In June we first mentioned the new, and different, China Crisis compilation of a different color “China Greatness.” Now it’s sitting in my Record Cell, thanks to a generous commenter who had purchased more CDs from the band’s label than a mind can readily cope with and sent it in my direction; not being a fan. I’d bought a copy of the very first one, “Collection” in a double pack with a crucial 2nd disc of their supafine B-sides from 1990. Is there room on my beleaguered racks for yet another China Crisis compilation? Let’s find out!

China Crisis: China Greatness – UK – 2xCD [2024]

Disc 1

1. Animals In Jungles 3:26
2. Wishful Thinking 5:26
3. Arizona Sky 5:19
4. It’s Everything 5:29
5. The Understudy 5:58
6. Christian 4:55
7. King In A Catholic Style 4:03
8. Papua 3:40
9. It’s Never Too Late 4:44
10. When The Piper Calls 3:53
11. Black Man Ray 3:37
12. You Did Cut Me 4:08

Disc 2

1. It’s Never Too Late For You And Me, Mix 4:45
2. Wishful Thinking Brecon Beacons Mix 5:26
3. Papua Pacific Mix 3:38
4. It’s Everything Everything Mix 5:35
5. King Reprise Mix 4:18
6. Christian WW1 Mix 5:48
7. Arizona Sequential Mix 3:53
8. Black Man Way Mix 3:30

ALBUM OF SONGS

The opening deep cut on the first disc was a bold move. Anyone else would have put a calling card like their biggest selling “Wishful thinking” right up front. Instead we got a superior reading of “Animals In Jungles” from “Working With Fire + Steel” with its pixilated tempo intact but the music bed was richer for the orchestral arrangements that the band’s keyboardist, Jack Hymers added to lose some of the clouds of minimal synthpop still clinging to the 41 year old song. When it all ended on a orchestral flourish, I had to admit that it was a big winner.

As for “Wishful Thinking,” it was the second track here. Now bedecked with new string introduction coming from left field before the song bloomed like a flower. The delicate pizzicato touches throughout were that much better on actual strings instead of a synth, and it seems like Hymers may have re-scored the oboe track judging from the breathlessly beautiful coda now included with the song where the oboe wove its magic spell for another half minute with the strings and percussion. Given that this album’s spotlight on the oboe was what endeared it to me in the first place, this could only be a great thing.

“Arizona Sky” was the band’s biggest American single and the enhancements that the string and horn arrangements added to the pleasures of this song, were palpable. A deep cut from “What Price Paradise” followed in “It’s Everything,” and the level of detail here made the song even more of an earworm. It’s difficult to imagine that only two singles were released from this album, and that this and “June bride” [which, okay, was a Spanish promo 7″] were not triumphant top ten hits in some territory or another! The delicate breakdown in the altogether new coda was just a thing of beauty.

Speaking of beauty, the new care lavished on the top flight deep cut “The Understudy” took that shining, if hidden, beacon from the “What Price Paradise” album from “buried treasure” status to peak China Crisis. The complex sonic terraces of the middle eight now sport effervescent flute and string pas de deux that are simply breathtaking. If the rest of this album were shadow puppets, this alone would have justified the expenditure.

I guess sooner or later, the wings of this album were going to get singed by the sun. I was not convinced by further stripped down take on “Christian” that stingily held back on the fretless bass that was the song’s core for me. This version was too delicate for my tastes. Such that a slight wind would blow it away. The fretless didn’t manifest here until the song was two thirds over, and even then, the sumptuous bass was mixed down to criminally low levels.

Fortunately, the new take on “King In A Catholic Style” severely dialed down the borderline annoying sampled pan pipe hook and the new string flourishes and emphasis on the vocals made the track attain a crisp new life that was having me enjoy the song more than I had in a very long time. Lopping off a half minute also did the song many favors.

It’s gratifying to hear the importance now accorded to the wonderful B-side “It’s Never Too Late” which was from the “Working With Fire + Steel” sessions but not included, which must have been a difficult call at the time. The finely etched arrangement paints the song in the best light possible.

A great Eddie-sung deep cut was “When The Piper Calls” which had it’s synth line transposed to strings handily, but it was the punchier drumming that really lifted this one up. The LP track now sounded like a demo to these ears. Their 1985 hit “Black Man Ray” was another track that I can’t say benefited from the retrofitting done to it. All of the strings in the new coda weren’t as eloquent to me as the original guitar was.

And the closing “You Did Cut” me was never a favorite of mine; owing to the MOR sounding high 80s sax. Unfortunately, that was still here and doubling the guitars with strings just ended up adding clutter to the song. There may be an arrangement of this song I’d really like, but this wasn’t it, either. Leaving disc one ending on a flat note for me.

DUB DISC

The “It’s Never Too Late For You And Me Mix” started out with a dub of the new orchestration before the vocals re-entered the track at the midpoint. But what was reaching our ears were strictly the new elements recorded for this project and the original vocals – minus any drums at all! That methodology held firm for most of the tracks on this second disc. It was an orchestral dub groove thang. Giving us a much closer glimpse of just how much new recording was done for this project.

The “King Reprise Mix” went for full dub status without any vocals. As was the “Christian WW1 Mix.” The latter functioned better as a full instrumental in its new guise. In fact, none of the remaining tracks would have any vocals; each of them were an orchestral dub example. making the second disc a fine palate cleanser following the main course.

The scope of this album was pretty far beyond the “remix album” paradigm, and at the end of the day, the whole project came closer to something like the “Never Let Me Down 2018” project where only the vocals and a few select instrumental tracks were kept from the m,aster tape. And a whole new song built around the framework of the vocals. The results were not a radical re-think, but show just how much the arrangement brings to our ears.

Fortunately, most of the material here lived up to the conceit that all of this heavily lifting constituted actual improvements to material that was hardly wanting in the first place! The pittance of tracks that I felt failed in that regard hardly dimmed my enthusiasm for the project as a whole. If one was a fan of China Crisis, then this album would be more than just money-spinning; as the worst sort of remix albums are.

Fans of the superb “Acoustically Yours” album by the group will have a lot to love here, as both projects took a largely acoustic approach to the China Crisis canon. But instead of paring things down in a minimal way, as was usually the brief of acoustic albums, they had new edifices of sound constructed as the arrangements became fuller with detail. And on disc one, it behooves me to mention that certain of the original synth, drum machine, and guitar elements were still there on an as appropriate basis according to mixer Mark Pythian and arranger Jack Hymers’ creative decisions. If you’ve already got one China Crisis compilation…you may have need of another. DJ, hit that button!

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