Asia was one of my favorite bands way back when… sadly, the lineup has changed much over the years, and IMHO, the current output of the group doesn’t resemble anything the group put out in the early years.
Albums I’d recommend - their 1st 4 - “Asia”, “Alpha”, “Astra”, and “Live in Moscow”.
You can see their full discography at http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=ASIA&uid=MIW060509071131&sql=11:4287gj4rj6i9~T2
There is an article on Asia in the most recent issue of Mojo. The issue is dedicated to Progressive Rock, and has a story about how Asia got their logo and why their albums all started with “A.”
If I had to recommend an album by Asia, it would be Arena, their album from 1996. Pretty good music there (IMO), and also much less pompous than their first albums. (I like their first two albums, but we can’t deny that it really sounds pompous and laughable at times.) Of course, the only original member of the band left at that point is Downes, and I think that at that point the band was pretty much his and John Payne’s. I think they also recorded another album in 2000 (Aura?) and maybe another one since - and I seem to remember reading that former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade (played on The Razor’s Edge) was now playing for them, but it’s been a long time and I’m really not sure - but I haven’t heard those albums.