| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Nipsey88 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: Kadath
Status: Offline
Points: 706
|
 Topic: The Church
Posted: August 10 2006 at 01:46 |
|
Just got home from seeing these guys. Awesome show. One question: Is there any reason they only played acoustic guitars? Because as awesome as their set was, it was done all on acoustic guitars. Didn't know if it was unique to the tour, or if that's what they do now.
|
|
|
 |
Australian
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2006
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 3278
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 02:01 |
|
The Church don't only use Acoustic Guitars, but they seems to use them more as their music progresses.
|
|
|
|
Nipsey88
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: Kadath
Status: Offline
Points: 706
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 02:09 |
|
I mean, wow. They did utterly amazing versions of Metropolis, Under The Milky Way, Tristesse, and Grind. These guys are one of my favorite bands.
Great stuff.
|
|
|
|
Australian
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 13 2006
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 3278
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 02:14 |
I know how you feel 
Preist = Aura and Forget Yourself are two utterly unforgettable albums. Their newest album Uninvited Like the Clouds is awsom too.  |
|
|
|
Nipsey88
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 27 2005
Location: Kadath
Status: Offline
Points: 706
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 02:20 |
|
Priest=Aura is freakin phenomenal.
But Starfish and Heyday are still my faves.
EDIT: I've seen 'em on the Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix tours
Edited by Nipsey88 - August 10 2006 at 02:27
|
|
|
|
Heptade
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 19 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 427
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 09:04 |
|
They are using acoustic guitars on this tour because a) two of the band members have tinnitus and b) it's cheaper to tour a big ass country like the States without amps to tote around. The band has a cult following in America, but they have to drive themselves around like a band half their age.
Steve Kilbey has a blog where he reveals a lot of interesting stuff about the band http://stevekilbey.blogspot.com
The Church are one of the best bands ever, in any genre! My fave albums are Priest = Aura, Hologram of Baal and After Everything. The new one is great though, as is the album they are selling on their site, Back With Two Beasts.
Any Aussie prog fans remember Sebastian Hardie, by the way?
|
|
The world keeps spinning, people keep sinning
And all the rest is just bullsh*t
-Steve Kilbey
|
|
StyLaZyn
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 22 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 4079
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 10:01 |
 Nipsey88 wrote:
I mean, wow. They did utterly amazing versions of Metropolis, Under The Milky Way, Tristesse, and Grind. These guys are one of my favorite bands.Great stuff.
|
Awesome songs! These guys are real good and I thoroughly enjoy their head music.
|
|
|
|
maani
Special Collaborator
Founding Moderator
Joined: January 30 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2632
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 10:17 |
As the person who convinced the webmasters to add The Church to PA, I totally agree with all your comments. [N.B. See my series of reviews of the band's complete oeuvre.] I have seen them live on every tour since P=A, and will be seeing them tonight, so I'm very excited.
As for their albums, with the exception of Magician (an album which was "forced" by the record label, and was quite weak), every album from Priest=Aura through Forget Yourself is amazing. And for those who really understand the band, Gold Afternoon Fix, Starfish and Heyday are all darn good as well.
Glad to see so many Church fans here! Bravo!
Peace.
|
|
Heptade
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 19 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 427
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 17:29 |
|
Maani, I have mucho respect for you, but I beg to differ...Magician Among the Spirits is awesome! The only 90s+ Church albums that don't rank among the greats for me are Gold Afternoon Fix (great songs, but drum machine a problem) and Forget Yourself (don't get me wrong, I love it, but the standards are too high to live up to all the time).
How 'bout some ratings?
Heyday 9
Starfish 9
GAF 7
Priest=Aura 10
Sometime Anywhere 9
Magician 9
Hologram of Baal 9
After Everything 9
Forget Yourself 7
Back With Two Beasts 8
El Momento 8
Uninvited Like the Clouds 9
|
|
The world keeps spinning, people keep sinning
And all the rest is just bullsh*t
-Steve Kilbey
|
|
maani
Special Collaborator
Founding Moderator
Joined: January 30 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2632
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 18:01 |
Heptade:
No, my friend, I beg to differ (LOL). Only half of Magician is great (Welcome, Come Down, Further Adventures, Romany Caravan, Magician); the other half is very weak. As for Forget Yourself, it is simply one of the greatest albums ever created, and among the band's top 3. And given how "widespread" that opinion is, both among Church fans and in general, you are definitely in the minority there.
Re individual ratings, see my in-depth series of reviews of the band's entire oeuvre to see my comparative ratings.
In any event, The Church is a great band who never quite got the attention and accolades they deserved.
Peace.
P.S. I'm seeing them in less than 4 hours!!!!
|
|
Heptade
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 19 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 427
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 18:24 |
|
I know, FY is very popular. Maya and June really do it for me, I must admit. A nice album. just not my fave. Different Kilbey strokes for different folks, I guess. Do you have a lot of the solo albums?
You are lucky...they don't come to Toronto any more, and the Michigan show is on a weeknight, so I can't go. You're a lucky devil. Give us a report on the show in this thread, please.
|
|
The world keeps spinning, people keep sinning
And all the rest is just bullsh*t
-Steve Kilbey
|
|
bhikkhu
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 06 2006
Location: A² Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 5109
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 19:16 |
|
Love this band, but the only complete albums I have heard are "Starfish" and "Forget Youself." What are other must haves?
|
|
|
|
Heptade
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 19 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 427
|
Posted: August 10 2006 at 19:57 |
|
Priest=Aura is the fans' choice, usually. It's a great album. Can't go wrong with that, Hologram of Baal or After Everything Now This, IMveryHO.
|
|
The world keeps spinning, people keep sinning
And all the rest is just bullsh*t
-Steve Kilbey
|
|
maani
Special Collaborator
Founding Moderator
Joined: January 30 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2632
|
Posted: August 11 2006 at 01:24 |
bhikkhu:
Their "early" period has only one really excellent album, Seance. It was a radical departure for them at the time, when they were writing mostly pretty good pop tunes. Seance is the first album that was even mildly "proggy."
However, as Heptade suggests, it was with Priest=Aura that the band really found their prog identity. (Read just the first few lines of my review and you'll get a good sense of this.) After that, they kept going and never looked back, always seeming to be able to either remain consistent or top themselves. As I have noted, I personally believe Magician was a "misstep" overall, but other than that everything after P=A is excellent.
If you have an interest in really getting to know them, you might find it interesting to hear P=A and then go back and listen to the three that led up to it, since those three show a clear "progression" - though, as my review of P=A states, nothing could truly have prepared us for P=A.
Anyway, happy listening!
Peace.
|
|
maani
Special Collaborator
Founding Moderator
Joined: January 30 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2632
|
Posted: August 11 2006 at 18:04 |
Heptade:
See my review of the show on the Live Performance Review thread.
Peace.
|
|
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
The Church
