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The top acts from "Down Under"


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Hi B-F. I think they're an excellent Band and I didn't know they were still together. I haven't heard of them for ages. The Unguarded Moment, Under The Milky Way and Metropolis are all classics, but my favourite is Almost With You.

:)

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Hi B-F. I think they're an excellent Band and I didn't know they were still together. I haven't heard of them for ages. The Unguarded Moment, Under The Milky Way and Metropolis are all classics, but my favourite is Almost With You.

:)

That's a favourite of mine, too.

The Church played their "UK gig" in London just the week before last: I only found out at a few days notice and couldn't make it due to taking the family on holiday...

The last "new product" of theirs that I bought was the 2002 album "After Everything, Now This", which is pretty good: alot more restrained and ambient than most of their earlier stuff. They have definitely continued recording and releasing new material since then: I just haven't got it yet! I'd be interested in any insight on their most recent material, as well as views of any fellow fans on what constitutes their "best works". As I mentioned, I already have quite alot of their albums, but would hate to think I was missing anything "essential"...

While on the subject of Aussie rock: somewhere I have an album by a mid-80s Ocker band called I Spit On Your Gravy. What can anybody tell me about them?

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I don't know if it qualifies as a "synthesised bagpipe solo", but Marillion's Brave album's title track has a synthesised bagpipe in the background throughout the song, it's the only music in the song.. And Fish, a scottish singer, has a song called Internal Exile in which a synthesised bagpipe is focal to the music. :D

Oh, as for aussies, I'm all for INXS, Midnight Oil, and Nick Cave! woo!

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What genre would you place the music that the group The Church performs?

rtstuff

That's a tricky one. Initially their peers appeared to be the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, The Cure, etc. (or even U2) in the "new-wave/post-punk, guitar-based pop/rock" scheme of things, if that makes any sense at all. However, given their prolific output and the development of their sound & style over the years, it's challenging to pinpoint a particular genre. I would suggest that, despite the vague categorisation attempted above, their roots are/were more in pre-punk (late 60s/early 70s)jangly psychedelia, with hints of The Byrds and Television amongst others.

I vaguely recall from the early 80s, some talk of a genre "The New Paisley Underground"; bands who were reviving "psychedelia", but with a certain post-punk sensibility (Green On Red, Miracle Legion, Rain Parade, early REM, etc). I think The Church may have distanced themselves from this "scene", whilst occupying some similar territory at the time. As I mentioned before though, they have developed and matured, applied their musical/lyrical craftsmanship to varied styles, whilst retaining their unique character.

Unlike some of my favourite bands, which I admit might be of "minority appeal", The Church are not only multi-talented, but also reasonably accessible: a band I recommend with confidence.

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I Spit On Your Gravy. You've got me there B-F. :P

But you reminded me of a story !

Years ago my best Mate (he got off an English Merchant Craft and stayed here) spat in his beer so nobody would drink it while he went to the toilet. I'd never seen that happen before.

When he came back I said "You're not going to drink that are you ?". He said "Of course. Why not ?" I said "I spat in it too while you were away".

;)

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And what about The Go-Betweens? They were a decent band: I've got an album of theirs,"Tallulah", tucked away somewhere....Did they do a song that went "I-I-I-I-I-I-I love Lee Remick, she's a darlin'" that I used to dance to at Kaleidoscope Pop! (Leeds Indie Disco c@ 1987-88)? I think it was them, but it doesn't seem to feature on their "Best Of" collections/album reissues. }:(

Also: The Died Pretty. I have a 12" of theirs- "Out Of The Unknown". Excellent psychedelic rockin' stuff.

And, since New Zealand also counts as "Down Under", a word for Garageland.

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:doh: I forgot The Church!! I thought of them when I was typing my list then got momentarily sidetracked! I do love them though! Also the Cruel Sea.

No mention of the Hoodoo Gurus?

I began listening to this band after a play on John Peel many years ago, and return to the baggy-shirted wonders periodically for a lift even now...

I did mention the Hoodoo Gurus!! They're a great band!! I am listening to 'Bittersweet' at this very moment :bow:

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heehee my sister's mother-in-law lived in NZ for a number of years and says that vegamite is the most disgusting stuff...

she's right, marmite however is great!

As for the whole Dragon being classed as Aussie or Kiwi I guess they are both, although some on either side would argue, all that really matters is that they make good music.

We have quite a funny ad running on tv about the Australians stealing everything from us, Pavlova, Crowded House, Dragon etc.

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she's right, marmite however is great!

As for the whole Dragon being classed as Aussie or Kiwi I guess they are both, although some on either side would argue, all that really matters is that they make good music.

We have quite a funny ad running on tv about the Australians stealing everything from us, Pavlova, Crowded House, Dragon etc.

:laughing: Pavlova is a matter of debate, as is Crowded House (there were Aussie members of Crowded House). And Marmite? Now, that's real axle grease!!

I think the Kiwis are still mad at us for Trevor Chappell bowling under arm way back when. But that is another issue entirely!! :D :D

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Below ids the tracklisting for the 'Best of the Church'....would those in the know agree that this would be a worthy purchase?

1. Unguarded Moment

2. Too Fast for You

3. Tear It All Away

4. Almost With You

5. When You Were Mine

6. Electric Lash

7. Month of Sundays

8. Shadow Cabinet

9. Myrrh

10. Tantalized

11. Under the Milky Way

12. Reptile

13. Metropolis

14. You're Still Beautiful

15. Ripple

16. Feel

17. Two Places at Once [Radio Edit][Edit]

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I am going to see if Borders can order a CD of The Church. Which CD would you guys and gals suggest that would be a good representation of there work? Thanks a lot.

rtstuff

I am really excited about learning all about other cultures and their different tastes in music and film. The SongFactors are the greatest!

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Below ids the tracklisting for the 'Best of the Church'....would those in the know agree that this would be a worthy purchase?

1. Unguarded Moment

2. Too Fast for You

3. Tear It All Away

4. Almost With You

5. When You Were Mine

6. Electric Lash

7. Month of Sundays

8. Shadow Cabinet

9. Myrrh

10. Tantalized

11. Under the Milky Way

12. Reptile

13. Metropolis

14. You're Still Beautiful

15. Ripple

16. Feel

17. Two Places at Once [Radio Edit][Edit]

That looks like a pretty good selection and a worthwhile purchase. The only caveat I would offer is that whilst it does justice to their 80s material, it "runs out" in 1994, since when the band has continued to release high quality material. Also that the tracks lifted from the wonderful "Priest=Aura" album are not necessarily the best ones, in my opinion. But that's just me being pernickerty...

I'm not sure if any other "Best Of" collections exist that encompass the rest of the 90s and beyond. To find out, it might be worth checking out the website of the "Cooking Vinyl" label, or the band's own website. I have a double CD "Best Of" called "Hindsight", but it spans a shorter period, having evidently been released before the successful "Starfish" album which spawned the hit "Under The Milky Way".

In brief, I would say to both johnnyguitar and rtstuff (and anyone else who might be considering it) to go ahead and get this "Best Of" collection, which contains plenty to recommend it. I would imagine it will give you a taste for more...there's certainly plenty to go at.

If you're then tempted to buy any of the band's original albums, I would recommend "The Blurred Crusade" and "Priest=Aura" for starters.

P.S. I believe they also have recently brought out a new album, (which I didn't know about until last night), which has garnered impressive reviews.

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Some reviews I found of the new album "Uninvited like The Clouds"....

The Church have been with me for most of my life,they are one of the worlds great "lost" bands,certainly one of the most underrated bands on planet earth !

I've lost count of how many albums,side projects and solo projects there have been;to say they are prolific is a massive under-estimation.

"Uninvited Like The Clouds" is the latest in a series of incredible albums.It is perhaps their most radio-friendly piece for a while,but don't let that put you off!!There is enough here to satisfy anyone who appreciates great guitar music,complex arrangements,sublime melodies and superlative,melancholic vocals.

Fans of everyone from the beatles and the byrds through echo and the bunnymen and u2 right up to radiohead and beyond should at least check this album out and it will open up a whole new world; and take you years to track everything else down!

I suppose when you reach your 49th album or whatever you have pretty much cast off the constraints, and this is reflected in what is one of The Church's best, but also most esoteric, collections. Bizarrely released following their billion-viewer exposure at the opening of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, which recycled their antique hit with added effnick and klassik bits, this somehow picks up a previously invisible link between Starfish, P=A and After Everything... Bookended with the dense, brooding of "Block" and "Song to Go" are a wider-than-ever-before array of jangle-pop ("Unified Field", "Easy"), spaced-out-neo-prog ("Pure Chance", "Never Before"), blues ("She'll be Back for you Tomorrow")and psychedelic jazz-punk ("Space needle", "Real Toggle Action"). While the guitar work is still world-beating, there's an appetite for simple repetitive riff motifs that might even make this stuff more accessible to the feeble-of-taste. And if that all sounds a bit like a round up of previous Church stuff in a "Greatest Hits with New Tunes" effort forget it, this takes the whole damn thing in a new direction.

The Church Reach Subliminal Heights

26 years and the Church release what seems like their 466th album!! The boys have been very prolific lately releasing an offcuts album (Beast With Two Backs) and an excellent acoustic album (El Momento Descuidado) of reworked oldies with some new compositions.

ULTC starts off with the brooding "Block" and heads straight into their poppiest song for years "Unified Field" which is a delightful song which any of todays nobodies like the Arctic Monkeys would never even attempt such is the QUALITY. Quality is the key word for this album which it exudes from start to finish. The music sounds as fresh as when they first started writing music 26 years ago.

Other highlights include "Space Needle" with it's soaring chorus; the jingle-jangle summer-like "Easy" with it's fab mandolin!; the bluesy Willson-Piper sung "She'll Come Back For You Tomorrow" with some beautiful slide guitar work; "Day 5" is a wonderfully mellow soundscape and has elements of their entire career in the song.

This album rewards with repeated listens and reveals much more complexity the more you hear these timeless aural delights!!

The best Church album since perhaps The Blurred Crusade...!!!

Sounds good: I might have to buy it.

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