In celebration of their 30th Anniversary, I would like to present you with my list of The Church's 15 Best Songs. As you may be aware, this band has a gigantic catalog, so narrowing it down to just 15 choices was very difficult! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a Spotify playlist, featuring the tracks from this post. Please feel free to leave comments, including your picks for The Church's Best Songs.
15. A New Season
From the album Starfish
(1988)14. No Explanation
From the Persia EP
; and on Remote Luxury (1984)13. My Little Problem
From the album Sometime Anywhere
(1994)
12. Destination
Released as single; appeared on the album Starfish
(1988)11. Electric Lash
Released as single; appeared on the album Seance
(1983)10. North, South, East and West
From the album Starfish
(1988)
09. Tantalized
Released as single (1986); appeared on the album Heyday
(1985)08. Already Yesterday
Released as single; appeared on the album Heyday
(1985)07. Space Saviour
From the album Untitled #23
(2009)
06. A Month of Sundays
From the Remote Luxury EP
(1984)05. Reptile
Released as single; appeared on the album Starfish
(1988)04. The Unguarded Moment
Released as single; appeared on the album Of Skins and Heart
(1981)
03. Almost With You
Released as single; appeared on the album The Blurred Crusade
(1982)02. Under the Milky Way
Released as single; appeared on the album Starfish
(1988)01. Metropolis
Released as single; appeared on the album Gold Afternoon Fix
(1990)
5 of your top 15 were on Starfish. Would you then say Starfish is your favorite album by The Church? If not, which would be (if you could only choose one).
ReplyDeleteParadox and Ripple from Priest=Aura are amazing as well.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Anonymous. Those are both killer tracks. Thanks for stopping by. - Bret
ReplyDelete1.she never said
ReplyDelete2.for a moment we´re strangers
3.too fast to you
4.tear it all away
5.memories in future tense
6.constant in opal
7.roman
8.sisters
9.no explanation
10.chrome injury
11.shadow cabinet
12.bel-air
13.a month of sundays
14.you took
15.Columbus
For me OF SINKS AND HEART is their masterpiece.
1 Myrrh
ReplyDelete2 Disenchanted
3 Bel air
4 Almost with you
5 Ungaurded moment
6 When you were mine
7Constant in opal
8 Shadow cabinet
9 Eletric lash
10 For a moment were strangers
11 You took
12 Fly
13 A month of Sundays
14 Aura
15 Destination
Heyday was the bands absolute masterpiece. Everything pre Starfish was what mattered! After that they lost focus....
Priest = Aura & Untitled #23 are as good.
DeleteMY TOP 7 MOST UNDERRATED SONGS BY THE CHURCH:
ReplyDelete1.Its No Reason-from the album:Seance(1983)
2.To Be In Your Eyes-from the album:The Blurred Crusade(1982)
3.One Day-from the album:Seance(1983)
4.Disenchanted-from the album:Heyday(1985)
5.10,000 Miles Away-from the album:Remote Luxury(1984)
6. Sparks-from the album:Starfish(1988)
7.Ripple-from the album:Priest=Aura(1992)
FAVOURITE ALBUM OF THE CHURCH:
For me,My Favourite Album of The Church is"Heyday"(1985).It might not have the big hits like"Under The Milky Way","Metropolis"or"Unguarded Moment"but it loads a lot of great songs(Tristesse,Myrrh,and Columbus)plus in my book,2 of The Most Tender Church Songs which are"Disenchanted"and"Already Yesterday".I love the guitar textures of Marty Wilson Piper and the cold yet cool voice of Steve Kilbey.I also love the album cover...
MY TOP 5 BEST CHURCH SONG OF ALL TIME:
1.Almost With You-from the album:Blurred Crusade(1982)
2.No Explanation-from the album:Remote Luxury(1984)
3:Metropolis-from the album:Gold Afternoon Fix(1990)
4.Tear It All Away-from the album:Of Skins and Hearts(1981)
5.When You Were Mine-from the album:The Blurred Crusade(1982)
6.Reptile-from the album:Starfish(1988)
From:David"Dylan"Malana Puzon.1V
New Waver,Indie Rocker and 90s Alternativist
Right on, David. Very nice list. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteSaying that"Starfish"(1988)is The Best Church Album is like saying that Cocteau Twins'Heaven or Las Vegas is The Best Cocteau Twins Album.For me its too mainstream for my taste.the Best Album would probably'Heyday"(1985)followed by"Of Skins And Hearts"(1981)...
ReplyDeleteDavid"Dylan"Malana Puzon.1V
New Waver,Indie Rocker and 90s Alternativist
I absolutely judge an album by the way the songs hit me, how it flows from beginning to end, and by it's overall significance to me. I don't have any concern as to how many it sold, or whether it hit the mainstream. If an album is great, it's great.
DeleteNot easy to pick just few fave tracks of your fave band with such a catalogue. I tried o work my own list, a Top ten with totally random order, and that's what I came up with :
ReplyDeleteComedown (MATS)
Anchorage (Untitled)
Night Friends (AENT)
Almost With You (Blurred Crusade)
Disenchanted (Heyday)
Myrrh (Heyday)
Hotel Womb (Starfish)
Monday Morning (GAF)
Two Places At Once (Sometime Anywhere)
Paradox (Priest=Aura)
Awesome choices
Deletemove with times
ReplyDeletesome goodies from their latest releases
Love Philtre
Laurel Canyon
Miami
Globe Spinning
Anchorage
Dead Mans Hand
She'll Come Back for You Tomorrow
Pearls
and the best free for all 20 plus min's of pure artistic gold
Night Sequence
--imo
silvermeddle
I like Blurred Crusade, then the rest of The Church. --DRL
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't a an actual Church song, but their recording of Cortez the Killer, from A Box of Birds would be on my top 15 list. I also would put Louisiana from Hologram of Baal on my list. I probably would have to put Reptile as my favorite song.
ReplyDeleteNeil wrote that as a 15 yr old
DeleteAlso on my list would be Grind from Gold Afternoon Fix
ReplyDeletetop 15, just not possible for me, way too many good ones, but if i pick a favourite it would have to be Bel-Air as it's stuck with me all these years from the distant days of vinyl. Jeff :)
ReplyDeleteI love Bel-Air too. It's well played and has such a great build up to the crescendo at the end of the song, which is so unusual for a pop song. I've often wondered if it was inspired by ABBA's The Winner Takes it All, which was huge on the charts a year earlier and also had a similar emotional tension and buildup.
DeleteMy top Fifteen songs at the moment
ReplyDelete15. ' Russian Autumn Heart': In 'Russian Autumn Heart' the instramentals really suited Piper's vocals and provided a great break for Kilbey's rich and collected vocals. Besides I just love shouting out "Russian Autumn Heart!!" during the chorus
14. 'Constant in Opal'. An amazing song, that's really underated and I feel that it's precursor to 'Reptile' as every element in the song does their own thing but they come together perfectly in the end
13. 'Life Speed Up'. As someone who has his own anxiety attacks, I can really relate to the song
12. 'Pride Before A Fall'. I love how The Church channel their inner Beatles for this tract while still retaining their uniqueness
11. 'Remote Luxery'. This track has grown on my over a few months, but with the instrumentals and the title, it reminds me of a property my grandparents used to own out in the Australian outback, it was a remote luxury in it's own right
10. 'Tristesse'. I just love this song and especially as someone who looks at the silver linings in life, it definetly put a smile on my face
9. 'June'. Although it is winter in Australia around June, it doesn't get that cold in Brisbane, I personally love Kilbey's vocals and 'June' really does make me think of an Australian winter.
8. 'It's No Reason'. It's really the chorus alone I really dig, but I love the versus and I like the reverb drums in the track.
7. 'The Unguarded Moment'. This was the my introduction to The Church, I remember my Dad playing this song on repeat on his stereo. I love this song and constantly love to sing The Beatles' 'Ticket to Ride' during the instrumentals
6. 'Memories In Future Tense'. I have a tendancy to headbang really hard when I hear this song come on my playlist, I personally love Kilbey's early vocals and how stern and serious they sound in the verses while broken up with an the chorus
5. 'Aura'. "Love equals hate and death equals fate, An enemy always equals an adorer and priest equals aura" I really just love singing that chorus and trying to immitate Kilbey's cool and collected vocals, it's just so cool especially if he can make "Pot equals pan" sound awesome.
4. 'North, South, East and West'. This song holds a special place in my heart because, after listening to the track, it really made me want to get into The Church and listen to their entire discograhpy. I love Kilbey's cool and collected vocals with the kickass guitar that really makes the song rocks.
3. 'Telepath'. Having members in my family that are batteling depression and feeling the gravity of conflicts and family loss, 'Telepath' really speaks out for me, through Kilbey's depressing vocals, the rough/raw guitar chords to be soothed by the beach boys-esk choir. I just really love this song and it's helped my reflect on my own descisions that had affected my friends
2. 'An Interlude'. I love this song because the lyrics just remind me of a relationship between me and one of my ladyfriends. The lyrics almost portray these interactions to a T and the guitar at the end just makes me so happy
1. 'One Day'. This is my favourite song by The Church, I just love the chorus and the themes of letting go of our pain/letting time heal our wounds that the song conveys. It also has one of my favourite lines in a song "Like the life with in your palm, it's clay" I love this line as it can convey that we have the ability to change our lives if we try and for a song talking about time healing our wounds, battle feilds of pain and being able to change our lives it does it in the most upbeat tempo
This is fun, and difficult.
ReplyDelete1) A Month of Sundays
2) Almost With You
3) It's No Reason
4) Constant in Opal
5) Myrrh
6) NSEW
7) Paradox
8) 10,000 Miles
9) Tristesse
10) An Interlude
11) One Day
12) The Unguarded Moment
13) Chrome Injury
14) No Explanation
15) Daedmans's Hand
and I'll throw in the bonus tune that I've never heard anyone like as a favorite....Night of Light.
The Church's songs are pretty hard to rank. But here are my favourite 10 in no particular order.
ReplyDeleteBel-air
North, South, East and West
Life Speeds Up
Reptile
Under the Milky Way
The Unguarded Moment
Almost with You
Tantalized
Is This Where You Live
Antenna
After everything now this
ReplyDeleteBuffalo
Lustre
Grind
Hotel womb
Chromium
Numbers
Tantalized
I don't know why I don't know how
Such a good band with a huge back catalogue.Steve's book is a good read as Well.
I feel mainstream saying
ReplyDeleteAlmost With You
Unguarded Moment
Electric Lash
Under the Milky Way are my faves.