Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 12 November 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1980–82 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 39:30 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer |
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China Crisis chronology | ||||
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Singles from Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain | ||||
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Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain is the debut studio album by English new wave band China Crisis, released on 12 November 1982 by Virgin Records. It spent 17 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at number 21 in February 1983. [2]
The album was recorded during a long period of time in different studios with different producers. Half the album that eventually made up side two on the album was recorded on an eight-track studio in Liverpool before China Crisis had signed a recording contract with Virgin Records. "African and White" was produced by Jeremy Lewis. The other half of the album that made up side one was produced by Steve Levine (two tracks) and Peter Walsh (three tracks). [3]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
In a retrospective AllMusic review Stephen Schnee wrote that the duo of Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon "made their fascinating debut, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain, on a low budget, and their magic was already in place, especially on the Steely Dan-ish "No More Blue Horizons," the upbeat groove of "Some People I Know to Lead Fantastic Lives" and "You Never See It", the gorgeous "Christian," and their early hit "African and White." Their quirkiness doesn't quite translate on a few tracks ("Temptation's Big Blue Eyes" and "Are We a Worker"), but the charm of this album will win you over if you like smart, yet slightly eccentric, pop songs. It is plainly obvious that, no matter how uncommercial a particular song may be, the boys in China Crisis put their heart and soul into it, creating something uniquely their own, and building upon it." [4]
In a Trouser Press review of the album Jim Green wrote: "The rhythms — R&B, funk, reggae, Afro-gypsy, bossa nova — are so gently, modestly, melodiously proffered that it goes down too smoothly. Then you notice that the dreamily enunciated sentiments interface the political and the personal, with hopeful dreams and admissions of self-doubt and inner struggle. The cohesive feel is maintained despite four different producers; China Crisis' sturdy intellectual backbone emerges often enough to avoid wimpiness." [5]
All songs are written by Gary Daly, Eddie Lundon and Dave Reilly.
Side one: Difficult Side
Side two: Entertainment Side
China Crisis
Other personnel
Production and artwork
China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of lead vocalist and keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten Top 50 singles and three Top 40 albums. The band also achieved commercial success in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and some minor chart successes in North America.
Gil Norton is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers, Twin Atlantic, General Fiasco, Span, Busted, Bayside, and Intergallactic Lovers.
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"African and White" is a song by China Crisis. It was released as the band's debut single in 1981 on Inevitable Records. A remixed version of the song was reissued as a single by Virgin Records in 1982 and became the band's first appearance on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45 in August 1982. The song is included on the band's debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain and on several compilation albums.
"Christian" is a song by China Crisis. It was released as a single from their 1982 debut album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain and was the band's first major success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 12 in February 1983.
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