China Crisis
China Crisis are a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Merse… Read Full Bio ↴China Crisis are a British pop/rock group formed in 1979 in Kirkby on Merseyside, with a core band of vocalist/keyboardist Garry Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. They've produced pop music similar in style to that of the new romantic movement. Yet they've also had strong similarities to the post-punk movement of the early 80s, particularly inclusion of a broader range of musical influences and occasional flirtation with political commentary.
Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, 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 moderate success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia, Philippines 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)". 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.
Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like Orchestral Manoeuvers 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.
Sharing an affection for Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, 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 moderate success in the United Kingdom, western Europe, Australia, Philippines 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)". 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.
Sometimes misunderstood by critics, China Crisis distinguished themselves from Liverpudlian peers like Orchestral Manoeuvers 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.
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China Crisis Lyrics
A Day's Work For The Dayo's Done Caution are a family man Attending to business His best he c…
A Golden Handshake For Every Daughter We sat by the river talking for hours I cried myself to…
African & White Africana, african and white You're closer than you really ev…
Age Old Need A pillow to rest my weary head The end of a…
All My Prayers There's a lot in life I want to see There's a…
Always You do you Do for me Like no-one else No-one else can Do for…
Animalistic Woke up sorry for yourself Could not think of no one…
Animals In Jungles Rattlesnakes into water And when they bite, bite I bleed We'…
Are We A Worker People go on living The worker's hour shared Women they…
Arizona Sky The arizona sky The sky is bigger there It took my breath…
Back Home This is the only place to be fooling around on our…
Be Suspicious This time so xxxx wasted the news Not ever knowing who…
Best Kept Secret Secret best kept between the two Witness a change of heart…
Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling Taken in by what you see And what you want You want…
Black Man Ray Are we believing Black man ray Are we not happy In our own…
Blue Sea Imagine the sun Lazy on a deep blue sea And I cry…
Christian This is emotion Emotion less war A torn shirt and a long…
Cucumber Garden I'm speaking through a thousand mouths I'm camping sleeping…
Day After Day Day after day In my hometown Trade undismayed And so proud L…
Diary Of A Hollow Horse All this time All this changing of mind Foolish pride and bi…
Does It Pay Does it pay well, does it Does it pay, what does…
Every Day the Same Everyday the same Expression on my face Me, myself I blame T…
Feel To Be Driven Away I am a cobra A snake that is Reluctant to…
Fire And Steel I could never keep a beat Too busy in my paradise Put…
Forever I and I Tender love i give to you i always will so happy to…
Gift Of Freedom Freedom for what it's worth A god-given right So I am taking…
Good Again Good again It could be good again Even better than Than it's…
Greenacre Bay I wish I was an island, Way across the sea…
Hampton Beach On with the colored lights Waiting in the winds for attentio…
Hands On The Wheel Keep your hands on the wheel boy Tell me all that…
Hanna Hanna Hanna Hanna, she sing mixed emotion and a garden strange Han…
Hard to Be Around You don't know how You don't know how good it can…
Here Come a Raincloud Watching the rainclod take over me Watching my people What…
Here Comes a Raincloud Watching the raincloud Take over me Watching my people What …
Highest High Where is my town the place I love Where I can…
In Northern Skies Day turns to night And I turn on my side To face…
It It's everything Yes, it's everything (It's everything yo…
It's Everything It's everything Yes, it's everything (It's everything you'l…
It's Too Late We've just begun To see in a different way No summer sun Or…
Its Everything It's everything Yes, it's everything (It's everything you'l…
June Bride June bride Johnny XXXX in white side by side a happening …
King In A Catholic Style Wake up, wake up King in a catholic style With your man With…
No More Blue Horizons Fool, fool, fool That's what I am Because I close…
No Ordinary Lover Is this love that took your head to pieces And could…
Papua In another time in another place Carry the flag a picture…
Real Tears Now you know Now you know How it feels To be down yourself A…
Red Letter Day Sadder than mad in your company All that we had is…
Red Sails Big kisses for small fishes property trading the wrong pla…
Safe As Houses Safe as houses Built on quicksand Because I place my trust…
Saint Saviour Square No sense of pride No time to care No problem solved And n…
Scream Down at Me If you could see, what you want to see Would…
Seven Sports For All Shining with character Swaying with your rhythm Never maki…
singing the praises Steal a kiss From your lips I steal a kiss And want…
Some People I Know To Lead Fantastic Lives Some people I know to lead fantastic lives They never…
St. Saviour Square No sense of pride No time to care No problem solved And n…
Stranger By Nature Stranger by nature And that's how I find her A vision of…
Strength and Character Try hard Try hard to care Give a little laughter And take a…
Sweet Charity And Adoration You say you're changing You say you've changed You feel insp…
Temptation's Big Blue Eyes They push and pull you through And try to change…
Temptations Big Blue Eyes They push and pull you through And try to change…
Thank You Da-rum-da-do-da-do, da-rum-da-do-da-do I want to thank you,…
The Gates Of Door To Door She, sleep, dreams of childhood Waiting in the fields First …
The Highest High Where is my town the place I love Where I can…
The Soul Awakening Faster than a falling star Ever so close and yet so…
The Understudy Do you wear a smile Dress up all the time Feel real…
The Way We Are Made Nobody ever will take your place in my life Nobody ever…
The World Spins I'm Part Of It I can't remeber the places I've seen I've got me, holes in…
The World Spins, I'm Part Of It I can't remember, the places I've seen I've got me, holes…
This Occupation I can't stand this occupation Always on the move I feel dr…
Trading In Gold Trading in gold Trading in my old man's gold Nothing at th…
Tragedy and Mystery Winter displayed in a snow white haze Fires burning brightly…
Wall Of God Down on the seabed Crushed by the wave Twisted for money Bor…
We Do The Same Wake up to the sound of Young love uprising Kicking and figh…
When The Piper Calls Water drenched people Take me in from the rain To a warm…
Wishful Thinking It's time we should talk about it There's no secret kept…
Wishing Time Today I dreamt my life away I don't feel anything I wouldn't…
Without the Love Shelter from the hard rain in the night Shelter from the…
Working With Fire And Steel I could never keep a beat Too busy in my paradise Put…
Worlds Apart You're so cold Resisting only your feelings Worlds apart …
You Did Cut Me Hear my silence, see my blindness A love ascending, and neve…
You Never See It Tin boats and wooden huts Or be a truck Where…