After a string of commercial disappointments, in 1986 Australian rock
band The Church were simultaneously dropped by Warner Brothers in the US
and EMI in Australasia. The future looked bleak. Seemingly from nowhere,
their next record, Starfish, became an unlikely global hit. Its
alluring and pensive lead single, 'Under the Milky Way', stood in stark
contrast to the synth pop and hair metal dominating the 1980s. A high
watermark of intelligent rock, Starfish musically anticipated
alternative revolutions to come. Yet in making Starfish, The Church
struggled with their internal contradictions. Seeking both commercial
and artistic success, they were seduced by fame and drugs but cynical
towards the music industry. Domiciled in Australia but with a European
literary worldview, they relocated to Los Angeles to record under
strained circumstances in the heart of the West Coast hit machine.
This book traces the story of Starfish, its background, composition,
production and reception. To the task, Gibson brings an unusual
perspective as both a musician and a geographer. Drawing upon four
decades of media coverage as well as fresh interviews between the author
and band members, this book delves into the mysteries of this mercurial
classic, tracing both its slippery cultural geography and its sumptuous
songcraft. Situating Starfish in time and space, Gibson transports the
reader to a key album and moment in popular music history when the
structure and politics of the record industry was set to forever change.
