China Crisis Trivia Page 1 / Page 2 / Page 3 Here you will find small bits and pieces of what I have found interesting while surfing the net searching for China stuff (not finding very much I might add...). Content An interview from Smash Hits, 1982 / Compared to Black / Simple Minds concert poster / Some strange thing / Book cover / Concert ticket / What Price Paradise poster / French (?) magazine cover / Hefner and their song "China Crisis" What the old Telegraph Records site said / Another review, this time of Wishful Thinking Concert add / Return to Kirkby / Johnny Marr's rambling / Review of the band The Sea and Cake / Setlist from a CC concert Billboard reviews / Q Magazine reviews / Scritti Politti reference / XTC reference / The Howard Jones connection / Neptune theatre / Mike Howlett [An interview with Gazza from 1989] [Diary - A review] [Everyday the same review] [Warped by Success review] [Live review 2] [Birthdays] [Live review1] [Review] [Star bleiben] [Acoustically review] [Green Garthside] [Neil Peart] [Walter Becker] Gary and Eddie's birthdays Gary Daly: 10th of May, 1962 Eddie Lundon: 9th of June, 1962 Live Review 1 I think this one is from an Irish paper, can't remeber which one though, it's been a while since I downloaded the review. Who said the Eighties were all bad? Merseyside band China Crisis, for instance, were largely considered one of the better musical things about that much-maligned decade, and their smooth, cerebral pop style gave them a string of British hits between 1982 and 1987. Time, however, is no longer on their side, and their tunes now sound like well-crafted relics from another pop era. That didn't stop the audience at Whelans of Wexford Street from welcoming China Crisis like old friends, and the duo of Garry Daly and Eddie Lundun still seemed to relish the joy of connecting with the crowd. Backed by a full band, Garry and Eddie delivered streamlined songs like Christian, Wishful Thinking, Black Man Ray and King In A Catholic Style, making them sound as fresh and vibrant as the day they were written. It was a "semi-acoustic" set, Lundon switching between acoustic and electric guitar while the band provided a low-key but high quality back-up. Lead singer Daly added some extra flourishes on a small recorder. An easy comparison to make would be Steely Dan, especially since Walter Becker produced the band's 1985 album, Flaunt The Imperfection, but China Crisis have never been lazy with their influences, treading their own path slightly left of the obvious. By Kevin Courtney Review from "Difficult Shapes..." on through to "Diary..." I have no idea of where I picked this up or who wrote it, my appologies to the author, he/she shows some good taste... The weird title of the first album by this Liverpool group, essentially a duo of: Gary Daly (words, keyboards, vocals) and Eddie Lundon (guitar and music), plus Dave the percussionist does convey a sense of what China Crisis is about. The rhythms, R&B, funk, reggae, Afro-gypsy, bossa nova, are so gently, modestly, melodiously proffered that it goes down too smoothly. Then you notice that the dreamily enunciated sentiments interface the political and the personal, with hopeful dreams and admissions of self-doubt and inner struggle. The cohesive feel is maintained despite four different producers; China Crisis' sturdy intellectual backbone emerges often enough to avoid wimpiness. Working with Fire and Steel has just as much going for it. Sax and/or oboe (!) appears on all but two tracks, with more horns on occasion and even strings (real and synth). Mike Howlett's production, plus a new drummer and a permanent bassist, help the group attain a bit more sonic snap; the lyrics are less tortured, if just as thoughtfully and melancholically personal. (The EP of the same name unites two versions of the title track with a pair of pretty, wistful instrumentals originally released as British 45 B-sides.) Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by Steely Dan's Walter Becker but, while displaying a bit of Dan influence (see "The Highest High" and "Black Man Ray," both memorable pieces of modern art-pop), it's far more obviously a refinement of the band's own style. The lyrical art seems so artless, the musical airiness so effortless; like the first album, it's almost too subtle for its own good. (Almost.) By What Price Paradise, Daly had handed the keyboards over to a fifth band member, but that had no audible, directly traceable influence compared to the switch to the production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. The sound has more edge to it, yet is somehow less delicate, less distinctive than on previous albums. In fact, the vocals (lead and backing) on one track are so different that the group is nearly unrecognizable. Still, it pretty much is China Crisis; if the songs occasionally seem more conventionally written, they're still attractive, even almost (gulp) commercial. What'll they think of next? On Diary of a Hollow Horse, aside from three tracks overseen by Mike Thorne, a return to Becker is what. While Thorne uses a sparer sound, Becker often opts to add sax, flute, extra guitar and female backing vocalists. But the album is more familiarly typical of China Crisis (again with a taste of musical Dan-ishness), and grows with repeated plays. In an uncharacteristic break with the usual conscious self-control, the group releases some tension in the nearly anthemic (by these standards) "All My Prayers." Diary is no match for their finest work, but a gratifying effort all the same. The China Crisis Collection is a balanced overview, but contains only one track from the '89 LP. Star bleiben This is probably the most sensational stuff I've found. This is a short review of a german documentary from the making of the "Arizona Sky" video. Need I say that this would rank extremly high in my book shelf... Star bleiben: CHINA CRISIS VHS Nr.7018271; 15 Minuten; Farbe; 1987; D Videoclips, musikalische Kurzspielfilme, in denen Popmusiker ihren jeweils neuesten Song präsentieren oder die der Promotion relativ unbekannter Musikgruppen dienen, gehören zum Marketing der Musikindustrie. Die dokumentarische Beobachtung vermittelt einen Eindruck von der Atmosphäre während der Herstellung des Clips "Arizona Sky", mit dem die Gruppe CHINA CRISIS ihre internationale Popularität steigern will. Während der Arbeit im Film- und Schnittstudio äußern sich Regisseur, Kameramann sowie Mitglieder der Popgruppe und der Manager zu Fragen der Motivation, Gestaltung, Produktionskosten und Vermarktung. Der in der außerschulischen Jugendbildung einsetzbare Film möchte Videoclips als audio-visuelles Phänomen und komplexes, eigenständiges Unterhaltungsmedium bewußt machen und die Wirkung des fertiggestellten Videoclip "Arizona Sky" auf den Zuschauer hinterfragen. Regie : Inis Schönfelder Produktion : FWU / WDR / Provobis-Film Review of "Acoustically yours" This review is also from Germany, the author compares CC to OMD and The Stranglers (hmm). Saying that CC are "never loud, always in the mainstream and sometimes are terribly out of substance" (getting mad now are you) to in the next sentence talk of "genius". It all ends with claiming the album to be "a must for fans but it will not win them any new ones...". China Crisis - Acoustically Yours Pop / Focus / RTD / 307.2132.2[42] "Wishful Thinking" war Mitte der Achtziger ihr größter Hit und genauso verträumt und sanft ist das ganze Album. Musikalisch zwischen OMD und Balladen der Stranglers, haben sich alle bisherigen und aktuellen Musiker der Gruppe zusammengefunden und in einmaliger Besetzung die bekannteren Titel ihres Band-Schaffens live und vorwiegend akustisch eingespielt. Sentimentale Nostalgie, Anlauf für ihr kommendes Frühjahrs-Album und ein einmaliges Konzerterlebnis charakterisieren ein Projekt, das mit kleinen Live-Schwächen, aber auch überraschender musikalischer Perfektion handgemachten Pop von z. T. zeitloser Qualität bietet. Sie sind niemals laut, immer im Mainstream, manchmal erschreckend substanzlos und dann fast schon wieder genial-verträumt, immer aber schwer einzuordnen zwischen Gut und Schlecht. Für Fans ein Muß, neue Heerscharen werden sie mit "Acoustically Yours" aber sicherlich nicht werben. Green Garthside spilling his gutts... Green Garthside, on the meaning of the name Scritti Politti. From an interview in a magazine some years back, possibly 1985. "Rubbish!" he exclaims. "I don't understand what's complicated about it all. It's just a noise. It's just a name. Little kids don't freak out when China Crisis ponder the various possible meanings of their name. It's just arrant nonsense. And if you want a complicated image take Boy George, or the song 'Karma Chameleon', if it comes to that. His image, his relationship to his music, his sexuality, style and all the resonances of that­they're very complex. I just don't see why any of this should negate the possibility of me being very popular. The only conditions are that you make a record people like the sound of, and it's as simple as that." More Scritti references... ASYLUMS IN JERUSALEM / JACQUES DERRIDA Smash Hits magazine - August 1982 Review by Tim De Lisle Like China Crisis, Scritti are a cult band who get a lot of attention on evening radio and keep being tipped as the next medium-sized thing. This is another good single, not in the same league as "The Sweetest Girl" but any song that rhymes "popsicle" with "hospital" is all right by me. Neil Peart on Kevin Wilkinson Neil Peart in an interview in a musicians magazine. Neil Peart is of course drummer in the "Canadian power trio Rush" (this is hillariously funny if you're from sweden...) and probably one of the world's best drummers. There's an English pop band called China Crisis, and the drummer plays very simple patterns with very few fills, but again, what he plays is so elegant, and right for the music, and you can tell he has confidence. When he plays difficult patterns he plays them with such authority that they just flow by you smoothly. Many drummers try to pull off a more difficult pattern or fill, and it comes off slightly less than smooth. I've been guilty of that myself certainly! The really good drummers make what they're playing sound effortless-not labored. When you have drummers who have spent a lot of time learning, and a lot of time practicing and playing different styles of music, when they do set themselves to play simply, they have a certain authority and a uniqueness to what they are doing that sets them apart. They're not just playing the only beat they know. And that's what a lot of so-called simple drummers are guilty of. They're playing simply because that's all they know. That's sad in one sense because it's so limiting. They are victims to the "less is more" approach because they don't understand exactly what it means. You have to know what you want to play and what you want to leave out-not just play the only beat you know. A lot of times, less is less. Mr. Becker on working with China Crisis Kind of unknown knowledge! Is he kidding us, was Brian Eno really up for producing "Flaunt the Imperfection"? From a live Internet discussion. Stolen from a Steely Dan website. Question: How did you end up working with China Crisis? Becker: I had told Michael Ostin an A&R person at Warner's that I liked their music. Word filtered back to them and they asked me to produce their record when it turned out that their first choice, Brian Eno, wasn't available. Review of "Diary - A collection" Hmm, methinks the marketing people at Virgin have gone out of their collective mind. This new China Crisis compilation follows just over two years after the last China Crisis release on Virgin which was...another compilation (the China Crisis Collection CD/ltd 2CD released back in 1990). The group has long since left the label and, given that they were never exactly massively popular, two compilations in a row seems a bit of a dumb move. So what does the new compilation have to offer? Certainly not the cover photo - China Crisis were never the most intellectual looking group and this shot with Eddie Lundon looking as though his last brain cell has just burned out doesn't help matters any. Similarly, choosing a title that's ever-so-similar to the other compilation only confuses the issue. As for the material, it doesn't really offer anything much new, with seven of the tracks having appeared on the last compilation (eight if you count the limited edition version of China Crisis Collection that featured a bonus second disc). It does, however, provide a more representative collection than the bog-standard single disc China Crisis Collection since, while it includes all the more worthy hit singles, it dumps the singles that flopped in favour of a selection of quality album tracks. The collection gels together quite well and covers the group's entire history (to date). Despite strong production influence, their sound remained, if not the same, then at least easily identifiable. This is largely due to their distinctiveness, a particularly light blend of synth, guitars and vocals that, while it was often lumped together with "new romantic" synth pop artists didn't really belong (probably due to a soft and fluffy "sensitive" image that made Haircut 100 look like a razor gang - the new romantics may have been sexually ambiguous, but they were never particularly sensitive). The combination of the incredibly glaikit looking Eddie Lundon's subdued guitar (and backing vocals) and Gary Daly's soft vocals is unmistakable. The disc kicks off with one of their biggest UK hits, "Black Man Ray". If you think you detect a trace of Steely Dan here, it's hardly surprising, since Walter Becker produced both this and their most recent (real) album, Diary Of A Hollow Horse. The next track is an inadvertent collector's item. The sleeve indicates that it's the 11+ minute "Animalistic (A Day At The Zoo Mix)". It isn't, but instead seems to be the standard version of the track, much shorter and without the "ambient" bridge. While it's not as interesting as the extended mix, this has never appeared on CD before whereas the long version can be found both on the "Black Man Ray" CD single and the limited edition disc of China Crisis Collection. So although it's not a track I'm going to drool over, the completist in me rather welcomes Virgin's error. Next up is the haunting "Hampton Beach" from What Price Paradise. This remains my favourite China Crisis album and this track is one of the reasons I like it. Slow, soulful and, as I've already said, haunting. Note that the China Crisis brand of haunting is distinctly different from, say, the brand of haunting purveyed by any number of groups on the 4AD label. It's a much friendlier, softer, less anguished flavour of haunting. A bit sad, yes, but not suicidally depressed. "Red Letter Day" is unusually chirpy for China Crisis and was a hit single that got away. By the time it was released (in 1989) their sound had mutated a little, and the synth sound here is minimal with Walter Becker's production stressing more conventional instrumentation. The second (and last) collectible on this compilation is an acoustic version of the title track from Diary Of A Hollow Horse. It's minimalist, with just Gary's vocals and Eddie's guitar. Mind you, the originally fully produced version wasn't exactly an overblown epic, so it's not a surprise that such a simple treatment manages to fully capture the feel of the original track. This is followed by a couple of pleasant but unremarkable filler tracks, then what was their biggest hit, "Christian". Much as I hate to have to use the words again, it's a) subdued, b) haunting - I think you get the picture. "A Golden Handshake For Every Daughter" was originally a B-side that first found its way onto CD as part of the limited edition disc of CCC. It's decent enough, but a little too twee, even by China Crisis standards. "Hanna Hanna" sees the group in more boisterous mood. Chirpy, up-tempo pop and another hit that should have been but wasn't. This seems to be the uncensored album version. "African And White" was the group's first single and remains one of their best. I believe the remixed version did hit the lower end of the charts during 1990, but this, the original, is far more entertaining. Skipping the disposable "Here Comes A Raincloud", we find "King In A Catholic Style", my favourite CC single. More up-tempo again. Forgetting two more disposables, we eventually hit "Wishful Thinking" which is, ahem, s*bdued and h*unting. To summarise, I'd recommend this over China Crisis Collection. It's considerably cheaper, it gives a more complete coverage of the group's output, and it includes at least a couple of tracks that make it worthwhile for rabid collectors too. Given the more representative nature of the tracks here, this is probably the best disc for someone interested in China Crisis to start with. By Al Crawford. Review of "Everyday the same" It's something of a surprise to find a new single from China Crisis after all these years. It's over five years since the release of their last album, Diary Of A Hollow Horse and I for one had all but given the group up for dead. The excellent 1990 compilation China Crisis Collection marked the group's departure from Virgin after seven years and although they seemed confident at the time of securing a new deal several years of silence, interrupted only by the Diary budget compilation, seemed to indicate that all had not gone well. Nonetheless, here they are back again, on the independent Stardumb label and with a brand new album Warped By Success due for release on the 5th of September. So what's happened to the distinctive China Crisis sound in the past five years? Surprisingly little. The boom in dance music hasn't escaped their notice though, and all the tracks here have a light dance beat that doesn't jar particularly (even on the ever-so-slightly beefed-up club mix). The main change that I can detect is in the presence of female backing vocals on "Every Day The Same" but even these are pleasantly subdued rather than cliched wailing divas. The dominant factor here remains Gary Daly's easily identified vocals, which haven't changed at all, and the smooth, laid-back China Crisis sound. Three versions of "Every Day The Same" is perhaps a little excessive, although all three mixes are noticeably different. Produced by the duo of Daly and Lundon, together with Mark Pythian (who seems to have become the third member of the group: he also wrote the music for "Tell Me What It Is") it's a nice piece of silky smooth soft pop. It's not up there with the China Crisis classics but Daly's voice and the overall feel of the track are reassuringly familiar. The "Riff & Hum Club Mix" makes the track a little more dancefloor friendly without swamping the feel of the original track and even manages to enhance the feel of the track in some ways. The remaining track, "Tell Me What It Is", is reasonable enough if a little on the saccharine and manufactured sounding side. As soft pop goes, it's perhaps a little too soft. Overall, not bad at all although if this is the best track on the album, I'm afraid it's likely to sink like a stone. Still, China Crisis have become used to that in recent years, and if this single is anything to go by, existing China Crisis fans might well find the album worth a listen. A review of the album will, of course, be forthcoming in early September. By Al Crawford "Warped by Success" review After a four year absence, China Crisis are back. Was it worth the wait? No, I'm afraid it wasn't. I'd somehow assumed that the prolonged absence of Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon would, if nothing else, result in their first album on their new label being chock-full of China Crisis classics. Warped By Success falls short of this mark, however, and may even be the group's weakest album to date. Don't get me wrong, it's not actually a bad album. It has, however, taken the China Crisis sound to an extreme, resulting in an album that's so laid-back it's finally fallen over, and so light and wispy it washes over you without making any real impact. There aren't any truly outstanding tracks of the calibre of "Black Man Ray", "Christian", "Wishful Thinking" or even "St. Saviour's Square". The current single, "Everyday The Same" is about the only track with enough of a backbone to stand up on its own. The sound of the album veers sharply between tracks that are unmistakably China Crisis songs with their characteristic light synths, acoustic guitar and wispy vocals, and material that takes the band into new territory through the use of more contemporary dance beats. "Hands On The Wheel" does not get proceedings off to a good start though, since the combination of sax and female backing vocals steers the track in a commercial light jazz direction that recalls the more negative aspects of Walter Becker's production on their last album. "Always" is more typically China Crisis, and that's about all that can be said about it. I've already reviewed "Everyday The Same", so there's no need to cover that one in any detail. In short, it's China Crisis with a more contemporary yet still terminally laid-back dance beat. "Without The Love" recalls the China Crisis of old rather better than anything else so far and has a pleasant melody, as well as a distinctive bassline courtesy of ex-member Gazza Johnson. "Thank You" is a little different - it sounds almost like The Beautiful South in places - and has a distinctive "Da-rum da-do da-do" refrain in the chorus. "Hard To Be Around" is back on more familiar territory, although it does possess a sampled beat that sounds oddly out of place underneath the familiar ingredients of the China Crisis sound. "One Wish Too Many" is a short but pleasant and typically subdued instrumental. "Wishing Time" progresses from a truly ghastly intro (wailing divas repeating "Heaven") into something slightly dancy and up-tempo. The female backing vocals fit the rest of the track rather better, it's got the slightly Becker-ish vibe that the previous album had, plus some interesting synth work. Pretty good all round, even if it's a little too "white soul". "Good Again" is another slightly up-tempo number, although it's fairly typical China Crisis. "Real Tears" has another one of those dance beats plus some interesting and rather atypical synth work. "Does It Pay" is pleasant enough but largely disposable. The final track, "The Way We Are Made" is a tribute to Derek Jarman and is a standard China Crisis track whose only unusual feature is a backdrop of birdsong. It's very relaxing and decent enough listening, but then so is most of the rest of the album. Warped By Success is, overall, a disappointment. There's not much that's wrong with the album, but there's very little that's new and there's a definite lack of strong songs. True, there's always been a danger of that with the fragile China Crisis sound, but their previous albums have all had at least one outstanding single that set off the other tracks nicely. Existing fans who liked Diary Of A Hollow Horse will still probably want to give this a listen - it's not that inferior to its predecessor - but those unfamiliar with the group would be advised to try a stronger early album such as Flaunt The Imperfection or pick up one of the excellent compilations that exist. As it is, this album looks like being one of those releases that'll be represented by a single song ("Everyday The Same") on any future compilation. I've also got to briefly mention the artwork - while Gary Daly's "clumsy instruments" inside the lyrics booklet are fun, the cover art has a cheap look to it that suggests a budget label compilation rather than a full album. A shame that, since first impressions count. Reviewed by Al Crawford Live review 2 China Crisis/Widescreen, Fleece and Firkin Bristol March 11th 1997 First on Windscreen an unusual 3 - piece, two guitars/vocals & keyboards wizard including live samples. I think I recognised ex-members of Bristol heavyweights Wushcatte and The Startled Insects. They have great songs, superb vocals & a unique musicality that with the right backing could see them go far. China Crisis have been there and back, in fact the last time they played in Bristol it was at the Hippodrome. They displayed a comfortable confidence on stage and supreme musical prowess. The highlights of a slightly overlong set included 'King in a Catholic Style' & 'Black Man Ray' from their last big album, Flaunt and Imperfection. They are a band who deserve better but although the crowd was adequate they will probably be looking for smaller venues still if they return to Bristol. By George Yard. Reviews from Q Magazine What price paradise And this comes from my favourite music magazine..., maybe I should reconsider... Reviewed by: Ian Cranna Review date: December 1986 Star rating: ** It must have seemed a good idea at the time, I suppose, marrying off the newly sophisticated China Crisis of Flaunt The Imperfection to the respected hit production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. The result, however, proves it to have been a ghastly Mistake, a disastrous, virtually incompatible match. Where Walter Becker's deft dynamics gave the ethereal songs sympathetic support and perky self confidence, Langer & Winstanley merely weigh them down with awkward, plodding rhythms and swamp them with clumsy, ill-fitting and almost completely unnecessary string and brass arrangements. This attempt to beef them up for mainstream consumption does nothing so much as destroy the very delicacy and wistfulness that makes China Crisis so appealing in the first place. There's even an embarrassingly inept shot at jazz which only leaves China Crisis looking like unhappy schoolboys struggling with grotesquely padded oversize clothing. The nearest to an outright success here - the gentle plaintive The Understudy-adheres closest to the winning Becker model of stylish economy; some of the other stronger songs like the opener It's Everything and the single Arizona Sky manage to fight their way through the suffocating all purpose, non-melodic, rockist surroundings. But, given the desperate ordinariness of a good half of the songs-someone has evidently been on at Garry Daly to straighten out his beguiling lyrics with equally disastrous results - most of this album simply sinks like a stone. File under: Victim Of A Cruel Medical Experiment. Diary Of A Hollow Horse Now we're getting somewhere... Star rating: **** Recorded on the Pacific island of Maui, the happy reunion of China Crisis and producer Walter Becker (ex- Steely Dan) has resulted in their silkiest album since Flaunt The Imperfection, which Becker produced in 1985. Indeed, on tracks like Sweet Charity, were it not for Gary Daly's emotion-wracked voice, you might almost be listening to the Dan itself. Things proceed pretty much at mid-pace from start to finish, smooth, never a note out of place, never a note too many, every aspect impeccably arranged and played. The simple but tasty horns in Stranger By Nature, the pizzicato strings in Singing The Praises Of Finer Things, these are the work of rare craftsmen. It can take a couple of plays to slip into, and no immediate singles leap out, so China Crisis could remain a minority taste for a while longer, but if you want something to cool out with after a hard night on the town, this will fit like a glove. A work of unusual maturity and, I suspect, lasting quality. The China Crisis Collection Why only three stars if it's so good? Star rating: *** After eight years, five albums and more than their fair share of hit singles, Virgin Records have parted company with China Crisis, screwing the last pound of flesh out of their former charges with a farewell Best Of collection. Whatever the circumstances behind the release it is difficult to find fault with the track selection. China Crisis LPs tended to suffer from the inclusion of three or four excellent songs and an overabundance of ho-hum filler material, this compilation sensibly opts for the hit singles and near misses. From African And White onwards the group hit upon a winning sound and stuck with it, dreamy contemplative pop wafting over a gentle backwash of synthesizers, blurred bass lines and sweetly memorable melodies, Eddie Lundon and Garry Daly trading vocals with nonchalant ease. Superior compositions like Christian, Wishful Thinking, Black Man Ray and Arizona Sky were the soothing aural equivalent of slipping into a hot bath, pin sharp production and perfectly pitched melodies applying a cold compress to fevered brows and frazzled nerve endings. Warped By Success Star rating: ** Both catalogue number and title suggest that China Crisis had a past as glorious as that of, say, Wham! or Culture Club; in reality, though, Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon were '80s pop melancholists who would have struggled to give Japan or Classix Nouveaux a run for their money. Which was a pity, as songs like Christian and Wishful Thinking were compact and graceful and deserved a wider hearing. Now, going on for 10 years after it all fizzled out, China Crisis are back with a distinctly low-key album. Tracks like Hands On The Wheel and Good Again have the trademarked understated China Crisis charm but the world continues to avoid flammability. Acoustically Yours Star rating: *** Although electric instruments remain in discreet use, this acoustic album, recorded live in Liverpool earlier this year. Running through 14 of their hits-Wishful Thinking, Black Man Ray, King In A Catholic Style, Christian, African And White etc-at this late and low point in their career might elicit the response So what?, but it does serve to show that there's more musicianship and songwriting strength to China Crisis than their wimpish synth-duo image suggests. Though most arrangements remain faithful to the originals, give or take a smooth sax solo (It's Everything, No More Blue Horizons) or pizzicato strings (Wishful Thinking), the stripped-down approach serves their gentle, emotive songs well. Particular beneficiaries are Fire & Steel (restored to its former glory on guitars only), Singing The Praises and the four tracks from the lacklustre post-Virgin Warped By Success (1994) album. A change, a real grower and an instructive treat for doubters as well as fans. Reviews from Billboard Working With Fire And Steel Originally reviewed for week ending 3/3/84 This young British ensemble follows its dnace-oriented debut EP with an album that builds upon their command of subtler instrumental and vocal effects amid the prominent electronic elements of their style. An undercurrent of social protest and the band's eager, earnest approach set them apart from the synth-pop rank and file. Flaunt The Imperfection Originally reviewed for week ending 5/11/85 Their second album finds this U.K. outfit making a bold stylistic shift, shepherded by producer/arranger Becker, once and future co-auteur behind Steely Dan. While there are still synthesizers on hand for texturing, these new songs reach for-and often attain-the sleeker swing and jazz undercurrents of Dan itself, while adding their own hopeful, anthemic twists. What Price Paradise Originally reviewed for week ending 2/21/87 Band could break wide open on this commercial effort, with a new label and a host of potential singles to draw from. Continues the Steely Dan-like groove of group's last, Walter Becker-produced set. Hot cuts: "Arizona Sky" and "It's Everything." Saint Saviour Square reviewed together with King for a day by XTC Two exponents of quirky, terribly-English-don't-you-know, pop. Such stuff is born in the studio and loathes to leave so secure a sanctuary. Layers upon layers of tracks are squished together in an attempt to tread into the territory that was left vacant by Ye Fabbe Foure. Sgt Pepper is what these guys want to create, tailored to fit their own particular design. You can hardly hear what is going on in this densely packed jungle of sound. China Crisis fail in their attempt to keep my attention, all that sky-high priced studio time has created an acute attack of aural indigestion. XTC fare little better, too messy and picky for my taste I'm afraid. I've got to admit it though, XTC are very clever and certainly deserve better recognition. Shut up whoever wrote this! Kevin and Howard Jones... Howard Jones will be perfoming at the Canyons on Saturday, July 18, for a special one-off concert before joining Culture Club and the Human League in the Big Rewind Tour this summer. Howard has not performed with a full, live band since 1989's Cross That Line tour, so this will be very special indeed. Band members include Kevin Wilkinson on drums (China Crisis), Nick Beggs on Bass (Kajagoogoo) and Robin Boult on guitar (do you remember these guys?). Jennifer Russell The Neptune theatre Ever wanted to do as the China's and play the Neptune? Well, this is your chance, just surf in and book the venue! Looks like this... How Howlett looks... This is the man who produced "Working with fire and steel"! Hallowed be thy name! A concert add This is probably from around 1982, judging from the look of the Thompson Twins logo. China Crisis return to Kirkby 18/06/1998 Top recording artists China Crisis will return to their roots when they perform at the Kirkby Suite on Saturday, 27th June.The concert is part of Knowsley's Summer Arts Festival which this year has music as its theme and continues until the end of June.Tickets cost £4.50, and local bands Scooby and Frosty will provide support for the evening which begins at 7.30 pm. Johnny Marr 1993, from select Magazine Q: Weren't The Smiths a reaction to the mediocrity around them? A: "Yeah, totally. When we first started it was all groups like China Crisis. Now, no offense to them, but it was just lame corportate nice safe music not expressing any kind of opinion. Music made for everybody and for no one in particular. The sea and cake: "The Fawn" (Thrill Jockey/Shock) **** TouchTunes 5015 Imagine, if you will, that boys of The Go-Betweens, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, could dance, or had at least listened to a bit more Kraut Rock and Steely Dan than Dylan and played keyboards rather than guitars. The Sea And Cake work a subdued but far from inert bedsit style that mixes elements of Palace (moodiness), the aforementioned GoBs (simple, wistful melodies) and even Can (odd angle noodlings). But they resemble no sound more than the better moments of China Crisis, with a cruising, even bubbling rhythm and husky soft vocals speaking back to minor chord changes. There's just enough electronica to keep it away from garden variety pop (though the sweet jazz-light guitars of The Ravine are Astrud Gilbarto-alluring), but plenty enough of a hold on melody carefully deployed to separate it from mere studio blankness. This is an intriguing and subtle album. Bernard Zuel Can't remember where I found this review. Judging from what it says, it seems to be worth checking this out. The Setlist Possibly from the hands of Gary or Eddie... Another review, Wishful thinking Unable to find any new music he thought was worth buying in 1998, reporter Robert Carroll insists on violating the rules by listing his favorite CD of the year as the 1997 release of Wishful Thinking by the underappreciated mid-80s English band China Crisis. "For a few years I had been trying to locate any and all China Crisis CDs," says Carroll. "I've gone so far as to call record companies in Los Angeles and London, only to find the band's material was no longer available in any format. But then, to my surprise, I happened into a Hyannis music store in September and looked up China Crisis on a computer to find Wishful Thinking. It made my musical year." On Wishful Thinking, says Carroll, China Crisis perfectly melds the easygoing yet thoughtful style that made the band an underground English fave. From the band's early days - Working with Fire and Steel - through its growing pains with producer Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame on the masterful What Price Paradise? and Diary of a Hallow Horse, this 2-CD set covers it all "The live versions of `Black Man Ray' and the studio work of `Christian' really stand out," says Carroll. "It makes me wonder how this band could have been missed by so many adult-contemporary stations such as Boston's WBOS and the Cape's WCOD. I've turned more than a few friends on to them. "It's refreshing in this day of nauseating Mariah Carey and Celine Dion to hear the beautiful marriage of acoustic guitar with silky saxophone, capped off by tranquil vocals. Music should move you, not move you to turn the dial to talk radio." Howie Carr might disagree. BLACK: Comedy (A&M) Black (a.k.a Liverpudlian Colin Vearncombe) was a kind of late 80s equivalent of The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon - just as dapper, but without the irony oozing from every pore. "Comedy" is his/their second album, notable for containing a re-recording of his/their undoubted finest moment, the sublime "Wonderful Life", which you may know from its revival on an advert a few years back. Unfortunately the remainder of the album has aged less gracefully, with a nightmarishly faddish production sadly typical of the times and lightweight songs that make contemporaries like Deacon Blue and China Crisis look like The Smiths or The Wedding Present. Nevertheless, "All We Need Is The Money", dedicated to the people of Liverpool, is not unpleasant, and it's still worth picking up the album for the might of "Wonderful Life" alone. Simple Minds concert add If you look real closely above the arrows you can see the name of a particular band... Some strange thing... Book cover Concert ticket What Price Paradise poster French magazine cover