''Scenes from the Second Storey'' is the debut album by American rock band the God Machine, released in 1993 by

Fiction Records Fiction Records is a British record label founded by Chris Parry in 1978, owned by Universal Music Group and based in the United Kingdom. It is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. It was originally a part of Polydor, ...

and

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. It peaked at number 55 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. The album opens with a sample from the film adaptation of ''

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'' (the same sample also opens

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' ''

Enemy of the Sun ''Enemy of the Sun'' is the fourth studio album by American avant-garde metal band Neurosis. It was originally released on Alternative Tentacles in 1993 and later reissued on Neurot Recordings in 1999. The album was reissued with new cover artwo ...

'', an album released in the same year as ''Scenes from the Second Storey''), while the single "Home" contains an intro consisting of the beginning of the track "Pilentze Pee" by the

Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an internationally renowned world music ensemble that performs modern arrangements of traditional Bulgarian folk melodies. It is most recognized for its contribution to Marcel Cellier's Le Mys ...

from the album ''

Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares ''Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares'' (translated as "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices") is a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs featuring, among others, the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir, with s ...

''. "Home" peaked at number 65 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in January 1993.

Critical reception

In 2005, ''Scenes from the Second Storey'' was ranked number 312 in ''

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'' magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.

Legacy

In 2010, as a homage to ''Scenes from the Second Storey'', Morrigan Books published an anthology of horror short stories by Australian authors, written and titled in the same order as the album's track listing. The authors included

David Conyers David Conyers (born 30 May 1971) is an Australian author. Conyers writes predominantly science fiction and Lovecraftian horror. Biography Convers was born in Sydney. Most of his childhood was spent in the Adelaide Hills, before moving to Me ...

Stephen Dedman Stephen Dedman (born 1959) is an Australian author of dark fantasy and science fiction stories and novels. Biography Dedman's short stories have appeared in ''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'', '' Year's Best SF'', and ''The Best Australian Sc ...

, Paul Haines,

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Cat Sparks Catriona (Cat) Sparks (born 11 September 1965, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian science fiction writer, editor and publisher. Publishing As manager and editor of Agog! Press with her partner, Australian horror writer Rob Hood, Sp ...

, Andrew J McKiernan and

Kaaron Warren Kaaron Warren is an Australian author of horror, science fiction, and fantasy short stories and novels. She is the author of the short story collections ''Through Splintered Walls'', ''The Grinding House'', and ''Dead Sea Fruit''. Her short st ...

Track listing

Released as CD and double LP. A double CD version including the Home EP was released in the US.

Credits

* Produced by the God Machine * Engineered by Kenny Jones * Recorded at Blackwing, Maison Rouge and Matrix Studios, London except "The Piano Song" and "It's All Over" recorded at Joe's Garage with Roger Askew, and "Temptation" as a live improvisation recorded in Room 3 * All songs mixed by Kenny Jones at Matrix Studios * Mastered by Kevin Metcalfe at The Townhouse * Chant on "The Desert Song" by Katharine Gifford * Programming by Andy Montgomery * Preacher provided by the Hurting Choice * Vocal on "Home" by the Voix de Bulgares * Clarinet on "Seven" by Ian Bishop * "Purity" recorded acoustically with Christiane Van Der Lee on cello, Anthony Pleeth on cello, Gavyn Wright on viola and Neil Filby on violin * String arrangements by Robin Proper-Sheppard; conducted by Nick Ingman * All other atmospheric nuances and nuisances created by The God Machine and Kenny Jones * The God Machine is Robin Proper-Sheppard (vocals/guitar), Ron Austin (drums/piano) and Jimmy Fernandez (bass) * All words by Proper-Sheppard, all music by Austin/Fernandez/Proper-Sheppard * Published by Fiction Songs Ltd.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1993 albums The God Machine (band) albums Fiction Records albums