New Wave Outpost Forum

Actually almost everything from the first two albums is on CD already - I'm talking of course about the 2-CD version of "China Crisis Collection" from 1990, while mixes can be found on certain VA discs. Even several demos are out - on "Fine & Also Rare" CD, while live recordings are quite a few too. So I'm personally only interested in seeing what tracklist they'll come up with. But this band is so criminally overlooked during all that reissue frenzy that it's only fair to get them out as quickly as possible.

Don't know if it's of any interest but I sat down and compiled my own tracklist using the existing sources:

01. Seven Sports for All 3:49
02. No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool) 3:48
03. Feel to Be Driven Away 2:52
04. Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives 3:47
05. Christian 5:43
06. African & White 3:48
07. Are We a Worker? 3:27
08. Red Sails 4:50
09. You Never See It 2:54
10. Temptation's Big Blue Eyes 3:22
11. Jean Walks in Freshfields 1:51
12. Scream Down at Me 3:15
13. Cucumber Garden 6:58 [full length]
14. African & White 5:03 [remixed & extended version]
15. Be Suspicious 5:00 [full length]
16. No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool) 5:03 [full length]
17. No Ordinary Lover 6:21
18. Watching Over Burning Fields 3:03
19. Christian 4:10 [7" edit]
20. Greenacre Bay 4:16 [full length]
21. Performing Seals 2:46
22. 'No Ordinary Lover' (Watching Over Burning Fields) 3:39 [Methods of Dance version]
23. Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives 6:07 [extended mix]

Only needed a couple of vinyl rips to do it (tracks 16 and 23).

Oh and while I'm at it, that's what I came up with for the second album:

Working with Fire & Steel 3:36
When the Piper Calls 4:03
Hanna Hanna 3:29
Animals in Jungles 3:39
Here Comes a Raincloud 4:16
Wishful Thinking 4:38
Tragedy & Mystery 4:02
Papua 3:36
The Gates of Door to Door 4:16
The Soul Awakening 4:35
Tragedy & Mystery 5:30 [extended mix]
A Golden Handshake for Every Daughter 4:00
Fire & Steel 5:00 [mix]
Dockland 4:09
Forever I & I 3:04
Wishful Thinking 4:08 [single version]
This Occupation 4:02 [extended mix]
Hanna Hanna 5:17 [extended mix]
It's Never Too Late 4:51
Slow Houses 4:11 [home demo '84]

Passing_Stranger wrote:Oh and while I'm at it, that's what I came up with for the second album:

Working with Fire & Steel 3:36
When the Piper Calls 4:03
Hanna Hanna 3:29
Animals in Jungles 3:39
Here Comes a Raincloud 4:16
Wishful Thinking 4:38
Tragedy & Mystery 4:02
Papua 3:36
The Gates of Door to Door 4:16
The Soul Awakening 4:35
Tragedy & Mystery 5:30 [extended mix]
A Golden Handshake for Every Daughter 4:00
Fire & Steel 5:00 [mix]
Dockland 4:09
Forever I & I 3:04
Wishful Thinking 4:08 [single version]
This Occupation 4:02 [extended mix]
Hanna Hanna 5:17 [extended mix]
It's Never Too Late 4:51
Slow Houses 4:11 [home demo '84]

Would love its never to late on CD , think this is a brilliant track

It's Never Too Late was the b side of Black Man Ray so would feature on Flaunt The Imperfection.

Well, as it was recorded during Fire & Steel sessions it's only logical to include it as a bonus to the second album. And yes, it's one of their best so seems strange that it was so overlooked - only released on a limited edition 12" and never on CD! Perhaps they'd just forgot about it?

Passing_Stranger wrote:Well, as it was recorded during Fire & Steel sessions it's only logical to include it as a bonus to the second album. And yes, it's one of their best so seems strange that it was so overlooked - only released on a limited edition 12" and never on CD! Perhaps they'd just forgot about it?

agreed , musically it is more aligned to the second album as well but wouldn't mind either away as long as it just gets released

I think this is one band where I cant understand why their albums have not been remastered / deluxed yet. there are multiple compilations out there

Also I could not understand why Cherry Red chose to go for diary of a hollow horse first unless it was the only one that could be licenced

thunderbird2 wrote:

Passing_Stranger wrote:Well, as it was recorded during Fire & Steel sessions it's only logical to include it as a bonus to the second album. And yes, it's one of their best so seems strange that it was so overlooked - only released on a limited edition 12" and never on CD! Perhaps they'd just forgot about it?

agreed , musically it is more aligned to the second album as well but wouldn't mind either away as long as it just gets released

I think this is one band where I cant understand why their albums have not been remastered / deluxed yet. there are multiple compilations out there

Also I could not understand why Cherry Red chose to go for diary of a hollow horse first unless it was the only one that could be licenced

But then diary of a hollow horse was on Virgin like the previous albums so i can't see it being a licensing problem. I bought their latest album from pledgemusic and before that release they offered a download of a song everyone you know which consequently never appeared on the finished album so i asked the question on their facebook as to why it was not included and they never replied but blocked me from making any other comments which was very childish

Overlooked or not this band has been rereleased, collected and whatever so much it makes the Comsat Angels seem neglected by comparison. Seriously they did 5-10 good songs, all of which are available for essentially nothing.

Barmy wrote:Overlooked or not this band has been rereleased, collected and whatever so much it makes the Comsat Angels seem neglected by comparison. Seriously they did 5-10 good songs, all of which are available for essentially nothing.

I strongly disagree with that as they never released one bad album which says a lot compared to other artists who i like who usually have a stinker somewhere in their back catalogue. As for being rereleased they have had one album reissued Diary Of A Hollow Horse as for the rest they haven't been touched since they originally came out and 5 compilations in 30 years isn't exactly excessive is it.

Barmy wrote:Overlooked or not this band has been rereleased, collected and whatever so much it makes the Comsat Angels seem neglected by comparison. Seriously they did 5-10 good songs, all of which are available for essentially nothing.

I would agree the compilations have been excessive but definitely wouldn't agree on the first 4 albums and the amount of good songs they have created. There first four do not seem to have been touched since they were first released on CD. Perhaps it is down to personal taste but I have a huge collection of new wave / 80's / synthpop etc and I do rate them as very high and one of the best bands of that era with minimal duff tracks on their albums

Overlooked or not this band has been rereleased, collected and whatever so much it makes the Comsat Angels seem neglected by comparison. Seriously they did 5-10 good songs, all of which are available for essentially nothing.

I am with everyone else those first China Crisis album every track is superb-- and also that the albums are sequenced proper. This is why I do not favor the China Crisis compilations and always prefer to put the album on instead.

3 good albums, then swift decline. My basic point is we need CD reissues from bands that have NEVER been on CD. You can get all of CC on CD, albeit often for a premium. But at least you can get them. And they sound fine, for those who like or prefer 80's style remastering.

The numerous diary/collection reissues are murky and barely worth even tracking. Wiki lists a gazillion but a lot of these seem like live recordings or whatever.

If the band itself is rereleasing this stuff coupled with a load of dross as the second CD, fine. But if they are not getting profits from this it seems rather sad.

It's often baffled me why Arizona Sky wasn't a hell of a lot bigger single than what is because that song is sheer perfection. People mentioning the decline after 3 albums i disagree with as What Price Paradise and Diary Of A Hollow Horse are excellent in my opinion and if i was pushed the only album of theirs that i would say is mediocre is Warped By Success but then there are some good tracks on that as well. The confusion with the compilations doesn't help when you consider Acoustically Yours has been reissued about half a dozen times and is usually being passed off as a greatest hits album. I do agree it's not right about stuff not yet released on CD that keeps getting ignored is annoying and i have contacted the likes of Cherry Red on that subject but never get a reply but then there more intent on reissuing utter shite like nick kamen and betty boo and garbage like that.

I HAVE the first 3 CDs. Weedy vocals and blah melodies. That is simply undeniable. I mean, really, can someone mount a defense for the bland vocals of this band? African and White is their only distinctive song. And good god the silly oriental flourishes on their early albums are embarrassing. Geddit, "China" Crisis! This is MOR NW at it's worst.

And I have drug out these CDs in honour or of this thread. They sound fine. Yes, a bit thin, but perfectly fine.