Quote:
Originally Posted by Zer0 Hour
Yeah, Speed Kills is pretty awesome either way. I like them both for different reasons. The heavier version just straight up RAWKS the whole way through, and the more mellow one has some fucking unreal guitar solos. Is it James doing the solo work on that one? I always assumed it was but I'm not sure.
I've always wondered why Bill recorded so many different versions of songs for Machina. He seemed to do that more with that album than any other. What are everyone's preferences for the songs that have multiple versions? These are mine (I'm not sure what the official names are for some of them):
Blue Skies Bring Tears - Heavy version
Here's to the Atom Bomb - Judas O version
Saturnine - Judas O version
Try - Machina II version
Dross - "Rare" version
Glass - "Won't You Please Talk to Me" version
Cash Car Star - Version 1
Heavy Metal Machine - Ugh, I guess Machina I because the one from Machina II is ear cancer
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Machina getting cut down and eventually split into two albums and the songs making it to M1 being worked over from their Arising versions is part of it, and it also might be because we just have so much material available to us compared to other albums. I'd say around 1997 marks a point when Billy started really approaching songs from different angles and doing totally different versions with TEITBITE/TBITEITB. Then Adore's production was this giant nightmare from which he carried LMGTWTY, Cash Car Star and Saturnine forward.
My personal preferences with split hairs and demo comparisons:
TEG - M1 version, Disco King sucked
Raindrops + Sunshowers - M1 version. Studio demo is promising but undeveloped.
Try - M1 version. The MII ambulance siren synth drives me insane.
Heavy Metal Machine - M1. I refuse to accept that the MII/Myspace versions are anything other than first-take drum machine demos
GATGC - Studio demo is a thing of sublime beauty and is the only right answer
Crying Tree Of Mercury - Myspace piano demo
BSBT - Arising/FAEOMM tape version
Sacred + Profane - Intro drumbeats on the promo version are a nice added touch
Age of Innocence: Promo mix is better
Glass' Theme - MII version. I like that it's to the point.
Dross - MII version
Cash Car Star - Version 1/Alternate
Saturnine - Judas O version, but I think it'd like the MII version more if it weren't coming from a deep cave twelve feet away
If There Is A God - FAEOMM tape version
Home - MII version
...And the B-side/Japan version of Speed Kills takes it for me.