LP reviewed in Melody Maker, 13th February, 1982
The Church | THE CHURCH | Carrere CAL 130 | BEFORE we get down to the real nifty gritty of why The Church will sell millions of records, I’d just like to divert your attention for a few moments to an insignificant matter of dynamics.
Remember the surging intro to the Eagles’ version of “Take It Easy”, the way your hair stood on end when Harrison fingered that guitar bit on “Here Comes The Sun” and how your adrenalin rushed the first time you heard McGuinn hit his rampant way round that spiralling break in “Eight Miles High”?
Remember how Moon and Townshend and the magic they cooked up between them, could make you want to kick down the door, boot in the windows and hurl the establishment out? Well, whatever your memories, I’ll guarantee they’re all here, gloriously reactivated on The Church’s first album.
The Church | The Church | (Carrere) 1982
If nothing else, it’s a guitarist’s wet dream, equalled only contemporarily by Petty in his prime for its passionately potent plagiarism. But then, of course, there’s so much more.
The Church are four smashing, skinny, young, stylish Antipodeans who sing marvellous rubbish about “girls with rifles for minds”, play-act classically hurt, confused and bemused and have never ever heard of Bowie, Jagger or the Beatles!
The Church, if I may be so bold, are absolutely fab and you’re just bound to lurve their Bondi Beach parties, their TV trips (“A palm tree nodded at me last night”), their lovers’ tiffs and their posey paranoia.
If rock’s still gotta hang round in 1982 it may as well make some indecent use of its powerful past rather than hanging around like someone else’s bad smell.
The Church | The Church | (Carrere) 1982
The Church realise this and although they may not be arrestingly original — I’m talking paisley here, but I’m not talking prannets — they’re at least blatantly nostalgic and honestly narcissistic.
More like the Scars than U2 or Wah, The Church are one guitar-orientated rock band who mercifully make no big deal about being disciples and need no manifesto to cover their tracks as they brazenly follow their heroes along the route to super-stardom.
They manage to lift a good few taboos through their enthusiasm alone, pen one or two decent tunes and, amazingly enough, make rock a thing to rejoice in again. Sounds good to me. Good sounds for this summer. Pray listen. — (Steve Sutherland).
THE CHURCH: The Church (Carrere Cal 130)
DAYS of the past today revisited. When the New Psychedelia reared its pretty head last year, the Church were still working on their version of it.
Two Aussies and two Poms, all convinced the world needed a new version of sixties hedonism.
In truth, this debut album does possess the necessary spirit with a faithful production job being performed by Chris Gilbey and Bob Clearmountain.
The mood is soft rock with jangly guitars, strumming chords and Byrdsy harmonies. Pick of the crop must be ‘Is This Where You Live’ which starts off in the mystical and ends up in the hysterical. The rest is much the same with perhaps the free ‘n’ easy ‘Bel-Air’ being the best.
The Church may well be smuggled into the Paisley clan by the back door if they are not careful. The direction they are taking is a dangerous one if they’re trying to avoid ridicule (Record Mirror, 23/03/82)
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