
As someone recently remarked about this 12" EP, it was the most sought after rare release for a lot of early Church fans. I remember hearing it about mid 83 in the shop I worked as we had a copy. It accidentaly got put out for sale and I never heard it again for years. Then I got one in the early nineties and promptly got it nicked in 1995 whilst holidaying in New York
The EP opens with A Different Man, a sublime bit of purest jangle pop. You just can't deny the paisley bit here. Fabulous track that still hits me like no other. Ancient History is almost tongue in cheek lyrically and musically, but also hits me directly. The line Aura, aura, aura, aura etc circles lightly and with some agility. Wonderful. The track The Night Is Very Soft, is a bit more menacing and also contains the amazingly (and rightly so) popular line;
"I've got a milk white electric guitar,
walked in the shop and I peeled off the notes"
In This Room is more futuristic sounding than the rest here and could almost have been written for Priest=Aura. The EP finishes with a wonderful version of Simon & Garfunkels I Am A Rock, demonstrating their ability to inject life and freshness into something so firmly entrenched in the Worlds conciousness. The lyrics seem almost to have been written by Steve Kilbey himself;
A winters day, in a deep and dark December
I am alone, gazing from my window into the streets below
On a freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow
I am a rock, I am an island
Don't talk of love, well I've heard the word before
It is sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died
If I never loved I never would have cried
I am a rock, I am an island
I have my books and my poetry to content me
I am shielded in my armor
Deep within my room, safe within my womb
I touch no one and no one touches me
I am a rock, I am an island
And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
See what I mean!
This release is my favourite bit of Church vinyl artifact.
Altres
