China Crisis - African And White (Inevitable)

While you're at the shop checking out the Chas Jankel, ask to hear this one too; it has a lot of nice instrumental ideas, and only the slightly doomy vocals stop it from being really good. (Charlie Gillett, Smash Hits, February 4, 1982)

China Crisis - King In A Catholic Style (Wake Up) (Virgin)

These boys just keep turning out good tracks. This is a good lively tune with a real nice beat. You may think I'm biased towards Liverpool bands and you'd be right. However, all bias apart, this one really is worth 'getting into' (and I told our Rich, "African And White" was a one-off!) (Simon O'Brien, Smash Hits, May 22, 1985)

China Crisis are now the state of art in easy listening. The harder roots of early singles like "African And White" have withered away and left the band to develop pure, weightless melodies around Gary Daly's soft vocals. Crisis – what crisis? Unfortunately for a band that now stands or falls on its tunes, there are few good ones on the new LP and "King In A Catholic Style" is not one of them. It bounces along merrily enough on Walter Becker's airy production. But there are none of those essential shivers up the spine. (Martin Townsend, No 1, May 25, 1985)

An incessant and badgering ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong refrain keeps this going for longer than it deserves.  China Crisis are still too wordy for their own good but some considerable points scored in scooping Walter Becker as producer. (Dylan Jones, Record Mirror, May 25, 1985)

China Crisis - Wishful Thinking (Virgin)

Listening to this late on a lazy afternoon, I must confess it sounds quite pleasant. But by the time it reaches Top Of The Pops - and pray God it won't - this new China Crisis single will sound as wet and weedy as 80 per cent of the rest of the charts. Even Elton John's not still trying to write "Your Song". (Paul Simper, No 1, January 7, 1984)

Light and airy pop with a dimple in its cheek. It's quite pleasant but it's already beginning to sound dangerously dated. (Ian Birch, Smash Hits, January 5, 1984)

China Crisis - Hanna Hanna (Virgin)

This is a very good song. And so it should be, with practically every note and phrase shamelessly nicked from the Talking Heads. Hardly original and almost certainly a hit. A real Hanna horror. (Maureen Rice, No 1, March 3, 1984)

I used to like this lot but I'm getting weary of their whimsical words and stare-at-the-wall-and-daydream melodies. The only really good thing about this is the noise that sounds like a stick being run up the ribs of a skeleton. Shame. (Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, March 1, 1984)

China Crisis - Scream Down At Me (Inevitable)

In a fortnight where so many Big Names fail to come up with the goods, this one stands tall. China Crisis are a shy young Liverpool threesome who build songs round dense, inventive rhythm patterns. This is the follow-up to their excellent debut single "African and White", and includes haunted synth, jangling guitar, deft bass and the golden tonsils of guest vocalist Ms Linda Wright over chattering, clattering percussion. Probably too off-beat for the radio, but a great record. And it doesn't even feature Trevor Horn! (Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, May 13, 1982)

China Crisis - Christian (Virgin)

In a week when everyone seems to be slowing down and strumming, CC really go for the ballad in a big way. Sublime Karn-esque bass floats, the acoustic gets plucked, the voice dreams away. Every one a tearjerker. Hardly 'A Single' but who cares. We can wallow. ET must have gone to everyone's heads. (Betty Page, Record Mirror, January 15, 1983)

The Liverpool lads - now, with the departure of drummer Dave Reilly, slimmed down to a duo - muff another stab at the charts by releasing an awkward, obscure song that should have been left on the album where it belongs. (Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, January 20, 1983)