"It Will Be A Good Day (The River)" by Yes

Yes is one of the few prog rock bands that has been able to hit the charts at all, let alone for three decades. They achieved two Top 40 hits in the 70s with "Your Move (I've Seen All Good People)" landing at #40 in 1971 and "Roundabout" peaking at #13 and winning a slot in the R&R Hall of Fame (the band itself was induced in 2017).

Yes has never been a stranger to shifts in personnel, but at the start of the 80s some members split to join Asia while others came aboard to see Yes hit the top of the charts with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart." The band followed up this newfound success with "Leave It" (#24) and "It Can Happen" (#51). These singles came from their best-selling album from 1983, "90125." The album is named after its catalogue serial number, not a zip code.

In 1987, singles from their next album, "Big Generator," returned Yes to the charts. "Love Will Find A Way" and "Rhythm Of Love" peaked at #30 and #40, respectively. In 1991, Yes would see their final chart appearance when "Lift Me Up" stalled at #86. With the abandonment of a strong commercial sound, radio resumed saying "No" to Yes.

"It Will Be A Good Day (The River)" is a pleasant mid-tempo track from their 1999 effort, "The Ladder."

"Beg, Borrow Or Steal" by Hughes-Thrall

Hughes/Thrall was a rock duo formed in 1982 by Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Pat Thrall (Asia).  They released a single self-titled record that is beloved by many fans of 80s AOR. The record yielded only a single charting song, "Beg, Borrow Or Steal," which only reached #79. It's a great rock synth tune and deserved to perform much better.

"An Extraordinary Life" by Asia

The 1980s was the decade for AOR, especially bands who liked to name themselves after continents. Asia had a good run back in the day, scoring a handful of hits including two that broke the top 10: "Heat of the Moment" (#4 in 1982) and "Don't Cry" (#10 in 1983). 

The band faded from the airways by 1990 and it might surprise some of you that they are still releasing records. Much to the delight of their fanbase, Asia has always stayed true to their prog rock roots, writing like it is still 1982.

In 2008, Asia released their 11th album,"Phoenix". The record is aptly named as it features the four original members who made the quadruple platinum debut record in 1982.

How badly were fans eager to hear the original line up of Asia? The record debuted at an impressive #73 on the Billboard Top 200. The band's last appearance on that chart was back in 1990 when their hybrid greatest hits/new songs release, "Then and Now", went to #114.

I'm not a huge fan of progressive music, but I love a nice slab of catchy melodic rock. The closing track on "Phoenix" fits the bill: "An Extraordinary Life" is an extraordinary song.