Asia ( B5 )

 Lake's stint with the band was very short-lived - he had essentially only covered the concert as a favour to Carl Palmer, and because Geffen Records had "offered me so much money there was no way I could refuse it." He'd later confess "I did a brief stint with them and didn’t want to go in that corporate rock direction. I didn’t believe in that sort of music, so I didn’t continue."

Having been out of Asia for three months, Wetton was re-recruited following Lake's departure; he returned on the condition that Steve Howe was ousted from the band. For a while, Asia considered continuing as a three-piece without a permanent guitarist, inviting guest guitarists such as Jeff Beck and David Gilmour into the studio. Geffen Records suggested recruiting Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer, who got on well with the band and was offered a permanent position: his playing style was more inclined to straightforward hard rock, thus changing the sound of the band. Meanwhile, Howe went on to brief success with GTR (another supergroup, this one formed with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, and produced by Downes).

1985–1991: Astra, break-up and new lineups

The third Asia album was tentatively titled Arcadia, but during production it was discovered that that name was being used by a forthcoming spin-off project from Duran Duran. The retitled Astra, released in November 1985, was not as commercially successful as the first two albums. The record label cancelled the projected tour because of lack of interest. The band charted another single with "Go" (No. 46), featuring Meyer's guitar work as a primary element. The music video was another hit with MTV but in 1986 this Asia lineup folded, bringing the group to an end for the time being. Wetton is quoted as saying "[Astra] did really well in Sweden ... but Swedish sales aren't that large."

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