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China Crisis are another of those acts that I remember being successful, but I've no memory of any of the music until much later. Even now, I can't really make out what 'Wishful Thinking' is supposed to be - is it supposed to be MOR, or prog (as the album title Working with Fire & Steel: Possible Pop Songs - Volume 2 would seem to suggest), or just mainstream pop? Is it supposed to be New Wave, as their Wikipedia entry suggests? And perhaps more importantly, do I care?
There seems to be quite nice tune buried somewhere in this record (although I can't entirely escape the suspicion that it's 'Your Song') but under all the production I can't really get a handle on it. The chorus seems oddly undersold down in the midst of all this: I can imagine someone like the Pale Fountains making a far better job of that. It's pleasant but it feels like it could be more. And the undramatic fade-out seems a bit of a weak way to finish Side 3.
Also appearing on: Now 5
Available on: China Crisis Collection: The Very Best of China Crisis
You're so right about the ending to this song, it's sorely disappointing after such a pleasant four minutes of musicality. I assume the Your Song comparison stems from starting the second verse with "I sat on the roof..."?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit to having a bit of a bugbear about fade-outs at the end of sides or albums. I know some records go into big dramatic fades (or even fade out on a unique coda), which is fair enough, but I don't like it when it sounds like the engineer is watching the clock ticking down to his tea-break.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, obviously that second verse allusion (which must be deliberate) is what suggested the connection, but there are slight similarities in the melody when you look for them. I suppose lots of other songs would too if you looked for it though.