SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHINA CRISIS – CHINA GREATNESS

CHINA CRISIS
CHINA GREATNESS
LAST NIGHT FROM GLASGOW

Gary Daly (lead vocals/keyboards) and Eddie Lundon (guitarist/vocalist) came together in 1979 and formed China Crisis. Over the years, there have been several member changes, but they have been the foundation and core of the band. They released their debut album, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms Some People Think It’s Fun to Entertain in 1982. The album did very well commercially and critically. Since then, the band has released six studio albums. China Greatness is a new studio recording of their biggest and most popular songs. However, China Greatness gives these classic songs new life. Some of the songs get orchestral treatment and others have been remixed.

Arranger Jack Hymers worked with Mark Phythian (Grammy Award winning engineer who has worked with Feeder, Echo & The Bunnymen, Coldplay), and together they have arranged,

recorded, and mixed the album. Some of the songs, like the opening track “Animals In Jungles” (from their debut album) are unchanged. However, “Wishful Thinking” and “Arizona Sky” which follow, have the added orchestration and new arrangements. The songs sound fresh and new. The first disc contains mainly the classic songs, some with added orchestration, some remixed and some seemingly left alone.

How this collection differs from previous collections comes down to the songs chosen for the release. It is great that the band has included some deeper cuts that are fan favourites. “The Understudy” and “It’s Everything” (from What Price Paradise) are both great songs and “You Did Cut Me” (from Flaunt The Imperfection) is a track that sits comfortably with all of the other, more well known, tunes. However, it is the hits that attract the fans, so some of their most popular songs are included, such as “Arizona Sky” and “Wishful Thinking”.

It is the new versions of the well-known songs that make the album very interesting. The second part of the album features very new and altered versions of the band’s classics. “Black Man Ray (Way Mix)” is a stunning orchestral instrumental while “King In A Catholic Style (Reprise Mix)” turns a song that was once a synth-based pop hit into a classical work. Again, “Arizona Sky (Sequential Mix)” is outstandingly beautiful in this collection. The songs lend themselves to be presented in this manner. China Crisis has always written incredible melodies and these arrangements prove that point. The songs also gain a whole new life and sound.

China Greatness is exactly as the title suggests, great songs from China Crisis. They are not all hits, but the songs are all great. China Crisis has always experimented with their sound, and China Greatness is a natural progression for the band. The songs sound great and all fit together well. It has been a few years since their last studio album, and with this release, perhaps they will be tempted to enter the studio with some new songs. That would be great!

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