Thanks for sharing that. Mindblown. That story really sum's up Paul C's tendency for both exaggerating the truth and folding from crippling insecurity. It's a shame he struggled with his demons the way he did, because it sounds like that event caused a rift between him and Steve that never fully-healed in his lifetime. The things you learn on a forum, hey?
OK, now my jaw is completely on the floor. I mean, I've had that album for years, but I never *knew* that was for Paul. Amazing. I mean, I knew there were other songs about Paul C., like this one: From The Other Side Of The World I was never able to get past the wound of his sudden death to write a song about him. Maybe I should, though, obviously, it wouldn't be a patch on "Operetta". EDIT: Oh, now I hear it. 'Operetta' has such a 'All The Young Dudes' groove. I get WHY it's for Paul, and why it would *have* to have a descending chord sequence, like 'Hunky Dory' Bowie.
The blog post said Paul was working on a project called "Amnesia Operetta", which is where Steve got the title. To say he himself inspired the song is a bit of a stretch - but hey, wouldn't he do that anyway? he had an idea for something called the amnesia operetta i finally stole his idea last year for a church song called operetta i told paul n he was chuffed oh i’d forgotten all about that he said…..
Even one of the tracks on the bonus disc (from sessions with the ‘classic’ 4 piece line up) on the bonus disc is strong enough for the main album. How is the MOV Priest=Aura
I'm afraid not. But I do understand why other people would love it. I'll say this, though: unlike "Maybe These Boys" and "Business Woman", I never skip "Operetta".
I think The Blurred Crusade is the no brainer given its critical acclaim and fan/band feelings toward it, but what do I know?
In this world of new mixes for Beatles and Bowie albums, that makes sense to have a new 2021 mix of Seance.
I just have it on order, it doesn't come out for a couple of months. I have their copy of Starfish that came out a year ago, in my opinion it's not bad, but others haven't been as kind to it as I have.
Where did you pre-order the MOV P=A from? All the stores listed on the MOV site are in Europe it looks like..
Skoolkids Records has a preorder for the US market: Church - Priest = Aura (Blk) [Colored Vinyl] [Limited Edition] [180 Gram] (Wht) (Hol) | Schoolkids Records (Retail & Label)
Hmm, I read Steve dumping on 'Maybe These Boys' and the sound of 'Seance' last night in a biog excerpt I found online. And I thought "Wait, I only listened to Remote Luxury and Seance last week. I don't remember noticing anything wrong." I mean, yeah there was a sound difference, but not everything can mixed by Bob Clearmountain, you know? If anything, 'Electric Lash' brought to mind The Go-Betweens, and I really love it, so I had an enjoyable time. And since 'Seance' kind of vanished upon release, I've found this great album I didn't know existed. I went back and listened to 'Maybe These Boys.' Sure, it's not the best song, but I have this rule called 'There's always one': I've never found a great album that didn't have a least one dud on it. Oddly enough, the one I found with the production that struck me as dull was 'Starfish'. I expect it will be the one i return to least from the 80-90 period. Man, the 'Sing Songs' EP must be obscure. I never saw that anywhere back in the day, and I lived in Australia at the time.
Regarding Seance, see also Kilbey's debut solo single "This Asphalt Eden". Steve has stated he wanted that song (and the Seance album) to sound lush and beautiful, something a singer like Sinatra could sing over. The '80s machine gun snare and the stilted, quantized horn sections totally destroy that illusion. It sounds very much of its time. That said, I love the sound of Seance (and I usually hate '80s production). "One Day" and "Electric Lash" are just totally, well, electrifying. It's an obvious cliche since two songs on it have this title, but to describe that album in one word, I would use "electric". I'd be interested to hear them with "better" production, but I don't know if I'd prefer it to what we have. Now, on the gentler songs, the production is a bit distracting... but at the same time, the jarring clashing of the mood and the production somehow makes the whole thing more cohesive, at least to me. No, I wouldn't vote for a remix of this album. Just a good digital remaster from Rubellan or Intervention. And, yes, Sing-Songs has long been an obscurity. It's not great, easily the weakest thing they released in the '80s, but it's not bad either. It's a 6/10, low by their standards but still worth listening to. The only digital edition is a horrendous-sounding 2001 remaster whose CD release is one of the harder Church discs to find. If you like vinyl, you'll want to track down an original pressing. If you don't like vinyl, turn your treble knob waaaay down when you play the remaster. You may still wince at how bright it is.
Interesting. To my ears, Starfish is the record that sounds the most 'organic'. By that I just mean that each instrument sounds like there's not a bunch of gloss, syrup, or other effect on them. The drums, in particular, sound so real and raw to me. I imagine Richard's kit didn't sound much different than if I were standing in the studio while he played.
Kilbey has stated that they never had an album that sounded "right" sonically (until the later stuff which is heavily compressed, to which I disagree with him). Starfish is an interesting case because the band and the producers are so radically different that it's just kind of strange to hear. It definitely doesn't sound glossed up, though. To me, it sounds a bit dull. I feel the body of the guitars is missing somewhat on that album - though it may just be the CD mastering; I'm really excited to hear the Intervention SACD when it finally comes out (some three years after it was first pitched!). I think their best production of the pre-loudness era is probably, honestly, Of Skins And Heart. It's quite raw and to my ears it hits all the sweet spots that a production and a mix should hit - even if it doesn't sound very "Churchy". "Tear It All Away" might be the best example. A lovely mix.
Odd, I hear nothing but gloss on Starfish. Yeah, sure, they're not gated drums, but I hear very late 80's digital reverb applied to the drums. Think 'Finest Worksong' by REM, or 'Luka' by Suzanne Vega, a sound that often persisted until grunge. Though, oddly enough not so much on Gold Afternoon Fix, where the drums often sound flat and dry, and to my ears, sound more possibly-drum machine than 'Seance' does. EDIT: If you turn the digital reverb up you get that 'Hold On' by Wilson Phillips sort of sound on them. Not my cuppa tea.
I think I know what you mean about the "Churchy" sound. To me, that sound is dialed-in on "The Blurred Crusade", "Heyday", and "Persia/Remote Luxury", and then somehow, in a different way, it sounds Churchy again on "Priest = Aura". Part of what repels me from falling in love with some of the later albums (after, say, "Sometime Anywhere") is the production. The heavy use of compression makes things sound and feel like it's submerged in molasses, and despite some of the great songwriting and performances, I struggle to get past some of the production. So, yeah, Steve Kilbey and I would disagree about which of their albums sound 'better/best', from a production standpoint. I, too, am looking forward to the forthcoming Intervention vinyl/SACD issues of "Starfish".
...I meant to comment that, to me, "Tear It All Away" sounds like it fits-in more with the production of "The Blurred Crusade" than it does "Of Skins And Heart", and maybe that's because it was recorded after "Skins", once Richard Ploog was in the band. The drums have that deep, rich, and warm sound that I associate with the sound of "Blurred. In the US (as you know), "Tear It All Away" was added to the CD issue of "Skins", understandably since the single was issued in 1981, but the production sounds more rich and "Churchy" than that on "Skins". Incidentally, I've also always felt that the production on "Sing Songs" sounds more like "Seance" than it does "Blurred Crusade", despite having been released in 1982 (the same years as "Blurred"). Particularly on "The Night Is Very Soft"; the synth sounds, and the stark and cold production just sounds more like "Seance" to me.
Wow, Shane of IR is really thinking about releasing another Church album! His quote at the IR thread of today: "OK- The Church's rep has approached me about doing other titles. With the band/Steve behind me these could get done. But the past has made me leery of this. however, my feeling is that Heyday would be the other logical release?"