CHINA CRISIS

Random and bite-sized facts on all things on the mythical band China Crisis. Totally random but totally fascinating if you're into it. Do you know China Crisis now?

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# China Crisis: Fascinating Facts

GARY DALY AND EDDIE LUNDON FIRST MET AT SCHOOL

The two men at the heart of China Crisis met as teenagers at St Kevin's School for Boys in Kirkby, near Liverpool. Gary Daly later recalled that they initially took an instant dislike to each other because both were keen to show off their musical knowledge. Their shared enthusiasm eventually proved more important than their first impressions.

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THEY STARTED OUT PLAYING EAGLES AND THIN LIZZY SONGS

Before concentrating on original material, Daly and Lundon played in a local cabaret group, covering songs by the Eagles and Thin Lizzy. Daly later joked that they were not very good and were never booked again after their early gigs. The experience helped persuade them to write their own music instead of trying to reproduce other people's songs.

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THEY WERE BOTH PART OF LIVERPOOL'S GLASS TORPEDOES SCENE

Before China Crisis properly emerged, Daly and Lundon had brief spells in a group called Glass Torpedoes. Their musical development took place within Liverpool's busy post-punk environment, alongside artists exploring electronic sounds, atmospheric guitar music and more experimental approaches to pop.

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THEIR ORIGINAL AMBITION WAS TO MAKE RECORDS

Daly and Lundon were initially more interested in recording music than becoming a conventional touring band. They wanted to discover what their songs could sound like in the studio, using keyboards, drum machines and other instruments to create arrangements that went beyond the capabilities of a basic guitar group.

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"AFRICAN AND WHITE" BEGAN AS AN INDEPENDENT RELEASE

The band's first single, "African and White", was released through the independent Liverpool label Inevitable Music before Virgin became involved. The release helped establish China Crisis outside the usual major-label system and brought their unusual combination of political subject matter, electronics and melodic songwriting to a wider audience.

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THE FIRST PRESSING NUMBERED 3,000 COPIES

Gary Daly recalled receiving boxes containing 3,000 copies of "African and White". He feared they would never sell them all, but said the stock disappeared within two weeks. The episode became a striking early example of how quickly the band's independent following was growing.

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THE BAND'S FIRST DEMO HELPED SECURE A RECORD DEAL

The group recorded a demo of "African and White" at Amazon Studios. Studio owner Jerry Lewis liked the song and helped arrange meetings with record companies in London. China Crisis took a cassette containing four songs to those meetings, eventually securing a deal connected with Virgin Records.

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THEY WERE TURNED DOWN BY SEVERAL LABELS BEFORE VIRGIN

Daly recalled visiting several record companies, including A&M and Chrysalis, before reaching Virgin. He said the earlier meetings did not produce the deal they wanted. Virgin eventually signed the duo, partly because the label believed other companies were already competing to sign them.

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THE EARLY BAND WAS A DUO BEFORE IT BECAME A FULLER GROUP

China Crisis began around the songwriting partnership of Daly and Lundon, with other musicians contributing as the group developed. Drummer Dave Reilly became part of the early line-up, helping turn the pair's studio-based project into a band that could perform live.

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THEY PLAYED A NEW YEAR'S EVE SHOW AT THE ICA

On 31 December 1981, China Crisis appeared at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts alongside Haircut One Hundred. It was an early opportunity to perform in front of an audience beyond Merseyside, at a time when the group was still building its reputation.

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THE BAND RECORDED A JOHN PEEL SESSION IN 1982

China Crisis recorded a four-song session for BBC Radio 1's John Peel programme in March 1982. Peel's broadcasts were important to independent and post-punk groups, giving listeners a chance to hear bands that did not necessarily receive regular mainstream radio play.

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THEY BACKED TOM VERLAINE OF TELEVISION

In June 1982, China Crisis backed Tom Verlaine, the former frontman of the American band Television, at London's Venue. The performance connected the Liverpool group with an influential figure from New York's art-punk scene, whose music had helped broaden the possibilities of guitar-based rock.

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"AFRICAN AND WHITE" WAS REMIXED FOR A WIDER AUDIENCE

A remixed version of "African and White" appeared after the original independent release and reached number 45 on the UK singles chart. Its progression from a small-label release to a charting single illustrates how the band's early independent activity helped create momentum for its major-label career.

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THEIR DEBUT ALBUM HAD AN UNUSUALLY LONG TITLE

The full title of China Crisis's 1982 debut was Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain. Its combination of an abstract phrase and a conversational subtitle reflected the band's offbeat identity at a time when many British groups were adopting more straightforward names and album titles.

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"CHRISTIAN" BECAME THEIR FIRST MAJOR UK HIT

"Christian", from the debut album, reached number 12 on the UK singles chart in early 1983. The song helped establish China Crisis as more than an independent-scene curiosity, showing that their thoughtful lyrics and unusual arrangements could connect with a mainstream pop audience.

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"NO MORE BLUE HORIZONS" HAD A SUBTITLE

The single "No More Blue Horizons" was also issued with the subtitle "(Fool, Fool, Fool)". The wording is easy to overlook when the song is listed in abbreviated discographies, but it reflects the elaborate naming style that sometimes accompanied the band's early releases.

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THE FIRST ALBUM'S MAKING WAS NOT ENTIRELY SMOOTH

Gary Daly later described the sessions for Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms as a somewhat chaotic experience, with the band trying out prominent producers and changing direction as they searched for the right sound. He remembered the group as fearless, even if the results did not always match the records they admired.

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"WORKING WITH FIRE AND STEEL" HAD A SECOND TITLE

Their second album, released in 1983, was called Working with Fire and Steel: Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2. The subtitle playfully suggested that the band was still exploring what a pop song could be, even as its music became more accessible and its audience grew.

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THE SECOND ALBUM REACHED NUMBER 20 IN BRITAIN

Working with Fire and Steel reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart. Its success confirmed that the band's first hit had not been a one-off, and it established the group as a regular presence in the British album market.

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"WISHFUL THINKING" BECAME THEIR BIGGEST UK SINGLE

"Wishful Thinking" reached the UK Top 10 in 1984, becoming China Crisis's highest-charting single in Britain. Its restrained delivery and carefully arranged backing offered a more reflective alternative to the louder, more aggressive pop production that dominated parts of the decade.

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THE BAND'S LOVE OF STEELY DAN SHAPED ITS NEXT CHAPTER

Daly and Lundon were admirers of Steely Dan, whose meticulous arrangements, jazz-influenced harmony and attention to studio detail appealed to them. Their interest became especially significant when Walter Becker, Steely Dan's co-founder, agreed to produce China Crisis's third album.

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WALTER BECKER PRODUCED "FLAUNT THE IMPERFECTION"

Released in 1985, Flaunt the Imperfection was produced by Walter Becker. His involvement gave the band an opportunity to work with one of the musicians responsible for the sophisticated sound they admired, while retaining the melodic identity of Daly and Lundon's songwriting partnership.

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BECKER WAS CREDITED AS A MEMBER OF CHINA CRISIS

Walter Becker's involvement went beyond a conventional producer credit: he was listed as a member of China Crisis on Flaunt the Imperfection. It was an unusual arrangement for a band whose core identity remained the partnership of Daly and Lundon, and a measure of Becker's importance to the album's creation.

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"BLACK MAN RAY" WAS INSPIRED BY MAN RAY

The title of "Black Man Ray" refers to Man Ray, the American artist associated with Dada and surrealism. Gary Daly was drawn to the artist's name and the atmosphere it suggested, using it as the starting point for a song whose lyrics remain deliberately mysterious rather than offering a straightforward biography of the artist.

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"BLACK MAN RAY" BEGAN WITH FOUND SOUNDS

After touring with Simple Minds, Daly experimented with synthesizers, drum machines and ambient sounds recorded near his window. Those experiments helped form the atmosphere of "Black Man Ray", demonstrating how environmental noise and studio experimentation could become part of a polished pop single.

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"BLACK MAN RAY" WAS RECORDED IN A KITCHEN

In a 2026 retrospective, Daly and Lundon recalled that "Black Man Ray" was recorded in the kitchen at Parkgate Studio. The unconventional location is a striking detail behind a single whose finished production sounds carefully controlled and meticulously arranged.

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BECKER COMPARED THE STRUCTURE OF "BLACK MAN RAY" TO THE BEATLES

Daly and Lundon recalled Becker admiring the song's structure and comparing it to the kind of construction associated with the Beatles. The comment was significant to the duo, who wanted to write pop songs with strong melodies but also with enough musical detail to reward repeated listening.

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"BLACK MAN RAY" REACHED NUMBER 14 IN THE UK

The single became one of China Crisis's most successful releases, reaching number 14 on the UK singles chart in 1985. It helped establish Flaunt the Imperfection as a major album and showed that the band's increasingly sophisticated arrangements could still deliver a memorable pop hook.

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"KING IN A CATHOLIC STYLE" HAD AN ALTERNATIVE SUBTITLE

The single "King in a Catholic Style" was also known as "(Wake Up)". It followed the success of "Black Man Ray" and became another UK hit, reinforcing the impression that China Crisis could create chart-friendly singles without abandoning their distinctive lyrical and musical character.

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"FLAUNT THE IMPERFECTION" BECAME THEIR HIGHEST-CHARTING ALBUM

The album reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart, giving China Crisis their highest album-chart position in Britain. Its success was closely tied to the run of singles released from it and to Becker's contribution to the record's polished, detailed production.

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THE GROUP DID NOT SIMPLY REPEAT THE BECKER FORMULA

For their next album, What Price Paradise?, released in 1986, China Crisis continued to explore melodic pop while working without Becker in the same role. Brian McNeill became part of the keyboard line-up, and the record took the band into another phase rather than simply copying the sound of Flaunt the Imperfection.

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"ARIZONA SKY" BECAME A FAVOURITE OUTSIDE BRITAIN

"Arizona Sky", from What Price Paradise?, became particularly popular in parts of Europe. Although it did not match the band's biggest British hits, the song helped maintain their audience abroad and remains a notable example of the group's ability to create atmospheric, melodic pop.

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"WHAT PRICE PARADISE?" INCLUDED "BEST KEPT SECRET"

"Best Kept Secret" was one of the songs released from the band's 1986 album. It belongs to a period when China Crisis were building a catalogue of carefully arranged album tracks alongside their better-known singles, with Daly and Lundon continuing to refine their collaborative approach.

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THE BAND RETURNED TO BECKER FOR "DIARY OF A HOLLOW HORSE"

China Crisis worked with Walter Becker again on Diary of a Hollow Horse, released in 1989. The album received favourable critical attention, although its commercial performance was more modest than that of the band's mid-1980s peak. It was also their final album for Virgin Records.

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KEVIN WILKINSON PLAYED DRUMS ON THE LATER ALBUMS

Drummer Kevin Wilkinson became an important part of China Crisis's later line-up. He had also worked with other British artists, including the Waterboys and the League of Gentlemen. His playing helped carry the band through the years following its best-known mid-1980s records.

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THEIR VIRGIN CONTRACT ENDED AFTER "DIARY OF A HOLLOW HORSE"

Diary of a Hollow Horse proved to be China Crisis's last studio album for Virgin. The band continued beyond the major-label period, but the change marked a shift away from the level of industry backing they had enjoyed during their chart successes earlier in the decade.

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"WARPED BY SUCCESS" ARRIVED IN 1994

The band released Warped by Success in 1994 on the independent label Stardumb. It was a return to recording after the end of their Virgin contract, but the album did not attract the attention of the band's earlier releases. Daly later expressed a preference for the demos the group had made before the final album was recorded.

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DALY THOUGHT THE "WARPED BY SUCCESS" DEMOS WERE BETTER

In an interview with Electricity Club, Daly said he hoped the original demos for Warped by Success would eventually be released, adding that he considered them better than the version that came out. The comment offers a rare glimpse of the band's own view of an album that has remained less familiar to casual listeners.

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THE BAND'S SONGWRITING PARTNERSHIP HAS A STRICT DEFINITION

Daly has explained that a China Crisis record requires both him and Lundon to agree that the song is good and that they both want to work on it. He said he would not expect Lundon to contribute to a song he did not enjoy or relate to. That approach helps explain why Daly's solo material can sound different even when it comes from the same songwriter.

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GARY DALY'S SOLO WORK TOOK YEARS TO COMPLETE

Daly's solo album Gone from Here was released after a long period of development. In an interview, he explained that some of the songs dated back to 1996 or 1997, but work on the material was repeatedly delayed. When Lundon became involved in the project, it became a potential China Crisis album instead of a solo record.

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THE DUO'S MUSICAL TASTES EXTENDED BEYOND POST-PUNK

Although China Crisis emerged during the post-punk era, Daly and Lundon grew up hearing a broad mix of music. Daly has spoken about influences ranging from David Bowie and Brian Eno to soul and Motown. Those varied interests helped distinguish the band from groups whose sound relied primarily on guitars and the conventions of punk rock.

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THEY DID NOT WANT TO SOUND LIKE THEIR LIVERPOOL CONTEMPORARIES

Daly has said that China Crisis were not particularly interested in becoming another band like Echo & the Bunnymen or the Teardrop Explodes. He and Lundon were more concerned with the songs and what they could become through arrangement and production. That focus helped them develop a distinctive identity within Liverpool's rich early-1980s music scene.

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THE BAND RETURNED WITH "AUTUMN IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD"

Released in 2015, Autumn in the Neighbourhood was China Crisis's first studio album since Warped by Success in 1994. The record was supported by a crowdfunding campaign and brought Daly and Lundon back together for a new collection of songs, after years in which their work had focused more heavily on touring and separate projects.

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THE 2015 ALBUM GREW OUT OF A CROWD-FUNDING CAMPAIGN

China Crisis used a fan-funded campaign to help finance Autumn in the Neighbourhood. The approach reflected a wider change in how established artists could make records outside the traditional major-label system, with supporters directly helping to bring a long-awaited album into existence.

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THE BAND'S ORIGINAL PARTNERSHIP HAS OUTLASTED ITS CHART PEAK

Despite long gaps between studio albums, Daly and Lundon have continued performing as China Crisis. Their partnership remains the defining element of the group, which began with two teenagers from Kirkby and developed into one of the most distinctive British pop acts of the 1980s.

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