Then & Now (Asia album)

Then & Now is a compilation album by British rock supergroup Asia, released on 14 August 1990 by Geffen Records. It consists of two parts titled as Then and Now. Then comprises songs from the band's first two albums, Asia and Alpha, which featured the band's original line-up of Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer, and John Wetton. Now comprises songs recorded by the band after Howe's departure (including "Voice of America" from the band's third album, Astra).

Then & Now
Compilation album by
Released14 August 1990
Recorded1981–1985 (tracks 1–5 and 10), 1989–1990 (tracks 6–9)
GenreProgressive rock
Length42:29
LabelGeffen
Producer
Asia chronology
Aurora
(1986)
Then & Now
(1990)
Aqua
(1992)
Singles from Then & Now
  1. "Days Like These"
    Released: 17 August 1990

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC[2]
Select[3]

Then & Now has received negative reception from music critics. Greg Sandow in his review for Entertainment Weekly gave the album a rating of C. He wrote that the old hits such as "Heat of the Moment" and "Don't Cry" "are empty symphonic rock, full of strings and predictable melodic hooks", while the new songs "aren’t as lush", "hit the beat a little harder, but in essence [they’re] just as bland".[2] Tom Demalon has given the compilation a retrospective rating of one-and-a-half stars out of five on AllMusic. He has noted that Asia were not able to repeat their early success with the new material, which has been described as "flaccid musically and insipid lyrically". "Days Like These", written by Steve Jones (the past leader for The Unforgiven), has been singled out as an exception, "which nearly matches the band's strong debut material".[1]

The album only peaked at number 114 on the Billboard 200[4] and did not reach UK Albums Chart at all. However, it sold steadily over years and was certified gold on 23 July 1998 for over half a million copies shipped in the United States, where remains the group's third best selling album, trailing Asia and Alpha.[5] To promote Then & Now, "Days Like These" was released as a single. The song gained substantial airplay during the summer of 1990 and was a number two hit on the Mainstream Rock chart.[6] Despite this, the single stumbled at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100[7] and has been the last to date chart entry for Asia in the United States.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Wetton and Geoff Downes, except where noted

Side one: Then
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Only Time Will Tell" 4:46
2."Heat of the Moment" 3:52
3."Wildest Dreams" 5:10
4."Don't Cry" 3:40
5."The Smile Has Left Your Eyes"Wetton3:14
Side two: Now
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Days Like These"Steve Jones4:05
7."Prayin' 4 a Miracle"Wetton, Sue Shifrin, David Cassidy4:22
8."Am I in Love?" 4:24
9."Summer (Can't Last Too Long)" 4:16
10."Voice of America" 4:18
Total length:42:29

Personnel

Asia

Guest musicians

Technical personnel

  • Mike Stone – producer (tracks 1–5, 8, 10), engineer (tracks 1–5, 8), mixing engineer (tracks 9, 10)
  • Paul Northfield – engineer (tracks 4, 5)
  • Frank Wolf – producer and engineer (track 6), mixing engineer (track 7), additional engineer (track 9)
  • Sue Shifrin – producer (track 7)
  • David Cassidy – producer (track 7)
  • Guy Roche – producer (track 7)
  • Greg Ladanyi – mixing engineer (track 10)
  • Alan Douglas – mixing engineer (track 10)
  • Dan Hersch – mastering engineer (at DigiPrep, Los Angeles)
  • Gabrielle Raumberger – art direction
  • Janet Wolsborn – design
  • Caroline Greyshock – photography
  • Jean-Francois Podevin – illustration
  • Roger Dean – images from previous albums

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 82
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 24
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 39
US Billboard 200[4] 114

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. Demalon, Tom. Asia: Then & Now > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  2. Sandow, Greg (17 August 1990). "Then & Now". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  3. Prendergast, Mark (September 1990). "Asia: Then And Now". Select. No. 3. p. 99.
  4. "Asia Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. "American album certifications – Asia – Then and Now". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. "Asia Chart History (Billboard Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. "Asia Chart History (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1347". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  9. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  10. "Swisscharts.com – Asia – Then & Now". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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