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August 15, 2005

New Fiona Apple: "O Sailor"

Stream here (.mov)

Posted at 12:00 PM
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35 Comments

nice

Posted by: Irish at 08/15/05 12:09 PM | Reply
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Good to see that Sony finally stopped sitting on her... for now, that is.

That said, I really like it. Fiona can do no wrong in my book.

Posted by: Nocturne at 08/15/05 12:09 PM | Reply
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It is slightly different than the track that was leaked with the album a couple months ago....

Posted by: Sven at 08/15/05 12:18 PM | Reply
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it's a great song, but the new version just doesn't have the swagger or sonic texture of the jon brion original. not the first time that something has been made a bit more bland in the interest of more mainstream appeal, but still sad. i'm just glad to see that there's no bad blood between jon and fiona -- a bootleg of a joint appearance by them at largo in l.a. is online this morning.

Posted by: Frank in Atlanta at 08/15/05 12:19 PM | Reply
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oh, and that joint appearance was 2 nights ago, which is why i assume things are cool between those two.

Posted by: Frank in Atlanta at 08/15/05 12:21 PM | Reply
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copy/paste from Pitchfork:

Fiona Apple Album to be Officially Released (Finally!)

Amy Phillips reports:
Fiona has been freed! And it turns out she was holding herself hostage this whole time. According to a press release on her website, seductively eccentric piano thrush Fiona Apple will FINALLY release her third full-length, Extraordinary Machine, on October 4 on Epic. As everybody and her mom knows by now, an early version of the album has been floating around on file-sharing networks for eons, with rumors that evil label execs were keeping the collection of quirky post-cabaret ditties locked in the vaults because they weren’t commercial enough. Not so! Apparently, Apple just hadn’t finished the record-until now. The Extraordinary Machine you’re going to have to pay for (at least until somebody leaks it, too) will feature just two of the tracks us pirates are familiar with, alongside new recordings of nine of the previously leaked songs, and one new tune, "Parting Gift". And lookee here, you can listen to "Parting Gift", as well as the rejiggered version of "O’ Sailor" on Apple’s website and Myspace page. iTunes will begin selling the two tracks together as one of them "bundle" things tomorrow, with other online music stores hawking them separately.

The new Extraordinary Machine was produced by Mike Elizondo, whose name you might recognize from the credits on various Dr. Dre-related records. (Fiona goes gangsta!) Soundtrack superstar/Kanye-friend Jon Brion helmed the leaked version, but the official album will sound "radically different," Elizondo told the New York Times. "Everything was done from scratch." Mmm...fresh-baked Apple pie, made from scratch. Can’t wait to dive in.

Posted by: Autopsy IV at 08/15/05 12:33 PM | Reply
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i really like "o sailor". it's already stuck in my head. she's great. I'm psyched! sigh.

Posted by: smitty at 08/15/05 12:45 PM | Reply
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also seems a little more "tidal" to me than "when the pawn...".

Posted by: smitty at 08/15/05 12:49 PM | Reply
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The whole situation with Sony and Fiona is kinda sketch... I don't know if I believe she just finished it.

Posted by: $usan at 08/15/05 1:32 PM | Reply
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This is a new tactic to combat file sharing; release two versions of every album.

Posted by: dirt at 08/15/05 1:50 PM | Reply
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Or what about what's going on with the new BoC - inundate the P2Ps with fakes. Go labels go!

Posted by: dirt at 08/15/05 2:12 PM | Reply
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I don't mind this new version, but liked the previous version a bit more. The weird thing is that (at least on this track) the new producer seems to be doing his best impersonation of Jon Brion... with all the Mellotron-style flutes and vibes. Also, from what I read, Brion really worked with Fiona as she was writing this material... so even if a new producer came in to rerecord, Brion's influence is still going to be all of the record.

(if you haven't guessed, I'm a pretty big Brion fan - and kinda pissed about how this whole thing went down)

Posted by: Joey Headset at 08/15/05 2:53 PM | Reply
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I was at the show Saturday night and had a chance to speak with Jon Brion about the record. He was really cool about it when we talked. when I mentioned that I'd heard the leaked version, he made sure to say that it'd been re-recorded and seemed to be of the mindset that the new version would sound much better, especially since the leaked version wasn't well mixed.

Posted by: John at 08/15/05 3:40 PM | Reply
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oh wow, this is hella hella boring boring. absolutely nothing in comparison to songs that were leaked. it sounds like she took a soma, a xanax, and a vicodin and drank a bottle of wine to record this. zzzzzzzz's. if this is what sony consider's a "single" they got another thing coming.

Posted by: kelly at 08/15/05 4:01 PM | Reply
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Hey, does anyone have a link to the original version?

Posted by: Webradinger at 08/15/05 4:23 PM | Reply
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a) Was never one of my favorite tracks from the first round.

b) That heavy snare in the new version is annoying as hell and really detracts.

c) Other than that, not really much different. In other words, I'm not really seeing the point here.

Posted by: cj howareya at 08/15/05 4:57 PM | Reply
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Like most of the rest of you, I prefer the leaked version that I've listened to a million times the past few months..but this still sounds pretty damn good. I don't care for the sing-along part at the end though...

I'm interested to see how this disc gets promoted. When "Tidal" came out, Fiona was embraced as an 'alternative' artist. Even with this attempt at "Shadowboxer" part deux, the radio climate is completely different. While Triple A stations and some old school alt-rockers will likely support this, Sony is going to have to push this to AC and CHR. Considering that most CHR stations aren't going to play it without a crunk Lil Jon remix, I don't know who will step out on this.

Regardless, I'll be buying it on iTunes tomorrow and popping it on the air...

Posted by: Shiv at 08/15/05 5:20 PM | Reply
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This version is quite a bit different... Jon Brion's version sounds much more organic, naturally quirky, whereas this version sounds much more synth-driven in it's attempt at being reining Brion's original sound in a bit. If they got some kids to sing out gleefully "what'd you do that for!" I'd swear it was a Kidz Bop version.

Everybody's playing nice, but we can't forget that last year Apple and Brion were enthralled with original recordings, and the only one who has said that Apple wasn't happy with the way the record turned was a Publicist for Sony.

This is what I believe happened: Apple and Brion liked their version. Sony didn't. When Sony wouldn't budge (and, prolly did some lawyer posturing) Apple and Brion knew that it wasn't going to happen. Apple agrees to rerecord, and both Brion and Apple stay mum on the whole thing. Brion, to let everyone know he's still the best producer in town, leaks the original. It's good PR moves on both sides.

It's too bad... I can't wait for the leaked version to get mastered and released as a special edition CD after Apple leaves the label... thus getting their cake (mainstream release) and eating it (indie-like release) too.

Posted by: drake at 08/15/05 5:26 PM | Reply
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Here you go gummer

NEW FRANZ FERDINAND - DO YOU WANT TO (Radio 1 rip)

Ripped from Radio 1 Steve Lamacq tonight, Monday 15th August 2005

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=29E0A4UY

Enjoy!!! :)

Posted by: Yale Bloor at 08/15/05 6:51 PM | Reply
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Posted by: Tre at 08/15/05 9:15 PM | Reply
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wow tree your so cool

Posted by: Yale Bloor at 08/16/05 8:56 AM | Reply
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okay, my cultural IQ's not aces, but... what does "BoC" stand for? "Blue Oyster Cult"? "Brides of Christ"? "Brink of Construction"?

Posted by: djelvis at 08/16/05 11:06 AM | Reply
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I like this song but very curious to hear the original...where can I get this leaked version?

Posted by: dubC at 08/16/05 2:30 PM | Reply
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What dross. Just listen to the vocals on this one. Fiona's trademark is the way she spills emotion and angst all over the place.. this rendition is pedestrian. Just listen for the "O' Sailor WHY" parts. On the original she throws way more into the "why", and this version is just bland.

I'll still be buying it though, because it can all be too bad, surely? If they've ruined Used to Love Him, I won't be happy!

Oh well, roll on next album, perhaps she'll get the Neptunes or the Matrix to produce.

Posted by: Peter Cooper at 08/16/05 8:55 PM | Reply
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Even more disappointing to see than this, though, is the changes that they just made to Not About Love, which they released a small clip of today at 1.

They cut out the strings entirely, which was completely the highlight of that song. The added drum track isn't bad, as it brings it back to more classic fiona fare, but everything sounds wrong without brion's strings. It makes me wish there was a well-mixed version of brion's version so people could see there's no comparison.

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Posted by: pravachol 40 at 09/13/05 6:43 PM | Reply
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It's funny to think now about how Apple's album got re-recorded/produced by a hip-hop producer while Brion went on to co-produce hip-hopper Kanye West's album. Almost like there was a trade or something.

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