Why on earth did Walter Becker produce China Crisis?

Rickie Lee Jones, c/d?

I'm also thinking this was just post rehab/drug prob for Becker, sort of a tentative step back into the daylight. Or maybe it was the last straw, a little blowout in the midst of a final coke binge.

I carried the torch for China Crisis for many years, especially in my late teens/early 20's. Never met many people that were into them, really, if anyone. I still remember them fondly but really don't play them anymore. Did anyone get that really mellow acoustic live CD thing they did towards the end? It wasn't mind-blowing but not a bad way to go out, either.

"king in a catholic style" and "black man ray" pop into my head every once in a while. this was a pretty good record, haven't listened to the whole thing in nearly 20 years. i remember the production being very professional but not overtly "dan-like"

So the 'riginal question basically is "Why did Walter Becker cross the road?"?

"because they askeed him to"

listened to "wall of god" for the first time in forever last night
rip bimble

Becker was sorta wondering what he was gonna do post-Steely Dan is my understanding - there was no formal "we're done" so far as I know, but I suspect he was sorta playing with the idea of becoming a producer - he also did some amazing work with Rickie Lee Jones

Also worked with Fra Lippo Lippi and Rosie Vela.

This band is affectionately known in our house as Vagina Crisis.

feeling that ersatz panpipe action on "christian" right now

I finally heard this album in March. Not bad!

God damn I'm listening to Flaunt the Arrangement right now and the horns on "You Did Cut Me" are just perfect

While I wouldn't really class China Crisis as being up there with other bands who were producing this type of music at the time, Working With Fire and Steel and Flaunt The Imperfection are both a hundred, million, billion, zillion times better than anything that, say, Spandau Ballet managed to shit out in the '80s, as are the first three New Musik albums.

Never heard these guys before and “red sails” came on and I thought it was some new Ariel pink soundalike

"King in a Catholic Style" still super great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rzEwK9e_PM

Siiick

so is china crisis kinda good? because, uhh. . .

I like the first album alright

Flaunt the Imperfection is good, Autumn in the Neighbourhood from 2018 too

I would say 'kinda good' is a fair assessment, yeah.

"Working with Fire and Steel" is borderline genius. As is "Wishful Thinking". I thought they actually suffered when Walter Becker got involved with them; I much preferred their previous album which was produced by Mike Howlett. But then again I'm 1,000,000% a New Wave junkie.

I was just pondering this question! Had no idea Becker was involved with something like "Black Man Ray". (One of only two tracks I definitely knew to be China Crisis songs before this week, along with "Arizona Sky".)

never really liked 'flaunt the imperfection' as a whole but i love the softness of the horns/woodwinds on 'you did cut me'. guitar on that song is lovely too.