Parallel Universe

The Church | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B00006YXFX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,107 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A (re)mixed bag, December 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Parallel Universe (Audio CD)

The Amazon[.com] reviewer is apparently not a Church fan and his assessment that they exist just to please themselves seems unfair given the generally accessible quality of their music. That said, however, even a longtime Church fan like myself has to admit that Parallel Universe is a tad self-indulgent. At least that's true of Disc One of this two disc set. Disc One contains remixes of the material on the Church's prior studio album After Everything Now This. I am not a fan of these remix albums and this one, while better than most, does not alter my opinion. AENT is some of the Church's finest work but unfortunately you wouldn't know it from the Parallel Universe remixes. The remixed versions are interesting curiousities that may please some fans, but Disc One certainly won't spend much time in my CD player. And that's how I ultimately judge the success of any set of music.

The saving grace, however, is the second disc, which contains previously unreleased material. While this disc is not the equivalent of a full new Church album (there are only 6 tracks), the music is solid and a couple of the tracks are as good as some of the material on AENT. The songs are not as fully realized as the tracks on AENT but overall this disc makes an entertaining "mini-album" somewhat in the style of its predecessor. Disc Two alone makes Parallel Universe a worthwhile addition to the collection of any Church fan. Newcomers to the Church, however, are advised to start elsewhere.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars go directly to disc 2, December 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Parallel Universe (Audio CD)

For those of you who have yet to hear this, may I suggest the following: Get up at the crack of dawn, while the morning light is just barely beginning to illuminate the room. Curl up in your rocker with a cup of tea or whatever else may coax you into your day, put disc 2 on the box, medium volume. No other sounds in the house. Close your eyes and let the journey begin... 1st destination, The Moon. Dream away! Awaken to all those beautiful subtle layers of delicate sound that we've come to expect now from this constantly evolving group of musicians. Many rythyms and textures explored here, none seeming out of place as they work thier way through your psyche. Steve's magical voice and wonder-inducing lyrics. What's this? Focus turns to Peter, and the highlight of the album - aptly named Reward. This, folks, is worth the price alone! Travel on, more beauty and wonder, detouring for occasional doses of reality/unreality. There you go - haven't we visisted this person before? Resign yourself to joy and sadness, drift away into starry eyes...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Alternate reality with a twist, November 5, 2002

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Parallel Universe (Audio CD)

The cult of The Church may be growing smaller but the band is growing bolder. This, their second album this year, consists of unusual remixes of tracks from After Everything Now This. Some of the songs are nearly unrecognizable while others are fascinating glimpses of roads not taken. The real gem here, though, is the 37 minute second disc of new material. Many of these tracks were recorded with minimal overdubbing and live by the band. The second disc will be what draws fans to this album while the first disc creates a fresh prespective on one the finest albums The Church have made.

All of this at the cost of one CD. Unlike U2's latest Greatest Hits compilation, you're not being charged for a two disc set. Instead, you get the "new" Church album with the remix as a bonus (or vice versa). So how's the new material? A bit ragged around the edges but, on the whole, very good. Clearly the band didn't have time to prune the 6 songs on the second disc like they did AENT but that really doesn't matter. The second disc works on the strength of the material and the fact that it isn't over done.

Listen, I love U2 but their latest two disc greatest hits collection does take advantage of fans that purchased the singles for their b-sides. It's also priced much higher than a conventional single disc might have been. Church fans have the best of both worlds with Parallel Universe.

3 stars for disc 1 (the remixes) and 4 stars for disc 2 (previously unreleased material). Just a note--the original version of AENT received 4 stars from me. It's one of their finest albums and the only reason the remix disc doesn't get four is that it isn't quite as strong as AENT.