Working With Fire and Steel (Positive Pop Songs Vol. 2)

Working With Fire and Steel (Positive Pop Songs Volume 2) is the title of the second studio album by China Crisis released in 1983 on Virgin records. The album was produced by Mike Howlett and all songwriting is attributed to band core-members Garry (Daly) and Eddie (Lundon). By this time the group had also expanded to include Gazza Johnson on bass, Kevin Rowlinson on drums and Steve Levy on sax and oboe.

Preceded by the track Tragedy and Mystery and the title track released as singles, the album had fairly limited success until a third single Wishful Thinking was released and became a hit in early 1984. The album then reached its peak position of no.20 in February of that year. Another track Hanna Hanna was also released as a follow up single (with the expletive removed) although failed to replicate the success of Wishful Thinking, which remains one of teh group's best-known songs.

Tracklisting
Side One Side Two
 * original LP/MC release, 1983
 * 1) Working With Fire and Steel
 * 2) When the Piper Calls
 * 3) Hanna Hanna
 * 4) Animals in Jungles
 * 5) Here Come a Raincloud
 * 1) Wishful Thinking
 * 2) Tragedy and Mystery
 * 3) Papua
 * 4) The Gates of Door to Door
 * 5) The Soul Awakening

Re-releases
An expanded 3-CD re-mastered re-issue of Working With Fire and Steel (Positive Pop Songs Volume 2) featuring B-sides, extended versions and three BBC Radio 1 sessions was released in 2017.

Charts

 * UK Album charts: 20 (1984)
 * Physical Albums Chart: 68 (2017 re-release)