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 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.
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