The Church- a fine psychedelic journey

[never/ever]

Possibly one of the few bands I love that haven't released a dud album yet.

Been listening to a slew of Church- and Steve Kilbey solo-albums today...it still is one of the bands that never has let me down. Even The Blurred Crusade from 1982 has transcended the ravages of time beautifully.

While most of the time we talk about bands like the Go-Betweens and Crowded House (yes, Kiwis, I know....!) when it comes to well-crafted pop, The Church has been the one band that could make the sun shine in many psychedelic ways through my speakers....

Any fans?

[C]

Neil Jung is a fan.

I was chatting to the lead guitarist with the hyphenated name and his wife in an indian restaraunt, for about an hour, before the Three Friends gig last year.

I had no idea who he was and had never heard of The Church

Nice bloke




.

[Qube]

Excellent band, I only have 4 or 5 albums which isn't much of a dent in the discography, but everything I've heard has at least been between good and excellent.

They can mix up some great pop songs too, The Unguarded Moment is a thing of beauty.

[Neil Jung]

Yes they are one of my top 5 bands of all time. I've got nearly all the albums (I'm missing official versions of some of the recent live acoustic things) and most of Steve Kilbey's solo albums and IIRC first saw them in London in 1982 and have seen them 4 or 5 times since. I just love Steve Kilbey's voice.

Perhaps strangely I didn't like their last album #23 and didn't buy it although it was generally well reviewed. I must try it again on Spotify.

I sent The Rokster a lot of their albums, I must check what he thought of them.

[soundchaser]

I sent The Rokster a lot of their albums, I must check what he thought of them.

Sorry Mike, they got filed, whilst I was sorting though all those prog albums you kindly sent me. I'm listening to Heyday right now and you're right, it's pretty fucking great. Let me digest it and I'll get back to you.

[soundchaser]

I'm onto Priest=Aura now and for a first listen, this really does sound like a special album. I think I'm going to like this one a lot.

[Neil Jung]

My work here is done.

*retires to golf course*

[Magilla]

I'm not as familiar with them as I should be, but their '80s stuff is wonderful psych-pop. 'Unguarded Moment' and 'Electric Lash' are classics. Steve Kilbey comes across as a cool guy in the memoirs he contributes to the book about David McComb, Vagabond Holes, too.

[sloopjohnc]

They're good stuff is really good. Some of their songs have a lack of peaks and valleys for me and just kinda move along on a straight line. I keep waiting for some of their songs to do something, but they don't.

[never/ever]

I'm onto Priest=Aura now and for a first listen, this really does sound like a special album. I think I'm going to like this one a lot.

That's the one I've been spinning last night too- it is one of the best of the lot. The opening track is one of the very best they've written:



That one and Hologram Of Baal are the two albums I spin the most. Sometime Anywhere, Besides Yourself, Magician Amongst The Spirits, Forget Yourself and After Everything Now This are not far behind....

Kilbey's solo-work is quite impressive too. Saw that they recently reissued the lot in a box-set over in the States. I always liked the film-like approach of albums like Earthed and Unearthed and especially The Slow Crack, which unequivocally is one of his strongest albums and is well recommended to people looking for more of The Church.
I'm looking forward also to Steve's new live-DVD with Martin Kennedy of All India Radio...nice atmospheric stuff.

[mentalist (slight return)]

Favourite album, The Blurred Crusade. Favourite song, Electric Lash. However as N/E says they have had a remarkably consistent output over the years. And M W-P now looks like Rasputin.

[kath]

i love em so. who was i talkin to about this?

ok. this is just pathetic. pretty soon, i'm not gonna remember my own damn name.

kaspar? was it you? on facebook? you were doing starfish, and i was doing heyday?

(watch. even if i'm right, he's gonna fucque with my sanity, and i'm gonna torch my computer.)

p.s. if i'm still on this board when i'm fucquin 50, no one is allowed to give me shit about shit.

[Slim]

Any fans?

Along with The Go-Betweens and Triffids The Church are, in my opinion, the best bands to come out of Australia. Having said that I don't really own much by them

Someone sent me a fantastic homemade compilation a few years ago which I copied for a friend who has since collected most of their albums.

I suppose I'd better start giving them some money - so where to start?

[Guy E]

I am a great fan and my wife loves them dearly as well. I saw them on their last acoustic tour and it was a great show.

The quality of their work is especially amazing when you consider how prolific they are. In 2009 alone they released Untitled #23 and four EP's; Coffee Hounds, Pangaea, Operetta & Deadman's Hand (which contained over 100-minutes of non-LP music). Kilbey also released an excellent album with Martin Kennedy titled, Unseen Music, Unheard Words. Not a bad year.

At the moment I have 32 Church and Church-related albums on my iPod.

[never/ever]

The quality of their work is especially amazing when you consider how prolific they are. In 2009 alone they released Untitled #23 and four EP's; Coffee Hounds, Pangaea, Operetta & Deadman's Hand (which contained over 100-minutes of non-LP music). Kilbey also released an excellent album with Martin Kennedy titled, Unseen Music, Unheard Words. Not a bad year.

Not to mention Marty Willson-Piper's solo-release Nightjar. They are as prolific as rabbits, though this year has been a bit quiet.

[Magilla]

I suppose I'd better start giving them some money - so where to start?

I'm not an expert on their post '80s stuff, but Hindsight is a very good comp of their '80s classics.

[mission]

Loudest gig I ever went to was a Church gig, in some shitty Western Australian beer barn in the mid-80s. The contempt with which the Church held the crowd was awesome. The volume tore plaque off my teeth.

Kilbey looks great, sings great, writes a decent tune and has covered himself in all sorts of glory in the very recent revisiting of the post-Dave Triffids. Behind the impeccable hair and death-pretty face, it transpires he is a music fan and happy promoter of his friends and loved ones.

[James R]

I'm onto Priest=Aura now and for a first listen, this really does sound like a special album. I think I'm going to like this one a lot.

It's my favourite by them, indeed it's one of my favourite albums by any band.

[James R]

I suppose I'd better start giving them some money - so where to start?

The career-spanning singles comp from three years ago, Deep in the Shallows is terrific.

[fange]

The career-spanning singles comp from three years ago, Deep in the Shallows is terrific.

It is, and barely scratches the surface too.

Woke up with 'Too Fast For You' in my head...