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. Later re-released by Virgin Records, "African & White" was also China Crisis' first hit in the U.K..
Throughout their career, China Crisis has seen modest success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia and the Americas. Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson to the lineup, they recorded their debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms. Another single, "Christian", hit U.K. #12, followed by two singles from second album, Working with Fire and Steel Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2.
China Crisis spent 1984-1985 making their biggest chart run, beginning with their first top-ten hit, "Wishful Thinking". Third album Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker, and resulted in the hit singles "Black Man Ray" and "King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)". Becker has claimed that he was not the band's first choice as producer, they apparently wanted Brian Eno but he wasn't available. The album was followed up in 1986 with What Price Paradise, though China Crisis worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical raves though not much commercial movement.
In August 1990 the first China Crisis compilation album was released, Collection, The Very Best of China Crisis. Featuring almost exclusively singles, a lot of essential material is left out from this offering. Though, this compilation was released also as a limited edition double CD featuring some of their best B-sides on the second disc. This double compilation is a truly wonderful sum up of their career from 1981 to 1989. A remix of "African and White" preceeded the album as a single. This remix by Steve Proctor gave the song a completely new flavour.
In September 1994 China Crisis returned, now with Terry Adams and Mark Phythian being new additions. Kevin, Gazza and Brian no longer with the band. Kevin and Gazza contribute to one song each though and one song, "Hard to be Around", is dedicated to Kevin. The album, Warped By Success, is far from their best moments but still a welcome return. A few songs show that they still have the ability to write wonderful pop songs, "Everyday the Same", "Without the Love" and "Hard to be Around" in particular. Warped By Success was released by Stardumb Records.
Following another change of record company now being with former OMD member Paul Humphrey's label Telegraph Records, China Crisis set off to record a live album, Acoustically Yours. Released in the autumn of 1995 to critical aclaim, it showed a China Crisis as brilliant as ever, being confident about the power in the songs. Showing that though the sound on some of their earlier offerings are quite dated, their songs are not. Most of their "greatest" hits are here and a some more recent songs all in splendidly revamped versions. The highlights are "Wishful Thinking", "It's Everything", "Black Man Ray" and "Diary of a Hollow Horse". The album was recorded at the Neptune Theatre in Liverpool and a tour followed.
Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like 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 '80s and '90s. Tragically, Wilkinson hanged himself on July 17, 1999. In 2000, Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, Green Indians.
I became of fan of China Crisis in the mid-1980s, having listened to a borrowed cassette of What Price Paradise from a coworker and falling in love with the rich textures, slick production and incredible pop sensibilities of the songs. To this day, the band reminds me of the best of that sometimes maligned decade. I hope you'll join me for a musical journey of discovery and nostalgia as we celebrate the career of a truly memorable band.
Acknowledgements: Wikipedia, sing365.com
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