China Crisis is an English pop/rock band founded in 1979 by Gary Daly (vocals/keyboards) and Eddie Lundon (guitar) in Kirkby, a town near Liverpool. They made music that resembled new wave but had strong similarities with the post-punk movement active in the early 1980s. During their career, China Crisis was particularly successful in England with ten hit singles between August 1982 and January 1987 and six albums. They also had commercial success in Western Europe, Australia, South America and North America.
With a shared fondness for Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Daly and Lundon played together with various Knowsley post-punk bands. Daly then experimented with synthesizers and a drum machine. Together with Lundon, Daly began writing songs. The duo then asked drummer and percussionist Dave Reilly to join them. In 1982, they released their debut single "African and White" as China Crisis on the independent label Inevitable. In June 1982, they helped former Television guitarist Tom Verlaine at London's Venue.
The band signed with Virgin Records and recorded their debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms Some People Think It's Fun To Entertain, released in December 1982. A reissue of "African & White" became China Crisis's first hit in England, reaching number 45 in the UK Singles Chart. The following single, "Christian", reached number 12 in early 1983 and made them nationally known in the UK. At that time, Reilly had left the band but was still credited as a guest artist on the single along with new member Steve Levy, who played oboe and saxophone. The album reached number 21 in the UK Albums Chart. During this period, the band toured as support for Simple Minds (as seen in interviews on the DVD Live in Concert at the Paul McCartney Auditorium Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts).
After Gary "Gazza" Johnson (bass) and Kevin Wilkinson (drums) joined the band, they released a second album titled Working with Fire and Steel - Possible Pop Songs Volume Two in November 1983. The album included singles such as "Tragedy and Mystery" (released six months earlier), "Hanna Hanna" and the title track "Working With Fire & Steel", which became a hit single in Australia. The album was a Top 40 success in England. China Crisis then continued their string of hits between 1984 and 1985, starting with their only UK Top 10 hit single "Wishful Thinking", which reached number 9.
Since the late 1990s, China Crisis has focused on live performances with only the original founders, Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly, consistently present. Although the band has been supported by several musicians for longer periods, notably guitarist Colin Hinds, who helped for more than ten years.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, there are no entries from China Crisis.
Sunday Morning Classic
On 20 August 2023, we welcomed China Crisis with their second studio album Working With Fire And Steel, released on 31 October 1983 by Virgin Records, as Sunday Morning Classic. The album spent 16 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at number 20 in February 1984. It features the track "Wishful Thinking", which was a Top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart.
The tracks "Wishful Thinking" and "Here Come a Raincloud" (then still called "Watching the Rainclouds") premiered in January 1983 during a BBC John Peel session, along with "A Golden Handshake for Every Daughter", which was not included on the album but released as the B-side of the single "Tragedy and Mystery" in May. The album was recorded in 1983 at Amazon Studios, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire.
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Stephen Schnee described the album as "full of intelligent, well-written pop songs" where "even the softer moments ... are full of life and excitement." The reviewer noted that the band moved away from their early synthpop style towards more ambitious ideas with "Producer Mike Howlett added much to the sonic mix, allowing the melodies to shine while enhancing the band's sound ... Aside from their own matured sound on this release, traces of rock, pop and jazz float between the lines."
Spin wrote: "This record was clearly pop – impeccably recorded, with catchy melodies and the right sounds in the right places. Tracks like "Tragedy and Mystery", "Animals and Jungles", and the title track were pop in every sense of the word, although their meanings were too precious and wrapped in metaphors."
40th anniversary
In the autumn of 2023, the band performed the entire album live during a series of concerts in the UK.
Working with Fire and Steel is a musical masterpiece that takes the listener on an emotional journey. With its rich arrangements, profound lyrics and excellent production, this album is a must-listen for music lovers of all genres. It certainly deserves a place in the collection of every music connoisseur.
Source: Wikipedia and NPO Photo: Andrew Hurley
