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On This Day in 1985: Wham! play China
31 years ago, on this very day in 1985 Wham! made history by being the first Western pop group to play in China. Watch the documentary Wham! in China Foreign Skies (which remains unreleased on DVD or blu-ray) in full below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IJZkarC5tM
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Just a wee correction to the common mythology, Wham were not the first Western band to play China, an obscure New Zealand band The Spys preceded them by some four years, playing quite a few dates. http://www.audioculture.co.nz/people/living-force
Wham, of course were a much bigger deal but The Spys deserve the credit for first.
Why don’t they just release a blu-ray with however many different edits all included, so the punter can choose the one they want to watch? Too obvious? Too sensible, perhaps?
Lindsay Anderson’s original cut DOES still exist, but it cannot be publicly screened until George Michael changes his mind or dies. You can view it in private at the British Film Institute.
George Michael once said in an interview at the time that the band wasn’t paid for this as they couldn’t take money out of China – instead (he says) they offered to pay them with bicycles!
However, this was a promotional stunt and the resulting publicity firmly cemented their success in the USA.
A DVD one day would be great – sadly a blu-ray would be (kinda) technically impossible.
Cheers.
An ‘SD’ blu-ray with decent sound would be a slight improvement on DVD, but unless this was shot on film, the picture won’t ever be HD.
But what about Jarrett on DVD?
Haha, that hair…it’s so in the way….even they are uncomfortable with it. LOL!
By the way, that Jarre album “The Concerts In China” is absolutely brilliant. The drummer, whoever it is, lifts that entire album to something genial (together with Jarre obviously). It’s remastered and sounds like a million bucks. I highly recommend it!!
Roger Ritzitelli was the drummer. Get the original CD master from 1982 – Yakuda Audio’s mastering is diabolical – way too loud …
Jarre was the first – October 1981. I see over the last few years that he has at least been recognised as such. For many years Wham! were the de facto “first western act to perform in China”, now they’re the “first western pop band” to play China.
Perhaps it will be part of the ‘Make it Bigger’ reissue???
Speaking of Jean-Michel Jarre…..when are we going to see his concert film output released on DVD?….anyone have an idea?
It was mentioned a few years ago that the Houston concert tapes were too poor for Jarre’s standards and are unlikely to be released on DVD or Blue Ray. Such a shame as it was such a spectacular occasion.
The wedding concert for Prince Albert (?) of Monaco was available on you tube in HD, so could, theoretically, get a release.
Monaco 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhrOkO3naaI
Sadly, this is the ONLY live video recording produced during the WHAM! period. Of course we’d all love a video copy of THE FINAL, or even a few of the gigs from the MAKE IT BIG tour, etc. So so much remains locked away – 4 versions of WHAM RAP (including 12″ mixes – never on CD yet) Jerry Wexler “Careless Whisper”, the list goes on and on – tragic.
Didn’t Jean-Michel Jarre beat them by a few years?
I think they were the first western ‘pop group’ etc.
Didn’t Jean-Michel Jarre beat them by a few years? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4HHx8SAE8E
I heartily recommend Simon Napier-Bell’s book “I’m Coming To Take You To Lunch” which tells the story of how he took Wham! to China. Brilliant (as are all his books).
I remember owning Wham! in China Foreign Skies on VHS, I always hoped that, one day, it would find its way to DVD.
The film contains some great live renditions of Wham!’s repertoire: Blue (Armed with Love); Careless Whisper; Everything She Wants; Love Machine*
* denotes cover version – originally by Billy Griffin & The Miracles.
Weren’t Queen also in the running to play China?
Yes, but China chose Wham! over Queen, apparently…
6:36 – Martial arts montage to Bad Boys – feels like a glimpse into some hypnotic parallel universe…
Surprised this isn’t directed by ‘Alan Smithee’ since they butchered Lindsay Anderson’s original ‘vision’. The rumor is his original cut had too much China and too little Wham! Ha! Thought he would have taken his name off it.
You’d think the Anderson edit, entitled “If You Were There” (90 mins, only 4 Wham songs instead of 12) must be out there in some dark corner of the internet…
Yeah…if anyone finds a link…
Also, given GM isn’t interested in issuing the version HE LIKES on DVD or blu-ray, I guess the chances of the ‘director’s cut’ ever being released is less than zero!
Especially given that Anderson publicly said GM ruined a “beautiful” film : “(He was) a young millionaire with an inflated ego. I was struck by his total disinterest in China. His vision only extends to the top 10.”
This REALLY needs to be released properly. Despite the mediorce reviews it got at the time, it is an important part of musical history and the Wham! back catalogue. Love the intro to Careless Whisper!