Under the Milky Way: Best of the Church [Original recording remastered]

The Church | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00001NTQR
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,977 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #37 in Music > World Music > Europe > Scandinavia > Finland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't Hit All the High Points, March 21, 2002

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under the Milky Way: Best of the Church (Audio CD)

For any band with a long and varied career but only a smattering of hits, selecting a Best of is a difficult task. "Under the Milky Way" is a generous collection that unfortunately stuck with those songs that were released as singles (regardless of whether said singles became hits). As a result, the album does collect the band's best known songs such as the title track, "Metropolis" and "Feel." Unfortunately, the selections from the band's earlier albums miss many of their best songs. "The Unguarded Moment" was an excellnt choice from the band's debut album, as were "Almost With You" from their second and "Electric Lash" from their third. However, other choices are less solid. The middling "A Month of Sundays" and "Shadow Cabinet," for example, were chosen from the album "Remote Luxury," rather than the much more tuneful "Into My Hands" and "Violet Town."

Overall, if you don't own any Church music, or perhaps just the album "Starfish" (their biggest U.S. hit) then this album is quite worthwhile to expand your Church horizons. Once you get to know them well, you'll find yourself wanting more.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic band; song selections not the greatest, October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Under the Milky Way: Best of the Church (Audio CD)

The Church are a fabulous band with an incredible depth in their catalog: a depth not as well-represented here as it could be. The Church won't play "Unguarded Moment" live anymore, yet it's a worthy lead-off track. The Blurred Crusade is an excellent record--there should be more tracks from it on this release. Seance was a rich record best represented by tracks other than "Electric Lash" . . . "One Day" or "Dropping Names" may have been more suitable here. It would have been cool if the Sing Songs EP was represented. Where are "Spark" and "Hotel Womb" from Starfish?

As one of the few memorable tracks from the disappointing Gold Afternoon Fix, "Grind" is absent. Clever gems like "Witch Hunt" and "Film" might have more aptly represented the sublime Priest=Aura, while while the crucial "Fly Home" and "Day of the Dead" were missing from the Sometime/Anywhere period.

If you're interested in the Church, and want a nice tour without buying the whole catalog, you're better off getting the Hindsight double CD, the B-sides compilation A Quick Smoke at Spot's; their amazing 1998 release on Thirsty Ear, Hologram of Baal; and the record of covers released just weeks ago, A Box of Birds.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well it is a collection of great songs but..., February 16, 2002

By 

"shards370" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Milky Way: Best of the Church (Audio CD)

I have to (respectfully) strongly disagree with some of the earlier reviewers.

This album contains many great songs but I truly believe if you are to hear "the best of _The Church_" then look beyond the singles. To say "this is the only album by _The Church_ that you need to own" is like saying "just get a cadillac hubcap - you don't need the rest of it". The singles are rarely my favourites on any album by _The Church_ - the only exception is "The Blurred Crusade" and still I would have missed out on some fantastic music by assuming this compilation was "the best of".

As for "Of Skins and Hearts" being the best album...well I personally disagree. In fact, I prefer "The Blurred Crusade" over "Of Skins and Hearts" and would be (barely) bold enough to say that, as an album, "Priest=Aura" is probably the best, cohesive pieces of music that _The Church_ have released. (I do reserve the right to change my mind though).

Overall, this is a nice compilation if you are NOT a big fan of_The Church_ but do like some of their works.