Song of the Day #604: ‘Red Red Red (Unreleased Version)’ – Fiona Apple

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).

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Song of the Day #463: ‘Here We Go’ – Jon Brion

punch-drunkIf you can be a huge fan of somebody without owning a single one of his original albums, then that’s exactly what I am when it comes to Jon Brion. Over the years, Brion has put his distinctive stamp on so many things I adore.

As a producer, he has been the guiding force behind some of the best work ever recorded by Rufus Wainwright, Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann (not to mention Kanye West and Elliott Smith). And as a composer, he has scored such wonderful films as Magnolia, I Heart Huckabees and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

He also released a solo album called Meaningless in 2001 that I’ve always wanted to own. All the songs I’ve heard from it are great, but it’s difficult to track down. Amazon has a copy on sale for $20 that takes several months to ship… that doesn’t seem right.

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