Gold Afternoon Fix (Dlx) [Deluxe Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

1. Pharoah

2. Metropolis

3. Terra Nova Cain

4. City

5. Monday Morning [*]

6. Russian Autumn Heart

7. Essence

8. You're Still Beautiful

9. Disappointment

10. Transient

11. Laughing [*]

12. Fading Away

13. Grind

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Digitally Remastered Classic Album the Australian Band Augmented with a Bonus CD of Rarities and Audio Curiosities.

Gold Afternoon Fix (Dlx),Church,EMI Int'l,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

Gold Afternoon Fix (Dlx) [Deluxe Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Average customer rating:

worth your time
I like it!
A MASTERPIECE IN EVERY SENSE! PHENOMENAL!
A CHANGE NOT EXACTLY CHURCH LIKE
Nobody has reviewed this?

Gold Afternoon Fix
The Church
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Priest = Aura
Starfish
Heyday
Sometime Anywhere
The Blurred Crusade

ASIN: B00000DOR4
Release Date: 1990-02-22

Tracks:

Pharoah
Metropolis
Terra Nova Cain
City
Monday Morning [*]
Russian Autumn Heart
Essence
You're Still Beautiful
Disappointment
Transient
Laughing [*]
Fading Away
Grind

Customer Reviews:

worth your time.......2005-09-19

this is a good cd by The Church. but compared to their other releases, this one suffers in some ways. for one thing, there are just too many songs on here to really get a complete grasp of the album. by the time you get to the 8th track, you feel like you're hearing the same song a few times. a bit more quality control would have greatly benefited this album. the cover also is...(unintentionally) funny. but there are some really really good songs on here. the first song "Pharoah" is classic Church with haunting melodies and great guitar work. "Grind" and "You're Still Beautiful" retain that sharp edge with good songwriting. but overall...this should probably be bought from the "used" bin at your record store, if you can find it.

I like it!.......2004-05-31

This album seems to get put down alot, but I think that's only because it followed the huge "Starfish" album, and often got compared to that. Taken on it's own, it's a typical, yet really good "Church" album. "Metropolis" and "You're Still Beautiful" were the two almost hits, but I enjoy some of the others just as much. The tracks "City", "Laughing", and "Grind" are all excellent, and are some of my favorite songs of theirs. One word of warning, the vinyl of "Gold Afternoon Fix" drops a couple tracks, but the cassette and cd include them all. Newcomers might just want the "Best Of" or "Starfish", but all fans should check this one out.

A MASTERPIECE IN EVERY SENSE! PHENOMENAL!.......2004-03-21

To give this wondrous release 2 stars as a previous reviewer did is a sin and shortsighted. This is unquestionably one of the most beautiful, haunting, and melodic signature Church releases ever! The songs vary in tempo, with the band weaving memorable melodic plodding soundscapes that you will be humming and shaking your head to, such as 'Russian Autumn Heart' and 'Transient', as well as slower, gorgeous songs like the masterful 'Dissapointed'. There is not one weak moment on GAF. I don't think Steve Kilbey and bandmates realize how good this release is!

A CHANGE NOT EXACTLY CHURCH LIKE.......2004-03-21

Coming off the huge success of the classic, essential "Starfish", "Gold Afternoon Fix" was supposed to be the follow up to keep the momentum going. Unfortunately, gears changed a bit and "GAF" fell off the tracks. First, you have to understand that what made The Church a great band to this point of their career was mainly due to the flawless, imaginative interplay between guitarists Peter Koppes and Marty Wilson-Piper combined with the unique baritone vocal delivery of Steve Kilbey. After the success of the 1988 "Starfish", the then producer Waddy Wachtel, steered the band to a more stripped down sound to hopefully appeal to a broader commercial audience to cash in further on their success.

What happen with the 1990 "Gold Afternoon Fix" was a general mix of stripped down dark and mainstream formula pop songs. The album tanked commercially - This was not the TRUE Church sound that was familiar to us and loved!. All was not lost though. The album did produce 2 great songs. The very cool, open sounding, fantastic "Metropolis" rates as one of my personal favorite songs. "You're Still Beautiful" is the other great song off the album with it's pounding drumbeat bringing home Kilbey's hard hitting lyrics in one of The Church's most perfect combination of lyrics and music creativity.

Nobody has reviewed this?.......2003-12-11

Forgive the cover of Gold Afternoon Fix, its whack.

I'd have to say that this is a cross between Heyday and Priest=Aura. Some songs are dark and trippy, and others are uplifting and popy. This may be unbalanced somewhat, but there are some good tunes here.

My favorites here are Pharoah, Metropolis, Russian Autumn Heart, Disappointment, Fading Away, Laughing, and Grind.

Tracks:

Pharoah
Metropolis
Terra Nova Cain
City
Monday Morning [*]
Russian Autumn Heart
Essence
You're Still Beautiful
Disappointment
Transient
Laughing [*]
Fading Away
Grind

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Classic Album the Australian Band Augmented with a Bonus CD of Rarities and Audio Curiosities.

Customer Reviews:

Two disc deluxe edition of band's classic album 4 star album, 3 star transfer.......2007-05-17

"Under the Milky Way" finally broke The Church to a larger audience in the United States and their follow up album "Gold Afternoon Fix" certainly lives up to the promise of their "breakthrough" album. From the menacing opening notes of "Pharaoh" with its use of feedback and other sound effects to the catchy Metropolis" the album is a winner. This two edition deluxe edition offers a second disc of material that was released on various EPs around the time of this album and acoustic versions of two strong tracks the glorious "Metropolis" and moody album closer "Grind".

The album has been remastered louder than the previous edition. It sounds good when compared to the original release but it seems the dynamic range is squashed a bit. The second disc, though, is worth the price of admission as it features a number of EP sides released to accompany the singles. I do wish that there were song lyrics but I suppose we can't have everything.

The second disc is the only reason to pick this up. The second disc is an album length with the following CD/EP extra tracks all in one spot:
1. Much Too Much
2. Take It Back
3. Desert
4. Forgotten Reign
5. Hunter
6. Dream
7. Ride into the Sunset
8. You Got Off Light
9. The Feast
10. Metropolis (Acoustic)
11. Grind (Acoustic)

The only real reason to get this is the second disc. The original release although not quite as loud sounds pretty good.

Average customer rating:

Great Album
My introduction to the church
A step down from "Heyday" and "Starfish"
The Church hit a pothole.
Not As Bad as it Sounds

Gold Afternoon Fix
The Church
Manufacturer: Mushroom Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Rock | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Starfish
The Blurred Crusade
Priest = Aura
Heyday
Sometime Anywhere

ASIN: B000007V47
Release Date: 1998-06-30

Tracks:

Pharoah
Metropolis
Terra Nova Cain
City
Monday Morning [*]
Russian Autumn Heart
Essence
You're Still Beautiful
Disappointment
Transient
Laughing [*]
Fading Away
Grind

Customer Reviews:

Great Album .......2005-12-22

I'm not currently sleeping with the band,
so I will refrain from getting involved in
the band's personal lives.
In regard to the album, it is a Church Classic;
With tunes such as Metropolis, Terra Nova Cain, and
Your Still Beautiful. -Pack a bowl and play-

My introduction to the church.......2005-09-19

This album was left in my house so I decided to give it a listen and it had an imediate impact on me. It has both light and dark emotions but the church have that rare quality of being able to capture a feeling on record. Metropolis is about as good a song as you will ever hear and I almost can visualise the singer going for a little lunch down at the ghost cafe(disapointment). There is no bad songs on this one. It will always we a special album for introducing me to the church and I am gradually picking up the whole back catalogue. Surprised that other fans dont rate it highly as guitar playing,production,lyrics and overall package is awesome.This band are out there in their own stratosphere and are criminally underrated. They are surely one of a kind.

A step down from "Heyday" and "Starfish".......2005-07-28

I can't exactly put my finger on it, but "Gold Afternoon Fix," though by no means a bad album, just seems to be missing something. Sure, there are some good songs on the album ("Metropolis," "Laughing," "Fading Away"), and really no terrible songs. Sure, it was hard to live up to the prior two albums, "Heyday" and "Starfish" which were both superb, but I feel Steve Kilbey and the rest of The Church were kind of going through the motions here. In the last track, Kilbey sings "We've got to grind, grind it out." Perhaps that was the band's sentiment while working on GAF.

One thing that encouraged me when I first heard this album was that the last three songs definitely showed promise of better things to follow. Although I was disappointed in the next Church offering, the ultra-mellow "Priest=Aura" (what the heck does that mean anyway?), there would thankfully be other great albums in the band's future.

The Church hit a pothole........2004-03-10

I was very excited when this one came out. Starfish, the band's unquestionable masterpiece at the time, left me wondering what the band was going to do for a follow-up. Thanks to the unnerving pressures of Arista records (they told them to make an album designed to outsell U2), the Church tried way too hard. And those of you who are Church fans know that the Church sound their best when they don't try as hard.

For nearly fifteen years I have been listening to this album at steady intervals. And my opinion of the music is alarmingly the same now as it was in 1990. Some songs I have learned to like, others I have grown to dislike over time (that rarely happens), and some just don't seem to go anywhere for me. At it's best, Gold Afternoon Fix is an 'A for effort' album made under difficult circumstances with a few good songs shining through. At it's worst, it is an over-labored, stretched-out attempt to grasp the golden ring of pop/rock glory in the early 90s alternative scene.

One thing that would have helped Gold Afternoon Fix: a different producer. Waddy Wetchel already produced Starfish, and the relationship they formed was not exactly a friendly one. So when they had to fly to LA to do their next album, I imagine their motivation waned considerably when they learned who was going to be running the project. Clocking in at almost an hour with 13 songs, Wetchel didn't know when or where to trim the fat and keep the album focused (Forget Yourself, the Church's latest, is lengthier, has more songs, but yet feels shorter).

Another ill-advised move was how the Church finised the rhythm tracks. Drummer Richard Ploog had become very disinterested in the band at this point and took a lazy approach to everything. Discouraged by Ploog for not pulling his weight, singer Steve Kilbey dismissed him halfway through the making of the album. The rest of Gold Afternoon Fix was finished with a drum machine. I can't even begin to explain how stiff this sounds to me. A session drummer was definitely needed in order for this album to sound its best.

But production and drums aside, Gold Afternoon Fix still suffers in parts by weak songwriting. Disappointment, Laughing and Fading Away rely too much on repetition to drive their point across (if there is a point). You're Still Beautiful has potential (you gotta love that beginning), but falls on it's face with a very banal chorus. Transient showcases a vocally-challenged Peter Koppes taking the lead. Aside from the cool guitar solo, there is not much to redeem this compositionally tired song. Grind, the final track, would make a great bold ending to the album if they didn't perform it like it was a dirge.

But not all of it is bad. Metropolis almost became a hit, showing a vibrant side to the band that most people did not hear. The gentle ballad of Monday Morning help offset the rowdy Russian Autumn Heart. They dip their sound into the coffee-shop atmosphere with City and revisit their psychadelic side with Essence. Come to think of it, Gold Afternoon Fix wouldn't have been so bad if 1/3 of it was removed.

Steve Kilbey himself says that Gold Afternoon Fix was a great big mistake. And the cynicism was coming through in his lyrics pretty early in the game. For instance, the first line of Pharoah reads:

"Hi" to all the people who are selling me
Here's one straight from the factory.

The last stanza is even better as Kilbey discribes the dictator in question:

Late at night, when I'm lying in bed
I've got to say a prayer for my daily bread
And early in the morning when I'm still asleep
He's sitting on the throne making grown men weep
In boredom

You can take a good guess who he is singing about in the song Pharaoh. And that is a big reason why when you see the Church play a show, you rarely hear a song from Gold Afternoon Fix.

Not As Bad as it Sounds.......2000-08-14

The main problem with this record is that nothing really stands out as a Great track (NB the capital "G"). There's a few stabs at "story" songs ("Terra Nova Cain"). There's a bit of wistfulness here and there ("Metropolis"). Steve Kilbey has a shot at some sort of iffy "La Dolce Vita" trip in "You're Still Beautiful" and there's a sort of veiled "Oh, 'tis HARD to be a rockstar!" whatsis ("Pharaoh"... though that might simply be my own cynical perception) There's even a somewhat rash and ill-advised shot at (oh, dear...) actual rock ("Russian Autumn Heart").

None of it actually grabs you at first, (I had an ugly "is that IT?" feeling as the thought dawned on me that the record store was by now closed) but, no doubt as intended, this record DOES kind of grow on you in a slow, unassuming way. It's all fairly tranquil, pastelly stuff where everything even Regret is artful and contrived. But that's The Church and you probably knew that anyway.

It's not a GREAT record, but it's a pretty good one.

Gold Afternoon Fix
Average customer rating:
Gold Afternoon Fix
Church
Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0000DEMN8
Release Date: 1999-10-22