NEW DOUBLE LP
New sealed copy. 2025 25th anniversary remastered reissue on 180 gram vinyl. Pressed in Germany. Gatefold jacket.
Machina / The Machines of God was conceived as a grand finale for the Smashing Pumpkins. The album marked the return of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and saw the band reunite in its classic lineup, although bassist D’arcy Wretzky would depart before its completion. Intended as a sprawling double LP, it was scaled back by Virgin Records to a single disc following lukewarm sales of Adore. What remained was a dense, ambitious concept album centered on a fictional rock star named Glass and his band, the Machines of God, serving as a kind of self-aware reflection of the band’s public image.
The sessions were co-produced by Billy Corgan and longtime collaborator Flood, with tracking at Chicago Recording Company. Corgan envisioned the project as part of a larger narrative across two albums, incorporating theatrical stage shows, stylized artwork, and a serialized storyline published online and in the liner notes. Much of the album blends heavy guitars with electronic textures, balancing aggressive cuts like “The Everlasting Gaze” with more melodic moments like “Stand Inside Your Love” and “This Time,” a ballad Corgan later described as a love song to the band.
Despite its scale and vision, the full concept never fully materialized. The sequel, Machina II / The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was released independently later that year in limited vinyl pressings and circulated by fans online. Though the album initially struggled to connect commercially, it has since found new appreciation as a complex and layered farewell to the original incarnation of the band.
TRACKLIST:
A1 The Everlasting Gaze
A2 Raindrops + Sunshowers
A3 Stand Inside Your Love
A4 I Of The Mourning
B1 The Sacred And Profane
B2 Try, Try, Try
B3 Heavy Metal Machine
B4 This Time
B5 The Imploding Voice
C1 Glass And The Ghost Children
C2 Wound
C3 The Crying Tree Of Mercury
D1 Speed Kills
D2 Age Of Innocence
D3 With Every Light
D4 Blue Skies Bring Tears
