Die Chinesische Mauer

Die Chinesische Mauer is Michael Cretu's third solo album, released in 1985. The literal English translation of the title is "The Chinese Wall", or as it is better known, "The Great Wall of China". Like his previous album Legionäre, this had German lyrics, was sung by Michael and was co-produced by Armand Volker. The album was also released separately with English lyrics and a different track listing under the name "The Invisible Man". Several of the tracks on "The Invisible Man" were edited slightly and therefore last for a different length than the German versions on Die Chinesische Mauer and sides 1 and 2 were swapped for a more commercial running order. The song Samurai was released as a single and became a hit in Europe (#1 Greece, #2 Switzerland, #4 Italy, #4 Sweden, #12 Germany),[1][2] but its success was mostly with the English version. In 1986, after the success of the single "Gambit", the English version of the album was re-released on LP in Germany only, to feature this new song, but with the track "Carte Blanche" removed due to groove space. This edition featured a whole new cover and package design by Mike Schmidt at Ink Studios, whom at this point had designed nearly all of the artwork and design for Cretu and related productions. The album was recorded entirely at Cretu's then-studio "Data Alpha Studio" alongside recording The Long Play by Sandra. The studio resided in the basement of Sandra and Cretu's home.[3]

Die Chinesische Mauer
Studio album by
Michael Cretu
Released1985
Recorded1984
StudioData Alpha Studio
GenreSynth Pop
Length35:04
LabelVirgin
ProducerMichael Cretu, Armand Volker
Michael Cretu chronology
Legionäre
(1983)		 Die Chinesische Mauer
(1985)		 Belle Epoque
(1988)
The Invisible Man

Die Chinesische Mauer (German Edition)
  1. "Intro" - 2:28
  2. "Mikado" - 3:17
  3. "Coda" - 0:59
  4. "Amazonen" - 5:19
  5. "Die Chinesische Mauer" - 5:01
  6. "Samurai" - 5:22
  7. "Carte Blanche" - 3:56
  8. "Schwarzer Engel" - 5:18
  9. "Zinnsoldat" - 3:24

The Invisible Man (English Edition)
  1. "Samurai (Did You Ever Dream)" - 5:13
  2. "Carte Blanche (Ride on with the Breeze)" - 3:24
  3. "Silver Water" - 4:42
  4. "Your Favorite Toy" - 3:26
  5. "Intro" (Cretu, Cretu) - 2:27
  6. "Mikado" (Cretu, Cretu) - 3:14
  7. "Coda" (Cretu, Cretu) - 0:59
  8. "Heavy Traffic" - 4:57
  9. "The Invisible Man" - 5:01
1986 reissue artwork with photos taken at Hotel Danieli, Venice

The Invisible Man (1986 LP Reissue)
  1. "Gambit" - 4:35
  2. "Saumurai (Did You Ever Dream)" - 5:13
  3. "Silver Water" - 4:40
  4. "Your Favorite Toy" - 3:24
  5. "Intro" - 2:28
  6. "Mikado" - 3:13
  7. "Coda" - 0:59
  8. "Heavy Traffic" - 4:54
  9. "The Invisible Man" - 5:01


Singles Released
  • Samurai (German & English 7"/12") 1985
  • Carte Blanche (German 7") 1985
  • Schwarzer Engel (German 7"/12") 1984
  • Silver Water (English 7"/12") 1985
  • Die Chinesische Mauer (German 7"/12") 1985
  • Gambit (English 7"/12") 1986

Personnel
  • Mats Bjorklund – guitar
  • Peter Cornelius – guitar
  • Curt Cress – percussion, drums
  • Michael Crétu – keyboards, vocals, producer, electric drums, drum programming
  • Christian Felke – saxophone
  • Mike Schmidt – artwork
  • Armand Volker – producer

Charts
Chart (1985) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 62

References
  1. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  2. "Cretu - Samurai [deutsch]". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  3. "Data Alpha Studio". discogs.com. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  4. "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Cretu – Die Chinesische Mauer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
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