The God Machine - Albums & Singles Collection 1992-1994 [8CD]

The God Machine were an alternative rock band, active in the first half of the 1990s. Its members were all from San Diego, California, United States, but they all lived and performed mainly in the United Kingdom and across Europe. Their second album, One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying, was recognized by Alternative Press as one of the "90 greatest albums of the 90s" (#88) in their December 1998 issue.

After graduating high school in San Diego, Robin Proper-Sheppard, Jimmy Fernandez, Ron Austin, and Albert Amman formed Society Line. They recorded a six-song demo and began playing locally, developing their rough sound into a bracing mix of metallics and atmospherics. Despite the musical progress, Proper-Sheppard became increasingly restless in San Diego and opted to move to New York. The remaining members continued to play together and thought of replacing the singer/guitarist, but Proper-Sheppard returned months later to see if his ex-bandmates would be willing to join him back in New York. Amman was the only member to stay behind.

Through numerous turns of events, the trio ended up in London. Somewhere along the line, they changed their name to God Machine and played their first official gig in early 1991. After a debut EP for Eve, the band signed to Fiction and released two more EPs in 1992. The full length Scenes From the Second Storey appeared in 1993, featuring remakes of four tracks off the earlier EPs. A monstrous double record, its (un)holy racket and scope serve the band's name perfectly. A year later, GM had completed recording and mixing a follow-up LP when Fernandez fell victim to a brain tumor. Saddened and devastated, Proper-Sheppard and Austin opted to call it a day. The sessions for the fine second album, One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying, saw release in 1995. Propper-Sheppard set up the Flower Shop label, putting out records from the likes of Elevate, Ligament, and Swervedriver. He also began recording a year later as Sophia.

Biography by Andy Kellman, Allmusic.com

A band with a truly strange trajectory, the God Machine was founded in San Diego, paid their dues in New York, but only managed to kick-start their career after moving on to London, England. There, the trio signed with independent Fiction Records and released their critically acclaimed debut Scenes From the Second Storey in 1993. A sprawling, stylistically diverse effort, the album's alternative metal often drew comparisons to Jane's Addiction because of singer Robin Proper-Shepard's vocal resemblance to Perry Farrell. But the God Machine was even more experimental, using hypnotic riffs, trance-like drones, ethereal vocals, and a bevy of unconventional instruments to achieve a highly cinematic effect throughout their work. Opener "Dream Machine" (whose eerie intro dialog was coincidentally used on a Neurosis album that same year) and the mesmerizing "The Desert Song" are especially memorable, but the band stretches their wings even further on extended pieces like "Purity" and "Seven." Though quite impressive, these explorations cover so much terrain that the listener's attention can be severely tested – especially by the bland songs contained in the album's Oreo-like creamy center, among which only the interestingly sparse "It's All Over" leaves a lasting impression. And, not surprisingly, the predictable single "She Said" – the kind of throwaway funk metal radio fodder popular at the time – is the album's weakest link. In the end, Scenes From the Second Storey probably could have done without all of its CD-busting 80 minutes, but all things considered, there's plenty of value for their money here.

Review by Eduardo Rivadavia, Allmusic.com

Debut album "Scenes From The 2nd Storey" saw them thrown into the Industrial genre pool along with Skinny Puppy, KMFDM and others, but this their second album transcends anything that could in anyway be classed Industrial.

Sparse, desolate, haunting and beautiful. "One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying" is a fitting epitaph to one of the most original and overlooked bands of the early ninties and to the tragically early death of bassist Jimmy Fernandez. Death and loneliness haunt the recording. It is sad and dark but avoids morbidity. It lilts and flows along on cold, crisp riffs interspersed with jagged shards of rage. "You said life could be painless, well that's not what i found." You can hear the heartstrings snapping in anger and frustration.

This is one for moments of cool reflection when you just want to turn the lights off and bathe in the utter desolation of life continuing after death; I cannot recommend this album highly enough.

Thankfully there is a silver cloud to this document of woe, Robin Proper-Sheppard, the surviving half of the band, formed and is still recording with his band "Sophia." They are cooler and quieter but still well worth checking out.

Review by Sera69, Amazon.com

Besides the dramatic title track, an edited but still worthwhile version of the anthemic, blasting Scenes from the Second Storey highlight, three cover versions turn up on this disc, two of which make perfect sense and the third of which is a subtle surprise. The first, "Double Dare," originally recorded by Bauhaus during a BBC radio session, gets remade in the most direct fashion imaginable – the God Machine version was also recorded for the BBC! Robin Proper-Shepard's vocals are treated with his usual echo, and as a result he's not as clear as Peter Murphy on the original, but the whole performance is a thrashing if near-clone take. Echo & the Bunnymen's "All My Colours" gets a similarly worshipping take, Ronald Austin's drumming doing its best (and pretty well at that) to replicate Pete de Freitas' peerless work. The ringer is "Fever," as made famous by Peggy Lee, given a straightforward, dark fingersnapping take, Proper-Shepard adding just enough moody clang on his guitar in the background for extra fun.

Review by Ned Raggett, Allmusic.com

Like the CD version of the single, the A-side is the edited take on the Scenes From the Second Storey number, the haunting sample of the Bulgarian Women's Choir trimmed from the beginning but still swirling in the mix. The real reason to search this out, though, is the jaw-dropping B-side – of all things, a cover of the KLF's bombastic techno masterpiece "What Time Is Love?" Dropping the lyrics entirely, outside of random screams of the title, and turning the whole thing into a massive blast, the group does one better than most by avoiding a simple parody or bad take. It really is a transformation of the song into a rock-band format, and it works as pure escapist power, Proper-Sheppard's adaptation of the keyboard riffs both funny and fierce. In an even cheekier move, the band reused the original KLF intro – which itself was a sampling of the legendary "kick out the jams, motherf*ckers!" bit from MC5.

Review by Ned Raggett, Allmusic.com

A curious promotional item designed as part of Polydor's fitful commitment to the God Machine in America – indeed, about the last thing they ever did for the group – this particular release collects both previously available and unreleased cuts. It's definitely only for the hardcore God Machine fan only, but there's some good stuff to be found in general. Besides a fine version of the title track, recorded with an extended introduction at a Vienna concert with extra prominence given to the Bulgarian choir sample, three other cuts appear. Two were from past singles: "Pictures of a Bleeding Boy," the hushed, quietly intense centerpiece off The Desert Song EP, and the wry but smooth version of "Fever," the Peggy Lee standard, originally on the U.K. Home EP. The other was also a B-side, "Commitment," but in this case was a radio session take of same, laden with dramatic power a-plenty.

Review by Ned Raggett, Allmusic.com