Asia: “Only Time Will Tell” (1982)
One of the most recognizable synth lines from the 80s, for better or worse.
Kronomyth 1.2: Starry-eyed and bible blech.
The second single from Asia was the heroic, stoic Only Time Will Tell. The introduction is completely over the top, with clarion keyboards and plenty of cowbell, yet somehow it matches the larger-than-life lyrics from John Wetton. (Case in point: “The brightest ring around the moon will darken when I die.”) The original single features an edited version of “Only Time Will Tell,” while the promotional 7-inch contains a unique “short edit” on the flip side that features a slightly longer intro (go figure) and cuts out about a half-minute of instrumental segues that appear on the edited version. If memory serves, the original single edit stripped away the guitar solos, since who would possibly want to hear Steve Howe play guitar? In the US, the heavy Time Again was selected as the B side, while UK audiences were treated to a non-album treat, Ride Easy, which is one of Asia‘s more tuneful tracks and would have been a nice addition to the underwhelming Alpha.
Original 7-inch single version
A1. Only Time Will Tell (John Wetton/Geoff Downes) 4:05
B1. Time Again (Geoff Downes/Steve Howe/Carl Palmer/John Wetton) 4:45
Original 7-inch version (UK)
A1. Only Time Will Tell (John Wetton/Geoff Downes)
B1. Ride Easy (John Wetton/Steve Howe)
Promotional 7-inch single (US)
A1. Only Time Will Tell (edit) (4:05)
B1. Only Time Will Tell (short edit) (3:23)
Promotional 12-inch single version
A1. Only Time Will Tell (edit) (4:05)
B1. Here Comes the Feeling (5:42)
The Players
Geoff Downes (keyboards), Steve Howe (guitar), Carl Palmer (drums), John Wetton (bass & vocals).
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch and 7-inch picture disc in July 1982 in the UK (Geffen, GEF A/A11-2228), the US (Geffen, 7-29970), Australia (Geffen, GEF 29970), Canada (Geffen, 92 99707), Germany, the Netherlands and Spain (Geffen, GEF A 2594) and Japan (Geffen, 07SP-645) with regional picture sleeve. Reached #54 on the UK charts and #17 on the US charts (charted on July 24, 1982 for 14 weeks). Also released as promotional 7-inch and 12-inch in 1982 in the US (Geffen, 7-29970/PRO-A-1042) with different track listings.
The A-side was the wimpiest song on the album, thanks to that Rhodes piano in the verses. The vocal harmonies do soar on the bridge.
“Time Again” strikes me as a reductionist version of “Machine Messiah” from Yes’s “Drama” album. The most annoying thing about the track is the juvenile, misogynist lyrics, which is a problem throughout at least half of the album.