Smashing Pumpkins released a new album – ‘MACHINA II/THE FRIENDS & ENEMIES OF MODERN MUSIC’ – last week, and are encouraging fans to bootleg the limited edition 25-track record and spread it around the globe in MP3 format.
The record is made up of tracks recorded during the sessions for their last album proper ‘MACHINA/The Machines Of God’ over the last couple of years. However, upset by what they perceived to be a lack of support from label bosses at Virgin, the band decided to give away the album rather than allow the label to profit in any way from the release. Twenty-five copies were pressed on a double LP with three 10″ EPs on hand-cut, hand-numbered, non-lacquered vinyl. These were sent to friends and established Smashing Pumpkins fan websites.
The recipients were encouraged to distribute the tracks onto the net as quickly as possible as the band intend to play some of the songs during the European leg of their ‘Sacred and Profane’ tour, kicking off in Berlin on September 16.
The band appear to have gone to great lengths to present fans with as much as is needed to make this release a collectors’ item. Downloadable artwork will available soon.
It is thought to be the first time such a major act has used the Internet to such an extent to release new material on a non-profit basis. For further information on the album and the best sites for downloadable MP3s go to [url=] http://mb.smashingpumpkins.com.
The full tracklisting is: ‘Slow Down’ ‘Vanity’ ‘Saturnine’ ‘Glass’ Theme (spacey)’ ‘Soul Power’ ‘Cash Car Star’ ‘Lucky 13’ ‘Speed Kills’ (alt. heavy) ‘If there is a god’ (piano) ‘Try, Try, Try pop tart what’s the matter’ ‘Heavy Metal Machina’ (alt. mix) ‘Glass’ Theme’ ‘Cash Car Star’ Dross ‘Real Love’ ‘Go’ ‘Let me give the world to you’ ‘Innosence’ ‘Home’ ‘Blue Skies bring tears (rawk version)’ ‘White spider’ ‘In my body’ ‘If there is a god (produced full band)’ ‘Le Deux Machina’ (Synth) ‘Here’s to the atom bomb II’