Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for MACHINA II/the Friends & Enemies of Modern Music 1) What is 'F&EoMM'? 2) What's w/ the duplicate songs? 3) How can I get it? 4) What about CD? 5) Why was it released this way? 6) But doesn't this exclude a lot of people? 7) But I want liner notes & artwork & a CD I can hold! 8) So now what? 1) What is 'F&EoMM'? "MACHINA II/the Friends & Enemies of Modern Music" is the pumpkins' final album, the followup to "MACHINA/the Machines of God". It is a limited pressing of only 25 (twenty-five) copies on hand-cut, hand-numbered, non-lacquered acetate (aka vinyl, aka records), consisting of 3 10" EPs and a double 12" LP, 5 discs & 25 songs total. The 25 copies were given to close friends of the band, a few of whom happen to be online, and whom were instructed to circulate the new material as quickly as possible, since the band plans on playing some of the new material on the European tour. For more detailed info, see: http://www.spfc.org/songs-releases/discog.html?discog_id=153 2) What's w/ the duplicate songs? Some of the songs have been unofficially released before (i.e. the F&E bootleg), but with the exception of Real Love (same take as the F&E bootleg version) and Le Deux Machina (same version as found on the acoustic machina demos), these are all completely different versions, takes, and/or mixes that haven't been heard before. The songs which appear twice are different takes, versions, and/or arrangements. 3) How can I get it? Since there were only 25 copies on vinyl, unless you were one of the lucky 25, you can't get the original pressing. But since the band instructed some of the recipients to circulate and distribute the material, you will be able to get copies of it- consider it an "official bootleg". Currently, the only source available is mp3. Since none of the 3 known online recipients had access to an ultra-high-end audiophile turntable (the tube kind that cost thousands), one of them used what they had and made mp3s so that the new songs could be distributed immediately. There are plenty of web/ftp sites and mirrors hosting the new songs, as well as people sharing files via napster, AIM, etc. Look around a bit, the info has been posted in many places many times. 4) What about CD? It will take time, but one of the recipients will definitely take their vinyl to a studio or a friend with high-end equipment worthy of doing another high-quality dump to DAT, which will then be burned to CD and then treed & traded from there, to produce the highest possible quality recording. The band did not provide anyone with an all-digital copy, as they wanted the sound of the vinyl to be present on the recordings. 5) Why was it released this way? Virgin was not interested in releasing a followup to Machina, so rather than pack up their gear and go home, they recorded and released it themselves. It will not and probably cannot be officially released on CD, as their contract with Virgin most likely includes a non-compete clause, which would prevent them from releasing anything Virgin holds rights to under another label for 1 year. Since the material was partially recorded while still under the Virgin contract, they may be legally prohibited from releasing it on another label or in any other way. 6) But doesn't this exclude a lot of people? Perhaps. But rather than think of it as -excluding- people who don't have burners, computers, or internet connections, think of it as -including- all the fans who do. Since Virgin wouldn't release it, it's either this way, or no way at all, and we'd all be out 25 new (and extremely kick-ass) songs. So, rather than complain that it's not an official release, be happy that we got 25 new songs. After all, it is ultimately all about the music. Once high-quality CDs start circulating, it will spread to people all over the world, even to those who don't have internet access or computers. It will be played by underground student radio stations, it will be copied for those who can't make their own copies. Eventually it will get around to everyone, it'll just take time. 7) But I want liner notes & artwork & a CD I can hold! Well, unforunately, the only way that's possible is if you burn & print out your own copy, or have someone else do it for you. You can check out the artwork at: http://www.xero.com/sp/new/ High quality pdf's, suitable for printing out, will also be made available later. And, as stated above, a high-quality dump to DAT and CD will be made on a high-end turntable soon enough and treed and traded out. That's the only way it will be released, so rather than complain about what you don't have, simply try to enjoy what you -do- have, which is some of the best music the band has put out yet. :) 8) So now what? If you haven't gotten the music yet, find a way to do so! Download the mp3s, or find a friend or a stranger who's willing to make you a CDR or cassette, or wait for the higher-quality tree & sign up for it. If you -have- gotten the music, do everything you can to get it out even more. Burn copies for friends, upload it to servers that don't have it, even try to get your local or student radio station to play some of it. Talk about it, hype it up, & get it noticed. This has the potential to be something very big in the music industry... Do NOT, however, sell this on ebay, or sell copies to people for more than the cost of the media and postage (ideally you should do a B&P- see the trading faq at http://www.spfc.org/tradingfaq.txt for more info). The band spent plenty of money for the studio and vinyl to make this, and since they're not making a single cent from it, no one else has any right to do so, either. That's it for now- enjoy the music! EOF