Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two

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.

Working with Fire and Steel
Studio album by
China Crisis
Released31 October 1983 (31 October 1983)[1]
StudioAmazon Studios, Liverpool and The Manor Studio, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire
Genre
Length40:23
LabelVirgin
ProducerMike Howlett
China Crisis chronology
Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain
(1982)		 Working with Fire and Steel
(1983)		 Flaunt the Imperfection
(1985)
Singles from Working with Fire and Steel
  1. "Tragedy and Mystery"
    Released: May 1983
  2. "Working with Fire and Steel"
    Released: October 1983
  3. "Wishful Thinking"
    Released: December 1983
  4. "Hanna Hanna"
    Released: March 1984
Alternative cover
CD cover

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
SourceRating
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.TitleLength
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.TitleLength
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

Additional musicians

Charts
Chart 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

References
  1. "News". Record Mirror: 7. 29 October 1983. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
  2. Official Charts
  3. Official Charts
  4. Schnee, Stephen. "Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two – China Crisis". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  5. Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (CD booklet). China Crisis. Virgin Records. 1983.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "Australiancharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  7. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6165a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. "Charts.nz – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – China Crisis – Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. "China Crisis | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 May 2020.



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