Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two

Working with Fire and Steel
Working with Fire and Steel
Studio album by China Crisis
Released	31 October 1983
Studio	Amazon Studios, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire
Genre	Synth-pop; new wave;
Length	40:23
Label	Virgin
Producer	Mike Howlett
China Crisis chronology
Singles from Working with Fire and Steel
	"Tragedy and Mystery"; Released: May 1983; "Working with Fire and Steel"; Released: October 1983; "Wishful Thinking"; Released: December 1983; "Hanna Hanna"; Released: March 1984;
Alternative cover
	CD cover

Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two is the second studio album by English new wave and synth-pop band China Crisis, released in 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]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]

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 synthpop-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."^[4]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
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

Personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two liner notes.^[5]

China Crisis

Gary Daly — vocals; synthesizer; grand piano; E-mu Emulator; tape
Eddie Lundon — acoustic and electric guitars; synthesizer; E-mu Emulator; vocals
Gary "Gazza" Johnson — bass guitar; fretless bass; bass harmonica
Kevin Wilkinson — drums; percussion

Additional musicians

Steve Levy — saxophone (tracks 1-3); oboe (tracks 5-7)
Graeme Levy — voice (Russian dialect) (track 1)
Roddy Lorimer — trumpet (tracks 2 & 3)
Anthony Thistlethwaite — tenor saxophone (tracks 2 & 3)
Jane Lancaster — vocals (tracks 5 & 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[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1983–1984)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[6]	37
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[7]	36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[8]	7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[9]	36
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[10]	14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[11]	32
UK Albums (OCC)^[12]	20

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1984)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[13]	41

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[14]	Gold	100,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

^ "News". Record Mirror: 7. 29 October 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
^ Official Charts
^ Official Charts
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Schnee, Stephen. "Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two – China Crisis". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (CD booklet). China Crisis. Virgin Records. 1983.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Australiancharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6165a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "China Crisis | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
^ "British album certifications – China Crisis – Working With Fire And Steel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2021.

External links[]

Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two at Discogs (list of releases)

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[1] "News". Record Mirror: 7. 29 October 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.

[2] Official Charts

[3] Official Charts

[AllMusic-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Schnee, Stephen. "Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two – China Crisis". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[linernotes2-5] Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (CD booklet). China Crisis. Virgin Records. 1983.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Australia_China_Crisis-6] "Australiancharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[group=-7] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6165a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[ac_Netherlands_China_Crisis-8] "Dutchcharts.nl – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[ac_Germany4_China_Crisis-9] "Offiziellecharts.de – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[ac_New_Zealand_China_Crisis-10] "Charts.nz – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[ac_Sweden_China_Crisis-11] "Swedishcharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[ac_UK_China_Crisis-12] "China Crisis | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

[13] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 16 February 2021.

[United_KingdomChina_CrisisWorking_With_Fire_And_SteelalbumCertRef-14] "British album certifications – China Crisis – Working With Fire And Steel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 February 2021.

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hide v China Crisis
Gary Daly Eddie Lundon Dave Reilly Gazza Johnson Kevin Wilkinson Walter Becker Brian McNeill
Studio albums	Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two Flaunt the Imperfection What Price Paradise Diary of a Hollow Horse Warped by Success Autumn in the Neighbourhood
Other albums	Diary: A Collection
Singles	"African and White" "No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool)" "Christian" "Tragedy and Mystery" "Working with Fire and Steel" "Wishful Thinking" "Hanna Hanna" "Black Man Ray" "King in a Catholic Style"