China Crisis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| China Crisis | |
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| Country | England, UK |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Genres | Alternative, Art rock, Post-Punk |
| Labels | EMI (Virgin) -UK, Australia, Malaysia A&M-U.S. |
| Members | Gary Daly (vocals, keyboards) Eddie Lundon (guitars) Gazza Johnson (bass guitar) Kevin Wilkinson (drums) |
China Crisis are an English pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside, UK with a core band of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. Their output was pop music similar in style to that of the new romantics, but with strong similarities to the post-punk movement of the early-1980s, namely inclusion of a broader range of musical influences and occasional flirtation with political commentary.
Throughout their career, China Crisis has seen moderate success in the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Australia and the Americas.
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[edit] Biography
Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Brian Eno, Daly and Lundon had become burned out from playing with various Knowsley post-punk groups. Daly quit school and then spent much of his time indoors tinkering with synthesizers and a drum machine. Along with Lundon, Daly began writing songs using his high-tech toys. Feeling creatively stifled by the drum machine, the pair eventually asked percussionist Dave Reilly to join them, and in 1982 they released the single African & White as China Crisis on the independent label Inevitable.
Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson to the line-up, the band was signed to Virgin Records and recorded their debut album, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, released in December 1982. A re-release of African & White became China Crisis' first hit in the U.K., reaching #45, and another single, Christian, made UK #12 in early 1983. The album peaked at #21.
A second album, Working With Fire & Steel : Possible Pop Songs - Volume 2 was released in November 1983. This was regarded as a more consistent effort, with standout tracks being 'Tragedy and Mystery' (released as a single six months earlier), 'Hanna Hanna' and the upbeat title track, Working With Fire & Steel, which became a hit single in Australia. The album was a Top 20 success in the UK, and China Crisis spent 1984-1985 making their biggest chart run, beginning with their first (and last) UK Top 10 hit single, Wishful Thinking, which peaked at #9.
Their third album, Flaunt The Imperfection, was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker (of Steely Dan fame) and reached #9 in the UK charts in May 1985. The LP was previewed by the #14 UK hit single Black Man Ray, which also enjoyed international success. The follow-up, King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up) was also a Top 20 UK single (#19), but it would prove to be the band's last substantial hit. A third release from the album, You Did Cut Me, stalled at UK #54.
In 1986, the band returned with the lower-key What Price Paradise, the key tracks being Arizona Sky (the LP's first single release and another Australian hit), 'June Bride', 'The Understudy' and 'A Day's Work For the Dayo's Done'. A second single from the album, Best Kept Secret, made UK #36 in early 1987.
The band worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary Of A Hollow Horse, which earned critical acclaim though little commercial success and spawned the singles 'St Saviour Square' and 'Red Letter Day'.
Sometimes misunderstood by critics (and with Daly's vocals not to everyone's taste), China Crisis distinguished themselves from their Liverpudlian contemporaries such as Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, The Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & The Bunnymen by digesting a cornucopia of musical genres, everything from jazz to progressive rock. Despite the stylistic deviations, China Crisis maintained their distinctive sound through a number of albums in the 1980s and '1990s.
Tragically, Wilkinson hanged himself on 17th July 1999. In 2000 Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, Green Indians. The band accumulated a body of work consisting of six studio albums (including one covers album) and two live albums between 1982 and 1995. Since 1992 there have been three compilations albums of their work.
China Crisis will be touring the UK during January and February 2007 as part of their 25th Anniversary.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- African & White INEV 011, Inevitable, UK - 1981 UK #45
- Scream Down At Me VS 495, Virgin, UK - 1982
- No More Blue Horizons VS 521, Virgin, UK - 1982
- Christian VS 562, Virgin, UK - 1982 UK #12
- Tragedy & Mystery VS 587, Virgin, UK - 1983 UK #46
- Working With Fire & Steel VS 620, Virgin, UK - 1983 UK #48
- Wishful Thinking VS 647, Virgin, UK - 1983 UK #9
- Hanna Hanna VS 665, Virgin, UK - 1984 UK #44
- Black Man Ray VS 752, Virgin, UK - 1985 UK #14
- Animalistic 1985 VS1266DJ, Virgin, CAN Promo - 1985
- King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up) VS 765, Virgin, UK - 1985 UK #19
- You Did Cut Me VS 799, Virgin, UK - 1985 UK #54
- The Highest High VS 829, Virgin, UK - 1985 UK #82
- Arizona Sky VS 898, Virgin, UK - 1986 UK #47
- Best Kept Secret VS 926, Virgin, UK - 1987 UK #36
- St. Saviour Square VS 1168, Virgin, UK - 1989 UK #81
- Red Letter Day VS 1188, Virgin, UK - 1989 UK #84
- Everyday The Same 12STA001, Stardumb, UK - 1994
[edit] Albums
- Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms (Some People Think It's Fun To Entertain) V 2243, Virgin, UK - 1982
- Working With Fire And Steel (Possible Pop Songs Volume Two) V 2286, Virgin, UK - 1983
- Flaunt The Imperfection V 2342, Virgin, UK - 1985
- What Price Paradise V 2410, Virgin, UK - 1986
- Diary Of a Hollow Horse V 2567, Virgin, UK - 1989
- Collection: The Very Best Of China Crisis V 2613, Virgin, UK - 1990
- Diary: A Collection CD VVIPD 117, Virgin, UK - 1992
- Warped By Success STALP1, Stardumb, UK - 1994
- Acoustically Yours (Live) TLG CD 005, Telegraph, UK - 1995
- Collection: The Very Best Of China Crisis (US-Only Reissue) CD CAROL 1117-2, Caroline, US - 1997
- The Best Of China Crisis CLP 0350-2, Purple Pyramid, US - 1998
- Wishful Thinking (Repackaged "Acoustically Yours" and "Warped by Success") SMDCD 117, Snapper Music, UK - 1999
- Scrap Book Vol. 1 (Live At The Dominion Theatre) (Concert from 1985) CHVP101CD, Crisis, UK - 2002
- Diary: A Collection (Copy-protected reissue, changed album art) 7243 5 95404 2 1, EMI Gold, EU - 2003
