Xxx

Despite the possible euphemisms of the title, 2006's Chicago XXX is not the band's raciest album since Hot Streets, nor is it their installment in the extreme-action spy series kicked off by Vin Diesel - instead, it's the veteran group's first proper studio album since 1995's flop Night and Day: Big Band, and considering that was a detour into retro-swing, XXX is their first mainstream pop album since 1991's Twenty 1, which is a 15-year gap between pop records. That's an awfully long wait - in the meantime, the band has been putting out live albums, Christmas records and hit comps, bringing the total up to 30 LPs - but apart from the diluted trip-hop beat from "Feel (Hot Single Mix)" that kicks off the album, you'd never know that XXX was made and recorded in 21st century…

The album, which is being hailed as ASIA s best album since its classic early 80s releases, will be released as a CD and collectors edition CD/DVD (featuring new music videos, including one for first single Face On The Bridge , and behind the scenes footage). Original artwork for XXX album courtesy of famed artist Roger Dean.

Recorded on November 7th, 2012 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, this new Asia live Blu Ray captures once again the band, in the original line-up, in front of an ecstatic audience during one of the shows that Asia performed in support of the “XXX” album and which was broadcasted by AXS TV in the USA. With HD recording this new live album is truly a rewarding experience for all Asia fans. After the recent DVD releases, this is Asia performing one of the very last shows featuring the original line up with: Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton live on the road, in-your face and for your viewing pleasure. The set list features songs from their first two albums and selected cuts from the reunion albums, including the single from the “XXX” album, “Face on the Bridge”. This is a historical document of where the band was at the time and a snapshot of their musicianship, camaraderie and passion. This live Blu-ray is an irreplaceable companion to the “XXX” studio album…

Agent Augustus Gibbons has selected an imprisoned former US Navy SEAL Darius Stone, a new agent in the XXX program, travels to Washington D.C., where they track a splinter faction of the U.S. military that attempts to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate the President, led by Secretary of Defense and former 4-Star General George Deckert, Stone's former commanding officer whom he once led a mutiny against. But he's been targeted for assassination by a radical splinter group of dissenters deep within the United States government. The new XXX agent must uncover the insurgents from within. It is the nation's only hope to stop the first coup d'etat in American history.