The Church - C or D/S&D/CB&TT

Oh no, I think it's dismal as well. And the fact that they bothered to re-record it for one of the El Momento discs only highlighted what an empty song it is. "They were so blind" is the only good thing about it but the rest is just a soup of boredom, it hardly seems worth the effort to even get to that part.

Exactly.

It partly comes down those arguments about which set of members constitute a band. To me, The Refo:mation album is as much a Church record as the Koppes-less SA/SE and Magician - that is to say not at all. (Plus, Sometime largely amounts to SK/MWP fulfilling the Arista contract.)

My favorite track on SA/SE is "Drought", and that track actually belongs to the GAF era. On the double-disc remasters, you'll find that "Drought" has been removed from SA/SE and moved to the GAF bonus disc (along with the less well-known and terribly under-appreciated "Unsubstantiated").

I really can't speak highly enough of the remasters' bonus disc, especially with Starfish and GAF each acquiring some previously vinyl-only acoustic versions.

Ooh, you make that sound very appealing indeed. I don't remember this "Drought" specifically but "Unsubstantiated" has GOT to be my favourite under the radar Church track ever!! In fact, I feel I must play that right now.

Mmm...GAF previously vinyl only acoustic versions. That sounds so good *salivates*. I know the 12" promo version they did of Grime back then was really good, that's all I know.

Starfish has acoustic versions of "Milky Way", "Antenna" and "Spark" and GAF has acoustic versions of "Grind" and "Metropolis".

Ah, crap, I'm wrong about "Drought" and "Unsubstantiated" being on the GAF bonus disc - they are actually on the P=A bonus disc, along with "Nightmare" and "Fog" (both also underrated).

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NIGHTMARE & FOG WITH UNSUBSTANTIATED ON THE P=A BONUS DISC!???????

MUST HAVE IT NOW NOW NOWNOW NWOWNOWNOW I love Nightmare & Fog I really do. I bought the expensive Australian version of the Ripple CD single just so I could have those for my very own.

had my iTunes on shuffle for a few hours tonight, whilst reading, and the best thing i've heard all night is easily the guitar line/riff on "Too Fast for You" - don't know if that says more about my iTunes as a whole, or about The Church's genius circa early '80s, but holy fuck do i love that guitar line.

anyone else have the Hindsight compilation? i've got it on now and it's all sorts of wonderful. nothing like The Church to soundtrack a late-night glass of white wine and a bit of web browsing.

likely one of my favorite compilations, ever. i might add.

Check the AMG listing...

i have hindsight, it's a very strong compilation, particularly from the perspective of the non-LP stuff

hahah yeah Ned, read the AMG listing before, i know you have it. you have everything Church-related i assume.

and the b-sides are pretty listenable, yes!
as opposed to certain other artists, whose b-sides aren't worthy to grace a 7-year career comp.

I should get Hindsight, I really should. I remember seeing it in stores many times and just thinking "oh I don't need that, I've already got everything on it" but hell I don't have all the cassettes I used to, either. It looks like a real nice comp now, in any case.

According to Kilbey, the Space Rock Xmas show mentioned upthread is going to get an official release. Apparently titled Mercator Projection, there might be a DVD to go along with it.

Oh my god! Look, I've looked upthread for that bit, but you apparently posted it on the sandbox so now I don't know how to find it! This is the one Ned kept salivating over right? Where they did a lot of Hawkwind or whatever?

I wouldn't put it quite so stickly, Bimble.

Anyway, took 'em long enough!

Heheh. Well sorry for being "stickly". I don't know what that means exactly, but I meant no offense. :)

stickily

Mr. Marty Willson-Piper is playing here next week. I feel rather privileged though I know nothing of his latest or even probably last three albums. Looking at his myspace page, I remember how enthusiastic a music-lover he always was. He mentioned Neu! before I ever even know who the fuck that was! He just has lots of energy. He wants to talk about music, his brain is a sponge for it, he has zillions of records, he's the kind of guy you could have a good chat with and a cup of tea.

Apparently titled Mercator Projection

this was actually the name of the band.

Doesn't the beginning bass line to "Anna Miranda" sound like early Cure??? It's like the early Cure version of "Under The Milky Way"! hahaha

This band is awesomeeeee

Thread revive because I can't think of an appropriate caption for this photo

http://www.vogue.com.au/var/vogue/storage/images/people_parties/events/2008/david_jones_american_express_card_launch/126939-4-eng-GB/david_jones_american_express_card_launch.jpg

(they played at some some AMEX corporate gig)

Kilbey looks in a better shape than 2 or 3 years ago.
Willson-Piper now is ready to join some Californian cult.

Yikes, Marty! Uh...what happened? Next he'll be wearing a rasta hat.

they played at some some AMEX corporate gig

And don't they look thrilled to be there!

prolly had to play the gig to pay off their overextended gold cards...

She put her foot down on the oscillation pedal
And earned ... double Membership Rewards(R) points

In the space between our houses
Some damage was discovered
But thanks to the Purchase Protection Plan
Our retail shopping's covered

I paid eighty dollars for this wedding ring,
I couldn't take it off if I tried.
Got 20,000 bonus Starpoints,
Exclusive Privileges Worldwide.

Sometimes when I just can't find my Gold Card
And I'm on an international flight
I think about ... the Global Assist(R) Hotline
And how they'll replace that Card tonight

And don't they look thrilled to be there!

Apparently it paid pretty well. There's a hilarious Kilbey blog entry about it.

Yeah, see now you've got me going back to his blog and damn me if it isn't even better than it was last time I was there. I never thought I'd enjoy just reading his words nearly as much as hearing their music, but the guy is remarkably talented, you have to admit.

Magician Among The Spirits

Who needs the Church when you have Church. Oh wait.

Glad this thread is revived; The Church's latest album, Untitled #23, is one of their very best; an incredibly dreamy, confident album. Probably the year's most overlooked.

Really? It just didn't grab me aside from a couple of tracks, whereas everything else they done P=A has at least 4 or 5 *great* tracks.

I agree with Evan R, I think Untitled #23 sits comfortably alongside Priest=Aura or Starfish. Top-tier Church album.

Yeah, Untitled #23 proved to be a real grower for me. It's quite astonishing that a band who are approaching their fourth decade together can still conjure unexpected twists and sonic novelties for every album. (For example, the lovely, ghostly backing vocals in Pangaea.) A few other observations:
1. Either Tim Powles has become a better drummer, or he's being better recorded these days. Perhaps both. This is the first record where I've really dug his playing and his drum sound.
2. I was sorry that Marty didn't get a song to sing. However, his vocal cameo, when it appears, is all the more effective for its isolation.
3. The spectre of mortality hangs heavy over these songs, and Steve's melancholy seems to have seeped into Marty's and Peter's playing. They're less energetic than in days of yore, more inclined to strum than arpeggiate. Their languor synergises with the opaque symbolism of the lyrics and the album's almost unvaryingly mid-tempo pace to create a unifyingly dreamy atmosphere, as referred to above by Evan R.

By the way, for anyone who missed it, a biography of Steve Kilbey was recently published. It's quite well-written, features some remarkable anecdotes, and is a definite must-have for any dedicated fan.

This is a lot of material to catch up on, I feel bad about this, I suddenly realized how much I like this band and how they do what they do quite well. They are a really good kind of "boring".

So which albums would you say are strong start to finish, aside from "Starfish"?

i think heyday and seance are both reasonably strong throughout, though neither are quite as classic as starfish beyond the singles. i have never heard blurred crusade from start to finish.

"Forget Yourself" was a hell of an album, too, with some of their best songs. But even that album doesn't quite hang together as well as "Untitled." They recorded two semi-acoustic albums with a mix of classic songs and new material this decade. I know that sounds awful on paper---old band revisits old songs---but the new arrangements are utterly gorgeous and sometimes really innovative. And Kilbey's voice is pure silk; he gives great performances. It's not a place I'd recommend anybody to start, but for casual fans it's a real treat.

So which albums would you say are strong start to finish, aside from "Starfish"?

The Church - "Priest = Aura"/the internet

Heyday. Priest = Aura is solid but overlong, like Disintegration.

Attention all -- will be interviewing Peter Koppes later today so if anyone has any burning questions about the band at present, suggest them here. (I have a ton myself but hey, nothing wrong with more!)

Just ask him when they're finally going to release a live album!

Haha noted.

ask steve about what drugs he was on at that awards acceptance speech, and if he can share w/ all of us

will be interviewing Peter Koppes later today

ahhh fxck me