History Music / TheChurch

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_church_9619.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: The Church in 1986. Left to right: Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper, Richard Ploog, and Peter Koppes.]]

The Church is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1980 in Sydney, consisting of Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, and numerous drummer line-ups. Their music and lyrics are focused on surreal themes, along with Kilbey's relaxed, hypnotizing vocals. They were initially inspired by the Neo-Psychedelic and NewWaveMusic acts of the mid-1980's, but they turned to ProgressiveRock and DreamPop influence since ''Priest=Aura.''

However, they are best known for the OneHitWonder "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Z48dHFYLc Under the Milky Way.]]"
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!!Membership (Founders in '''bold''', current members in ''italics''.
* '''''Steve Kilbey''''': Lead vocals, bass, keyboards. (1980-present)
* '''''Peter Koppes''''': Guitars, keyboards, vocals. (1980-1992, 1997-present)
* '''Marty Wilson-Piper''': Guitars, vocals, occasional bass. (1980-2013)
* ''Ian Haug'': Guitars, vocals. (2013-present)
* '''Nick Ward''': Drums, percussion. (1980-81)
* Richard Ploog: Drums, percussion. (1981-90)
* Jay Lee Daugherty: Drums, percussion. (1990-1993)
* ''Tim Powles'': Drums, percussion. (1993-present)

!! Discography:

* Studio Albums
** ''Of Skins and Heart'' (1981)
** ''The Blurred Crusade'' (1982)
** ''Seance'' (1983)
** ''Remote Luxury'' (1984)
** ''Heyday'' (1986)
** ''Starfish'' (1988)
** ''Gold Afternoon Fix'' (1990)
** ''Priest=Aura'' (1992)
** ''Sometime Anywhere'' (1994)
** ''Magician Among the Spirits'' (1996)
** ''Hologram of Baal'' (1998)
** ''A Box of Birds'' (1999)
** ''After Everything Now This'' (2002)
** ''Forget Yourself'' (2003)
** ''Jammed'' (2004)
** ''El Momento Descuidado'' (2005)
** ''Back with Two Beasts'' (2005)
** ''Uninvited, Like the Clouds'' (2006)
** ''El Momento Siguiente'' (2007) - Acoustic versions plus several original songs
** ''Shriek: Excerpts from the Soundtrack'' (2008)
** ''Untitled No. 23'' (2009)

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!!The Church provides examples of:
* AntiLoveSong: "Mistress"
* {{Bowdlerize}}: "Hologram of Baal" was originally supposed to be called ''Hologram of Allah", but that was predictably withdrawn by the record company.
* CoverAlbum: ''A Box Of Birds''
** It is a minor example though, since "Metropolis" was included on the their greatest hits album.
* EpicRocking: Giving the band's prog-rock influence, this is not surprising, especially after ''Priest=Aura''.
** Their longest track, "The Sexual Act" from the instrumental album ''Jammed'', clocks in at ''just over 39 minutes.''
** "Night Sequence" clocks in at 20 minutes.
** To a lesser extent, their CoverVersion of Music/NeilYoung's "Cortez The Killer" is just over 11 minutes long.
* ListSong: "Numbers"
* LongRunnerLineUp:
** The lineup of Steve Kilbey, Marty Wilson-Piper, Peter Koppes and Tim Powles is a type 2, lasting from 1997 when Koppes rejoined the band, to 2013 when Wilson-Piper left, totaling 16 years.
** The lineup of Kilbey, Koppes, Wilson-Piper and Richard Ploog barely missed being one with a 9 year linup (81-90)
* TheSomethingSong: "The Coffee Song"
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: "Reptile", natch, but ZigZagged in that there are strong undertones of EvilIsSexy and YouSexyBeast in its metaphors; while she may have been [[DestructiveRomance poisoning]] their life, there's part of him that misses the FemmeFatale.
* WordSaladLyrics: Being fellow psych-rockers, this is also not surprising.
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* NotChristianRock

* CreatorBacklash: The members did not like ''Gold Afternoon Fix'' very much.

* OneHitWonder: In the United States, they are known solely for "Under the Milky Way Tonight".

** To a lesser extent, their CoverVersion of Creator/NeilYoung's "Cortez The Killer" is just over 11 minutes long.

[[caption-width-right:350:The Church in 1986. Left to right: Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper, Richard Ploog and Peter Koppes.]]

The Church is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1980 in Sydney, consisting of Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, and numerous drummer lineups. Their music and lyrics are focused on surreal themes, along with Kilbey's relaxed, hypnotizing vocals. They were initially inspired by the neo-psychedelic and NewWaveMusic acts of the mid-1980s, but they turned to ProgressiveRock and DreamPop influence since ''Priest=Aura''.

However, they are best known for the OneHitWonder "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Z48dHFYLc Under the Milky Way]]".

Discography-

* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: "Reptile", natch

** Of Skins and Heart (1981)
** The Blurred Crusade (1982)
** Seance (1983)
** Remote Luxury (1984)
** Heyday (1986)
** Starfish (1988)
** Gold Afternoon Fix (1990)
** Priest=Aura (1992)
** Sometime Anywhere (1994)
** Magician Among the Spirits (1996)
** Hologram of Baal (1998)
** A Box of Birds (1999)
** After Everything Now This (2002)
** Forget Yourself (2003)
** Jammed (2004)
** El Momento Descuidado (2005)
** Back with Two Beasts (2005)
** Uninvited, Like the Clouds (2006)
** El Momento Siguiente (2007) - Acoustic versions plus several original songs
** Shriek: Excerpts from the Soundtrack (2008)
** Untitled No. 23 (2009)

* EpicRocking: Giving its prog-rock influence, this is not surprising, especially after ''Priest=Aura''.

** To a lesser extent, their cover of "Cortez The Killer" is just over 11 minutes long.

However, they are best known for the OneHitWonder "Under the Milky Way Tonight".

The Church is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1980 in Sydney, consisting of Steve Kilbey on lead vocals and bass guitar, Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper on guitars, and numerous drummer lineups. Their music and lyrics are focused on surreal themes, along with Kilbey's relaxed, hypnotizing vocals. They were initially inspired by the neo-psychedelic and NewWave acts of the mid-1980s, but they turned to ProgressiveRock and DreamPop influence since ''Priest=Aura''.

* ListSong: "Numbers"

* AntiLoveSong: An unusually slow and atmospheric example, "Mistress"

* {{Bowdlerize}}: "Hologram of Baal'' was originally supposed to be called ''Hologram of Allah", but that was predictably withdrawn by the record company.

* Bowdlerize: "Hologram of Baal'' was originally supposed to be called ''Hologram of Allah", but that was predictably withdrawn by the record company.

** Untitled No. 23 (2009)