Gradually, the star of the formidable LTM archive becomes the archivist himself. James Nice is one of those devoted chroniclers whose work reframes and reasserts the significance of his collections beyond their original impact. This time it’s Winston Tong.
Winston Tong, award winning puppeteer, singer, composer, would-be actor, visual artist and cultural traveller was another of those who played a part in the continuing story of Tuxedomoon, Nice's central point of reference. Tong left them behind, not to return, in 1985, having donated "In a Manner of Speaking" (not included here) to be covered later by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode.
The "Theoretically Chinese" set had emerged from a collaboration between Tong and Belgian singer Niki Mono. Working for Island-financed Disques du Crepuscule, Tong eventually completed the album with new collaborator Sussan Deyhim. The Associates' Alan Rankine was co-producer with Dave Formula (Midge Ure collaborator in Visage) while new wave stars of varying luminance (Jah Wobble, Steven Morris, Simon Topping) sat in on the sessions.
The nine out-and-out pop songs are uneven in timbre. The unifying dryness of synth drums and keyboards carbon-date everything with the certainty of hall marks on gold. But here and there a sax part, a suspect vocal line or an unsteady dynamic progression seem to miss the sure touch of era-transcending musicianship that we expect on work by the man Tong briefly replaced in Tuxedomoon, Blaine L. Reininger.
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Neverthelbloodyless, highlights shine out with clarity. "Broken English" (as covered by Marianne Faithful) is a song that could define the genre. Minimalist, impulsive, cool and exciting all at once. And some great echoey synth lines behind the single note stabs that feed the dance tempo. "Reports From the Heart" uses a big bass line and a slower tempo to stir up the romance. "Theoretical China" itself is a monster of a single that sits very well in this company.
In addition to the nine songs from the original album, three related tracks are appended. "The Hunger" is a grandiose and fascinating sixteen minute piece of sections from a Tokyo session with Japanese musicians. Lots of highly sampleable noises and beats too. Go buy, you nu-sonic archaeologists. There's an Italian remix of "Broken English" in a sharper, faster tempo. And "Dream Assassins" puts itself out as more than a great title/band name. Its sonic scope takes it well outside the pop/disco format, more akin to the experimental feel (if not the sound) of "The Hunger".
I have a feeling that a day at James Nice's house would be a musical education. His subtle introduction of Winston Tong is a very effective testimony to both their talents.
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