Search - China Crisis :: Flaunt the Imperfection

If Steely Dan were British...

J. Thomas | Fresno, CA USA | 05/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...they might have grown up listening to the Beeb and watching "Top of the Pops." The world got a taste of what might have been when, in 1985, Walter Becker teamed up with China Crisis, five of Britain's most underappreciated popsters of the day, and produced "Flaunt the Imperfection."It's not entirely fair or accurate to lump this disc together with Steely Dan's output: There's a different sensibility at play here, a keener eye cast toward the world of pop. China Crisis never had the raw edge of, say, "Reelin' in the Years." While China Crisis' lyrics could sometimes match Becker and Fagen in the obscurity department, they lacked the bad-boy sinisterness that we all knew was hiding under the surface of Steely Dan's increasingly jazz-flavored stylings.That said, however, "Black Man Ray" is probably the best song Steely Dan never made.Fifteen years later, "Flaunt the Imperfection" still holds up remarkably well to re-examination and stands as China Crisis' best work."

One of my all time faves

Marc Ehrlich | Somers, NY USA | 10/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember looking all over the place for this disc when I first heard them. Can't fathom why they weren't a bigger hit in the states - but I saw them in concert in and around NY a few times and these guys were very special. The allusions to Steely Dan are certainly correct in the progressive and somewhat haunting style of music (as well as the WB collaboration on the present disc). Though all of their albums are quite good Flaunt is clearly the best."

Why Was China Crisis Ignored in the States???...

Armando M. Mesa | Chandler, AZ | 01/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I hate to even call this simply a pop album from mid 80's from an obscure group;It's anything but.It's a mixture of rich experimental global rhythms that not only bring to mind Steely Dan (like other reviewers noted) but also contains faint doses of General Public and Tears For Fears;you hear the music,try to pinpoint where you've heard something like this before, but just can't. This is the kind of admirable musical artistry that a lot of new groups lack today and that I miss. China Crisis is not calculated or contrived in any of their tracks;They seem to go with their gut instinct which works every time...Their later projects contained a more soft pop,jazz-like ambient sound ( 1989's Diary of A Hollow Horse)..."