The album was recorded and produced in
Los Angeles by L.A. session musicians
Waddy Wachtel and
Greg Ladanyi. The recording is more sparse and open than its predecessor,
Heyday, which featured orchestral arrangements with brass and strings. Many of its songs have seen heavy rotation in live set lists, and the album remains a favourite among many fans. The song "Under the Milky Way" was co-written by lead vocalist/bassist
Steve Kilbey with his then-girlfriend Karin Jansson of
Pink Champagne. When drummer
Richard Ploog was unable to find the right feel for the song, the band played to a click track and session musician
Russ Kunkel was brought in to add the drums and percussion later. The album's title was taken from Kilbey's nickname for friend and musical partner
Donnette Thayer, who signed herself that way on postcards she sent to Kilbey. Kilbey contributed a long untitled poem to the album's liner notes. Music videos were filmed for "Under the Milky Way" and "Reptile".
1988 tour Touring for
Starfish in 1988 marked the first time that the bulk of the shows were in North America. European dates were limited to two weeks in March and April, and another week at the end of June, while the only Australian shows were in Melbourne and Sydney at the end of April. The North American leg of the tour was extensive, however, covering virtually all of May and June, another month of dates from mid-August to mid-September and still more shows in October. On the August and September dates, The Church were paired with
Peter Murphy, former lead singer of the cult post-punk/Goth band
Bauhaus, now pursuing a mildly successful solo career. Murphy apparently expressed displeasure at being relegated to the status of opening act, but there was nothing he could do about it – "Under the Milky Way" was climbing the Billboard singles chart, while Murphy would not achieve a similar breakthrough for another two years. For a number of other dates on the tour, the band was paired with another of their heroes:
Tom Verlaine of
Television. Verlaine supported The Church. For their encore every night ("You Took"), they brought Verlaine on stage with them for a three-way guitar duel. Some fans consider the Verlaine/Church shows to be some of the best live performances they've ever witnessed. Drummer
Richard Ploog became gradually disengaged from the band during this tour, even though he stayed with The Church for another two years. The exact nature of his malady is unknown but most agree that LSD exacerbated his condition. There were degrees of internal strife within the band and a high pressure of expectation from Arista. Because of this, Kilbey smoked more pot on this tour than at any other point in his life – such large quantities that he routinely coughed up blood. By the tour's end, The Church had performed 94 shows across the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom and Australia. ==Legacy==