Chinese Wall
Studio album by
Philip Bailey
ReleasedOctober 1984
Recorded
GenrePop, soul, rock
Length50:17
LabelColumbia
ProducerPhil Collins
Philip Bailey chronology
The Wonders of His Love
(1984)		 Chinese Wall
(1984)		 Triumph
(1986)
Singles from Chinese Wall
  1. "Easy Lover"
    Released: November 1984 (US)
  2. "Photogenic Memory"
    Released: 1984
  3. "Walking on the Chinese Wall"
    Released: March 1985 (US) [1]

Chinese Wall is the third solo album by American singer Philip Bailey, released on the Columbia Records label in October 1984. The album reached number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively.[2][3][4] The album was Grammy nominated in the category of Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. Chinese Wall has also been certified gold in the US by the RIAA.[5][6]

Background

The album was produced by English musician Phil Collins, who also played drums, keyboards, co-wrote and sang co-lead vocals.

Collins later said, "Bailey got a lot of flak for being produced by someone who is white. There was this paranoia that the album would not be played by black stations...The reason I was on the video for "Easy Lover" is that I knew it wouldn't be shown if it was just Phil Bailey."[7]

Singles

The album's smash pop hit was "Easy Lover", a duet with Phil Collins. The song also got a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.[5]

The album's second single was "Photogenic Memory", released in 1984. Released in March 1985, the third and final single "Walking on the Chinese Wall" reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[10]
Rolling Stone[11]

Joe Brown of The Washington Post commented, "The spirit of Earth, Wind and Fire goes one step beyond on his second solo effort, guided masterfully by Phil Collins, who can't seem to make a misstep these days. Bailey's falsetto soars ethereally (and sometimes scrapes earthily) over Collins' glistening wall of exotic percussion and electronic textures".[12] With a 3 out of 5 stars rating, James Henke of Rolling Stone stated, "This is not as funky as Earth, Wind and Fire, but it's a hundred times more appealing."[11]

Writing for The Voice, music journalist Nelson George praised Chinese Wall, declaring it "the most solid album by a black male since Purple Rain". He described "the Phenix Horns' stratospheric horn chart...Collins drumming (this white boy is funky) and Arif Mardin's impeccable string charts", saying Bailey "singing breathier and deeper – projects his sensitivity in a more muscular baritone."[13]

Gary Graff of the Detroit Free Press wrote "Earth, Wind & Fire singer Bailey makes a wise bet by enlisting Collins to produce and play on his album. Besides a strong duet, "Easy Lover," the performances lift the album's quality above some inconsistent songwriting."[14] Lou Papineau of The Boston Globe found that, "This is a likable, undemanding album of lively uptempo struts and warm ballads."[15]

Track listing

Chinese Wall – Standard edition[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Photogenic Memory"Jerry Knight, Davitt Sigerson, Lillie Mae Clarke5:26
2."I Go Crazy"Philip Bailey, Glen Ballard, Marti Sharron4:48
3."Walking on the Chinese Wall"Billie Hughes, Roxanne Seeman5:08
4."For Every Heart That's Been Broken"Ballard, Clif Magness4:15
5."Go"Nathan East, Ralph Johnson4:30
6."Easy Lover" (Duet with Phil Collins)Bailey, Phil Collins, East5:05
7."Show You the Way to Love"Bailey, Ballard, Sharron4:41
8."Time Is a Woman"Barry Blue, Julian Littman, Robin Smith4:31
9."Woman"Steve Mitchell, Sharron, Gary Skardina5:04
10."Children of the Ghetto"Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo6:49
Total length:50:16
Chinese Wall – 2011 remastered edition (bonus tracks)[17]
No.TitleLength
11."Easy Lover" (Extended Dance Remix)6:19
Total length:56:35

Personnel

  • Philip Bailey – lead and backing vocals, percussion (10)
  • Lesette Wilson – keyboards, acoustic piano solo (10)
  • George Massenburg – synthesizer programming
  • Godfrey Wang – synthesizer programming
  • Daryl Stuermer – guitars, guitar solo (4, 6)
  • Nathan East – bass guitar, bass pedals (4), kalimba (4), keyboards (5)
  • Phil Collins – drums (1-9), vocoder (1), LinnDrum (1, 3, 5), Simmons (2, 8, 9), keyboards (3, 6), backing vocals (3, 6, 8), lead vocals (6), percussion (10)
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion (7, 10)
  • The Phenix Horns – horns (3, 5, 7, 8, 9)
    • Don Myrick – saxophones (3, 5, 7, 8, 9), sax solo (5)
    • Louis Satterfield – trombone (3, 5, 7, 8, 9)
    • Michael Harris – trumpet (3, 5, 7, 8, 9), trumpet solo (9)
    • Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet (3, 5, 7, 8, 9)
    • Tom-Tom 84 – horn arrangements (3, 5, 7, 8, 9)
  • Arif Mardin – string arrangements (5, 7, 9)
  • Josie James – backing vocals (3, 4, 8)
  • Carl Carwell – backing vocals (7, 10)
  • Winston Ford – backing vocals (7, 10)
  • Nigel Martinez – backing vocals (8)

Production

  • Producer – Phil Collins
  • Engineer – George Massenburg
  • Assistant Engineers – Steve Chase, Judy Clapp, Murray Dvorkin and Tom Perry.
  • Art Direction and Design – Tony Lane and Nancy Donald
  • Cover Photography – Ellen Land-Weber and Randee St. Nicholas
  • Management – Cavallo, Ruffalo and Fargnoli Management.

[16]

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] Gold 500,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles

Year Single Chart
[29][30][31][32][33]		 Position
1984 "Easy Lover" The Billboard Hot 100 2
1984 "Easy Lover" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 3
1984 "Easy Lover" Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard) 5
1985 "Easy Lover" Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 15
1985 "Easy Lover" Dance Club Songs (Billboard) 7
1985 "Easy Lover" Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard) 3
1985 "Easy Lover" UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 1
1984 "Photogenic Memory" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 61
1985 "Walking on the Chinese Wall" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 56
1985 "Walking on the Chinese Wall" The Billboard Hot 100 46

References

  1. ↑ "Philip Bailey singles US cat no".
  2. 1 2 "Philip Bailey Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Philip Bailey Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  5. 1 2 "Philip Bailey". Grammy.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "American album certifications – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  7. ↑ George, Nelson (September 6, 1986). "Rhythm & the Blues". Vol. 98, no. 36. Billboard. p. 23. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. ↑ "Philip Bailey Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  9. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 16, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  11. 1 2 Henke, James (December 28, 1984). "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". St Louis Post Dispatch. Rolling Stone. p. 62 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Brown, Joe (March 1, 1985). "Five Solo Soul Outings". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ George, Nelson (February 5, 1985). Voice. pp. 63, 93.
  14. ↑ Graff, Gary (December 2, 1984). "Chinese Wall - Philip Bailey". Detroit Free Press. p. 28 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Papineau, Lou (January 31, 1985). "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". The Boston Globe. p. 78 – via newspapers.com.
  16. 1 2 Chinese Wall (Album liner notes). Philip Bailey. CBS. 1984. CDCBS 26161.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ↑ "Chinese Wall (Bonus Track) by Philip Bailey on Apple Music". iTunes Store. October 1984. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Charts.nz – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Philip Bailey | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Philip Bailey: Chinese Wall". musiccanada.com. Music Canada.
  29. ↑ "Philip Bailey - Chart history (The Hot 100) | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Philip Bailey - Chart history (Mainstream Rock Songs) | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Philip Bailey - Chart history (Dance Club Songs) | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Philip Bailey - Chart history (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  33. ↑ "PHILIP BAILEY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
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