| Extraordinary Machine | 
 enlarge | Artist: Fiona Apple
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy New: $5.58
You Save: $13.39 (71%)
New (45) Used (32) Collectible (1) from $3.32
Avg. Customer Rating:  287 reviews
Sales Rank: 3932
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 86683
UPC: 696998668324
EAN: 0696998668324
ASIN: B000B0WOEO
Release Date: October 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** ** Over 1.5 million orders shipped worldwide and more than 500 000 items in stock, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~
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| Tracks:
| • | Extraordinary Machine | | • | Get Him Back | | • | O' Sailor | | • | Better Version of Me | | • | Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) | | • | Parting Gift | | • | Window | | • | Oh Well | | • | Please Please Please | | • | Red Red Red | | • | Not About Love | | • | Waltz (Better Than Fine) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Fiona Apple, brooding, brainy belter and capital-A artist of near forbidding depth, begins her much gossiped-over third CD on a lark. The title track, one of two songs produced by Jon Brion before the label dispute that prompted hip-hop producer Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem) to step in, sounds like a Judy Garland number slathered with irony or something Rufus Wainwright might have had a hand in--strings soar, beats bump around skittishly, and notes require a ladder. But playful as it is, by the time the chorus kicks in it's clear why the world has missed Fiona Apple so much. Young female artists who have stepped into the spotlight since she fled it six years ago-- Nellie McKay and Joss Stone spring to mind for their cleverness and heat, respectively--seem slight in comparison. With every track ticked off, in fact, Extraordinary Machine moves listeners a little closer to what might be a correct assumption: that everything they've dipped into since 1999's When the Pawn ... was filler. Fans will feel it especially on "O'Sailor," a gimlet-eyed lament, and "Tymps," a tight piano track with a tip of the hat to hip-hop. It's "Window," though, with its lyric about "a filthy pane of glass" fogging up a clear view, that sums up the experience of this CD best. "I had to break the window," Apple sings, smoky-voiced as ever. "It just had to be." With Extraordinary Machine, she shatters already sky-high expectations. -Tammy La Gorce
Album Details
Critically Acclaimed Fiona Apple Returns with her First Studio Recording in Five Years. Fiona Apple Established Herself as a Visionary Singer/Songwriter at the Age of Nineteen with her Debut Album Tidal in 1996. This Stunning Album Went on to Earn her a Grammy Award in 1998 for "Best Female Rock Vocal Performance" Establishing her as an Uncompromising and Original Artist Gaining Intensely Loyal Fans all Over the World. CD/PAL Dvd - Live Performance Footage.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 282 more reviews...
Extraordinary Effort October 5, 2005
106 out of 122 found this review helpful
Fiona Apple's first new album in six years, Extraordinary Machine, faced a Wilco Yankee Foxtrot Hotel dilemma when her label, Epic, held off releasing it because they thought it was too uncommercial. Due to an aggressive internet campaign and the leaking of the songs, Epic changed their mind and gave Ms. Apple the green light. The album is a stunning collection of songs, many of which were written in the aftermath of Ms. Apple's break up with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Due to this circumstance and the fact that she is no longer a teenager as she was on her first release, the songs have an air of maturity that her previous efforts lacked. The album features producers Jon Brion (who worked the original sessions, but only ends up as a producer on two tracks, Brian Kehew and Mike Elizondo who work with hip-hop artists shows up on the album. Mr. Kehew & Mr. Elizondo don't turn the album into a hip-hop affair, they beautiful match Ms. Apple's smoky voice and soft piano with simple loops that accentuate not dominate the sound. "Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)" is a perfect example of their work. They also move away from the baroque sounds of the internet album by adding guitars, horns and slamming drums to the mix. Ms. Apple is the real star though and her work on the piano driven "Get Him Back", the wicked "Red Red Red", the intense "Window" and the great "Better Version Of Me" show that she is ready to take the leap into superior singer-songwriter territory.
 FINALLY! October 4, 2005
101 out of 118 found this review helpful
After two years of waiting, grumbling, downloading, and sighing for lack of, we finally have Fiona Apples amazing third album, Extraordinary Machine.
You can definitely tell that she has matured a great deal since "When the Pawn...". She made a lot of changes from "Tidal" to "When the Pawn..." and made a lot of changes from then until now. She seems to have fused the sounds from both albums together, making a musically biting, yet soft album that incorporates a few new sounds as well. For instance, "Tymps" has a very...hip hop feel to it. It's the danciest track she's EVER done, and I think it's absolutely amazing.
She embraces her soft side from the getgo, letting EVERYONE know that this is still very much her, regardless what "Fast As You Can" and "Limp" had to say about it. Her lyrics are great, and I think the ode to her own amazing abilities is extremely well-done. I find this song very fun to listen to, and relaxing at the same time.
The next track, Get Him Back, is a rompin' tavern song (at least I can imagine it being one, with that piano!). Her voice sounds great on this song, and the lyrics are clever and interesting. One of my favorites!
O'Sailor was one of the songs released on Itunes before the CD was released. It's got a very bluesy, merry-go-round sound to it that compliments her smoky voice perfectly. This is one of those "Tidal" fused with "When the Pawn..." songs I told you about. I really enjoy this.
Better Than Me is another fun, bouncy song. I tell you, I love the piano! I just love it! You'll like this one. The chorus is fantastic. This song also utilizes some interesting synth work we haven't heard from her before.
Tymps (The Sick In The Head Song) is the most fun you can have on this CD while still remembering that it's heartfelt, soulful Fiona that's singing. Add the beat and you've got yourself a DEFINITE radio track. Take THAT stupid record labels!
The album continues in this general trend, vascillating from slow to warm and fast, till it concludes with the truly clever, interesting, and downright wonderful track, "Waltz (Better Than Fine", which utilizes, as the title suggest, a waltz as background music. It's pretty soft, at the beginning, but as it progresses it gains edge and volume. You gotta hear this to understand just why I love it so much.
Oh, and some background on this album incase you aren't aware.... In 2003, this album was up and ready to go, but her label "shelved" it because they didn't feel it had a leading radio single to push sales of it. Then, an internet DJ apparently leaked the tracks all over the internet, and when mad Fiona fans heard it, they only got madder. Why keep this brilliance "shelved"? What the hell? "Free Fiona", a website dedicated to getting this album released was then erected (which she thanks in her liner notes) and I wholly attribute this release to their efforts. Fiona, you ROCK, and your fans ROCK HARDER! I love you all!
Pick this up, if not for Fiona, then for the love of music. Do it. Now. Stop reading this, and press "buy".
 Buy it, yes...but get the leaked version, too! October 5, 2005
22 out of 31 found this review helpful
This album was a disappointment for me...and I say that as a fervent Fiona Apple fan. I truly think that she is fantastic.
Nevertheless, I found that the produced album version lacks the power of the "leaked version". That's unfair, I know, but it's true.
What's the difference between the versions? Passion.
Fiona is best when she's railing agiainst the BS of life and love. She expresses pain and frustration so inspiringly (a seeming oxymoron).
In the "leaked version" of Extraordinary Machine, that fabulous passion and fury are there - blasting through with truthful, honest hurt. In the final Sony version, though, that potency has been diluted with over-production and reeled-in vocals. They took the teeth out of the songs.
I'm not imagining this. Compare the versions. It will clearly demonstrate why businessmen should keep their sticky little fingers out of art.
Despite all that I just said, buy this album. It's still very, very good and Fiona deserves to be rewarded for her phenomenal talent and resilience.
Listen to it again. November 19, 2005
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I've always thought Fiona seemed wise beyond her years. I've read some reviews of her past works that have included the word genius. Although I always thought she was a bright girl, I also thought people really needed to quit throwing around the word genius so lightly.
As I listened to about half of each song on her Extraordinary Machine CD I thought to myself, what was that poor misguided girl thinking? Please Please Please was the only song I liked enough to load onto my mp3 player.
A few days later as I was jogging I was so stunned I actually stopped cold and just stood there for a minute. Then I started the song over and listened to it again. The lyrics that caught my attention were "Give us something familiar. Something similar. To what we know already. That will keep us steady. Steady going nowhere."
I then realized the reason I added this song to my player was because it was the only song that reminded me of her earlier stuff. I did exactly what she was pointing out in the song and truly felt like she was straight up calling me on it.
After listening to the whole thing a few times I'm utterly addicted to it. Not only was I initially wrong about Extraordinary Machine. I was wrong about Fiona. She truly is a genius and I honestly think this CD is her best work to date.
What a disaster! October 4, 2005
16 out of 24 found this review helpful
If I had never heard any of these songs before listening to this version of this album, I would have given it 4 stars. Unfortunately for Fiona, I have heard the leaked version she produced with Jon Brion...and they are FAR superior to the majority of this album. God bless her for not destroying the song Extraordinary Machine the way she did Window and Better Version of Me. The new verion of Red Red Red is better than the original, and the song Parting Gift is the best track on the album. All in all, I'm going to listen to my illegal mp3's of the original instead the retail version.
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