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The Church — Destination
Album: Starfish
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1742









Released: 1988
Length: 5:49
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Our instruments have no way of measuring this feeling
Can never cut below the floor, or penetrate the ceiling.
In the space between our houses, some bones have been discovered,
But our procession lurches on, as if we had recovered.

Draconian winter unforetold.
One solar day, suddenly you're old.
Your little envelope just makes me cold,
Makes destination start to unfold.

Our documents are useless, or forged beyond believing.
Page forty-seven is unsigned, I need it by this evening.
In the space between our cities, a storm is slowly forming.
Something eating up our days, I feel it every morning.
Destination, destination.

It's not a religion, it's just a technique.
It's just a way of making you speak.
Distance and speed have left us too weak,
And destination looks kind of bleak.

Our elements are burned out, our beasts have been mistreated.
I tell you it's the only way we'll get this road completed.
In the space between our bodies, the air has grown small fingers.
Just one caress, you're powerless, like all those clapped-out swingers.
Destination, destination.
Comments (142)add comment
Posted 10 months ago by TallCreative1    [ Reply ]
I'll never forget how I discovered The Church.  I was in a Tower Records store and purchasing another cassette to listen to in my car (it was the early '80s after all...).  At the counter sat a stack of green cans, kinda labeled like they were supposed to look like a military ration of some sort with "Survival Sampler" stenciled on the side.  Not only was this one of the more interesting promo presentations I had seen, upon hearing The Church's "Electric Lash" that was included on this promo cassette I immediately became a fan of their music.
Posted 1 year ago by ick    [ Reply ]
What a fantastic opening track to a stellar album.  Many hours of listening to this album during the year of its release as well as years since.  Great stuff.
Posted 2 years ago by Jayesea    [ Reply ]
The Church are what church is supposed to be…
Posted 3 years ago by tm    [ Reply ]
 xkolibuul wrote:

Nice.  Both are from Oz after all.


Both from the twangy accent state of NSW also.
Posted 3 years ago by brentjamesmills    [ Reply ]
Still going strong on their own check out Steve Kilbey and Marty Wilson-Pipers solo and project music, simply stellar as well!
Posted 3 years ago by hakuindude    [ Reply ]
Truly one of the most underrated bands of all-time, dazzling brilliance and Steve and Marty still going strong on their own!
Posted 3 years ago by hakuindude    [ Reply ]
A family member worked for Arista on w57th in the late '80s-early '90s and would bring us promo cassettes and cds and that's how I discovered The Church.
Some unique bands came from that part of the world at that time that couldn't be categorized with any other contemporary sounds. Midnight Oil, INXS, Crowded House come to mind right now...
Posted 3 years ago by firefly6    [ Reply ]
Reminds me a bit of Little River Band and Men at Work.
Posted 3 years ago by MacMeadow    [ Reply ]
One of the greatest records of the 80s.
Posted 4 years ago by nicknt    [ Reply ]
Good song but lead singers voice is a bit dreary
Posted 4 years ago by Pioneer_Sing    [ Reply ]
This song is the intro to a magnificent journey known as Starfish. It fits perfectly.
Posted 4 years ago by jimlandwehr2582    [ Reply ]
20 seconds into the song and I am already in love! Live long RP.
Posted 5 years ago by nickmetalx3317    [ Reply ]
Bill, every time I hear this song I notice a skip in it. It occurs during one of the "destination" repeats, I think.

Now, I don't listen under the best conditions, and then maybe I thought it was some sort of "effect" in the song, but I'm listening to a version posted on youtube and I don't hear the skip.

Is this possible? No one else has mentioned it.
Posted 6 years ago by TwinEngine    [ Reply ]
Was just getting tickets to see this band at the Fillmore on September 14th.
Posted 7 years ago by poetdancer    [ Reply ]
8 > 9
Posted 7 years ago by Foot    [ Reply ]
 Ptijoc wrote:
I'm not fond of "The Church", but i must recognize that this song is pretty good. Again!

 
I have the opposite reaction: really like The Church but not this song. Too dreary and plodding. 
Posted 7 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
  helgigermany wrote:
Sounds like a mix between Coldplay and Depeche Mode!!

 
Interesting... true. New Order comes to mind, too. But I guess everyone sounds a bit like a mix between two someone-elses.
Posted 7 years ago by user4176    [ Reply ]
I'm not fond of "The Church", but i must recognize that this song is pretty good. Again!
Posted 7 years ago by Ptijoc    [ Reply ]
I agree, a mix between Echo and the Bunymen and The Scars (from the famous album Author! Author!) indeed.
Posted 8 years ago by Hans_Heintz    [ Reply ]
Sounds like a mix between Coldplay and Depeche Mode!!
Posted 8 years ago by helgigermany    [ Reply ]
Perfect opening track. Love The Church!
Posted 8 years ago by dkrstic    [ Reply ]
Heard the bass line and thought "How Long Has This Been Going On..."
Posted 9 years ago by Steely_D    [ Reply ]
Wake me when it's over😴
Posted 9 years ago by rjewyo    [ Reply ]
Nice to hear something besides "Reptile" & "Milky Way" off this album!
Posted 9 years ago by treatment_bound    [ Reply ]
Haunting.  I have the miserable, sickly feeling that I had in high school, around the time I would hear these guys.  It was refuge and commiseration then, and I can't stop listening now.  Cuz it's that good.
Posted 10 years ago by dingomuse    [ Reply ]
This was such a good CD.... nice to hear something other than Reptile or Milky Way!!
Posted 10 years ago by Emwolb    [ Reply ]
 The_Walrus wrote:
Have to say I have hated every "The Church" song I have ever heard so it's PSD for me in future. This one sounds like the bastard offspring of Pink Floyd and David Bowie that was put in an asylum for the criminally pretentious. Just saying.......

 

eh he,,, hehe,,,he said pretentious
Posted 10 years ago by Kaisersosay    [ Reply ]
 The_Walrus wrote:
Have to say I have hated every "The Church" song I have ever heard so it's PSD for me in future. This one sounds like the bastard offspring of Pink Floyd and David Bowie that was put in an asylum for the criminally pretentious. Just saying.......

 

That's a bad thing? {#Cheers}
Posted 10 years ago by Bosami    [ Reply ]
Have to say I have hated every "The Church" song I have ever heard so it's PSD for me in future. This one sounds like the bastard offspring of Pink Floyd and David Bowie that was put in an asylum for the criminally pretentious. Just saying.......
Posted 10 years ago by The_Walrus    [ Reply ]
 Stingray wrote:
"Notte goot...!"

said my Italian girlfriend!



 
Night good?

The people hating on this song make me wonder what they find better.  Such a great tune off a fantastic album.
Posted 10 years ago by Tippster    [ Reply ]
This is why I love Radio Paradise... Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" followed by this.  Just awesome.
Posted 11 years ago by ick    [ Reply ]
classic album.  {#Cowboy}
Posted 11 years ago by wrangler    [ Reply ]

day of the dead down in mexico
you ever been on a holiday
you ever thought that you been here before
you ever did in a desperate way
on the beach stands a donkey that is waiting for you
a hee haw stamping his hoof
a fine blue day as dreamed by the boys
nodding up on the roof

and the meeting is held in the darkness
and in the darkness everyone's blind
the muriel masters stand there in velvet
and i know you're falling behind

drink in a bar down in the motel
i get involved with a prisoner
she's got a skull like a seraphim
i figure she is a messenger
she's at the heart of the festival
she's got the hands of a picador
she asks the spirits for a romance
she gets a ghost for a paramour

and the wedding is held in the darkness
cause in the darkness the guests are all blind
graveyards and mountains wrapped up in satin
and i know you're falling behind

day of the dead down in mexico
we read a book on the alamo
we filled the tank up with texaco
we buy a trinket for curio
we walk the stuff through the marketplace
dripping smoke, dollars, and aftershave
i got the mind of an astronaut
emerging from the shell unscathed
climbing out of hell unchanged

but then the deal is dealt in the darkness
and in the darkness the dealers are blind
jokers and aces cruising in black fur
i know you're falling behind


Posted 12 years ago by mandolin    [ Reply ]
 lily34 wrote:

wow. you're right!
 
and the problem with that?  Still a very cool song.
Posted 12 years ago by Sloggydog    [ Reply ]
 ddog wrote:
I like The Church but this sounds like Midnight Oil in slow motion..
 
wow. you're right!
Posted 12 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
The Church had a habit of starting a lot of their albums with slow-mid tempo songs like this. Kind of eases you. Like the song, love the album.
Posted 12 years ago by smackiepipe    [ Reply ]
I like The Church but this sounds like Midnight Oil in slow motion..
Posted 12 years ago by ddog    [ Reply ]
Good band. Great album.
Posted 12 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
Well, I have to disagree...I like this.
Posted 13 years ago by kaybee    [ Reply ]
This song is a drag
Posted 13 years ago by More_Cowbell    [ Reply ]
 horstman wrote:
Like a lot of albums back in the day, this is collection of songs that is to be taken in its entirety, not as individual songs. The album is a very good, expressive.

But I think this song is very strong and has a great upward progression towards its end. They were a phenomenal band of the 80s sound, very intellectual. One of my faves.
 
I politely disagree. I can think of very few albums from the 1980s that should be listened to as a collection of songs. But then I spent the 80s making mix-tapes, so maybe it's just me. 
Posted 13 years ago by handyrae    [ Reply ]
the task of   - being human
how many time of him (it) (whom) (he, she,...) (human)  is worth in money currency 4 freedom?
so what !!!! - enjoy (I - human) do
Posted 13 years ago by Det    [ Reply ]
Great album. Not one of my favorite tracks.
Posted 13 years ago by JsDad    [ Reply ]
 ckcotton wrote:
MUCH better songs on this album...
  Like a lot of albums back in the day, this is collection of songs that is to be taken in its entirety, not as individual songs. The album is a very good, expressive.

But I think this song is very strong and has a great upward progression towards its end. They were a phenomenal band of the 80s sound, very intellectual. One of my faves.


Posted 13 years ago by horstman    [ Reply ]
MUCH better songs on this album...
Posted 14 years ago by ckcotton    [ Reply ]
"Notte goot...!"

said my Italian girlfriend!


Posted 14 years ago by Stingray    [ Reply ]
 stevenv58 wrote:
Not a great pick me up for the morning, that’s for sure.....sounds like their dying........
 
F#cking A, man!

Posted 14 years ago by CoYoT51    [ Reply ]
They sound so happy to sing...
Posted 14 years ago by CoYoT51    [ Reply ]
I keep hearing the old Windows shut down sound in here...
Posted 14 years ago by ihategrapejuice    [ Reply ]
 jadewahoo wrote:
What a fucking frigging brilliant song!
 
Had to edit your comment. Common decency dictates that you watch your language around the Church. {#Naughty}
Posted 14 years ago by peter_james_bond    [ Reply ]
Still boring after all these years...
Posted 14 years ago by audiophelia    [ Reply ]
 spigolli wrote:
... this church actually deserves to be torched
 
church fire

Posted 14 years ago by a_genuine_find    [ Reply ]
Not a great pick me up for the morning, that’s for sure.....sounds like their dying........
Posted 14 years ago by stevenv58    [ Reply ]
They even sound bored....like me
Posted 15 years ago by EssexTex    [ Reply ]
One of the best new albums this year was from The Church - "Untitled #23" Please play some here! Crank the "Deadman's Hand" it rocks!
Posted 15 years ago by digizone    [ Reply ]
"We lose half the congregation every time American Idol starts up". Kenneth Parcell
{#Cowboy}


Posted 15 years ago by k_trout    [ Reply ]
 healyf52 wrote:
kind of sound like 'Midnight Oil' on xanax..
 
Nice.  Both are from Oz after all.
Posted 15 years ago by xkolibuul    [ Reply ]
yes!  thanks.  great song, album, and band.  just saw yesterday that they will be playing at irving plaza in nyc this summer.

"it's not a religion, it's just a technique"
Posted 15 years ago by wrangler    [ Reply ]
... this church actually deserves to be torched
Posted 15 years ago by spigolli    [ Reply ]

The build up at the beginning sounds like that song by the Divinyls. Every time I hear this I start expecting the line "I touch myself..."


Posted 15 years ago by rdo    [ Reply ]
 mandolin wrote:
...god i love this song...
 
  ...and this album..

I lost track of the Church after about Gold Afternoon Fix, but found out several years ago that they had gone on releasing albums, and I acquired most of them, many of which are worth hearing.  This and Heyday are still my favorites...nostalgia, I guess.

Thanks, Bill.

Posted 15 years ago by silvergirl    [ Reply ]
 lophrequa wrote:
i just figured out why i love The Church: Duran Duran Pink Floyd ... anyone with me here?
 

...sort of - i'd say there are elements of new wave and psychedelic/progressive fused, yes...
Posted 16 years ago by mandolin    [ Reply ]

Nice.


Posted 16 years ago by thetimebeing2112    [ Reply ]
What a fucking brilliant song!
Posted 16 years ago by jadewahoo    [ Reply ]
Now why the heck didn't I buy this album when it was new?

8

{#Ask}  {#Doh}

Posted 16 years ago by rtb    [ Reply ]
Sexy voice, love The Church!
Posted 16 years ago by Shesdifferent    [ Reply ]
i just figured out why i love The Church: Duran Duran Pink Floyd ... anyone with me here?
Posted 16 years ago by lophrequa    [ Reply ]
I really dig this groove. No, really.
Posted 16 years ago by steve_san_carlos    [ Reply ]
AphidA wrote:
How can this (https://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=39315) be even remotely on par with Destination? I don't trust the listeners here .... anymore (edit)
How can I trust someone with a pseudonym that represent the common plant louse?
Posted 16 years ago by Ulises    [ Reply ]
Thank you for playing this Bill.
Posted 16 years ago by greyfin10    [ Reply ]
prickelpit96 wrote:
*sigh* *leanback*
Posted 16 years ago by nigelr    [ Reply ]
AphidA wrote:
How can this (https://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=39315) be even remotely on par with Destination? I don't trust the listeners here.
Never place stock in popularity, and look at the curve, not the mean average. Trust your own ear. What you like, you like!
Posted 16 years ago by robco1    [ Reply ]
How can this (https://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=39315) be even remotely on par with Destination? I don't trust the listeners here .... anymore (edit)
Posted 16 years ago by AphidA    [ Reply ]
prickelpit96 wrote:
*sigh* *leanback*
EXACTLY. This song is a religious experience.
Posted 16 years ago by gfloyd    [ Reply ]
Fabulous playlist tonight!
Posted 16 years ago by rbigelo    [ Reply ]
"Starfish" was the hallmark CD of my early 20's. I must have played it 1,000 times. For every dark and chilly North Florida autumn evening in 1988 it seems like there was a Church song to go along with it. A few years back my brother was in ICU, it was 30 degrees outside, and I was talking with my brothers nurses at a party around a firepit in an old highschool friends backyard. The discussion was really bleak regarding my brothers outlook when another old friend (with whom I had been estranged from for quite some time) with his guitar broke out of his normal repertoire of Jimmy Buffet and The Eagles and began playing "Under the Milky Way" knowing that it was my favorite song. He butchered the lyrics a bit but the intent really touched me. Lifted my spirits right away and reminded me instantly of how much I've always loved The Church. One of those cathartic "Starfish moments" I guess.
Posted 17 years ago by thetimebeing2112    [ Reply ]
wow a blast from the past- I actually have this on vinyl but haven't had a working turntable for a looooong time. Guess I'll have to buy the CD This brings my total spent on new CDs since I hooked up with RP through the recommendation of a fellow Porcupine Tree addict about a month ago to something in the ballpark of 300 USD LOL
Posted 17 years ago by Deadwing    [ Reply ]
prickelpit96 wrote:
*sigh* *leanback*
... and enjoying! Our instruments have no way of measuring this feeling Can never cut below the floor, or penetrate the ceiling. In the space between our houses, some bones have been discovered, But our procession lurches on, as if we had recovered. Draconian winter unforetold. One solar day, suddenly youre old. Your little envelope just makes me cold, Makes destination start to unfold. Our documents are useless, or forged beyond believing. Page forty-seven is unsigned, I need it by this evening. In the space between our cities, a storm is slowly forming. Something eating up our days, I feel it every morning. Destination, destination. Its not a religion, its just a technique. Its just a way of making you speak. Distance and speed have left us too weak, And destination looks kind of bleak. Our elements are burned out, our beasts have been mistreated. I tell you its the only way well get this road completed. In the space between our bodies, the air has grown small fingers. Just one caress, youre powerless, like all those clapped-out swingers. Destination, destination.
Posted 17 years ago by Nabla    [ Reply ]
*sigh* *leanback*
Posted 17 years ago by prickelpit96    [ Reply ]
...god i love this song...
Posted 17 years ago by mandolin    [ Reply ]
Gawd yes!
Posted 17 years ago by jadewahoo    [ Reply ]
And when they grow up they want to be Television?
Posted 17 years ago by catsoup    [ Reply ]
kind of sound like 'Midnight Oil' on xanax..
Posted 17 years ago by healyf52    [ Reply ]
Too 80s. 2.
Posted 17 years ago by everythingsatwo    [ Reply ]
I was wishing that "Crazy" by Pylon would come after this. I guess I should try and upload it.
Posted 17 years ago by cherylg4    [ Reply ]
on my third listen or so, i'd have to say they sound very bored while singing this song..
Posted 17 years ago by davin    [ Reply ]
horstman wrote:
I LOVE THE CHURCH EVEN IF I DON'T LIKE GOING TO CHURCH?
celadonstone wrote:
I like the Cult but I haven't ever joined a Cult. I like the Clash but I am not that noisy.
I like the Byrds and I haven't flipped anyone the bird today. It's only 4am but that's still pretty good for me.
Posted 17 years ago by bokey    [ Reply ]
keith_mineo wrote:
Super great album, "Starfish" is a standout from this period. I played that tape till it broke. Then I made a Frankenstein tape from it with duct tape and another cassette that I didn't like anymore. It actually played, though slightly warped. Thanks for the memories RP, I should get the cd. RP: let's here more from this one. How about "Reptile"
How about something more unique like "The Unguarded Moment" from Of Skins and Heart?
Posted 17 years ago by KurtfromLaQuinta    [ Reply ]
horstman wrote:
I LOVE THE CHURCH EVEN IF I DON'T LIKE GOING TO CHURCH?
I like the Cult but I haven't ever joined a Cult. I like the Clash but I am not that noisy.
Posted 17 years ago by celadonstone    [ Reply ]
I think this is the first time I have heard a song by the church in a long time that i didn't know..
Posted 18 years ago by davin    [ Reply ]
I'll agree with many here. A really fine album. Kind of like a lot of REM albums where the individual songs don't sound as good on their own as they do on the album. A case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. When I hear this song I always think of a friend's ex-wife. She really didn't have the same musical taste as either of us. I remember putting the CD on and she made a crack about the music. Just then Kilbey started singing and the first few notes are a little sour. I could kind of understand why she didn't get it. Nonetheless, I still like it.
Posted 18 years ago by Harpua    [ Reply ]
Super great album, "Starfish" is a standout from this period. I played that tape till it broke. Then I made a Frankenstein tape from it with duct tape and another cassette that I didn't like anymore. It actually played, though slightly warped. Thanks for the memories RP, I should get the cd. RP: let's here more from this one. How about "Reptile"
Posted 18 years ago by keith_mineo    [ Reply ]
dreamy, lyrical, melodic, surprising, pleasant, deep. Now, if they could do it more consistently.
Posted 18 years ago by deadfdr    [ Reply ]
I LOVE THE CHURCH EVEN IF I DON'T LIKE GOING TO CHURCH?
Posted 18 years ago by horstman    [ Reply ]
here it comes.....that brilliant guitar, dreamy lyrics/voice, the church is simply divine, amen.
Posted 18 years ago by guiguy    [ Reply ]
I'm soooo depressed...ah..I feel much better now.
Posted 18 years ago by JohnnySockhead    [ Reply ]
I cant stop my feet¡¡¡¡¡
Posted 18 years ago by higado    [ Reply ]
jed2667 wrote:
My sentiments exactly! I was 16 when I first heard this album. I had been listening to stuff like Metallica and AC/DC. Stuff my friends were listening to when another friend offered me his walkman with a 90 min tape and told to keep both for as long as I wanted. I had no clue what was on the tape but I said sure, whatever. Side A had The Smiths, Strange Ways Here We Come and Side B was The Church, Starfish. These two albums changed my life. I had never heard anything like what I heard there on that tape. The Smiths blew me away with Morrissey's melancholy lyrics and Johnny Marr's guitar. The whole mood of the album Starfish kept me entranced from beginning to end. From there I moved into listening to more alternative bands like the Cure and The Ocean Blue but ultimately it opened my eyes up to the exploration of new and different music which is why I love radioparadise so much.
absolutely spot on, mate ! 'strangeways ...' & 'starffish' are 2 absolute rock-classics. reminds me of my last high school years. i put on 'strangeways ...' quite often (i got the cd now). but my starfish-lp has a nasty scratch :-(
Posted 19 years ago by Bicky    [ Reply ]
drH wrote:
Wrong you are! Gold Afernoon Fix is well-known to be one of their weakest albums........
Well-known? CAUTION, STRONG OPINION AHEAD: Gold Afternoon Fix is a terrific album if your mind isn't predisposed to what a bunch of critics say. Regardless of what anyone says, (even the band members) there are some good to great songs, including Pharoah, Metropolis, Terra Nova Cain, Russian Autumn Hearts, Essense, Fading Away and Laughing. They are all songs I liked at it's release and still like today. But, I suppose this opinion must be wrong. ;)
Posted 19 years ago by veegez    [ Reply ]
AphidA wrote:
I agree that early Church was incredible and possible their best. But, c'mon, Starfish was an incredible album. I think it was the next one that rapidly declined (forget the name - a few tracks were decent and 'Russian Autumn Heart' is cycling in the LRC now).
Gold Afternoon Fix. And it seems I'm the only Church fan who actually likes that album.
Either Remote Luxury or Heydey was their best album in my opinion.
Both great albums, and I think they had a solid string of albums from "Blurred Crusade" on that built up, each improving upon the other, to Starfish -- after which they started sliding down the other side of the mountain. "Electric" and "In Your Eyes" are IMO the two most criminally overlooked songs in the Church catalog.
Posted 19 years ago by drover    [ Reply ]
Arbuckle wrote:
Bocephus is a genius. Seance is the best. They were spent by Starfish. Who cares what they've done in the 90's. The early 80's was their moment. Now they are gone even if they are not gone.
I agree that early Church was incredible and possible their best. But, c'mon, Starfish was an incredible album. I think it was the next one that rapidly declined (forget the name - a few tracks were decent and 'Russian Autumn Heart' is cycling in the LRC now). Either Remote Luxury or Heydey was their best album in my opinion.
Posted 19 years ago by AphidA    [ Reply ]
Bocephus wrote:
all their best stuff was earlier than this IMO...Check out Seance for my fave Church stuff.
Bocephus is a genius. Seance is the best. They were spent by Starfish. Who cares what they've done in the 90's. The early 80's was their moment. Now they are gone even if they are not gone.
Posted 19 years ago by Arbuckle    [ Reply ]
Ahhh!!! Vivid memories of a 7 week architectural studio in the Tuscany region of Italy! Many a late night, early morning spent listening to Starfish in the background. Wonderful album.
Posted 19 years ago by birdiestobehad    [ Reply ]
(8?» wrote:
Not other than wishing I was listening to them instead. ;)
all their best stuff was earlier than this IMO...Check out Seance for my fave Church stuff.
Posted 19 years ago by Bocephus    [ Reply ]
It's not a religion; it's just a technique...
Posted 19 years ago by resonator    [ Reply ]
I find The Church to be complex without being complicated and pretentious. Destination, slowly moving along it seems, jams it to the floor about half way through, a musical accompaniment to the message. Beautifully wrought!
Posted 19 years ago by jadewahoo    [ Reply ]
dsrtfalcon wrote:
I love and will always love this album. . .and I suddenly feel 12 years younger...really isn't it all about how the music makes you feel?
My sentiments exactly! I was 16 when I first heard this album. I had been listening to stuff like Metallica and AC/DC. Stuff my friends were listening to when another friend offered me his walkman with a 90 min tape and told to keep both for as long as I wanted. I had no clue what was on the tape but I said sure, whatever. Side A had The Smiths, Strange Ways Here We Come and Side B was The Church, Starfish. These two albums changed my life. I had never heard anything like what I heard there on that tape. The Smiths blew me away with Morrissey's melancholy lyrics and Johnny Marr's guitar. The whole mood of the album Starfish kept me entranced from beginning to end. From there I moved into listening to more alternative bands like the Cure and The Ocean Blue but ultimately it opened my eyes up to the exploration of new and different music which is why I love radioparadise so much.
Posted 20 years ago by jed2667    [ Reply ]
I was a Church fan, too. Saw 'em in Madison in a very small venue (nice). Lost track of them after Starfish, but I still play that LP on the ol' turntable.
Posted 20 years ago by reedifus    [ Reply ]
drH wrote:
Wrong you are! Gold Afernoon Fix is well-known to be one of their weakest albums (if not the weakest), as it was an attempt at a commercially viable follow-up to Starfish ---- not the right path for the band. The next album, 1992's Priest = Aura, is without question their best work. Since then they have recorded a number of very good albums, including Magician Among the Spirits, Hologram of Baal, After Everything Now This.
Different strokes for different folks I guess. I found Priest = Aura to be insufferable. I liked Sometime Anywhere enough to buy it, but it's the last Church album I bought. I've listened to snippets from subseuqent releases and nothing sounded particularly inspired. "Starfish" obviously turned them sharply in a different direction and the path they headed down afterward just isn't my cup of tea.
Posted 20 years ago by drover    [ Reply ]
Starfish was the beginning of "commercial" for the Church. If you want the best, go back to the Blurred Crusade, Remote Luxury or Seance. That is to the Church as Toys in the Attic, Get Your Wings and Rocks was to Aerosmith until they got commercial.
Posted 20 years ago by jdorn1    [ Reply ]
drH wrote:
The next album, 1992's Priest = Aura, is without question their best work.
I'll triple that. Saw 'em on the Starfish tour.
Posted 20 years ago by resonator    [ Reply ]
Possibly the best song from a truly remarkable album. It establishes the mood for the disc.
Posted 20 years ago by ptooey    [ Reply ]
One of my favorite Church songs.....this did not make it to their Best Of disk.
Posted 20 years ago by rulebritannia    [ Reply ]
IndyDoug wrote:
Not quite The Cure, not quite Echo and the Bunnymen...The Church have their own unique signature sound. Something you would never hear on ClearChannel radio stations. A great band that I was honored to have listened to in my college-years.
Good analogy. I've always thought of them as The Cure meets Pink Floyd (in Australia).
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
I love and will always love this album. . .and I suddenly feel 12 years younger...really isn't it all about how the music makes you feel?
Posted 20 years ago by dsrtfalcon    [ Reply ]
Not quite The Cure, not quite Echo and the Bunnymen...The Church have their own unique signature sound. Something you would never hear on ClearChannel radio stations. A great band that I was honored to have listened to in my college-years.
Posted 20 years ago by IndyDoug    [ Reply ]
DBCinCA wrote:
"It's not a religion, it's just a tv." Yeah, boys!
"It's not a religion, it's just a technique"
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
drH wrote:
Wrong you are! Gold Afernoon Fix is well-known to be one of their weakest albums (if not the weakest), as it was an attempt at a commercially viable follow-up to Starfish ---- not the right path for the band. The next album, 1992's Priest = Aura, is without question their best work. Since then they have recorded a number of very good albums, including Magician Among the Spirits, Hologram of Baal, After Everything Now This. There are also several outstanding solo projects by Kilbey and Willson-Piper. The Chuch is definitely a "cult band"... And it's a cult I'm damn proud to be a member of!
Damn straight!!
Posted 20 years ago by SCTRANS    [ Reply ]
drover wrote:
Excellent song off of one of the greatest albums of the 80's. Definitely the pinnicle of their career, though the follow-up Gold Afternoon Fix was pretty damn good too. But it's all downhill from there...
Wrong you are! Gold Afernoon Fix is well-known to be one of their weakest albums (if not the weakest), as it was an attempt at a commercially viable follow-up to Starfish ---- not the right path for the band. The next album, 1992's Priest = Aura, is without question their best work. Since then they have recorded a number of very good albums, including Magician Among the Spirits, Hologram of Baal, After Everything Now This. There are also several outstanding solo projects by Kilbey and Willson-Piper. The Chuch is definitely a "cult band"... And it's a cult I'm damn proud to be a member of!
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]