For almost thirty years, the Church have crafted music that blends a rich variety of styles in a beautiful, multi-layered sound. They have encompassed pop, psychedelic, progressive, and straight-ahead rock, yet always remain distinctive, thanks to the inimitable vocals and lyrics of front man Steve Kilbey. Based on extensive interviews and featuring over 70 rare photographs, No Certainty Attached is the first comprehensive biography of Kilbey and his band. It charts their personal and musical ups and downs: the commercial heights of The Unguarded Moment and Under the Milky Way, the creative breakthroughs of the Priest = Aura album and Kilbey s underappreciated solo work, followed by the band s struggle to survive in the wake of bad business decisions and their singer s drug indulgences. One obsessive American fan attempts to get to the heart of the story, abetted by Kilbey himself, his family, band members, and friends and foes alike. What emerges is a compelling portrait of an artist and a band clinging steadfastly to their muse in the face of external and internal obstacles and the transformative power of the music they have created.
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From Publishers Weekly
Although a self-professed die-hard fan, Lurie remains stridently impartial in this skillfully balanced assessment of his musical idol, Steve Kilbey, the esoterically minded front man for the Australian rock band the Church. Into his noisy myriad of interviews with Kilbey and his circle, Lurie mixes his own personal journey as a fan, musician and first-time author, offering something to both Church devotees and the uninitiated. The result is a quietly and thoughtfully structured narrative that entertains as well as informs. Lurie provides sound musical analysis of the Church's touchstone albums as well as key Kilbey solo projects. Yet Lurie can also be too much the music critic, as his musical observations occasionally drag the narrative into pedantry. Rather than focusing exclusively on those elements of the biography that are fantastic or controversial, Lurie's interviews capture quite a bit of Kilbey's daily life, past and present, and in so doing, open doors to readers who might otherwise not have an interest in a musician with whose music they may only feign familiarity. The nice assemblage of personal photographs printed throughout the text adds an authenticity and completeness to the book. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Although a self-professed die-hard fan, Lurie remains stridently impartial in this skillfully balanced assessment of his musical idol, Steve Kilbey, the esoterically minded front man for the Australian rock band the Church. Into his noisy myriad of interviews with Kilbey and his circle, Lurie mixes his own personal journey as a fan, musician and first-time author, offering something to both Church devotees and the uninitiated. The result is a quietly and thoughtfully structured narrative that entertains as well as informs. Lurie provides sound musical analysis of the Church's touchstone albums as well as key Kilbey solo projects. Yet Lurie can also be too much the music critic, as his musical observations occasionally drag the narrative into pedantry. Rather than focusing exclusively on those elements of the biography that are fantastic or controversial, Lurie's interviews capture quite a bit of Kilbey's daily life, past and present, and in so doing, open doors to readers who might otherwise not have an interest in a musician with whose music they may only feign familiarity. The nice assemblage of personal photographs printed throughout the text adds an authenticity and completeness to the book. --Publishers Weekly, July 2009
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth waiting (about 30 yrs) for...,
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This review is from: No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and The Church (Paperback)
The Church now bears the distinction of being one of the HANDFUL of artists who've successfully endured a decade (in this case, longer) of commercial disfavor...during which time they continued to progress.
The reasons for the stalling of their commercial career are, ostensibly, the usual stuff of rock bios - addiction, poor decisions, etc. But what's singularly inspiring about the story of Kilbey & The Church is how intransigently DOGGED they've been about carrying on. Comebacks/re-inventions are one thing for artists established on a more substantial scale - usually, upbeat pop musicians. But carrying on is quite another matter when you're a maestro in the subsets where melancholia and psychedelia overlap. Not exactly commercial. Best known to the general public for "Under the Milky Way," The Church crested with their mid-period Arista recording (Starfish, 1988). Fortunes began declining shortly after this "breakthrough moment." But Kilbey/The Church managed to persevere, eventually accumulating a remarkable catalogue spanning solo releases, collaborations, session work, & production credits. A testament to purist pursuit of a singularly uncompromising vision. Maybe the public will catch on. Meanwhile, supplement the reading of this book with Kilbey's weblog - [...]- probably the most deprecating, challenging, & insightful daily glimpse at the psyche of an unjustly overlooked industry veteran available anywhere, published or virtual.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Disenchanted Portrait,
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This review is from: No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and The Church (Paperback)
Robert Lurie's book on the Australian band, The Church, is welcome for those us with more than a passing interest in the group and its bassist, lyricist and lead vocalist Steve Kilbey. It required a determined fan to take on the project, as the band are not a popular enough subject for a by-the-numbers journalist to tackle. They passed the point long ago when their story could be perceived as a surefire check waiting to be cashed. So who will read this? People like me, that are obsessed with the music and the myth of Steve Kilbey and wanted an in depth examination of the history--the rise, the disintegration and the resurrection of my favorite musical group to emerge in the 80s, and their unique, mysterious and haunting musical offerings.
Vacillating between a fan's ernest attempt at an objective but sympathetic biography, and an ernest fan's need to elevate his random opinions of albums, songs and lyrics to published status, the book both illuminates and frustrates. His persistence is admirable and the access he was granted to Kilbey and Peter Koppes, one of the bands guitarists, does make this a valuable document. Photos and reminiscences from friends and associates do give us a reasonable glimpse of the brilliant and purposefully enigmatic Kilbey. He does not shy away from the sensationalistic aspects of the story or dwell excessively upon them; they are essential to understanding the erratic course of the band's tenure. It is his insistence upon subjecting the reader to his evaluation of particular songs, albums and lyrics (usually ones he can't abide) that undermine the virtues of his research, and drag the book down to the level of a fan's chat room. We really don't care how little he likes Michael Stipe and REM, but it is when he offhandedly dismisses a major album like Uninvited Like The Clouds, while relentlessly examining a minor one like Seance, that he fails utterly as a rock critic. There is no discography, something the vast Church canon truly requires--official albums, bootlegs, side projects, solo works etc. It would have served the fans well to have this information in printed form. As a biography I give it 4 stars, his writing is not particularly strong, but works well enough considering he is really a musician and a fan first. As a critic he gets 2 stars for inconsistent and arbitrary analysis of the music. I do recommend it to any die hard fan of the group, we may never see another thorough study of the band's origins and career. As to whether Kilbey really is captured here, it does seem to pull away a couple layers of his mystique, and present the man and artist honestly. You do get the feeling, however, there is much more that will never be told.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One certainty: this is a great read!,
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This review is from: No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and The Church (Paperback)
This is a great read for both fans of The Church OR fans of rock & roll history in general. Of course the long time fans will be eager to read this - but unlike many rock-biographies, I believe this book would be an enlightening & enjoyable read for a much broader audience.
This book covers so many facets of Steve Kilbey's life (and the band's as well). It explores the early formulative years & experiences which helped shape the artist, the early encounters that allowed the musician to grow & the band to form. NO CERTAINTY also gives brilliant insights into what went on behind the scenes during the tours, the demoing & studio recordings of the albums, the hardships & struggles. It gives insight into the creative processes, the lyrics and the evolution of the band as well as the artist. Well written, fascinating to read and full of thought provoking narrative that will keep you turning the pages! I have missed sleep three nights in a row over this book :-) GET IT!
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