I’m identifying the best three albums by my fifty favorite rock bands of all time. This blog is for a hard-rocking band from Atlanta, #23 – The Church.

Criteria for selecting the best three albums

First, greatest hits albums are allowed. Second – no live albums. I will note this band actually has a pretty cool live album recorded at the Sydney Opera House with a full orchestra backing them. Third, I’m including one honorable mention album for the top 25. I wish I had two for this band because their catalog is so extensive.

The Church’s Albums ranked by ChatGPT

Let’s see what artificial intelligence says about the list. Here are the results from ChatGPT for rank ordering The Church’s albums. This list is a good starting point but not completely correct. I would not pick the third album for a specific reason. ChatGPT highlights that this band has a lot of experimental or atmospheric music on their later albums that I don’t care for that much. I will admit my bias toward the early part of their catalog which I just think is better music.

1. “Starfish” (1988): This album is often regarded as The Church’s most popular and critically acclaimed work. It features their most well-known single, “Under the Milky Way,” which became a chart success and a staple of their discography.
2. “The Blurred Crusade” (1982): Considered a landmark release, this album showcases the band’s atmospheric and jangly sound. It received positive reviews and solidified its reputation as a band with unique sound and poetic lyrics.
3. “Priest=Aura” (1992): This album marked a shift towards a darker and more introspective sound. It received favorable reviews for its experimental nature and atmospheric compositions.

The third-best album by this band is The Blurred Crusade

The third-best album by The Church is called The Blurred Crusade. If you’ve never heard any music by this band great this record is a good starting point. I own this on vinyl. It includes one of my favorite Church songs “Almost With You”.

The second-best album by The Church

The second-best album by The Church is called Heyday. The band released this record back in the 80s I don’t need to tell you that. Just look at that long hair and bad shirts on the cover. I played this album a lot back in high school. It is a melodic album and includes many excellent songs.

Honorable mention album for this band

Time for the honorable mention album. I’m selecting their debut album which has two different names depending on where you bought it. In Australia and other parts of the world, they called this record Of Skins and Hearts. In North America, it was simply known as The Church. I own this one on vinyl. This album includes arguably one of the best songs The Church ever wrote called “The Unguarded Moment”. I heard recently Steve Kilby hates that song which is such a shame.

The best album by The Church

The best album by The Church hands down is called Starfish. It includes the one song by this band you may have heard of which is “Under the Milky Way”. It is hugely popular to this day. I own this one on vinyl I have had for decades. If you’ve never heard of this band this is the album to start with for sure. It includes a ton of great guitar-driven music. Every time I listen to it just makes me happy.

There you have it – the three best Church albums. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I am Doug Keating and this is my letter to my sons.