THE CHURCH
Church - Church Songs, Psychedelic Masterpieces (A Butterboy Compilation) CD1+CD2+CD3
The Church, an Australian psychedelic rock band, formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave, neo-psychedelia and indie rock, their music later came to feature slower tempos and surreal soundscapes reminiscent of dream pop and post-rock. Glenn A. Baker has written that "From the release of the 'She Never Said' single in November 1980, this unique Sydney-originated entity has purveyed a distinctive, ethereal, psychedelic-tinged sound which has alternatively found favour and disfavor in Australia." The Los Angeles Times has described the band's music as "dense, shimmering, exquisite guitar pop".
The founding members were Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars and Nick Ward on drums. Ward played only on their debut album, and the band's drummer for the rest of the 1980s was Richard Ploog. Jay Dee Daugherty (ex-Patti Smith Group) played drums from 1990 to 1993, followed by "timEbandit" Tim Powles (ex-The Venetians), who remains with them to the present day. Koppes left the band from 1992 to 1997, and Willson-Piper left in 2013. Ian Haug, formerly of Powderfinger, replaced him. Kilbey, Koppes and Powles also recorded together as The Refo:mation in 1997. The Church's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), delivered their first radio hit, "The Unguarded Moment", and they were signed to major labels in Australia, Europe and the United States. However, the US label, dissatisfied with their second album, dropped the band without releasing it. This put a dent in their international success, but they returned to the charts in 1988 with the album Starfish and the US Top 40 hit "Under the Milky Way". Subsequent mainstream success has proved elusive, but the band retains a large international cult following and were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in Sydney in 2010. The Church continue to tour and record, releasing their 25th studio album, Man Woman Life Death Infinity, in October 2017. (Wikipedia)
"I'm often astounded that The Church didn't a) Become a massive sensation after Priest = Aura b) Overdose and perish, or c) Fade into oblivion like so many of their peers. How many other acts can still release fresh, invigorating, and actually relevant music after 30 years? The gentle progression they took from their early jangle to their current psychedelic era is scattered with so many songs that SHOULD have been hits that it's difficult to fathom. Messers Kilbey, Wilson-Piper and Koppes started this wonderful band in Australia in their youth, all those many years ago, and while most fans prefer their early days with Richard Ploog on the skins, I've grown to admire the dynamic changes Tim Powell has brought over the last dozen or so years, and the stability he's given to the band. Step into The Church, close your eyes, and let Kilbey's poetic imagery and bass wash over you. Let the interplay between MW-P and Peter Koppes' guitars dazzle you. Let the rhythms of Mister Ploog, Jay Dee Dougherty, or Tim Powell seduce you. Let it float you up, and cast you away to a distant shore..." (RYM)
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NEW LINKS can be found here:
Track list 1
01 The Unguarded Moment :04:14 1981
02 Don't Open the Door to Strangers :03:28 1981
03 Almost With You :04:14 1982
04 To Be in Your Eyes :03:44 1982
05 Disappear :05:47 1983
06 Now I Wonder Why :05:39 1983
07 Tristesse :03:29 1985
08 Already Yesterday :04:15 1985
09 Disenchanted :03:56 1985
10 A New Season :02:58 1988
11 Blood Money :04:25 1988
12 Lost :04:49 1988
13 Destination :05:52 1988
14 Reptile :04:57 1988
15 Under the Milky Way :04:59 1988
16 Anna Miranda :03:04 1988
17 Metropolis :04:47 1990
18 City :03:26 1990
19 Monday Morning :02:46 1990
20 Disappointment :06:13 1990
21 Ripple :06:04 1992
Track list 2
22 Kings :04:35 1992
23 Film :03:57 1992
24 Day of the Dead :06:46 1994
25 The Maven :06:48 1994
26 The Dead Man's Dream :04:59 1994
27 Welcome :05:56 1996
28 Grandiose :05:20 1996
29 Anaesthesia :05:19 1998
30 No Certainty Attached :04:00 1998
31 Tranquility :07:39 1998
32 Another Earth :03:32 1998
33 Glow-Worm :06:07 1998
34 The Faith Healer :07:36 1999
35 It's All Too Much :06:11 1999
36 The Endless Sea :04:34 1999
37 All the Young Dudes :04:10 1999
38 Numbers :04:29 2001
39 The Awful Ache :05:17 2002
40 Chromium :03:44 2002
41 Invisible :07:48 2002
42 Telepath :04:56 2003
Track list 3
43 Appalatia :04:09 2003
44 Summer :07:03 2003
45 Snowfaller :05:42 2005
46 I Don't Know :02:02 2005
47 Block :06:20 2006
48 She'll Come Back For You Tomorrow :04:32 2006
49 Pure Chance :06:20 2006
50 Day 5 :05:15 2006
51 Wide Open Road :03:44 2007
52 The Coffee Song :03:54 2009
53 Hounds of Love :03:51 2009
54 Pangaea :04:05 2009
55 Happenstance :04:25 2009
56 Space Saviour :05:35 2009
57 Sunken Sun :05:49 2009
58 Anchorage :06:28 2009
59 Laurel Canyon :04:24 2014
60 Old Coast Road :04:21 2014
61 Let Us Go :04:24 2014
62 Another Century :04:42 2017
63 Dark Waltz :04:33 2017
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