The Church's Starfish

It is the best well-written account and perfectly expresses the character of the band members as well. I can thoroughly recommend it. * Peter Koppes, guitarist for The Church *
In his contribution to the 33 1/3 Oceania series, Chris Gibson provides an engaging, insightful look at Starfish, the album that dragged The Church into the surreal world of late-1980s Los Angeles and left them both better-known internationally and forever altered (for better or worse) by the experience. Inviting Gibson, a cultural geographer, to author the book was a stroke of genius. His geographer’s eye and musician’s ear enable him to capture what is so distinctive about a band that combines the construction of sonic cathedrals and the enigmatic exploration of inner space. Even for fans who have spun Starfish thousands of times, Gibson’s narrative opens up new ways of hearing and understanding both the album and the powerful convergence of personal, cultural, geographic, and musical circumstances that produced it. His chapter on the album’s ominous opener, “Destination,” is especially noteworthy, weaving together pieces of the band’s artistic own journey with sharp observations about the construction of a song that remains as stubbornly impenetrable as it is enticing. Drawing on focused, revealing interviews with the band members, later chapters provide memorable stories about legendary Church tracks such as “Under the Milky Way”, “Reptile”, and “Hotel Womb”. Along the way, Gibson also paints a sharp and sensitive picture of the big-city, big-label environment and the punishing studio regimen that yielded one of the most timeless records of the 1980s. * John Collins, Professor and Chair of Global Studies, St. Lawrence University, USA *