result of the Cold War, After the War, filled with the sound of total destruction of the world.

The reception to Astra was of indifference, reaching #67 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.  The reception was so bad that Geffen pulled all tour support and the tour was effectively cancelled.  It would be 21 years before the original four members of Asia recorded again for 2006’s Phoenix.  In the interim there were a litany of line-ups including a twelve year run without Wetton on vocals.