The Church - Starfish (Deluxe Edition) (1988)

Some classic albums from the '80s lose their luster over a period of time. Whether it's the horrifically dated production values or instantly recognized drum machine presets, the musky smell of nostalgia inevitably creeps in and funks things up. Thankfully, this isn't the case with the Church's Starfish, which EMI had the good sense of remastering and presenting in a two-disc deluxe edition. Of course, Starfish wasn't the creative pinnacle of the Church's career (some would argue that would be found on 1986's Heyday), but it certainly was the group's most successful album, delivering the classics "Under the Milky Way" and "Reptile" to the pop mainstream. And while the first disc sounds better than ever, it's the second disc filled with rarities, B-sides, and acoustic performances of "Under the Milky Way," "Antenna," and "Spark" that really steals the show. Liner notes and any sort of historical documentation are woefully absent from the packaging, which is a shame because like every classic album there must be some astounding session anecdotes or historical documentation that could have been equally as engaging as the music. But overall, fans should rejoice that the album has been restored to its original pristine beauty.