China Crisis - Wishful Thinking (1997)

Wishful Thinking' is one of Recall Records' excellent two-disc anthologies of '80s UK pop bands. It covers the entire career of China Crisis, from their first single, 1981's "African and White," through tracks from their Virgin catalogue, to selections from the Liverpool-based group's sporadic indie releases of the '90s. Built around the songwriting duo of singer/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon, China Crisis went from a style best described by the title of their first album, DIFFICULT SHAPES AND PASSIVE RHYTHMS, to a much smoother and more commercial style which shared surface characteristics with such fellow '80s pop folks as Prefab Sprout, Eyeless In Gaza, and Aztec Camera. Disc One, with knottier tunes like "Working With Fire and Steel" and the lovely "Black Man Ray," is the better half, but the engagingly melodic tracks on Disc Two come close. ~ All Music

Contrary to the AllMusic review, this 1997 release "Wishful Thinking" is not a China Crisis Anthology. It is a repackaging of their two previous releases. Disc one subtitled "Live & Unplugged", is their 1995 live acoustic album "Acoustically Yours". Disc two is their 1994 studio album "Warped By Success" with one bonus track.