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Chinese Wall (album)

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]

Chinese Wall

October 1984

50:17

Background[edit]

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[edit]

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]

– lead and backing vocals, percussion (10)

Philip Bailey

Lesette Wilson – keyboards, acoustic piano solo (10)

– synthesizer programming

George Massenburg

Godfrey Wang – synthesizer programming

– guitars, guitar solo (4, 6)

Daryl Stuermer

– bass guitar, bass pedals (4), kalimba (4), keyboards (5)

Nathan East

– 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)

Phil Collins

– percussion (7, 10)

Paulinho da Costa

The Phenix Horns

Don Myrick

– string arrangements (5, 7, 9)

Arif Mardin

– backing vocals (3, 4, 8)

Josie James

Carl Carwell – backing vocals (7, 10)

Winston Ford – backing vocals (7, 10)

Nigel Martinez – backing vocals (8)

Producer –

Phil Collins

Engineer –

George Massenburg

Assistant Engineers – Steve Chase, Judy Clapp, Murray Dvorkin and Tom Perry.

Art Direction and Design – and Nancy Donald

Tony Lane

Cover Photography – and Randee St. Nicholas

Ellen Land-Weber

Management – Cavallo, Ruffalo and Fargnoli Management.

Chinese Wall at Discogs