Previously, I briefly covered the controversial history of Fiona Apple’s new Extraordinary Machine album. I am a huge fan of the bootleg version of the album, which I procured back in the Spring of this year. I spent most of the summer listening to it, on a daily basis for some of that time.
Anyway, I picked up the official release of the album this weekend, so it’s time for a little comparison. For the sake of clarity, we shall refer to the bootleg version as BEM (also the science fiction term for Bug-Eyed Monster) and the official release as OEM (in the computer world, Original Equipment Manufacturer).
Here is the track listing for BEM:
Not About Love
Red, Red, Red
Get Him Back
Better Version of Me
Oh Well
Oh Sailor
Used to Love Him [renamed "Tymps" for OEM]
Window
Waltz
Extraordinary Machine
Please Please Please
Here is the track listing for OEM:
Extraordinary Machine
Get Him Back
O’ Sailor
Better Version of Me
Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
Parting Gift
Window
Oh Well
Please Please Please
Red Red Red
Not About Love
Waltz (Better Than Fine)
So, we have the album once recorded and produced with Jon Brion and (mostly) re-done with producer Mike Elizondo. There’s not much that’s dramatically different, with one exception being “Red Red Red,” which is completely different in style (and the different track order, which does affect the material to a certain extent). My only observation — and I don’t mean this as a complaint — is that OEM is different, but I can’t really say any part of it is better.
Look, I feel that I’ve made clear on this site that I’m a big fan of remixes, cover versions and other alternate renditions of songs. So, it’s not that OEM isn’t BEM. This is the version that Fiona Apple wants, so I respect that. I’m just having difficulty understanding why.
Here are two versions to compare and contrast. “Not About Love” is the lead-off track on BEM, and I think it goes very well there. The Brion version is all piano and strings, very chamber pop. The Elizondo version is more rock ‘n’ roll. The opening few seconds sound a lot like The Doors’ “Break on Through.” In general, the drums on this version have a kind of start-and-stop stutter to them. I think this is intended to be the first single from the album; anyway, they shot a video for it featuring comedian Zach Galifianakis “singing” the song and brutally mocking Fiona. You can find it here.
Fiona Apple – Not About Love (BEM version)
Fiona Apple – Not About Love (OEM version) — BUY
One Response
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pneyu Says:
I’m not a Fiona fan, so I haven’t spent a lot of time with either version, but I have to give Elizondo his props on “Red Red Red” and “Not About Love;” the latter retains its idiosyncrasy, yet still has a radio-friendly feel. But I can’t imagine the song “Better Version of Me” even existing w/o Jon Brion’s initial input, and it’s lost a lot of its character in the translation.