Machina reissue a go

[houseofglass11]

The drums on Oceania sounded awful. Some of BC’s most uninspired guitar tones on record too.

[incubator]

I listened to all SP2 records recently, yes really, and I don't think production is The Problem on any of them other than Zeitgeist. And I'm a card carrying Zeitgeist Truther. Great songs/rough sound.

[brothahi4L]

Wrong my freak

[thedeadofnight]

Originally Posted by incubator

I listened to all SP2 records recently, yes really, and I don't think production is The Problem on any of them other than Zeitgeist. And I'm a card carrying Zeitgeist Truther. Great songs/rough sound.

I love that one song that goes like "weeeaaaaaooowooow, it's lawnly at the toaop. These lone lah days. Will they eva stowp???" It's a good number and reminds me somewhat...

When I was 14, Carl Sagan taught me to love science. He did this by explaining just enough theoretical physics and astronomy so I could understand enough to be blown away without getting swamped and shutting down. The balance was perfect.

I’d like to do the same thing with music. Over time I’ll write a series of posts explaining the basics — not a whole music theory course, but Just Enough Theory (JET) so you can see what’s under the hood. Once you have Just Enough Theory, you are then also called a JET for some reason, and you must renounce all other names. In exchange, you’ll be able to talk about music in a whole new way with other JETs. And once you have that ability, you’ll have it forever.

When you’re a JET, you stay a JET.

Don’t buy into the wrongheaded idea that knowledge makes something less wonderful. The idea that wonder and beauty depend on not knowing how something works is among the most wrongheaded of human tropes. Reality consistently outstrips even our shiniest fictions, and seeing it clearly tends to augment wonder, not diminish it. I used to think a rainbow was lovely. But once I learned that it was a spectrum liberated from white light by diffraction, it got lovelier. I started seeing light itself as a tightly-wound rainbow, which it essentially is. Knowledge made both light and the rainbow much more astonishing to me.

Years later, I had the same experience with music.

The sidebar will gradually fill up with those posts for later reference under the heading Just Enough Theory. Interspersed with the JET posts will be some blogging about actual music. You are invited to send suggestions of music for us to talk about. Then we’ll talk about one piece after another until the movie of the blog comes out, at which point I’ll forget about the little people.

I was 3rd Place in Georgia in the Music Theory category on the QuizUp trivia app in June 2015. Yeah, that’s right. Plus other things.

Despite my status as QuizUp royalty, this blog is meant for readers at any level. Once in a while a post or passage will ******* some music notation, but if you don’t read music, no worries. You can suss it out or just skip it, and there’s no test. (If you’d like to learn the basics of reading music, here’s the best 5-minute intro ever.)

If you’re on the other end and know a lot of music theory, you still have to read everything to get full credit. I might even reveal some theory dirt, like V-I isn’t as perfect and authentic as we’ve been told. You can also help me show others how great music theory is by joining in the conversation after each post. Feel free to get into more advanced conversation there if you wish — I love that stuff. But when engaging with others, please try to avoid the violation known as Theorier Than Thou.

I’ll occasionally use a pepper rating:

1-chili

Most readers will be able to follow and understand the post.

2 chileha - If you’ve read the theory posts up to now, you’ll be fine. If not, you may be sad.

3 chilli's - Includes some music theory concepts we haven’t covered (yet) in the blog.

4chilis - Includes advanced music theory concepts. Those with formal theory education will have the most fun.

Every post is intended to open a topic, not exhaust it. The JET posts give a basic understanding and a little extra juice for interest. The posts analyzing a particular piece will usually ******* just a point or two about the music. That’s where you come in. Hit the comments to tell me what you hear and what you know, and feel free to run as far as you want.

[smashingjj]

whoa

[Gooch]

Correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t now be a good time to release the Machina box set because there’s hardly any new music being released due to the pandemic and inability to tour or promote but this situation lends itself to a reissue as people have time to listen and there’s no need to tour or promote


My 2 cents

[thedeadofnight]

Didn't you hear? CYR, otherwise known as SAOSB NPNFNS Volume 2 is coming out shortly, followed by SAOSB NPNFNS Volume 3 thereafter. Furthermore, they're making a sequel to Mellon Collie and Machina which will be produced by William, not Flood or Moulder, William himself. So there's plenty to look forward to in Pumpkin world. Hang tight

[Ram27]

not to mention the gish archive vinyls, people and their cars, 666billytalksaboutbandshelikes666, nwa, dating teenagers, machina reissue, zwan reissue, tfe reissue, the book, the christmas album...

[brothahi4L]

Lol .... i got blocked for the 4th time on Ig yesterday....
I asked bill if the sound on cyr will differ? I got blocked inbetween 20 minutes. No answer, just blocked.... lol


.
Normal question, no?
I just wanted to know if it's all synthbased..... nothing more.... i would never find such a question offensive...

[VoxUpDoc]

Cyr gonna bomb hard.

So you have to factor Bill canning all of his more popular projects for a while, and if we’re lucky he’ll emerge to perform an 8 hour synth interpretation of Moby Dick in 3 years’ time.

[killtrocity]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

The drums on Oceania sounded awful. Some of BC’s most uninspired guitar tones on record too.

The reason we know this is true is that any mention of the drums on Oceania is qualified by the fact that it's a kid

Drums are fire! For some kid who isn't Jimmy Chamberlin 🙄

[jakobtheliar]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

The drums on Oceania sounded awful. Some of BC’s most uninspired guitar tones on record too.

Guitar tones and performances are head scratching on the album.

Oceania is the ultimate evidence that Jeff is no James. The pumpkins were barely smashing.
No ambient layers of cool guitar sounds. No interesting effects.
Just loud loud loud
Castlevania synths
And dry boom bash drums with digital sounding cymbals laid on top
Hmm....
This could be almost any of their albums 2009 and beyond.

[Forgotten Child]

That's why Netphoria is loving Cyr, James guitar tones are amazing.

[houseofglass11]

Originally Posted by killtrocity

The reason we know this is true is that any mention of the drums on Oceania is qualified by the fact that it's a kid

Drums are fire! For some kid who isn't Jimmy Chamberlin ��

Don't even really mean playing wise as much as the tone and production of the drums. For one, it sounds like lots of Pro Tools edits were done on the drums, maybe even drum sample replacement. They just sound clunky overall. It's interesting that that album had maybe the loudest and most prominent drums on an SP album since Gish. It's unfortunate in a way that a lot of Jim's incredible performances over the years were buried under walls of guitar mud on MCIS and Machina. Jellybelly is supposed to be his most incredible performance and you can barely make out the drums.

[houseofglass11]

Originally Posted by jakobtheliar

Guitar tones and performances are head scratching on the album.

Oceania is the ultimate evidence that Jeff is no James. The pumpkins were barely smashing.
No ambient layers of cool guitar sounds. No interesting effects.
Just loud loud loud
Castlevania synths
And dry boom bash drums with digital sounding cymbals laid on top
Hmm....
This could be almost any of their albums 2009 and beyond.

Agree completely. There's some Oceania truthers out there but I just don't hear it. There's a handful of good tracks, the rest are ruined by those Castlevania synths and boxy drums. Guitar wise some of the most uninspired tones on an SP album. And say what you will about the songs, but I think on MTaE he did have an awesome guitar sound with the Laney Supergroup (same model Iommi used) and I thought the drum production was good too, Tommy's drums sound great.

[run2pee]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

Agree completely. There's some Oceania truthers out there but I just don't hear it. There's a handful of good tracks, the rest are ruined by those Castlevania synths and boxy drums. Guitar wise some of the most uninspired tones on an SP album. And say what you will about the songs, but I think on MTaE he did have an awesome guitar sound with the Laney Supergroup (same model Iommi used) and I thought the drum production was good too, Tommy's drums sound great.

Agreed MTAE is probably the best produced sound of “modern” big willie

[incubator]

Nice to hear from another MTAE truther.

[brothahi4L]

True truthers. Both are classic 3 star albums

[Ram27]

Originally Posted by Run To Me

Agreed MTAE is probably the best produced sound of “modern” big willie

agree, it's very listenable. esp the drums - i guess tommy lee isn't 19 or too deep into corgan's bullshit so he can actually get things done


~

god, corgan just makes every record worse for a reason so we do this fucking insane bullshit

[enthusaroo]

Drum n Fife was the only redeeming moment on MTAE, maybe Tiberus too. The rest of the tracks were trash.

[Joey Goldberg]

that's incorrect but you are free to believe it & present it as truth

[MyKeyZ]

I loathe Drum N Fife.

I do like Tiberius though.

[Forgotten Child]

Anaise is the only thing I like about MtAE

[enthusaroo]

I believe it's pronounced Anuse

[Forgotten Child]

I like Anuse

[Joey Goldberg]

William confirmed all lyrics will be re-written & re-recorded in protest of the recent Trump loss, reissue coming Jan 2021

[brothahi4L]

Will bill really abandon vol3 ,opus magnum glassycollie and the christams album?
His hero trump the fuck lost... so bill is pissed

[houseofglass11]

Tax Crogan out the azz

[Shadaloo]

Originally Posted by jakobtheliar

Castlevania synths

I am offended by this

If you'd just listen to Michiru Yamane's Symphony Of The Night score you'd get why using this as a perjorative description is completely off-base

It's straight up beautiful

[Shadaloo]