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XXX(Asia album)

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XXX
Studio albumby
Asia
Released20 June 2012
RecordedJanuary–March 2012
StudioLiscombe Park, Buckinghamshire
GenreProgressive rock
Length49:39
LabelFrontiers
ProducerMike Paxman
Asiachronology
Omega
(2010) 		XXX
(2012) 		Gravitas
(2014)
SinglesfromXXX
  1. "Face on the Bridge"
    Released: 14 May 2012 (digital release)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

XXX(pronounced "triple x" ) is the twelfth studio album by British rock bandAsia,released in 2012. It is the fifth and final studio album with the original line-up due to guitaristSteve Howe's departure the following year and vocalist/bassistJohn Wetton's death in 2017.

XXXwas released on CD, special edition CD/DVD-Video (featuring bonus tracks, new music videos and the making of the album) and LP. To promote the album, "Face on the Bridge" was made available as a digital download single and a music video on 14 May 2012.[2]

Production

[edit]

The recording sessions took place from January to March 2012 at Liscombe Park Studios, located in Buckinghamshire countryside west of Bedfordshire townLeighton Buzzard,where Asia had worked on their two previous albums.XXXwas produced byMike Paxmanand engineered by Steve Rispin. The cover artwork was designed byRoger Dean,who had collaborated with Asia since theirfirst album,released in 1982, and withYes,which Howe and keyboard playerGeoff Downeshad previously been members of. Dean updated the symbolic flying dragon and orb to 2012, which is the Year of the Water Dragon in the Chinese calendar. The title of the album features the Roman numeral XXX in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the debut album.[2]

Reception

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XXXhas received favorable reception from music critics and fans, with many hailing it as the group's best release since the 1980s.[3]Matt Collar gave the album a rating of four-and-a-half stars out of five onAllMusic."Bury Me in Willow", "No Religion" and "Face on the Bridge" were selected as three "Track Picks".[1]

The album debuted at number 69 on the UK charts, peaking at the highest spot sinceAstra(1985).[4]It reached number 33 in Germany and number 36 in Japan.[5][6]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written byJohn WettonandGeoff Downes,except "No Religion" and "Judas" written bySteve Howe,Wetton and Downes

No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow the World"6:47
2."Bury Me in Willow"6:01
3."No Religion"6:36
4."Faithful"5:38
5."I Know How You Feel"4:54
6."Face on the Bridge"6:00
7."Al Gatto Nero"4:37
8."Judas"4:44
9."Ghost of a Chance"4:22
Total length:49:39
Special Edition CD
No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow the World"6:47
2."Bury Me in Willow"6:01
3."No Religion"6:36
4."Faithful"5:38
5."I Know How You Feel"4:54
6."Face on the Bridge"6:00
7."Al Gatto Nero"4:37
8."Judas"4:44
9."Reno (Silver and Gold)" (bonus track)5:16
10."Ghost of a Chance"4:22
11."I Know How You Feel (Midnight Mix)" (bonus track)5:24
12."Faithful (Orchestral Version)" (Japan bonus track)4:55
Total length:65:13

Personnel

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Asia

[edit]

Technical personnel

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  • Mike Paxman– producer
  • Steve Rispin – engineer
  • Mark "Tufty" Evans – mixing engineer (at Wispington Studios,Cookham,Berkshire)
  • Secondwave − mastering
  • Roger Dean– illustration, logotype

Charts

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Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (UltratopWallonia)[7] 134
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] 33
Italian Albums (FIMI)[8] 83
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[6] 36
Scottish Albums(OCC)[9] 86
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 43
UK Albums(OCC)[4] 69
UK Independent Albums(OCC)[12] 8
USBillboard200[13] 134
USTop Rock Albums(Billboard)[14] 45
USIndependent Albums(Billboard)[15] 21
USTop Tastemaker Albums(Billboard)[16] 9

Release history

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Region Date Label Format
Japan 20 June 2012 Avalon
  • CD
  • Special edition CD/DVD-V
Mainland Europe 29 June 2012 Frontiers
  • CD
  • Special edition CD/DVD-V
  • LP
United Kingdom 2 July 2012
North America 3 July 2012 Scarecrow Special edition CD/DVD-V

References

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  1. ^abCollar, Matt.Asia:XXX> ReviewatAllMusic.Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  2. ^ab"Asia Announces New Album and 30th Anniversary World Tour".Original Asia.Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2012.Retrieved28 April2018.
  3. ^Pilato, Bruce; Gallant, Dave (August 2012)."About".Original Asia.Retrieved28 April2018.
  4. ^ab"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  5. ^ab"Offiziellecharts.de – Asia – XXX"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. ^ab"Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2012-07-02"(in Japanese).Oricon.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  7. ^"Ultratop.be – Asia – XXX"(in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^"Italiancharts.com – Asia – XXX".Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. ^"Swedishcharts.com – Asia – XXX".Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. ^"Swisscharts.com – Asia – XXX".Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  12. ^"Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  13. ^"Asia Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. ^"Asia Chart History (Top Rock Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  15. ^"Asia Chart History (Independent Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  16. ^"Asia Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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