Working with Fire and Steel
Studio album by
China Crisis
Released31 October 1983 (1983-10-31)[1]
Studio
Genre
Length40:23
LabelVirgin
ProducerMike Howlett
China Crisis chronology
Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain
(1982)		 Working with Fire and Steel
(1983)		 Flaunt the Imperfection
(1985)
Singles from Working with Fire and Steel
  1. "Tragedy and Mystery"
    Released: 6 May 1983
  2. "Working with Fire and Steel"
    Released: 3 October 1983
  3. "Wishful Thinking"
    Released: 3 January 1984
  4. "Hanna Hanna"
    Released: 27 February 1984
Alternative cover
CD cover

Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two is the second studio album by the English new wave and synth-pop band China Crisis, released on 31 October 1983 by Virgin Records.

The album spent 16 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 20 in February 1984.[2] It includes the song "Wishful Thinking", which was a Top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

Content and recording

The songs "Wishful Thinking" and "Here Come a Raincloud" (then called "Watching the Rainclouds") were premiered on a BBC John Peel session in January 1983, along with "A Golden Handshake for Every Daughter",[4] which was not included on the album but released as the B-side of the single "Tragedy and Mystery" in May. The album was recorded at Amazon Studios, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire in 1983. Some of the songs had been written around the same time as the songs on the band's debut studio album, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982).[5] The band also recorded the song "It's Never Too Late" during the sessions for the album, but it was dropped due to its similarity to "Wishful Thinking" and was later released on a limited edition 12" single of "Black Man Ray".[6] The arrival of full time drummer Kevin Wilkinson into the band's line-up saw a much lesser reliance on electronic drums, and this, along with the introduction of more session musicians, gave the album a markedly less synthetic sound than its predecessor.

The song "Working with Fire and Steel" became the albums lead single and provided the album title. The additional "Possible Pop Songs" title was inspired by Jon Hassell's collaboration with Brian Eno on their 1980 album Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics.[7]

Single releases

"Tragedy and Mystery" was released as a single in May 1983 with "A Golden Handshake for Every Daughter" as the B-side, peaking at No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart.[8] The title track "Working with Fire and Steel" was released as a single a few weeks before the album in October 1983 with two non-album instrumentals, "Dockland" and "Forever I and I", on the B-side, reaching No. 48 in the UK.[8] "Wishful Thinking" was released in December and became the bands first and only Top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 9 in January 1984.[8] The fourth and final single "Hanna Hanna" was released in March 1984 with a live version of "African and White" as the B-side, reaching No. 44.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Stephen Schnee described the album as "chock full of intelligent, well-written pop songs" where "even the softer moments...are full of life and excitement". The reviewer noted that the band moved away from their early synth-pop-style to more ambitious ideas with "Producer Mike Howlett added much to the sonic blend, allowing the melodies to shine while toughening up the band's sound... Apart from their own matured sound on this release, there are traces of rock, pop, and jazz floating between the lines."[9]

Spin wrote, "This record clearly was pop — immaculately recorded, with catchy melodies and all the right sounds in the right places. Songs like "Tragedy and Mystery", "Animals and Jungles", and the title cut were pop in every sense of the word, though their meanings were too precious and couched in metaphor."[10]

40th anniversary

In autumn 2023 the band is performing the whole album live in a series of concerts across the UK.[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Working with Fire and Steel"3:41
2."When the Piper Calls"4:04
3."Hanna Hanna"3:29
4."Animals in Jungles"3:40
5."Here Come a Raincloud" (Retitled "Here Comes a Raincloud" on 2017 reissue)4:16
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Wishful Thinking"4:42
7."Tragedy and Mystery"4:03
8."Papua"3:36
9."The Gates of Door to Door"4:16
10."The Soul Awakening"4:36
Total length:40:23

In 2017, the album was re-released as a 3 CD 'Super Deluxe' edition by Caroline Records. This 37 track set included rare extended versions, demos plus John Peel and Kid Jensen radio sessions. Many of these tracks appeared on CD for the first time however, there were some strange omissions and additions. The track "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives" was originally on the band's debut studio album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982) yet that same album version is included as well as the extended mix. There is no extended version of "Wishful Thinking" yet the very same album version appears twice.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two liner notes.[12]

China Crisis

Additional musicians

  • Steve Levy — saxophone (tracks 1–3); oboe (tracks 5–7)
  • Graeme Levy — voice (Russian dialect) (track 1)
  • Roddy Lorimer — trumpet (tracks 2 and 3)
  • Anthony Thistlethwaite — tenor saxophone (tracks 2 and 3)
  • Jane Lancaster — vocals (tracks 5 and 9)
  • Robert Pollard — synthesiser (track 7)
  • Luke Tunney — flugelhorn (track 7)
  • Gary Barnacle — flute (track 9)
  • The Breck Road String Ensemble — strings (track 5)

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "News". Record Mirror: 7. 29 October 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
  2. ↑ Official Charts
  3. ↑ Official Charts
  4. ↑ Peel sessions: China Crisis BBC
  5. ↑ "Eddie Lundon interview". Memory Lane 80s. 6 February 2021.
  6. ↑ China Crisis Live at The Stables Electricity Club 25 April 2022
  7. ↑ Dan Goldstein (February 1984). "Crisis? What Crisis?". Electronics & Music Maker (Feb 1984): 28–30.
  8. 1 2 3 4 China Crisis Official Charts
  9. 1 2 Schnee, Stephen. "Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two – China Crisis". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Steve Matteo (October 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 6. p. 31.
  11. ↑ "China Crisis - 29/10/23".
  12. ↑ Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (CD booklet). China Crisis. Virgin Records. 1983.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6165a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "China Crisis | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – China Crisis – Working With Fire And Steel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
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