In early 2005, leaked versions of Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine began showing up on the Web. These songs were recorded in 2003 and produced by Jon Brion, who had produced Apple’s previous album. However, the new album had no release date and the rumor was that the studio had shelved the disc fearing the songs weren’t commercial enough.

That was a very frustrating and exciting time to be a Fiona Apple fan. There was much outrage over her supposed treatment by her label, complicated by the complete silence from the artist herself. And then the songs began to trickle out, so that every day for a few weeks a trip around the Web might result in a new uncovered gem. Eventually, by hitting the right sites, fans were able to piece together their own version of Extraordinary Machine, adhering to a song sequence that had also been leaked (by whom remains unclear to this day).

Apple eventually broke her silence and revealed that she’d rerecorded most of the material with a new producer, Mike Elizondo, and the album would get an official release in November. The delay wasn’t due to studio pressure, she said, but her own dissatisfaction with the results. Many fans refused to take her at her word, having fallen in love with the leaked tracks and knowing what a close professional and personal relationship Apple has with Brion.

I don’t side with the conspiracy theorists on this one. The official album isn’t that much different from the leaked one… not different enough to believe the studio would shelve one and bless the other, anyway. It went Gold, and I suspect the leaked version would have done the same. I see no reason not to accept Apple’s explanation.

That said, I would love to hear a fully mastered version of the Brion tracks so I could do a proper comparison. They provide a nice glimpse at the difference production can make given the same set of songs and the same performer.

Today’s SOTD is the one most radically different between versions. Yesterday I featured the official version, a simmering mood piece that focuses on Apple’s vocals over a bed of keyboards and subtle strings. Today, something completely different. Brion’s version is tumultuous and percussive, with Apple’s vocals lower in the mix, loaded with reverb and competing with what sound like wolf howls. The strings are aggressive and jabbing and the overall mood is anger, not resignation.

I’m a fan of both versions though I lean more toward the official one, in part because it has the benefit of being a finished product while Brion’s version is still a rough draft. Ultimately, it’s nice to have two versions of the album because who the hell knows when Apple will summon the will to record something new.