Review: “Chinese Wall” by Philip Bailey (Vinyl, 1984)

Today’s Pop Rescue from an uncertain future, is the 1984 third solo album Chinese Wall by American R&B and funk singer, songwriter, and musician (and part of Earth, Wind, and Fire), Philip Bailey. Will this album be an Easy Lover, or will you show it the road? Read on…

Philip Bailey - Chinese Wall (1984) album — Philip Bailey – Chinese Wall (1984) album.

This 10 track LP opens gently with the percussion of with sort-of second single Photogenic Memory (it was a double A with album closer Children Of The Ghetto). This intro is soon joined by some robotic vocals from Philip that merge in with his normal voice. His voice is soft and a little challenged by the hard beat. The producer on this album is none other than Phil Collins, who as you might expect, also scores credits for backing vocals, drums, and percussion – the latter alongside percussionist Paulinho da Costa. Whilst this track mixes soulful vocals with robotic vocals in 1984, this failed to capture the interest of the UK singles-buying public and it failed to chart.

I Go Crazy follows this, and here Philip’s vocal style in the chorus reminds me a bit of Michael Jackson as he reaches for breathy harmonies and soaring vocal flares with an urgency. The backing track is a pretty funky little pop track though and perhaps this song deserved to have a UK single release instead of the previous song. The track did get released as a single but only in the Netherlands.

That leads on to the third and final single, Walking On The Chinese Wall, and it gives us a nice mid-tempo percussive track. The mellow melody and beats are punctuated by brass and sewn together by a nice bass line. Philip’s vocals take a different feel – almost reaching the half Bee Gee level at times, but it also allows him to show off his vocal range and richness when it does get going. It also musically sounds very Phil Collins too (he’s on keyboards here too). The single reached #34 in the UK singles chart.

Then it’s For Every Heart That’s Been Broken which gives us some wonderful disco sounding nods to his Earth, Wind and Fire days. It’s a reflective song, and Philip’s vocals are warm and soft, giving him plenty of time to shine. There’s also a nice guitar solo in the middle that almost can duel Philip’s highest points before returning us to the vocal harmonies and kalimba and thick bass. Excellent stuff!

Side One closes with the clattering drums and fills of Go. Funky guitars and simple keyboard chords usher in the vocals. However, this track lacks any sense of ‘go’ and instead it just kind of swaggers a bit before getting a bit boring. It’s a weaker track to close this side of the LP.

Side Two opens with Easy Lover, which stood as the lead single. The track proved to be a huge hit, and gave Philip his first solo success right at the top of the singles chart in the UK – and it really is a belter with the vocal harmonies, pace, and the guitar solo. It has a great energy. The track returned to the charts briefly in 2013, where it reached #89. The track’s initial success certainly was assisted by the presence of Phil Collins (his only co-writer credit here), who the UK audience already knew well, and were fans of at that time. Collins even recognises this, and states that he appears in the video for the single simply to get it played. The track reached Platinum status with the BPI in 2022.

That’s followed by Show You The Way To Love which by contrast, gives us a loved-up ballad. Here we find Philip reaching high and then a bit higher than that, for some breathy vocals. Philip is flanked by dramatic drum fills, sweeping strings, and not much more at times.

Time Is A Woman (?) is next and this lifts the tempo and sound by contrast – giving us a return to an upbeat and exciting sound. The track builds well, taking Philip’s vocals with him. Backing vocals here from The Phoenix Horns sound a bit comedic at times, but then the lyrics “I know time is a woman. I know she wears her body well” are a bit weird too. Either way though, it’s fairly catchy.

Next up is Woman, and this feels like another return to a more disco sound via the beat, pulsating keyboards, and sweeping string sections. The lyrics also feel reminiscent to disco too, hinting at a great dancing energy behind it. This really should have been a single, as it’s a belter – it even has a wonderful trumpet solo too. Fantastic!

The album closes with Children Of The Ghetto, the double-A single with Photogenic Memory in many regions. This is an incredibly percussive, emotive, and gently soothing track. It returns Philip back to his higher register vocals, but it suits this song well, with the muted percussion and instruments, and works as the perfect closing track.

Philip Bailey’s lead single ‘Easy Lover’ with album co-writer/producer, Phil Collins.

Verdict

Over all, this album is a mixture of energetic 80’s pop-rock, disco, and mellow songs.

If you’ve bought in to this album from the belting hit Easy Lover, that’s proudly stickered as containing on the front of the sleeve and you’re expecting more like that – then no, you’re not really going to get that. Instead, you’re going to find a collection of songs that are rock-pop and clearly Phil Collins influenced, but also some retro-disco songs, and some loved-up mellow tracks too.

Easy Lover clearly leads the pack here, but Woman and For Every Heart That’s Been Broken are also great songs that should have become singles. Aside this are the weaker songs – lead by Go, and the semi-comedic Time Is A Woman.

There’s no stinkers here – Collins alone would have aided that, but there are what sometimes feels like a few fillers lined up around the hit.