Then & Now (Asia album)
Untitled | |
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | C[2] |
Then & Now is a half studio/half greatest hits album by British rock band Asia. Tracks 1–5 and 10 are from earlier albums ("Then"), while tracks 6–9 are new recordings ("Now"). It was released on 14 August 1990 in the United States by Geffen Records.[3]
The record debuted at No. 114 on the Billboard 200 chart[4] and was certified Gold by the RIAA on 23 July 1998.[3] "Days Like These", written by the former band leader for The Unforgiven, Steve Jones, received airplay on FM radio and made it to No. 2 on the American Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[4]
Critical reception
Then & Now was panned by music critics.
Tom Demalon of Allmusic, in his one-and-a-half-star review, accused Asia of inability to duplicate the success of their debut album and called the new songs "flaccid musically and insipid lyrically". But at the same time, the critic made special mention of the anthemic "Days Like These", describing it as matching the band's strong early material.[1] Entertainment Weekly's Greg Sandow, rating Then & Now a "C", stated that the old songs 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]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Only Time Will Tell" (from Asia, 1982) | Wetton / Downes | 04:46 |
2. | "Heat of the Moment" (from Asia, 1982) | Wetton / Downes | 03:52 |
3. | "Wildest Dreams" (from Asia, 1982) | Wetton / Downes | 05:10 |
4. | "Don't Cry" (from Alpha, 1983) | Wetton / Downes | 03:40 |
5. | "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" (from Alpha, 1983) | Wetton | 03:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Days Like These" | Jones | 04:05 |
7. | "Prayin' 4 a Miracle" | Wetton / Shifrin / Cassidy | 04:22 |
8. | "Am I in Love?" | Wetton / Downes | 04:24 |
9. | "Summer (Can't Last Too Long)" | Wetton / Downes | 04:16 |
10. | "Voice of America" (from Astra, 1985) | Wetton / Downes | 04:18 |
Total length: | 42:28 |
Credits
Asia
- John Wetton – lead vocals, background vocals and bass
- Carl Palmer – drums and percussion
- Geoff Downes – keyboards
Additional musicians
Guitars:
- "Then": Steve Howe
- '"Now": Steve Lukather (track 6), Ron Komie (track 7), Mandy Meyer (tracks 8, 10), Scott Gorham (track 9)
Thanks to:
- Guy Roche (track 6), Jamie Green (track 7) and Michael Sturgis (track 9)
Recording
- In London: Markus, Townhouse, Sarm West, Westside, Advision, Olympic
- In Canada: Le Studio (Quebec), Manta (Toronto)
- In Los Angeles: The Complex, Criterion, The Hop
Production, engineering and mixing
- Produced and engineered by Mike Stone (tracks 1–3, 8)
- Produced by Mike Stone; engineered by Mike Stone and Paul Northfield (tracks 4, 5)
- Produced and engineered by Frank Wolf (track 6)
- Produced by John Wetton, Sue Shifrin, David Cassidy and Guy Roche; mixed by Frank Wolf (track 7)
- Produced by John Wetton and Geoff Downes; mixed by Mike Stone; additional engineering by Frank Wolf (track 9)
- Produced by Mike Stone and Geoff Downes; mixed by Mike Stone, Greg Ladanyi, Alan Douglas and Asia (track 10)
- John Kalodner • John Kalodner
Mastering
- Mastered by Dan Hersch at DigiPrep, Los Angeles, CA
- Mastering supervisor: David Donnelly
Cover artwork
- Art direction: Gabrielle Raumberger
- Design: Janet Wolsborn
- Photography: Caroline Greyshock
- Illustration: Jean-Francois Podevin
- Images from previous albums: Roger Dean
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1990 | Billboard 200 | 114[4] |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | "Days Like These" | Billboard Hot 100 | 64[4] |
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2[4] |
Certifications
Country | Organization | Sales |
---|---|---|
US | RIAA | Gold[3] |
References
- ^ a b Demalon, Tom. "Then & Now review". Allmusic.
- ^ a b Sandow, Greg (17 August 1990). "Then & Now review". Entertainment Weekly (27).
- ^ a b c "RIAA's Gold & Platinum Program searchable database". RIAA.
- ^ a b c d e "Then & Now chart position in the US". Billboard.
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