The Church - Starfish POLL

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Probably their most well known album, due to its inclusion of "Under The Milky Way". I remember this album being a real grower for me at the time it came out. It took awhile for me to start really noticing the genius therein. I don't even think I was all that into it until a year or two had passed. I still don't think it's a perfect album, but it was certainly one of their high points, and probably better than any album they'd done thus far.

What prompts me to do this poll was that some song I heard by someone else reminded me of a particular guitar riff that I couldn't identify. I soon realized this guitar riff was by The Church, but couldn't place it. I went through hell for about an hour, digging out several Church CD's and racking my brain before something made me turn to "Hotel Womb". As the song started, I thought "nah, this isn't it, either". But when the rest of the instruments drop out for a bit in the middle of that song and the guitar is the only thing you hear, THAT was the riff and sound I'd had torturing me in my head all that time, and I was so glad I figured it out! I love it even more, now, because of that.

As for me? I might even vote for Antenna, though.

If the ONLY song you know from this is Under The Milky Way, though, please don't vote until you've heard the whole thing. Thanks. (yeah right, let's see how far that gets me. Hahaha oh well)

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Under The Milky Way 10
Reptile 10
Destination 5
Hotel Womb 5
North, South, East & West 5
Antenna 2
A New Season 2
Spark 1
Lost 0
Blood Money 0


The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 2 November 2008 22:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

Bimble, I hate you. This is one of my five favorite albums of all time and every song is FIVE STARS!

That said, I have the softest spot for "A New Season"...I think. Yeah, I'll go with that.

Johnny Fever, Sunday, 2 November 2008 22:59 (4 years ago) Permalink

Heheh. I love being hated sometimes..."A New Season" is fucking killer, too. Do you like the version on one of those El Momento discs?

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 2 November 2008 23:06 (4 years ago) Permalink

I've only heard one of the El Momento discs, and that was only one time. So who knows. I can't remember.

Johnny Fever, Sunday, 2 November 2008 23:08 (4 years ago) Permalink

Well, it's as good a version as the original, I reckon.

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 2 November 2008 23:12 (4 years ago) Permalink

"It's not a religion, it's just a TV" doesn't quite rank down there with "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier," but it still exudes a minor odor. Still, "Destination" for me.

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Sunday, 2 November 2008 23:27 (4 years ago) Permalink

"It's not a religion, it's just a TV"

"... just a technique", surely?

Former Golden Boy, Monday, 3 November 2008 00:00 (4 years ago) Permalink

it has to be reptile

thereminimum chips (electricsound), Monday, 3 November 2008 00:03 (4 years ago) Permalink

My order of greatness would be:

"Reptile"
"North, South, East & West"
"Hotel Womb"
"Destination"
"Under The Milky Way"

Def. voting for "Reptile".

Tim F, Monday, 3 November 2008 00:54 (4 years ago) Permalink

"Destination" in a heartbeat. One of the best opening tracks evah!

Pillbox, Monday, 3 November 2008 01:14 (4 years ago) Permalink

it has to be reptile

yes.

tipsy mothra, Monday, 3 November 2008 01:29 (4 years ago) Permalink

I like how "Reptile" manages to predict both The Cure's Disintegration and The House of Love.

Tim F, Monday, 3 November 2008 01:40 (4 years ago) Permalink

wow, that's a bold statement! :)

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Monday, 3 November 2008 03:29 (4 years ago) Permalink

I think any similarity is coincidental.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:30 (4 years ago) Permalink

Still don't own this!

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:32 (4 years ago) Permalink

FIX THAT.

It was actually "Reptile" rather than "Under the Milky Way" which really got me into the band in the first place. I'm instantly flashing back to hearing it coming out of the radio while I was mowing the lawn back in senior year of high school.

Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:40 (4 years ago) Permalink

"reptile" is one of the few songs that ever made me make an instant detour to a record store. and it wasn't even hearing it on the radio. i had had the album on cassette and had not upgraded to cd, probably hadn't heard it in 5 years or so, and "reptile" just came into my head one evening after work and i went and bought it immediately.

tipsy mothra, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:45 (4 years ago) Permalink

I adore both of the big radio singles. No longer am I surprised that Waddy Watchel produced this record; "Under the Milky Way" is an excellent attempt at L.A. space rock.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:45 (4 years ago) Permalink

It's a perfect collision of aesthetics -- shows that 'selling out' is by no means always a disaster.

Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:49 (4 years ago) Permalink

"Milky Way" got me into the band (I remembered the video with the eyeball in the soupbowl or something like that), "Reptile" made me buy the album.

All ten tracks keep me listening to it 20 years later.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:49 (4 years ago) Permalink

a true but lamentable fact is that a band i was in my freshman year of college did a reggae version of "under the milky way."

tipsy mothra, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

milky riddims.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

I would've quit a band that did a reggae version of anything.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

Even if it was a reggae band to start with?

Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:53 (4 years ago) Permalink

oh you should have heard the funk version of "no new tale to tell"...

tipsy mothra, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:53 (4 years ago) Permalink

i've listened to hotel womb like 20 times in the past few days

so yeah that one

ciderpress, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:54 (4 years ago) Permalink

Reptile! Under the Milky Way was a great gateway for me (and so many others), but it's got to be Reptile.

Millsner, Monday, 3 November 2008 04:18 (4 years ago) Permalink

what a great album. was a pretty big fan of their stuff before but this album made me fall in love with them. picking a song is so hard but there is no denying the brilliance of "Reptile."

Bee OK, Monday, 3 November 2008 04:47 (4 years ago) Permalink

Tispy, you tease me with promised reggae and funk covers! Damn you!

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Monday, 3 November 2008 07:41 (4 years ago) Permalink

Argh argh argh, too hard, too hard. So we're not allowed to vote for Under The Milky Way, even if we know and love the whole album?

Actually, I'm going to go for Hotel Womb because I have a real *thing* for long, psychedelic Church outro songs - almost invariably they save the most psychedelic song for the last track, so they can go to town on the rave-up at the end (it's not a good Church song unless Peter gets 2 solos for every 1 of Marty's.)

post-apocalyptic time jazz (Masonic Boom), Monday, 3 November 2008 09:09 (4 years ago) Permalink

Reptile.

deusner, Monday, 3 November 2008 13:26 (4 years ago) Permalink

it's not a good Church song unless Peter gets 2 solos for every 1 of Marty's.

^^^^^^^ OTM ^^^^^^

Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Monday, 3 November 2008 15:44 (4 years ago) Permalink

Embarrassment of riches to choose from here... "Destination" or "Hotel Womb" are my immediate choices. "Antenna" because it's a waltz and has David Lindley on mandolin. "North, South, East, & West" because there's a great story on how the band came up with the song during a soundcheck after cheerfully accosting a fan somewhere in Texas. "Under The Milky Way" because it's one of the weirder songs to be a hit.

Chris Barrus (Elvis Telecom), Monday, 3 November 2008 15:54 (4 years ago) Permalink

"Destination", the first song I heard from my first Church album: such a huge shock.

Marco Damiani, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:01 (4 years ago) Permalink

this is currently the longest-surviving CD in my collection...congrats, The Church...way to hang in there!

so, we're like twenty years on now?...ain't it time for one of them Legacy Editions?

henry s, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:49 (4 years ago) Permalink

...and I'm not even sure it's in my top 5 Church albums...

Marco Damiani, Monday, 3 November 2008 17:12 (4 years ago) Permalink

Tispy, you tease me with promised reggae and funk covers! Damn you!

let's just say we did posterity a favor by not preserving them.

tipsy mothra, Monday, 3 November 2008 17:15 (4 years ago) Permalink

ain't it time for one of them Legacy Editions?

Pretty much all the albums up through the mid-nineties have been reissued in recent years, with bonus tracks etc.

Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 November 2008 17:36 (4 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, the 2-disc reissue of Starfish is veddy nice.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 3 November 2008 21:00 (4 years ago) Permalink

I have always loved listening to this record when driving at night.

earlnash, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 05:49 (4 years ago) Permalink

since i voted today it is "reptile",although if i had to vote tomorrow it would be something else [i'm sure].

drone/a/sore, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 17:36 (4 years ago) Permalink

I have always loved listening to this record when driving at night.

I have a memory of taking Gold Afternoon Fix and Heydey out on a road trip. They worked really nice for that as well.

Bimble, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 18:17 (4 years ago) Permalink

I paid 80 dollars for this wedding ring

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Wednesday, 5 November 2008 09:00 (4 years ago) Permalink

I couldn't take it off if I tried.

post-apocalyptic time jazz (Masonic Boom), Wednesday, 5 November 2008 10:24 (4 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Saturday, 8 November 2008 00:01 (4 years ago) Permalink

Reptile vs. Under the Milky Way... any predictions as to the final score?

ilxor, Saturday, 8 November 2008 04:15 (4 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, the 2-disc reissue of Starfish is veddy nice.

Ya think? I wasn't at all happy with it. The remaster is, to my ears, too bright. And on the Priest = Aura remaster, Aura is distorted in places, and not in the good way.

Former Golden Boy, Saturday, 8 November 2008 11:30 (4 years ago) Permalink

it's not a good Church song unless Peter gets 2 solos for every 1 of Marty's

The Church are the only band I know of whose original lead guitarist eventually ended up in the rhythm role, leaving his understudy to perform most of the solos.
On the first couple of albums, Peter plays a bunch of conventionally accomplished (and excellent) solos, but after that, it seems he gradually became more interested in texture. This change in focus coincided with a growth in Marty's abilities, which lead to him becoming the de facto lead player by Gold Afternoon Fix.
Ten or eleven years ago, I saw Steve and Marty do an unplugged-type show. Although it is sadly captured only in mental amber, one of my favorite musical moments remains the solo Marty took during Hotel Womb. Armed only with a 12-string acoustic and a Boss distortion pedal, he made the most beautiful racket I've ever heard outside of a My Bloody Valentine record.

Former Golden Boy, Saturday, 8 November 2008 11:59 (4 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:01 (4 years ago) Permalink

Wow, never saw that tie coming.

Millsner, Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:09 (4 years ago) Permalink

I'm kinda relieved Blood Money didn't get any votes. It is the only dull spot on an otherwise impeccable record - though the lyrics do amuse me enough that I don't actually skip over it. "He says... well you accept mah... CARD?"

post-apocalyptic time jazz (Masonic Boom), Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:17 (4 years ago) Permalink

Yeah I felt "Blood Money" & "Lost" were the real red herrings on this record (though I won't say they were altogether BAD songs). They were enough of a detour to throw me off listening to the second side of the record for a year or two. But oh god, once I finally heard the second side...

My only complaint is that "Spark" has lost a little something over the years...wish I could hear that song again for the first time.

I'm going to play Priest=Aura right now from beginning to end and it's all ILM's fault. I might even delve into the bonus b-side tracks which I love.

As for the poll results? Ah, they're kinda nice and symmetrical, eh? Like glittering jewelry. I dig.

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:40 (4 years ago) Permalink

I mean, when Hotel Womb gets the same amount of votes as NSEW, you know you've got a lovely poll for that alone.

The Ungrateful Dead (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:42 (4 years ago) Permalink

Haha -- I heard "Under the Milky Way" at the supermarket today!

To expand on what I wrote earlier: it occurred to me that, far from being the incongruous-by-design choice that it seems, Waddy Watchel's production suits the kind of song that Stevie Nicks might have wrote and sung. The unexpected segue from verse to chorus is Nicks-ian.

Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:44 (4 years ago) Permalink

Alfred, there's a song I was thinking of just a moment ago that I want you to hear.

Your Head Is Full of Diamonds & Lice (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

I thought "I want Alfred to hear this". But I couldn't get it together at the time. I'll send it to you.

Your Head Is Full of Diamonds & Lice (Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You), Sunday, 9 November 2008 00:54 (4 years ago) Permalink

10 months pass...

apparently Greg Ladanyi (producer of this album and a couple of others you might know) slipped & fell while in greece (seriously no pun intended) and is in a coma..

electric sound of jim (original version) (electricsound), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 05:08 (3 years ago) Permalink

:(

Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 05:11 (3 years ago) Permalink

Strange thread to mention Ladanyi on as he pretty much hated The Church and vice versa. Kilbey on the recording of it: http://stevekilbey.blogspot.com/2006/12/sel-fish.html

Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 05:59 (3 years ago) Permalink

Wow, that's really kind of nightmarish. I had no idea.

I Like Daydreams, I've Had Enough Reality (Masonic Boom), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 09:30 (3 years ago) Permalink

I listened to "Night Sequence" from Back with Two Beasts during my run this evening and it was like one of Kilbey's blog posts set to music.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 11:07 (3 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 11 March 2010 07:47 (3 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

It's a perfect collision of aesthetics -- shows that 'selling out' is by no means always a disaster.

One morning this week, I heard "Baker Street" and "...Milky Way" about ten minutes apart. The timing of Wachtel's involvement is significant; what's "Under The Milky Way" but another end-of-decade rumination exactly ten years after Gerry Rafferty's hit?

a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 August 2012 15:06 (10 months ago) Permalink


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