The Unguarded Moment (song)

Last updated

"The Unguarded Moment"
Single by The Church
from the album Of Skins and Heart
ReleasedMarch 1981
Recorded1980
Genre
Length4:12
Label Parlophone
Songwriter(s) Steve Kilbey, Mikela Uniacke [2]
Producer(s) Chris Gilbey, Bob Clearmountain
The Church singles chronology
"She Never Said"
(1980)		"The Unguarded Moment"
(1981)		"Too Fast for You"
(1981)

"The Unguarded Moment" is a song by Australian alternative rock band the Church, released in March 1981. [3] It was the second single from their 1981 debut album, Of Skins and Heart . [4] It was written by Steve Kilbey, the group's frontman, singer and bass guitarist; and Mikela Uniacke (a.k.a. Michelle Parker), [2] who were married at the time.

Contents

The song reached No. 22 on the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart, [5] [6] and was the band's first radio hit. [7] It peaked at No. 19 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. [8] The single and the album were released on EMI Records then newly revived Parlophone label. [9]

Kilbey later said, "The song just doesn't appeal to me. It doesn't give me any pleasure at all. Maybe it was exciting for people who thought the country was going to be bogged down with the Human League and Buggles for the decade." [10]

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "The Unguarded Moment" was ranked number 57. [11]

Reception

Garry Raffaele of The Canberra Times described the track in June 1981, which "starts out with a bow towards the Beatles, then into a tightly constructed, powerfully written and pulsingly [ sic ] performed piece. And written so well... phrases like 'men with horses for hearts', 'friends with cameras for eyes'." [12] In August 2002, it was reviewed by Rolling Stone 's David Fricke as "The Church's 1981 jangling gem". [13]

Roadrunner claimed, "They've ripped off the riff from "Ticket to Ride". I don't care. It's what you do with stolen goods that counts, and the Church do good things with this." They also predicted, "If given a chance – a hit." [14]

Track listing

The Unguarded Moment (Australian release)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Unguarded Moment"Steve Kilbey, Mikela Uniacke (a.k.a. Michelle Parker)4:12
2."Busdriver"Steve Kilbey4:09
Total length:8:21
The Unguarded Moment (European release)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Unguarded Moment"Steve Kilbey, Mikela Uniacke (a.k.a. Michelle Parker)4:13
2."Chrome Injury"Steve Kilbey4:03
Total length:8:16

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Church (band)</span> Australian rock band

The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave, neo-psychedelia, and indie rock, their music later came to feature slower tempos and surreal soundscapes reminiscent of alternative rock, dream pop, and post-rock. Glenn A. Baker has written that "From the release of the 'She Never Said' single in November 1980, this unique Sydney-originated entity has purveyed a distinctive, ethereal, psychedelic-tinged sound which has alternatively found favour and disfavour in Australia." The Los Angeles Times has described the band's music as "dense, shimmering, exquisite guitar pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Dolce</span> American-Australian singer-songwriter (born 1947)

Joseph Dolce is an American-Australian singer-songwriter, poet and essayist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Under the Milky Way</span> 1988 single by the Church

"Under the Milky Way" is a single by Australian alternative rock band the Church, released on 15 February 1988, and appears on their fifth studio album Starfish. The song was written by bass guitarist and lead vocalist Steve Kilbey and his then-girlfriend Karin Jansson of Curious (Yellow). It peaked at No. 22 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, No. 24 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and No. 25 on the New Zealand Singles Chart; it also appeared in the Dutch Single Top 100. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1989, the song won 'Single of the Year'. It was issued simultaneously in both 7" vinyl and 12" vinyl formats by Arista Records (internationally) and Mushroom Records.

<i>Of Skins and Heart</i> 1981 studio album by The Church

Of Skins and Heart is the debut album by the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church, released in April 1981 by EMI Parlophone. It peaked at No. 22 in the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

<i>Seance</i> (album) 1983 studio album by The Church

Seance is the third album by the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church, released in 1983. More atmospheric and brooding than its predecessor The Blurred Crusade's jangling psychedelia and upbeat rock, it shows a greater use of keyboards, with the guitars taking largely textural roles on many songs. While numerous tracks have become fan favorites over the years, the album saw considerably less success in Australia than previous releases and had limited exposure internationally. Apart from the psychedelic noise experiment "Travel By Thought", which prefigures the band's extended improvised tracks of the 1990s and beyond, all songs were written solely by Steve Kilbey.

<i>Persia</i> (EP) 1984 EP by The Church

Persia is the fourth extended play by the Australian psychedelic rock band the Church, which was released in August 1984. It was the follow-up to their earlier 1984 EP Remote Luxury, and continued in a similar stylistic vein.

<i>Starfish</i> (album) 1988 studio album by The Church

Starfish is the fifth album by the Australian rock band The Church, released in February 1988 by Mushroom Records in Australia and by Arista Records internationally. The band's international breakthrough album, Starfish went gold in America and has remained their most commercially successful release. The album sold 600,000 copies in the United States alone. The first single, "Under the Milky Way", charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #24, and at #2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, leading to significant exposure of the then relatively underground Australian act. In Australia "Under the Milky Way" climbed to #22, and Starfish reached #11 on the album charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Change</span> 1982 single by INXS

"Don't Change" is a song by Australian rock band INXS. It was released as a single from the album Shabooh Shoobah in October 1982. It has been described as the song that made the band internationally famous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What About Me (Moving Pictures song)</span> 1982 single by Moving Pictures

"What About Me" is a song written by Garry Frost and Frances Swan. It was first recorded by Australian rock band Moving Pictures, of which Garry Frost was a member, for its 1981 debut album, Days of Innocence. It became the band's first and only number-one single in Australia, spending six weeks atop the Kent Music Report; it was the second-highest-selling single of 1982 there. At the 1982 Countdown Music Awards, the song won Best Australian Single. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "What About Me" was ranked number 37.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Before Too Long</span> 1986 single by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls

"Before Too Long" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released as the first single from their debut double album, Gossip. It was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, remaining for 19 weeks. The track was a surprise hit for Kelly at a time when chart success had eluded him and provided increased interest for the release of Gossip, which would become his biggest mainstream success to that date.

<i>Swingshift</i> 1981 live album by Cold Chisel

Swingshift is a live album released by Australian band Cold Chisel in 1981. It was their first album to reach No. 1 on the Australian chart, debuting there in its first week. It peaked at number 9 in New Zealand. A press release said the title referred to, "the midnight to dawn shift that the staff in asylums dread: the hours when the crazies go crazy."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide Open Road (The Triffids song)</span> 1986 single by The Triffids

"Wide Open Road" is a single released in 1986 by Australian rock band The Triffids from their album Born Sandy Devotional. It was produced by Gil Norton and written by David McComb on vocals, keyboards and guitar. The B-side "Time of Weakness" was recorded live at the Graphic Arts Club, Sydney, November 1985 by Mitch Jones, mixed by Rob Muir. "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" was recorded at Planet Sound Studios, Perth and produced by the Triffids. "Wide Open Road" reached No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart in 1986, and No. 64 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Wide Open Road" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dead Heart</span> 1986 single by Midnight Oil

"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. It was first released as a single in Australia in 1986 and in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1988 after it had been included on the 1987 album, Diesel and Dust. It peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and at number 11 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boys in Town</span> 1981 single by Divinyls

"Boys in Town" is the debut single by Australian rock band Divinyls, released in 1981. The song was written in 1979 and was used on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Monkey Grip, along with several other Divinyls tracks written and recorded for the film, including the single's b-side "Only You". "Boys in Town" was also included on the international version of the Divinyls 1983 debut studio album, Desperate. The song became a success in Australia, entering the singles chart top ten and peaking at number eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheap Wine (song)</span> 1980 single by Cold Chisel

"Cheap Wine" is a 1980 single from Australian rock band Cold Chisel. The second single from the album East, it was released in May, a month before the album. It reached number 8 on the Australian charts, the band's first top-ten single, and would eventually remain the band's second highest chart performance. It has been described as, "one of Don's finest commercial songs."

Bill and Boyd were a pop music duo from 1959 to 1989 consisting of William "Bill" Cate and William "Boyd" Robertson, both on lead vocals and lead guitar, which started recording in 1960. They began their careers in Wellington, New Zealand before relocating to Sydney by 1964. In 1968 they toured United States supporting The Supremes and Herb Alpert.

<i>Sunnyboys</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Sunnyboys

Sunnyboys is the debut studio album by the Australian power pop group of the same name. It was released in September 1981 on Mushroom Records, which peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Man (Sunnyboys song)</span> 1981 single by Sunnyboys

"Happy Man" is a song by Australian power pop band, Sunnyboys. It was written by lead singer-guitarist, Jeremy Oxley, and was the first single released in June 1981, on Mushroom Records, from their self-titled debut album, which followed in September. The studio tracks were produced by Lobby Loyde and engineered by Colin Freeman at Alberts Studios, Sydney. "Happy Man" reached No. 26 on the Kent Music Report singles chart. The live tracks were recorded at the Bombay Rock, Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alone with You (Sunnyboys song)</span> 1981 single by Sunnyboys

"Alone with You" is a song by Australian band Sunnyboys. It was written by lead singer-guitarist, Jeremy Oxley, and was the second single released in October 1981, on Mushroom Records, from their self-titled debut album, which had appeared in the previous month. The single was produced by Lobby Loyde and engineered by Colin Freeman at Alberts Studios, Sydney. "Alone with You" reached No. 28 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan (Slim Dusty song)</span> 1980 single by Slim Dusty

"Duncan" is an Australian single recorded in 1980 by Slim Dusty which reached No. 1 on the Kent Music Report charts for two weeks in early 1981. The song was Dusty's second-most successful single after "A Pub with No Beer". It is also known as "Beer with Duncan", "Have a Beer with Duncan" and "I Love to Have a Beer with Duncan". It was written by Pat Alexander.

References

  1. ↑ "Tempo". Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2023– via PressReader.
  2. 1 2 "'Unguarded Moment' at ASCAP: ACE Title Search". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 27 May 2015. Note: User may have to search again and provide details at 'Titles' e.g Unguarded Moment; or at 'Performers' Church
  3. ↑ Molitorisz, Sacha (20 November 2003). "This Church still have their believers". Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  4. ↑ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "The Church". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop . St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  6. ↑ Marx, Jack (19 November 2004). "Begone, Satan". Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  7. ↑ Kinsler, Robert (1 April 2010). "The Church starts tour with San Juan concert". The Orange County Register . Freedom Communications . Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Discography The Church". New Zealand Charts Portal. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "About The Church". MTV . Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. ↑ Tracee Hutchison (1992). Your Name's On The Door. Sydney: ABC Enterprises. p. 23. ISBN   0-7333-0115-0.
  11. ↑ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Raffaele, Garry (22 June 1981). "Powerful, Pulsing Performance". The Canberra Times . National Library of Australia. p. 12. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  13. ↑ David Fricke (10 August 2002). "Live Review: David Fricke on The Church in New York". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media LLC. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  14. ↑ Donald Robertson (April 1981). "Singles". Roadrunner . p. 30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.