The Machina albums some of the most enigmatic and confronting releases in The Smashing Pumpkins‘ back catalogue are set to be reissued in the near future, Billy Corgan has revealed.
Back in 2000, The Smashing Pumpkins had gone through a bit of a downturn. Their 1998 album, Adore, had not performed quite as well as they had planned, and fans weren’t completely sold on the band’s changing sound at the time.
In response to this, Billy Corgan began work on an ambitious concept album that again featured a stylistic change for the band. Planned as a double album, Virgin Records weren’t keen on such a task after the previous album’s sales, and released the album as a single disc titled Machina/The Machines Of God.
Later that year, the band released their follow-up album, Machina II/The Friends & Enemies Of Modern Music, for free online. A 90-minute epic, only 25 physical vinyl copies of the album were issued to close friends and fans, with instructions to release the album online for free.
Even then, the album itself was a sprawling mess, with half of the package containing the actual record, and the rest consisting of what Billy Corgan dubbed to be the b-sides. Even if you ignored the band’s shifting lineup of the time, it was all a bit confusing for even the most dedicated fans, despite how musically intriguing it was.
As Alternative Nation notes, Billy Corgan recently conducted a Q&A session on Instagram where he revealed to fans that “Machina box is next” when asked if the band would ever release another box set. “Just signed legal settlement today on that.”
“The albums will be released together as originally conceived,” Corgan explained, while also revealing that the Machina and Machina II reissues will feature brand new artwork, and contain none of the original art.
He also revealed that Machina II was originally released in an “unfinished” state, and noted that the album would also be making its arrival on streaming services at some point in the future.
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard news of a reissue of these tracks. When The Smashing Pumpkins’ early releases were being expanded and reissued a few years back, Machina/The Machines Of God was expected to be given the deluxe treatment as well. However, Billy Corgan soon revealed that legal issues were holding up its release.
Considering that everything seems to be sorted now, we can’t wait to see what sort musical reimagining the new edition of Machina and Machina II will receive down the line.
Check out The Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Stand Inside Your Love’:
