The Christians, Born Again, 12" Single

 The Christians are a soul-influenced sophisti-pop band from Liverpool, England, who scored several UK and international chart hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The name of the band refers to the surname of the three brothers that were originally in the line-up, and is also coincidentally guitarist Henry Priestman's middle name.

Garry Christian (born 27 February 1955, Liverpool) (lead vocals), Roger Christian (born 13 February 1950 - died 8 March 1998 from brain tumour) (vocals, instrumentalist), Russell Christian (born 8 July 1956) (keyboards, saxophone, vocals), and Henry Priestman (born Henry Christian Priestman, 21 July 1955, in Kingston upon Hull, brought up in Liverpool) (keyboards, guitars, vocals) formed the band in 1985. Because of a reluctance to tour, Roger left in 1987.

Allmusic describes The Christians as 'blue-eyed soul', i.e. "soul and R&B music performed and sung by white musicians".^[1] The Christian brothers are members of a large family born to a black Jamaican immigrant father, an engineer by trade, and a white Liverpudlian mother.^[2] They can be described as a "combination of soul and pop" or "sophisti-pop".^[3]

The band were one of a number of soul-influenced groups in the 1980s that had strong links to UK punk rock, New Wave music and post-punk. Whereas Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall started out with punk-rockers The Frantic Elevators, and two of the Fine Young Cannibals were former members of post-punk ska revivalists The Beat, The Christians' principal song-writer Henry Priestman cut his musical teeth with new wave hopefuls Yachts. Also, the band's manager, Pete Fulwell, was the co-owner of the Liverpool punk club Eric's and also managed post-punk luminaries The Mighty Wah, Black and It's Immaterial.

In terms of their politically-conscious lyrics, the band had similarities with groups like The Blow Monkeys and were labelled "socially-aware soul".^{[citation needed]} Musically, they had more in common with classic black harmony groups such as The Persuasions.^{[citation needed]}

In Rock: The Rough Guide, one critic, Charles Bottomley, described the band as “The Temptations in ripped jeans, producing gritty-centred songs in a sugary vocal shell”.^[4] Bottomley further argues that this “grumpy soul” worked well but, over time, “butterscotch harmonies and acrylic funk” came to “represent a middle-class lifestyle at odds with Priestman’s marxist conscience”

12” Single

Tracks: Featuring:

1. Born Again remix
   
2. Forgotten Town US remix
   
3. A Lovers Question

  Condition: Near Mint

Sleeve, Excellent

Released on the  Island  Label

Date: 1987

Number: 12IS365

All vinyl is played prior to dispatch to ensure good playback.

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Record Grading

The grading system I use when determining the condition of the vinyl is The 'Record Collectors' Grading System, taken from the Rare Record Price Guide book.

Mint (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Near Mint (NM) The record looks brand new with no scuffing or any deterioration in sound quality and only the smallest hint that its ever been played. The cover and any additional extras are clean, crisp and with no wear whatsoever.

Excellent (EX) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good (G) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair (F) The record is still just about playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor (P) The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

I will not refund you if have not read and understood the grading system I use.

To illustrate my point: if I describe a record as Good (G), it's not brand new or excellent - sound quality has noticeably deteriorated and the cover may be damaged with splits or discoloration.