Starfish sees a collision of a couple of factors, a great set of songs put over in a slightly watered down way - palatable for Joe public and Church fans, maybe the classic formula that would have given them year after year (or rather alternate year after alternate year) of similar sales success but somehow, for me it's not quite up there as a favourate , the richness and textures on Aura and AENT and that Blurred Crusade sound just have the emotional edge. But as an album competing for sales in 1988 it did it's job well, it deserved all it got if not much much more, attracted new fans and the number of songs still around in the sets show the affection and recognition of its undoubted quality. It just didn't quite have that twist of weirdness or cinegraphic escapism that make some of the other albums uniquely theirs it's an album that first time buyers can get into comfortabley and it's probabley as close to the general music buying publics idea of pop perfection as they ever got without compromising too much of what makes them special. A 9 out of 10 still and a proud, solid, set in stone chunk of success that can be pointed to in front of any doubters or curious friends, undoubtabley brilliant.....but could have been better !