| Of Skins and Heart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 April 1981(Australia) 22 January 1982(International) | |||
| Recorded | September−November 1980 | |||
| Studio | Studios 301 (Sydney) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock,post-punk,new wave | |||
| Length | 39:50 39:20 39:34 | |||
| Label | EMI Parlophone (Australia) Carrere(Europe) Capitol(US/Canada) Arista(US/Canada reissue) | |||
| Producer | Chris Gilbey,Bob Clearmountain | |||
| The Church chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Of Skins and Heart | ||||
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| The Church | ||||
 1982 European / North American release (Carrere / Capitol) | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
Of Skins and Heart is the debut album by the Australianpsychedelic rock bandThe Church,[3] released in April 1981 byEMI Parlophone. It peaked at No. 22 in the AustralianKent Music Report Albums Chart.[4]
It is their only album to feature Nick Ward on drums and has a harder, morenew wave influenced sound than their later material, although Kilbey's semi-surreal lyrics are already present. It was produced byChris Gilbey andBob Clearmountain.[5] Seven songs were entirely written by lead singer and bass guitaristSteve Kilbey and two were co-written with others. The first single, "She Never Said", did not chart on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[4] The second single, "The Unguarded Moment", was co-written with Mikella Parker,[6] who was married to Steve Kilbey at the time. This song launched the band to success and has been their biggest hit to date. It brought early attention and significant radio play to the band, it peaked at No. 22 in Australia and No. 19 in New Zealand.[4][7] The track "Is This Where You Live" became a live staple over the following years. By the time of the album's release, Ward had been replaced on drums byRichard Ploog.
The album was re-sequenced and released internationally asThe Church in 1982.
In Sydney, in March 1980, singer, bass guitarist and songwriterSteve Kilbey bumped into guitaristPeter Koppes, an old bandmate from his Canberra days. Koppes was playing with another Canberran, drummer Nick Ward, in a Sydney band called Limazine. The three decided to form a new band, called it The Church (originally The Church of Man) and began performing.[3] A month later,Marty Willson-Piper, originally fromLiverpool, United Kingdom, came to one of their gigs and was invited to join on second guitar.[3][5]
A four-song demo was recorded in Kilbey's bedroom studio.[8] Thanks to contacts from Kilbey & Koppes' former band Baby Grande, they sent the tape to the Australian branch of publishing companyATV Northern Songs.[3] The song "Chrome Injury" attracted the attention of managing directorChris Gilbey, who had recently formed a record production company in association withEMI Records in Australia and resurrected theParlophone label.[9] Gilbey signed the band, went to band rehearsals and helped shape their sound by buying Willson-Piper a 12 stringRickenbacker guitar and Koppes an Echolette tape delay. Sessions for their first album followed in late 1980 atStudios 301 in Sydney. Of the four songs originally demoed, only "Chrome Injury" was included.
The album,Of Skins and Heart, was co-produced by Gilbey andBob Clearmountain (Bryan Adams).[5] Seven of the nine tracks were written solely by Kilbey. The first single, "She Never Said", was released in November, but did not chart.[4] The second single, "The Unguarded Moment", co-written with Kilbey's girlfriend Michelle Parker, was issued alongside the album in March 1981, initially only in Australia. "The Unguarded Moment" reached No. 22 on the AustralianKent Music Report Singles Chart whileOf Skins and Heart achieved the same position on the related Albums Chart.[4] To promote their releases, the band undertook their first national tour.[9] By the time of the album's release, drummer Ward had already been replaced byRichard Ploog.[3] He was recruited by their manager,Michael Chugg, after hearing of his reputation in Adelaide. Ploog's arrival established The Church's first stable line-up.[9]
The first recordings by the group with Ploog were eventually released as a five-track double single / extended play,Too Fast for You in July 1981.[3] It included the first collectively written track, "Sisters". Another track, "Tear It All Away", later released as a separate single, showed a development towards more elaborate guitar structures and what would become the signature Church sound. Their image of tight jeans andpaisley shirts (many designed and made by Michelle Parker),[9] as well as their 'jangly' guitar sound evoked comparisons to 1960s psychedelic groups, particularlyThe Byrds. The success ofOf Skins and Heart enabled Chris Gilbey to present the release to Freddie Cannon of French labelCarrere and Rupert Perry of American labelCapitol. Both labels released the album in 1982, renamed as simplyThe Church, with slightly altered track listings including songs fromToo Fast for You and using a crop of that EP's artwork for the cover.[5] Ploog was incorrectly credited as the sole drummer on the release, despite only playing on one or three tracks, depending on the version. Capitol also released an edited single version of "The Unguarded Moment" which was a minute shorter than the original – a decision which displeased the band.[9]
Cash Box magazine said "This young Australian quartet plays a sprite brand of British new pop that recalls the early days ofThe Kinks andThe Who. A ringing guitar sound,Ray Davies-styled vocals and some of the neatest hooks this side of Sydney make this a memorable debut release."[10]
All songs by written by Steve Kilbey, except where noted.
1981 Australian release
ParlophonePCSO 7582
1982 European release
Carrere RecordsCAL130
1982 North American release
Capitol RecordsST-12193
The album was re-sequenced and released internationally asThe Church (1982) by Capitol Records in North America and Carrere Records in Europe. The 1989 CD release byArista Records included three extra tracks: "Too Fast for You", "Tear It All Away" and "Sisters", which originally appeared on the double 7" single/extended playToo Fast for You in 1981.
2002 Australian Remaster
EMI Records7243 5 39479 0 3
This remastered release contains all the tracks from the original Australian release in their original running order, plus a second disc containing theToo Fast for You EP and the promo videos for "The Unguarded Moment", "Bel-Air", "Too Fast for You" and "Tear It All Away".
201030th Anniversary Series Remaster
Second Motion RecordsCD-SMR-024
This remastered release contains all the tracks from the original Australian release in their original running order, and adds two bonus tracks: "In a Heartbeat" (the B-side of "She Never Said") and "Busdriver" (the B-side of "The Unguarded Moment"), both written by Steve Kilbey.
The Church members
Production details
Art work
