The Church The Church are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially linked in with neo-psychedelic acts of the period, their music later became largely defined by the interplay of guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes coupled with the abstract lyrics of bassist/singer Steve Kilbey. Their debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment." Unfortunately, record label dissatisfaction led to them being dropped overseas, which limited their exposure early on. 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." Subsequent commercial success proved elusive, however, and the band weathered several line-up changes in the 1990s. The original three founding members now continue to produce music and enjoy a significant cult fanbase. Members The Church has undergone several line-up changes over the years. The core members of Steve Kilbey, Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes have basically gone unaltered, save for the brief departure of Koppes in the mid-1990s. The current members are: Steve Kilbey: bass and lead vocals Marty Willson-Piper: guitar Peter Koppes: guitar Tim Powles: drums Previous members include: Nick Ward: drums (1980-1981) Richard Ploog: drums (1981-1990) Craig Hooper: keyboards on Persia e.p. (1984) Jay Dee Daugherty: drums (1990-1993) History The earliest period of the band was dominated by Kilbey's songwriting, but 1985's Heyday saw a new focus on band compositions. While most of the band's material features Kilbey's steady baritone, numerous songs across their releases feature vocals by Willson-Piper and Koppes. Each member has released several solo albums and participated in various side projects. Steve Kilbey's musical and artistic output has been most prolific, resulting in six solo albums (and one compilation of early recordings), two poetry books, numerous collaborations ('Jack Frost', 'Hex', Mae Moore, Stephen Cummings) and most recently an active painting career. Discography Albums Of Skins and Heart (1981) The Church (U.S., 1982) The Blurred Crusade (1982) Singsongs e.p. (1982) Seance (1983) Remote Luxury e.p. (1983) Persia e.p. (1984) Remote Luxury (U.S., 1984) Heyday (1985) Starfish (1988) Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) Priest=Aura (1992) Sometime Anywhere (1994) Magician Among the Spirits (1996) Hologram of Baal (1998) Magician Among the Spirits Plus Some (Thirsty Ear re-release, 1999) A Box of Birds (1999) After Everything Now This (2002) Parallel Universe (2002) Forget Yourself (2003) Jammed (2004) Beside Yourself (2004) El Momento Descuidado (2004) Compilations Conception (1982/1988) Hindsight (1987) A Quick Smoke at Spots (1991) Almost Yesterday (1994) Under the Milky Way: The Best of the Church (U.S., 1999) The Best of the Church (Australia, 1999) Singsongs/Remote Luxury/Persia (2001) External links Official Website Hotel Womb Fansite: Discussion Boards Complete Historical Discography Fansite FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church">follow this link. All other content is copyright © 2000-2005 by WorldHistory.com. All rights reserved.

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