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.
Silver Machine
The Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a silver machine
And I'm still feeling mean
Oh, do you want to ride
See yourself going by
The other side of the sky
You gotta know where I've been
And it flies sideways through time
It's an electric line
To all the Zodiac signs
I got a silver machine (silver machine)
I got a silver machine (silver machine)
I got a silver machine (silver machine)
In my silver machine
It flies out of a dream
It's antiseptically clean
You gotta know what I mean
Oh, do you want to ride
See yourself going by
The other side of the sky
In a silver machine
Silver machine!
Silver machine!
The Church's Silver Machine is a song that takes the listener on an otherworldly ride on a mysterious and powerful machine that transcends time and space. The singer has taken a ride on this machine and is still feeling the effects of its power, as it flies sideways through time on an electric line that connects all the Zodiac signs. The machine is described as being silver and antiseptically clean, possessing a dream-like quality that transports the listener to another dimension.
The refrain, "I got a silver machine," is repeated multiple times, becoming almost hypnotic in its repetition. The listener is invited to join the singer on this journey, to see themselves going by on the other side of the sky. The song speaks to the human desire to explore the unknown, to step outside of reality and into the fantastical realm of the imaginary. The lyrics are steeped in symbolism and metaphor, leaving the listener to interpret their own meaning from the journey they take on the silver machine.
Overall, Silver Machine is a song of cosmic proportions, describing a journey that is both exhilarating and otherworldly. The power of the machine, the beauty of the stars and the endless possibilities of what one might encounter on the other side make it a peculiarly mesmerizing song that has been beloved by generations of music fans.
Line by Line Meaning
I, I just took a ride
I just had an experience that changed my perspective
On a silver machine
It was something that felt futuristic and otherworldly
And I'm still feeling mean
It left me feeling unrestrained and empowered
Oh, do you want to ride
Are you willing to take the risk and experience this too?
See yourself going by
Visualize yourself transcending your current reality
The other side of the sky
To a place that is beyond your current understanding and limitations
You gotta know where I've been
To understand the significance of this experience, you need to have gone through something similar
And it flies sideways through time
This experience defies the boundaries of time and space
It's an electric line
It's a connection to something energetic and powerful
To all the Zodiac signs
Accessible and relevant to people of all astrological signs
I got a silver machine (silver machine)
I possess the tools and capabilities to access this experience whenever I want
In my silver machine
It's something that is a part of me, not just an external experience
It flies out of a dream
It's something that comes from the subconscious realm of the mind
It's antiseptically clean
It's a pristine experience that is free from any negative energy
You gotta know what I mean
This experience is difficult to articulate, it must be personally experienced
Silver machine!
This experience is powerful and transformative
Silver machine!
It's something that leaves a lasting impression on the individual
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Robert Newton Calvert, David Anthony Brock
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BittersweetSymphony
on You're Still Beautiful
Sometimes I wonder if he is writing about himself