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

More kilbey songs need drum machines, IMO.

you're gonna *love* Remindlessness then

electricsound!!!

That album cover is very stoner rock, reminds me of 'The Black Code' by Wo Fat.

Some good news on the reissue front. Intervention’s 2021 deluxe reissue of Starfish sounds beyond spectacular. If you're on the fence about it, just pull the trigger - it's that much of an improvement over what's been out there.

Really. Very intrigued!

ordered

I purchased the Intervention remaster on the basis of ET's recommendation above, and he's not wrong. Listening to it on my little-used SACD player, there's somehow much more of everything - which shouldn't be possible, but it underlines how superlative the engineering and mixing on Starfish was.

The EMI reissues were a great series, but the remastering on them was a little hot so... I'm in!

Yeah I prefer the original cd of priest=aura to the remaster for sure

The original US Arista CDs in the late 1980s were remastered by Bill Inglot, one of the best folks doing such work at the time -- I specifically remember his prominent credit for doing that, a relative rarity then -- but I forget if he did the original issue of Starfish too but I wouldn't be surprised.

Starfish is guaranteed to sell pretty well, but the real get would be a remastered edition of the Remote Luxury/Persia/Sing Songs CD compilation

Mostly loving the remaster, it's cleared a bunch of the upper-mid congestion which made the tracks sound thick and unfocused - but not too much. The exception is UTMW for which someone has either EQ'd a mid bass hump or added something to goose the kick drum - it sounds like listening to the song while somebody thumps their foot along in time.
It's quite an odd sounding album in its way, I would like to hear these songs produced like Heyday was. Of course Wachtel ditching the band apart from Kilbey for UTMW doesn't help. I think Ploog was sidelined for a lot of it if I recall Kilbey's blog correctly.

Man that was an epic blog post

If you thought Kilbey's was long ... https://martywillson-piper.com/starfish-2/
(only Ploog was ditched for UTMW apparently)

and ther Kilbey one because it's hard to track down these days: https://thetimebeing.com/sel-fish/

just revisited Sometime Anywhere for the first time in a decade and was surprised how good it is compared to my recollection.

with some exceptions

Looks like Steve's going to do a big ol' catalog revisit:

https://stevekilbey.bandcamp.com/album/of-skins-and-heart-acoustic-sessions-vol-1

Steve Kilbey's solo acoustic version / reinterpretation of The Church's 1981 album Of Skins and Heart, 41 years after its initial release.

.....

'The first in a serious of acoustic reworkings of classic Church albums. Of Skins And Heart was The Church’s 1981 debut, and featured the band’s first major hit “The Unguarded Moment”. Steve Kilbey has reimagined the album for the 2020’s as a predominantly acoustic album. Steve’s unadorned guitar and vocals grab the listener from the outset and never let go until the final ringing notes of “Don’t Open The Door To Strangers”. These are brilliant performances of classic songs from a truly amazing songwriter.'

"Back With Two Beasts" from 2009. It's really good! Missed it first time around.

Yep, solid stuff!

I missed Television on their reunion tours, but I did get to see Verlaine once in late 1988: a solo acoustic set opening for The Church & Peter Murphy at the Hollywood Palladium. Verlaine joined for The Church’s encore of Neil Young’s “Cortez The Killer” and then The Church’s own “You Took.” A spectacular 3-guitar blowout. The Church were touring Starfish and just unstoppable live. Kilbey later writes in his book that Ploog was playing so fast because he wanted out of the band and therefore would finish the set as fast as possible.

No recording of the LA show exists but two other nights of the tour with Verlaine are here: (SLC sounds good)
https://shadowcabi.net/concerts/1980s-rev.html

Ha, you have reminded me that I really should get that book.

Have heard an advance of the new album -- it's solid, I think maybe a grower, but I will be very interested to hear it live.

New one is good but...it sounds to me more like a Steve Kilbey collaborating with (X,Y,Z) album than a Church album.

With both Willson-Piper and Koppes gone, we're deep into Ship of Theseus territory. SK is undoubtedly the wellspring of inspiration, but so much of the appeal of the classic Church era derives from their fantastic musicianship and sound.

username checks out

Hey c’mon, he replaced them with the guitarists from two of the most boring bands of the ‘90s — that’s real value!

I missed Television on their reunion tours, but I did get to see Verlaine once in late 1988: a solo acoustic set opening for The Church & Peter Murphy at the Hollywood Palladium. Verlaine joined for The Church’s encore of Neil Young’s “Cortez The Killer” and then The Church’s own “You Took.” A spectacular 3-guitar blowout. The Church were touring Starfish and just unstoppable live. Kilbey later writes in his book that Ploog was playing so fast because he wanted out of the band and therefore would finish the set as fast as possible.

No recording of the LA show exists but two other nights of the tour with Verlaine are here: (SLC sounds good)
https://shadowcabi.net/concerts/1980s-rev.html

I saw the Denver date on August 18 of that year. It was a really good show.

(xpost)

I will say that I think Ian Haug's style meshed really well with Koppes on Further/Deeper.

yeah I saw them on that tour and the band was dece tbf

Hey c’mon, he replaced them with the guitarists from two of the most boring bands of the ‘90s

Bores of the new Church

Man, I had a tape of a show from the Starfish tour — I think it was even a King Biscuit Flower Hour or some such, I taped it from the radio — it was fantastic and I've never found it on the internet.

I was a big fan but didn't really follow them in the later years. But then they came through my hometown a couple years ago (last tour with Koppes I think) playing Starfish and then lots of later stuff and I was totally blown away.

I had a cassette of a Westwood One recording from that era, it was only about 40 mins long, as it was shared with another band (can't recall who), but it was fantastic.

Yes! That's the one I'm thinking of. Aside from its being great, I just remember that it was heavy on the Starfish cuts and ended with Hotel Womb. Would be great if it turned up somewhere.

Whoops looks like my memory was wrong:

https://www.discogs.com/release/8062807-Rhythm-Corps-The-Church-Westwood-One-In-Concert

So delayed reaction here but The Hypnogogue has ended up sinking in with me -- it took a couple more plays but it's its own enjoyably moody listen. Meantime the show this past Tuesday was way better than I would have hoped for. Wrote up a lot of thoughts for the weekly Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/some-weekly-70-80117464

Whoa, Steve Kilbey is 68? Looking at his bio, I guess he was already 27 when they released their first album.

I've made a mix of the songs they're playing on this tour to study up for my first time seeing them live, and it's really striking how consistent they are across the decades. The songs from The Hypnogogue sit quite comfortably next to the songs from Seance, with just a few 80's production signifiers to distinguish them.

Whoa, Steve Kilbey is 68?

It's crazy to realize it but totally true! And you're correct about the consistency but it's not a flaw in the slightest, more just a real continuum, and you can sense the difference between eras easily enough -- the turn towards crypto-prog in the late 90s on was exactly what they needed.

I'm seeing the Denver show tomorrow. My first time. Super stoked!

Saw them in Cambridge MA last night, 68 year old Steve was funny, charming and played for 2.5 hours!!

"We're *obliged* to play this song for you" he said before going into "Under The Milky Way".

Yeah, Kilbey was may more of a stage presence than I was expected. My favorite moment was when someone correctly guessed the name of the song they were about to play next, and he replied, with mock wonder, "that's a great idea... you just changed the trajectory of this whole fucking gig!"

He's apparently also still bitter about a 2-star review from Rolling Stone from 30 years ago.

My partner (who never listened to the Church) pointed out that without any nostalgia bump, the show was pretty unremarkable. But that's kinda true for most touring bands of this vintage.

saw them the other week too, and my dubiousness upthread about adding an uninspired '60s pastichist certainly played out in unremarkability; they played well (and Kilbey was having a great time wrt banter) but especially with two other guitarists now, Koppes' departure could have been a chance to get in someone who would reshape the old songs, or have a more idiosyncratic approach to the prog aspect of the group. call up, idk, Buckethead, or Kirin J Callinan.

also guessing that few other US gigs had as big a cheer when they announced the home of the touring drummer.

"sic otm" - Steve Kilbey

If you were the manager of a football team, would you rather have a team full of absolute stars who cooperate or would you rather have a team of guys who perhaps weren’t so absolutely starry but they were more interested in the teamwork idea. That’s how I feel with Jeffrey in the band and Ash in the band.

That’s a good interview :) Thanks for the link!

Agreed, that is a really, really good interview. Probably the most forthcoming I've ever seen Kilbey be. It's interesting to hear that he allowed the band to operate as a democracy during the recording of Man Woman Life Death Infinity, and that he believes that's why the album is so mediocre.

xxp That two star review of Priest=Aura was not one of Ira's better efforts

Love SK declaring his love of Prog :)

I hope folks have this: https://stevekilbey.bandcamp.com/album/space-bootleg

My partner (who never listened to the Church) pointed out that without any nostalgia bump, the show was pretty unremarkable. But that's kinda true for most touring bands of this vintage.

― enochroot, Sunday, April 2, 2023 10:32 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I saw them at an outdoor fest in LA and had the opposite instinct -- they seemed like one of the 'aged-best' bands for n00bs in the whole festival lineup, stuff really connected well in that setting maybe

i delivered food to this band last night! they were playing at the venue attached to my workplace and i caught a tiny bit of the show. Hotel Womb sounded great, ngl, but I do think they might sound like "generic rock band" if you are not already on board with the whole thing/a fan already (which fortunately i am so i enjoyed it)
I smiled at Steve K but did not talk with him. On my way out, the show was still going and he thanked a person who he said has bankrolled their last 4 albums and supported their last few tours? And that person was in the room? I have no idea what that's all about but it was news to me.