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The Church (neo psychedelic band)

ElectroVibe

Inactive
Mar 2, 2013
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Post your favorite songs.

I'll start with the instrumental title track from:
Remote Luxury. 1984

I'm curious who played what on this track. It's got some cool lead guitar, but the sole writing credit is to the bassist. Anyway this was their first great album in my personal opinion.

 
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I thought that was the last thing I would ever listen to by them, but today I heard their 1992 album:
Priest = Aura

Hauntingly beautiful.

That's my first impression. I need to listen to it again. I don't know why I stopped in 1988, but I am looking forward to hearing more of their music since then.
 
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Post your favorite songs.

I'll start with the instrumental title track from:
Remote Luxury. 1984

I'm curious who played what on this track. It's got some cool lead guitar, but the sole writing credit is to the bassist. Anyway this was their first great album in my personal opinion.


That wasn't so much a coherent album but a collection of different Australian EP's, and depending on which version, some stray singles. The original US release had a different cover, a blue tinted pic of a vaguely goth looking girl in a shroud. The harmony guitars would be both Marty and Pete, Marty probably played the acoustic. Any keys from that period would be by Steve. The two previous albums, Blurred Crusade and Seance, had some choice moments, tunes that still get played in their set to this day. Marty left the band late in 2011, after their 30-year celebration concert at the Sydney Opera House, and Pete parted company for the second time within the last couple of years.
 
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That wasn't so much a coherent album but a collection of different Australian EP's, and depending on which version, some stray singles. The original US release had a different cover, a blue tinted pic of a vaguely goth looking girl in a shroud. The harmony guitars would be both Marty and Pete, Marty probably played the acoustic. Any keys from that period would be by Steve. The two previous albums, Blurred Crusade and Seance, had some choice moments, tunes that still get played in their set to this day. Marty left the band late in 2011, after their 30-year celebration concert at the Sydney Opera House, and Pete parted company for the second time within the last couple of years.

Actually I am wondering if Kilby played guitar sometimes on some of the original recordings. But they just listed him as a bass player.

On the video to Milky Way, the acoustic guitarist, Piper, doesn't seem to be playing the opening chords quite right. And you can also see him throwing in some energetic triplet strums in later in the video, as if he wants to break free of the basic strum. He's obviously a great player.
 
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One really cool thing about Heyday in 1985, they started sharing songwriting credit on most of the songs, possibly taking the cue from U2 and REM. I think their music really began to blossom at that time.
 
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You wanna talk '80's psychedelic.....


Yeah, but that was tongue-in-cheek homage by XTC, somewhat like the Rutles, but instead of flawlessly parodying one band, they took on the entire mid-to-late 60's psychedelic era, on both sides of the pond. Ironically, it revived their career with their own stuff. I loved both releases, but then I knew most of the source material, so I got the jokes.
 
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Here is an excellent clip of the bass player on acoustic guitar. The style sounds very similar to Milky Way, at least to my ears.
That was very early on; while Kilbey ws no neophyte, people's songwriting chops evolve, and sometimes a half idea eventually turns into a fuller, better one. Mid-70's, Steve and Pete had a glam type band that sounded nothing like later stuff…


One really cool thing about Heyday in 1985, they started sharing songwriting credit on most of the songs, possibly taking the cue from U2 and REM. I think their music really began to blossom at that time.
That was more likely so that there was an equitable income share, and Marty and Pete would have more musical input, but I don't think they were too concerned what anyone else was doing. "Milky Way" was still primarily a Steve song, but was a co-write with his now ex, Karin. Steve had a number of side projects; two albums with Donnette Thayer of Game Theory under the name of Hex, and a one shot duo with Grant Mc Lennan from the Go-Betweens, plus various solo albums, so he has had plenty of outlets. Marty as well has numerous solo albums, Pete, not so much.
I liked Gold Afternoon Fix a lot back in the day, but I think Forget Yourself resonated with me the most. I'm sorry they kind of half blew up there for a while, but stuff happens. Still a great band. I'll look for some good tracks to share later.
Still putting out great albums and touring; this was supposed to happen last year, and is back on for next year…
Cruel World Fest | Pasadena, CA
 
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I saw Marty with a band he had called the Mood Maidens in August 2006, two nights in a row. The first night was an acoustic (mostly) performance, the second night was the full electric band.

MW-P-Mood Maidens-1200-22.jpg

Note: the person with the shoulder-length blond hair towards the left of center is Chris Squire (RIP). Paul Kantner (RIP) was also on the audience; he performed after the acoustic Mood Maidens performance.

MW-P-Mood Maidens-Cropped-1200-27.jpg
 
This was a good Peter Koppes song, that I liked as much as anything else on Heyday. I actually remember buying one of his cassettes just to hear more of what his contribution to the sound of the band might have been.

 
The fact that Heyday used a synthesizer player on the album, someone not even in the band, is proof that I liked that album otherwise, because normally I couldn't stand that kind of 80s thing giving it a lush background. Now I've really grown to like it and I'm even glad they did it.
 
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I saw Marty with a band he had called the Mood Maidens in August 2006, two nights in a row. The first night was an acoustic (mostly) performance, the second night was the full electric band.

View attachment 4297136
Note: the person with the shoulder-length blond hair towards the left of center is Chris Squire (RIP). Paul Kantner (RIP) was also on the audience; he performed after the acoustic Mood Maidens performance.

View attachment 4297139
Time for the big reveal…the harpist is my wife. She and I played with Marty in LA years before, doing his solo stuff. We had been in a live line-up of the Hex project(Donnette and Steve had been an item during the recording of the initial two albums, they split, she then took it on the road); we recorded an album that eventually was released under her name after the band fizzled out.
For the benefit of everyone else…the above shows were part of the 75th Anniversary of Rickenbacker, Marty being a featured user/artist; the first photo was a private gig at the offices of NAMM in Carlsbad, CA., with Starship. I was in the kitchen area, chatting with Starship drummer Prarie Prince, when Squire burst in, looking for booze. We located some vodka for him. Also on the bill for the main event at the House Of Blues was(among others)the Smithereens, and Susanna Hoffs/Matthew Sweet; she and her husband popped into Marty's dressing room briefly, and the Jersey Boys were in the room next door, being, well, Jersey Boys. They totally rocked the house, but Squire's set, backed by Spock's Beard, consisted of Fish Out Of Water material, rarely heard live, with an encore of "Roundabout". Five years later, we were part of the SOH event(you can briefly see my handiwork, I charted out all the tunes for her)…

Rehearsals were special as well; from
my lowly iPhone 4…