A Box of Birds (Church)

A Box of Birds is a variable, but mostly fine collection of covers by the venerable Aussie band The Church. I've read the vibe described as "neo-psychedelia" -- very apt! My favorites are "It's All Too Much" (The Beatles) and definitely "Cortez the Killer" (Neil Young).

Terminally underrated band records an album of covers. Which would be unremarkable in itself, but this is the Church. They don't perform the covers so much as insinuate themselves into them until they possess them. Example in point: the opener, "The Faith Healer," which was played pretty broadly by originator Alex Harvey, becomes frankly creepy and strange in the Church's hands. Goffin and King's "The Porpoise Song," is known to most people as a Monkees song. Here, The Church make it an opiated, languorous gem. "It's All Too Much" is entwined with walls of flowing feedback, with added quotes from Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue" and The Pretty Things' "Sorrow" thrown in over the jam at the end. "Friction" is very faithful to the original. I wish they had made it more their own, but it is a good cover. The same is true of "All the Young Dudes," but on Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" they redeem themselves by attacking the song with abandon. The closer, Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer," ... Read more

"Box of Birds" is The Church's stab at an all covers albums, and is also their most solid effort since 1990's "Gold Afternoon Fix." The band achieved massive success with the excellent song "Under the Milky Way" and the excellent album "Starfish" in the late 1980s, only to see their (American) popularity wane with each subsequent release. They eventually lost their record contract with Arista and became essentailly persona-non grata in the U.S.With "Box of Birds" the band scores several strong successes, particularly the covers of Mott the Hoople's David Bowie penned anthem "All the Young Dudes," a lengthy rendition of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Cortex the Killer" and George Harrison's "It's All Too Much."That said, at over 61 minutes for a mere 10 songs, the album still features some of the aimless spaced out meandering that has marred all of their albums since "Gold Afternoon Fix." The band that recorded the perfect pop gem "The Unguarded Moment" back in the eraly 1980s would b... Read more

3 stars may seem harsh but then I can only select integers.While _The Church_ do admirable versions of the songs presented, it is still missing the elusive element that makes music by _The Church_ "special". Don't let my rating of 3-stars put you off - if you are a fan you will still love it (I do) but don't expect the quality of musical composition exhibited on a normal album by _The Church_.Overall a "nice to have" for fans and a "don't bother" for the casual listener. If you are a fan, highlights include "Faith Healer" and "Cortez the Killer" (which is brilliant live as well).

Anyone who's seen The Church live knows that, no matter how dark, experimental or ambient their latest CDs might be, they remain a lively and energetic rock band in concert. Fans of rock guitar have not lived until they've seen the intricate interplay between guitarists Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes. And Steve Kilbey's warm, inviting, speak-sing vocals are vastly underrated in the annals of rock history.Surprisingly, The Church have never released an official live album that captures this energy - unless you count the bonus screwing-around-in-the-studio disc included in the import version of 1998's HOLOGRAM OF BAAL. Until they do, fans will have to settle for A BOX OF BIRDS, an album of covers that, unlike their highly-produced studio CDs, is basically a one-off recording where the band plows through a few of their favorite numbers. The result is one of their most energetic recordings in years.You may ask - why would I want to buy another CD of cover songs? Well, for one, t... Read more