The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music

The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
Demo album by The Smashing Pumpkins
Released April 2000
Genre Alternative rock
Length 61:01
Language English
Label Self-released
Producer Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins chronology
Machina/The Machines of God
(2000)		 The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
(2000)		 Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music is a compilation album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It is a collection of previously unreleased demos and two live tracks which was originally created as a mix tape by Billy Corgan and passed to a fan with instructions to distribute the songs to other fans.[2]

Composition and distribution

In April 2000 while touring in support of the first Machina album, Billy Corgan gave Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative creator Eric Agnew a 60-minute cassette with explicit instructions to circulate the recordings. The songs overran the end of each side of the cassette, so "Here's to the Atom Bomb" and an untitled instrumental are cut short.[3] The tape was received without a verified track list labeled, so Eric was forced to form one himself based on his knowledge of previous releases and performances.[4]

The online distribution was so successful that when Virgin Records refused to release the follow-up to Machina due to that album's poor sales, Corgan made the decision to follow the previous route of the original Friends & Enemies and released Machina II in a similar manner.

Compilation

With the exception of "The Everlasting Gaze", alternate versions of the songs from the entire first side of the tape would surface on Machina II. "The Everlasting Gaze" is an alternate version of the song that appeared on Machina. "Le Deux Machina" was used in portions in the middle section of "Glass and the Ghost Children" from Machina. A full-length and uncut version of "Here's to the Atom Bomb" would appear as a B-side to the "Try, Try, Try" single. "Real Love" would appear on Machina II and Rotten Apples. "X.Y.U" and "Where Boys Fear to Tread" are live performances of the songs that appeared on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. "The Ethers Tragic" is a live performance of the song that appeared as a B-side to "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" single. "Once Upon a Time" and "Crestfallen" are demo versions of the songs that appeared on Adore.

"Money (That's What I Want)" and "Never Say Never" are the only songs that have not appeared on any other releases in any form.

Track listing

All tracks written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Glass" (listed as "Glass' Theme")1:57
2."Disco King" (an early version of "The Everlasting Gaze")4:33
3."Dross"  3:23
4."Blue Skies Bring Tears"  4:09
5."If There Is a God"  2:15
6."Le Deux Machina"  5:44
7."Heavy Metal Machine"  5:51
8."Here's to the Atom Bomb" (cut, appears full-length on "Try, Try, Try" single)2:20
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Real Love" (appears on Rotten Apples and Machina II) 4:07
2."Money (That's What I Want)" (live)Janie Bradford and Berry Gordy3:21
3."X.Y.U." (a live medley, including "The Ethers Tragic", "Never Say Never" and "Where Boys Fear to Tread")"Never Say Never" by Romeo Void12:02
4."Once Upon a Time"   4:22
5."Crestfallen"   5:18
6."Cinder Open" (cut; described as an untitled Siamese Dream-era instrumental) 1:39

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ All Music, "The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music". Accessed July 15, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Friends & Enemies of Modern Music". The Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative Bootlist (SPFC.org). Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  4. ↑ Smashing Pumpkins dot com "Interview with Eric Agnew"
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