I know there are several The Church aficionados here. This week Spotify Discovery threw up Destination off Starfish which spurred me to think about investigating further. Daunted by the 24 odd studio albums, would much appreciate it if someone could knock up on Spotify or just post here a Beginners Guide To. Ta muchly.
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Freddy Steady says
Ooh blimey. I’m one of them aficionados and i’m struggling with this! I think they’re fantastic and yet whenever I try and introduce them to anyone I’m met with massive indifference.
Destination is the opening track (they have a history of brooding opening tracks)off Starfish, their most well known album because of “Under the Milky Way”, the closest they came to a hit over here. Great album that still stands up despite being 30 years old.
Try also Heyday and The Blurred Crusade for magnificent jangly lite psychedelia. Their last album from 2 years ago Further/Deeper is a cracker too…Miami a highlight. Their masterpiece is Priest = Aura though, a sprawling work of genius.
As a live band they can be stupendous…I love ’em!
I’ve had gin, beer and wine tonight so I hope someone else can take up the baton and explain their appeal. Great underrated band.
chiz says
I think it’s me , Freddy and the late great HP who fly the Church flag here.
Over 20 years they went from Paisley shirted Rickenbacker-janglers to blissed out space-rockers. The best examples of each are The Blurred Crusade from ’82 and Hologram of Baal from ’99. In between you’ve got the chart-friendly trio of Heyday, Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix which are worth a visit, but the absolute pinnacle is the point where the jangle meets the narcosis, Priest = Aura.
Of the later stuff, After Everything Now This is the best, up until Further Deeper which is a bit different but still recognisably Churchy.
For me the ones to avoid are the sterile 80’s productions Seance and Remote Luxury, and tricky Nineties period where no one’s talking to each other, Sometime Anywhere and Magician Among The Spirits.
Come on in and worship!
Freddy Steady says
@chiz
Good summary that though I do have a soft spot for Seance. The songs are excellent just spoiled by the, er, clunky production. Gated drums I believe.
Completely right about the fallow 90’s period, not too much fun to be had there…blame drugs but as I’ve said, Live they can be monumental.
TRMagicWords says
The Hindsight (1980-1987) compilation is a good starting point for their pre-Starfish material, and it contains a fair amount of non-album tracks/b sides/rarities which makes it a nice, varied, if sometimes uneven assortment.
Skirky says
^This.
The Unguarded Moment 4:15
In A Heartbeat 3:51
Too Fast For You 3:36
Tear It All Away 4:20
Sisters 3:42
Is This Where You Live 7:43
Almost With You 4:15
Fraulein 3:07
You’ve Got To Go 2:42
The Golden Dawn 4:47
Life Speeds Up 7:03
When You Were Mine 5:46
Electric Lash 4:27
The Night Is Very Soft 3:49
Autumn Soon 4:29
It’s No Reason 5:16
Someone Special 4:13
Month Of Sundays 4:21
Shadow Cabinet 4:18
As You Will 4:49
Myrrh 4:19
The View 3:44
Trance Ending 4:49
Tantalized
Post-EMI you need to factor in;
The Disillusionist
Anaesthesia
After Everything
Under The Milky Way
Metropolis
Reptile
Miami
moseleymoles says
thanks @skirky – lots to get into there.
Junior Wells says
Hmmm I’m a fan but paid attention to them late.
The Church either have the jangly guitar of Marty Wilson-Piper or they don’t. Sounds is a bit different for each era, post piper being the recent edition.
Pity @H-P-Saucecraft has left the building as he is mad for them.
moseleymoles says
Further encouragement is that the following are on emusic:
Starfish (in a luxury ed, not sure I need that yet)
box of birds
Seance
Further Deeper
heyday
Of Skins and heart
The Blurred Crusade
no priest= aura. ah well.
Will start with all these, except possibly Seance then, and box of birds, as they all come recommended.
H.P. Saucecraft says
Haven’t even lurked in the interim (which will probably reboot as soon as this thread”s dead), but I got a little message, and couldn’t resist.
Having been into this group from the beginning, I find it impossible to suggest a better starting point than the first album, which is (or at least is to me) as fresh as the first time I heard it. It’s high on crackling energy and tunes and jangle, and the boys are impossibly cool-looking, and there’s even a track where they stretch out past the seven minute mark (at the time, a real novelty). They could play a bit flash, too. Great dynamics, crystal production, absolutely no weak points at all. My interest waned a little with Starfish, as my favourite band whored itself out to a public previously unaware of them (you know how pouty a fan can get). I got back on board with Priest=Aura, but nothing since that really recreated the rush for me until the last one. Further/Deeper is magnificent, with melodies that velcro to your pleasure centres after a few plays.
As a sidebar, the “dated” production sound of Seance has never bothered me at all. It’s a distinctive feature, lending the album its identity. And it contains some of the most swooningly gorgeous songs they ever wrote.
As another sidebar, you may want to have a butchers at Steve’s blog – http://thetimebeing.com/blog/. There may be something in the pipeline as a result of that … fingers crossed.
So anyway, always a pleasure to be in the congregation for this most prolific, accomplished and long-lasting band. What a pleasure to be coming to them fresh! And you may eventually branch out into Kilbey’s extensive solo work – never less than fascinating, frequently brilliant.
chiz says
Flipping ‘eck, HP, “easily one of the very best books ive ever read,” says lowercase Steve
The things you can get done when you’re not dicking about on the internet all day, heh?
Thanks for dropping by, good to know you’re still going. Have a look round, things have changed. The daily Beano Album threads have stopped, for a start.
minibreakfast says
We’re still wanging on about the Beatles, tho but.
Hi uncle Saucecraft, nice to read you.
Junior Wells says
I, for one, miss the Beano and related content and those long form contributions.
Junior Wells says
And there I was about to post your previous comments HP which, as now, recommend starting at the very beginning as a very good place to start.
Jack Frost -the stuff he did with Grant McLennan of the Go – Betweens is nice fairly gentle stuff too.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Ah, Mr. Novocaine, good of you to drop by. Norm, the Sopwith Camel drummer, was in touch with me lately, desperate to get hold of you. No! No! Stay awhile, no lawyers are involved. He wanted to thank you for the unearthed live tracks and to add your name to the credits on a forthcoming Sopwith Camel archive release binge. You can contact him via the SC website, or PM me and I’ll send you his email address. Toodle pip!
moseleymoles says
Slightly off topic, but this thread caused me to dig this out too. One of the greatest choruses ever, its like the Godzilla of surf-power-pop. Gets better the louder you turn it up.
Junior Wells says
and Live they do indeed turn it up
moseleymoles says
Sadly not a band I’ve had the pleasure of yet, and may never. They are still gigging?
Junior Wells says
Yes they are still gigging. Do a lot of shows at wineries. About to tour with Violent Femmes. Kingsmill recently retired and Brad Shepherd has had melanomas but I understand they can still deliver. Haven’t seen for a few years.
http://www.viagogo.com/au/Concert-Tickets/Alternative-and-Indie/Hoodoo-Gurus-Tickets?AffiliateID=49&adposition=1t1&AdID=172812540133&PCID=PSAUGOOCONHOODOFB936D0B8E-000079&MetroRegionID=&psc=&psc=&ps=&ps=&ps_p=0&ps_c=738615993&ps_ag=41374971267&ps_tg=kwd-321355215&ps_ad=172812540133&ps_adp=1t1&ps_fi=&ps_fi=&ps_li=&ps_li=&ps_lp=9056921&ps_n=g&ps_d=c&gclid=CjwKEAiArvTFBRCLq5-7-MSJ0jMSJABHBvp0dyK-ClH0AXkzTtos9ZUOpRHr1gaz7gpvWn0OOlDNihoCKNvw_wcB
Freddy Steady says
@moseleymoles
Just wondering how you’ve got on with The Church? I think they’re brilliant but have never managed to convert anyone. What do you think…give them time!?
moseleymoles says
@freddy-steady sorry not to reply, but can now comment on phase one. Have listened to all of Of Skin and Heart – which while pleasant enough never quite clicked, with the exception of Bel Air which is fantastic. Seance, 80s production and all, seems a much stronger album and I liked this a lot. One Day has a great hook, and the coda for It Doesn’t Change is one many other songwriters would make careers from. I listened to Priest = Aura while cooking, so can say it sounded excellent without singling out any one track. Going well. If they have an achilles heel it’s the lack of a more distinctive vocalist.
MC Escher says
Yeah, I hear you. I got P=A based on acclaim here but the singer has put me off further exploration. I find the voice weak, lacking in range and power and generally missing energy. Shame cos the backing is generally superior guitar rock.
Junior Wells says
Voice can be a bit meh and pretty weathered now. But for some sumblime pop put on Unguarded Moment. Great title too.
Freddy Steady says
@moseleymoles (And others) I do get your comments about Kilbey’s voice but try and stick with it because it does become part of their sound and I actually love the way it fits the music and lyrics …it’s quite spacey somehow.
Priest will work its way into you, the first two tracks are tremendous. Glad you like Seance. Try The Blurred Crusade…jangle to the max plus “You Took” epic!