After signing to Arista in 1988, they saw their largest international success with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under The Milky Way" which resurfaced on the soundtrack of the cult movie "Donnie Darko". Whilst the band remain feted by their peers, subsequent commercial success proved elusive: 1990s follow-up album "Gold Afternoon Fix" failed to capitalise on their success, and the band weathered several line-up changes after its release, first losing long-term drummer Richard Ploog, then Peter Koppes following 1992s "Priest = Aura". That album baffled and confused many fans upon its release as to what band The Church was considered to be, but is now considered a seminal album and one of the most revered by Church connoisseurs. The vacant drum-stool on Priest=Aura being occupied by Jay Dee Daugherty of Arista labelmate Patti Smiths group, and it was produced by Gavin MacKillop of Moose.
Reduced to a two-piece, Kilbey & Willson-Piper re-grouped with the assistance of drummer/producer Tim Powles to record 1994's "Sometime Anywhere", concluding their obligations to the Arista and Mushroom labels. The commercial decline, combined with the Church being ignored again by a music press more focused on the Nineties' music trends, could have brought about the demise of the band, had it not coincided with the breakthrough of the internet, thus enabling direct communication from the band to its passionate cult fanbase.
This brought about a new beginning for The Church, with Peter Koppes rejoining the band for recording 1996s "Magician Among The Spirits". The band (with Koppes back into the fold, and Powles now as the permanent drummer ), hit a re-newed creative surge and with regained selfconfidence, released "Hologram Of Baal" 2 years later, and toured Australia, the USA and Europe.
The first decade of the 21st century found the band releasing severeal highly critically acclaimed albums, like 2002's aptly named "After Everything Now this" and 2003's "Forget Yourself", the latter breaking new ground with bandmembers swapping instruments in the recording process. Live performances stray from high profile events like the 03 concerts at Sydney Opera House and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, to low-profile gigs for smaller audiences, often confusing old 80s fans, surprised to find the band still playing, wrongly assuming the band just being one in the never-ending string of reunion acts.
2009's album "Untitled#23" marked yet another highlight.. its essence represented in just 10 songs, and with a strong less-is-more approach, the albums core identity being on par with Starfish, it also finds Steve Kilbey breaking new ground as a vocalist.
2010 saw their 30th anniversary, with extensive touring in the US and Australia. Their unique position and importance in the australian music scene was recognized with an ARIA award.
Their album, "Further Deeper", was released in 2014, and "man woman life death infinity" in 2017.
Myrrh
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nightmare descent into Jericho city
Camel dust heralds our arrival
New Christ beneath the drumkit moon
Oh Lord we are threatened again
In the slipstream pull of the federal men
Plummet in some seamless night
Down here to earth it's hopeless then
Who never got to meet you last time
We're interrupted by the telephone
You didn't think they were invented then
Oh Lord we need miracles
We need more wine and gold
We need slaves and roads and personal favors
We need microphones and manifolds
How can you be so invisible
Give me the nerves to see
Privilege on privilege
An unwanted discovery
So now we're cruising down this shuddering highway
With a dead sun shining on my back
And we talk about the way people treat us back there
Their hollow laughter, the pain in their eyes
Oh Lord I trust your intentions
But money strangles our love
Struggling like a fool with my junk and my jewels
You would have thought I'd had enough
How can you be so invisible
Give me the nerves to see
Privilege on privilege
An unwanted discovery
The Church's song Myrrh is a surrealistic and dreamlike portrayal of a dark and mystical world. The first line, "Emerald haunt in overdrive," sets the tone for the otherworldly journey that the lyrics take us on. The use of the color emerald, associated with precious stones and royalty, adds an air of mystery and intrigue to this haunt. The next line, "Nightmare descent into Jericho city," takes us deeper into this eerie world where the descent feels like a nightmare, adding suspense and fear to the journey. The mention of Jericho, an ancient city associated with destruction, further emphasizes the dark and perilous descent.
As the journey continues, the lyrics become more chaotic and fragmented with references to a "drumkit moon" and "federal men" creating an air of paranoia and unease. The mention of an "Apache gunman in the boiling crowd" adds a layer of violence and danger. The use of "telephone" is an anachronistic reference to the modern world and further emphasizes the surrealistic nature of the lyrics. The chorus, "How can you be so invisible, give me the nerves to see, privilege on privilege, an unwanted discovery," seems to question the nature of reality and the meaning behind the journey.
The second half of the lyrics continue to be jarring and disjointed, with references to "dead sun shining on my back" and "struggling like a fool with my junk and my jewels." The use of imagery and references to precious objects and materials adds a sense of materialism, further questioning the meaning and purpose behind the journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Emerald haunt in overdrive
An intense and vibrant energy consumed us
Nightmare descent into Jericho city
Our journey was fraught with danger and fear
Camel dust heralds our arrival
We reached our destination with a grand entrance
New Christ beneath the drumkit moon
We experienced a spiritual awakening under the night sky
Oh Lord we are threatened again
We faced danger and uncertainty once more
In the slipstream pull of the federal men
We were being chased and pursued by authority figures
Plummet in some seamless night
We fell into darkness and despair
Down here to earth it's hopeless then
Our situation on Earth seemed bleak and hopeless
Apache gunman in the boiling crowd
We were surrounded by violence and chaos
Who never got to meet you last time
We were unable to connect with someone important to us
We're interrupted by the telephone
Our peace and focus were disturbed by outside forces
You didn't think they were invented then
We were surprised by the presence of modern technology
Oh Lord we need miracles
We were desperate for divine intervention
We need more wine and gold
We desired material wealth and abundance
We need slaves and roads and personal favors
We sought power and influence over others
We need microphones and manifolds
We required tools and resources to share our message or achieve our goals
How can you be so invisible
We questioned the whereabouts of a higher power or divine force
Give me the nerves to see
We desired clarity and insight to understand our situation
Privilege on privilege
We recognized our own privilege in a world of inequality
An unwanted discovery
We encountered a truth or realization that we did not want to face
So now we're cruising down this shuddering highway
We were traveling along a dangerous and uncertain path
With a dead sun shining on my back
We were facing adversity and obstacles
And we talk about the way people treat us back there
We discussed the negative experiences we had encountered
Their hollow laughter, the pain in their eyes
We saw through the facade of those who sought to harm us
Oh Lord I trust your intentions
We had faith and trust in a higher power
But money strangles our love
Our love and relationships were affected by financial struggles
Struggling like a fool with my junk and my jewels
We were burdened by material possessions and attachments
You would have thought I'd had enough
We were surprised that we continued to face adversity despite our efforts
Give me the nerves to see
We desired clarity and insight to understand our situation
Privilege on privilege
We recognized our own privilege in a world of inequality
An unwanted discovery
We encountered a truth or realization that we did not want to face
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BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself