About this blog
I’ve taken the title of this blog from a 1985 song by The Church, the Australian band that’s become my favorite in recent years. They embody everything that I think a band should be: their songs are melodic, mysterious, smart, often psychedelic, and generally uncategorizeable. Their chord changes seem to emanate from another galaxy. They use the studio with great intelligence. They deliver thrilling performances when they tour.
Most folks who know of The Church think of them as a 1980s band, thanks to their one U.S. hit, Under The Milky Way; today you can hear a cover of that tune being used to sell Lincoln cars. In reality, they’ve maintained a remarkable record of creating memorable music for three decades, and recently completed a tour here commemorating their 30th anniversary. The band became somewhat fragmented during the 1990s, to say the least, but they regrouped in time to build some dazzling extensions of their enduring legacy in this First Decade of the Second Millenium.
There’s always been lots of room in my musical universe for traditional blues-based rock, prog, metal and other forms. I grew up on Fifties rock & roll. The death of Buddy Holly turned me into a diehard folkie, until Dylan came along and led me back into the world of electric music. (Yes, I lived the story of The Day The Music Died; I just never thought to write a song about it.)
I became intrigued by the psychedelic side of things in 1967, thanks to Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Hendrix and the San Francisco scene. That predilection has stayed with me. To my present self, here in the Spring of 2010, The Church are floating at the top of that shimmering, spectral pantheon of artists.
The lyrics to Tantalized tell the story of a man who realizes that he’s been sucked in by the wrong things in life. I think that one of the keys to getting on in this world is learning to let yourself be tantalized by the right things. This blog might eventually turn out to be a means of figuring out just what those things are; I’m still working on that bit.
Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Onward and upward!
Anton A
May 29, 2010
Tantalized 
Great Reviews!
Not only paints a vivid picture of a live concert, but even better, conveys the feeling of each unique experience. With technology pushing us into instant, downloadable, private gratification, a live concert is one of the few remaining “real-time” shared experiences.
Thanks, Anton, for providing such great insight, with such obvious knowledge of onstage artists and backstage stories.
Very cool, Anton, I’ll be back on a regular basis.
Anton, I’ve only just spotted the link to this place. Like Randy, I’ll be back ……
Paul G
I had a Church album back in the ’90’s. It had this haunting poem in the CD (jacket? booklet? what’s the word for that) I still know it by heart….
Hi, as I remember from camp you preferred the Dave Clark Five to the Stones or Beatles.