Search - Church :: Seance (Bonus CD)

At Their Best

OgreVI | Huntington, WV | 08/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know, I know, everyone loves Starfish, presumably because of "Under the Milky Way." And those that want to go back farther always mention Heyday and The Blurred Crusade. But, for my money, this is the greatest Church album ever, and I include it on my personal list of the seven greatest rock albums, period. "Disappear?" is my favorite Church song ("Wake to find you gone, a note pinned to my sleeve/and it wasn't just the things you took, it was the things you had to leave"), "Electric" is the essence of their famous discordant, moody sound, "It's No Reason" is as simple and beautiful as anything they've done, and "Electric Lash" and "One Day" are just a blast; you turn 'em on and immediately just start feeling good. Nobody since Dylan has gotten as much out of a bad singing voice as Kilbey, and this is the record where he stopped being self-conscious about it. And the ethereal guitar sound is already fully developed here. If you don't have this album, you don't really know the Church. It is a must buy.



All that having been said, if you DO already have the original release (and judging from sales figures, most of you don't), I can't really recommend buying this in addition just to get the added material. The bonus songs, it turns out, were left off the original record for the simple reason that they aren't very good. But, if you're a serious fan, it's probably worth the money."

Good Again

Wallace V. French III | Boston MA | 09/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"EMI recently re-released four Church cd's. Each one of them with b-sides and videos on the second cd. Unless you have a very well trained ear for such things you can't notice a difference in the "digitally remastered" recording as compared to the original cd. However, if you don't have this on cd now would be a good time to buy it. Even if you have it on cd already it is worth the purchase because the b-sides and videos cd is very cool. You need a plug-in for your computer in order to get the videos to work. Once they work though it is very cool to watch them again since they don't play them on T.V. anymore. The videos are not full-screen, but they are big enough on your monitor to enjoy them. Quality of the video is very good. A must purchase for The Church fan."

Demonstrates The Church's diversity

trainreader | Montclair, N.J. | 07/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Of all The Church's albums, "Seance" is probably the most representational, in that the various styles of the band are present. For instance, "One Day" and "Dropping Names" contain one guitar (I think Koppes) repeating a phrase, and the other (I think Willson-Piper) creating the framework of the melody. Some of The Church's best songs (i.e. "Reptile" from the later album "Starfish") fit this pattern. "It's No Reason," "Disappear?" and "Now I Wonder Why" represent The Church in their dreamy melodic mode. "Fly," "Electric," "Travel by Thought," and "It Doesn't Change" show off the band's more psychedelic, experimental side. "Electric Lash," could have been a top forty hit, if only The Church had received their fair share of radio play.



All the songs include Kilbey's enigmatic lyrics, heavy in metaphor and allusion (i.e., from "Fly" -- "Baby smiled like a tiny child/ She talks her head off, and the land lies wild/ tossed and turned on a teardrop sea/ and all those dark clowns (clouds?) that are following me." From "Its No Reason" -- "Crocodile skin water, city shadows wait/ Put your head in your hands, the ending is so great"). I'm not sure what it all means, but it's certainly unique and thought provoking.



"Seance" is definitely one of the better Church albums. In my opinion, the transition from "Fly" to "One Day" is one of the band's best moments. I also think, however, that some songs go on a bit too long and become somewhat tedious. In the coming albums, The Church would occasionally have this problem, but this does not detract from the music of what I think is one of the most underrated rock bands of all time."