Alpha  by Asia

The British supergroup Asia returns discographically the very next year after the enormous commercial success of their self-titled debut. Alpha from 1983 will try to replicate the success of its predecessor by following the same musical formula, namely pop/rock compositions enriched with progressive elements. The album cover was also designed by Roger Dean.

The band was under pressure as after the promotional tour of the debut, Asia's label Geffen insisted on a quick return to recording with new material. Alpha was recorded between February and May 1983 in studios in Canada. The collaboration between Asia and producer Mike Stone continues with their second album. There were two singles from the album, first was Don’t Cry followed by The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.

You can't call Alpha a commercial failure having gone platinum in the US and the UK, while its 400,000 sales in Japan led it to become double platinum there as well. Alpha stands alongside the debut worthily, although its total global sales are one-third of those of the first album.