Why can't we think straight when hungry? What's the point of nightmares? And why is it so impossible to forget embarrassing memories?

Cheng Yu is an internationally renowned pipa and qin virtuoso, and former soloist at the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing. She attained BMus. (Xi’an Conservatory of Music, China), MMus and PhD (SOAS, University of London) degrees in pipa and qin performance and in ethnomusicology. She is the founder of the UK Chinese Music Ensemble (1996), the London Youlan Qin Society (2003) and the Silk String Quartet (2006). Born in Beijing, Cheng Yu studied the Pudong (South China) style of pipa from the age of seven and was later trained in the Pinghu (North-western) style. She also studied the guqin at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music and graduated with distinction in 1987.

Asia hadn't released an album of new music since 1985, so changes were to be expected. But changes for the better – well, that was a pleasant surprise. Aqua found the band infused with new energy, represented by a younger generation of arena rockers in bassist/vocalist John Payne and guitarist Al Pitrelli. Although Payne doesn't invite comparison to John Wetton or Greg Lake (his voice tends to get rougher as it gets louder), he gets the job done and turns out to be a pretty good songwriter in the bargain. Pitrelli, who had recently worked with Alice Cooper, knows his rock guitar; he's no replacement for Steve Howe, but he doesn't have to be – Howe makes guest appearances throughout the disc. Aqua is an amalgam of arena rock and hair metal that avoids sounding sappy or self-pitying, two adjectives that would describe Alpha or Astra.

Secluded deep in the Bavarian Alps, Hitler, his family, and closest allies hid away- issuing orders for armies across Europe while they relaxed, dined, and enjoyed an otherworldly peace. "Away from the terrors of World War 2. Away from the battlefields. Away from the concentration camps. Adolf Hitler made his commands. Secluded away, deep in the Bavarian Alps, Hitler, his family and closest allies hid away- issuing orders for armies across Europe while they relaxed, dined and enjoyed an otherworldly peace. There's something chilling about the horror of the nazis being shrouded in mundane moments with a family but here... captured on film, and restored to incredible quality, these are Hitler's Home Movies."

Zhou Yu is one of the foremost performers of the traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu. Here with his ensemble, he showcases his talents with beautiful traditional Chinese music.; Other traditional Chinese instruments accompany the erhu, including the yang qin (dulcimer), xiao , pipa (lute), guzheng (zither), ruan (lute), and sheng (mouth-blown organ).; Included in this release is an extensive booklet with an artist biography, information about the erhu, and details about each of the songs.