China Crisis: China Greatness

The early 1980’s heralded a second Liverpool-based musical renaissance and amongst 
these lauded Merseyside acts was China Crisis, originally emerging in 1981 from their 
native Kirkby broadly in the "new wave" genre as the songwriting duo of 
vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Citing influences 
as varied as Davie Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Eric Satie and Brian Eno, it’s not surprising 
that their sound was quickly distinguishable amongst their peers, often combining 
elements of synthpop with reggae, country and other styles with their own unique 
melodies and harmonies to create distinctively sophisticated but catchy pop in a style 
all its own. With their philosophy that “the song is the most important thing”, China 
Crisis weren’t just resourceful with the emerging technology of the time and the 
ongoing electronic music revolution but would creatively employ a distinctive sonic 
blend of more orthodox origins - horns, strings, woodwinds, pedal steel – a sound 
further enhanced by working with some of the greatest producers of the 20th century, 
including Mike Howlett, Langer/Winstanley, and perhaps most notably with Steely 
Dan’s Walter Becker. The result of their effort was a clearly identifiable China Crisis 
sound that stood out from the crowd and garnered the band chart success around the 
globe, including three UK Top 40 albums and eleven UK Top 50 singles, their hits 
including the beloved "Wishful Thinking", "Christian", "Black Man Ray", "King in a 
Catholic Style", "Arizona Sky" and "African and White". More importantly the early 
years established a decades-loyal fanbase that continues to grow today. That the China 
Crisis sound is enduring is demonstrable well into the 21st Century, not just through 
the continued fidelity of their longtime fans but the fact that a whole new generation of 
musicians and listeners are becoming China Crisis devotees. 
Now renown and beloved for their live performances which combine truly engaging 
music, a good bit of Scouse humor, and the clear kinship the band have with their fans, 
audiences leave China Crisis shows the all the happier for having been part of the 
moment.