By the time 1990 The Church were at the peak of fame, they’d gotten high up in the charts with "Under The Milky Way" and "Starfish" had sold well beyond anyone’s expectations, so, for their label Arista there was no question as to what was to come next: more hits. The suits assumed that the band had now cracked a formula which would guarantee them continued sales and most importantly yet another revenue stream to suck dry.
Unfortunately, success would prove elusive for the band with ‘Gold Afternoon Fix’ and their label ensured this from the get go by insisting their remain in Los Angeles and work with the same producer they'd used on "Starfish". This was the fractured foundation upon which The Church were ordered to crank out another hat full of tunes.
The sessions were, by all accounts, tense. Ploog was eventually dismissed from the band by the time they were over and the already strained relations between the other members were exacerbated to the breaking point. What a shock it would have been to know all this around the time the album came out but I was too busy being mesmerized by their hypnotic sounds. Yes, there are some tracks on here which could have done with a bit more work but given the immense pressure the band had, nothing came good, at least for massive audiences back then.
Listening back this album, we can say the guitars sparkled, the bass seduced, the drums throbbed and the words remained absolutely timeless. "Gold Afternoon Fix" is an elegant and solitary experience which reveals the myriad layers this band are renowned for only in the most recalcitrant of ways.
"Metropolis"
was pegged to be their breakout song, the one which would vault them
into super stardom… listen to it and try to tell me that The Church had
any intention of doing what was expected of them. The music is catchy
enough but the words spoke volumes about where they were at, other cool track is "Disappointment" it is an
epic composition featuring one of the best solos I’ve heard from any
rock band on Earth. This entire album was imbued with a weary and cynical view of the
world, even the color scheme chosen is a maudlin one. People often
remark at how low-key songs such as "Monday Morning", "Transient", "Laughing" and "Fading Away" did a disservice to their chances at
worldwide domination and to them I say: you’ve missed the point of this
band entirely, another great track is "You're Still Beautiful" that seemed to be part of "Starfish" sessions. Another cool tracks are Pharaoh" when those opening notes slink out the speakers the
chills go right up my spine, the same goes for "Terra Nova Cain"
exploding into its wickedly harrowing groove. The harmonies! The
intricacies! It’s an atmospheric feast for the senses and there’s no
limit on how many times you can load up your plate
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