Another Record Store Day and another new, limited edition Propaganda release culled from the ZTT label archives. 2024’s, ‘Die 1000 Augen Des Dr. Mabuse’, was very much a ‘Part 1’, so you might have expected any Propaganda RSD release to continue onwards with that. But no, this year moved to focus on both sides of the band’s ‘p:Machinery’/‘Frozen Faces’ single, first released in summer 1985. The Propaganda of ‘A Secret Wish’ were always about the duality, so as well as both songs, this release also features the subsequent αlpha and βeta versions that have come to be released or retitled over the many ‘after the fact’ releases from ZTT.
Straight off the bat, this year there are some previously unreleased morsels to be found in the grooves – unlike last year’s RSD release. Don’t get too excited though, these are small off-cuts, not new ready to wear fashions. The sleeve notes indicate (even with precise dates) that these previously unreleased ‘Disturbdance’ mixes are from the same remixing session that produced the ‘Wishful Thinking’ album, as overseen by ZTT’s Paul Morley.
This is also very much packaged in the ZTT house style, and in the same fashion as last year’s RSD release the sleeve design features stills from the video shoot for the ‘p:Machinery’ single, including an inner sleeve, though these are somewhat blurry Polaroid snaps. The record itself keeps with the ‘p:Machinery’ heritage by being pressed on clear vinyl like those 1985 issues (at least those that haven’t turned brown at some point over the past 40 years).
And as for the music… It is a mixture of old, new to vinyl and previously unreleased snippets. So, for completists, this release cannot be replicated digitally… not yet anyway. Let’s see what is in the grooves though…
Tracklist:
Side One:
- Introduction (0’26”)
- p:Machinery (αlpha) (1’58”)
- p:Machinery (βeta Complete) (9’48”)
- [Disturbdance 33, Part Two] (0’59”)
- Separation (0’20”)
Side Two:
- [Disturbdance 14] (1’14”)
- Frozen Faces (αlpha) (4’23”)
- Frozen Faces (βeta) (5’30”)
- [Disturbdance 6] (1’03”)
Let’s look at each mix in more detail…
Starting with side one (‘poised’) or αlpha;:
Introduction (0’26”)
This very short vocal-only excerpt features the words “Play, Prepare, Punish, Persist, Play, Profit, Position, Propaganda, Perform, Machine” treated reverb and flange as a brief, calm frontispiece before things gets noisy. It can be found on the October 2021 digital-only release ‘p:Machinery (βeta)’. It was originally released on the 1985 cassette ‘singlette’ ‘Complete Machinery’ and is also found digitally as part of the ‘p:Machinery (Connected)’ 12″ mixes on CD.
p:Machinery (αlpha) (1’58”)
This somewhat combative, backbeat-heavy take of the song is an interesting diversion to the regular mix, a curious little gleaming black jewel, minimal with the vocals, though with attention-grabbing spoken male German voice from the start (Ralf, I would guess?), it first appeared on the ‘Noise And Girls Come Out To Play / A Compact Introduction To Propaganda’ 2012 compilation CD and then more recently on the ‘p: Machinery (αlpha)’ digital-only release in September 2021. It occupies a hinterland that in the right light you’d see it as sister or brother to ‘Dr. Mabuse’, perhaps, in its stridency.
p:Machinery (βeta Complete) (9’48”)
There are a number of versions of the ‘βeta’ mix doing the rounds and you need to pay attention to the track duration to get an idea of which one you are dealing with. If you need a quick primer on the many versions of ‘p:Machinery’ that are out there, this discogs.com entry will help.
However, for brevity, here’s a primer on the ‘βeta’ mixes
- the longer 9’34” approx. ‘βeta’ version was first released on the second 12″ edition of the original ‘p:Machinery’ single in summer 1985.
- the shorter 8’00” approx. ‘βeta’ version was first released on ZTT’s ‘I Q 6 Zang Tumb Tuum Sampled’ compilation album in 1985. This version starts with voices before the echoed drum beats come in.
- the late 1985 re-release of ‘p:Machinery’ featured the approx. 10’45” ‘βeta’ Wraparound Mix which was basically the ‘longer version plus the ‘reprise’ from the end of the ‘Polish’ 12″ mix added to the end.
What we have here on this ‘p:Machinery (βeta Complete)’ mix is… the longer version with the voices from the start of the ‘shorter’ version. Got that? Good!
So, this doesn’t quite match exactly any one the CD/digital releases to date. You could consider an exclusive. Well, if the extra 15 seconds voice only intro at the very start on the ‘shorter’ (8 minute) βeta mix of the song, i.e. “Hello… [Male voice: Could you go Ha!] Ha!” before the heavily echoed booming drum beats start!
As an aside, despite normally being a fan of all things John McGeogh, I was never convinced of his guitar on this mix being an especially good fit, but maybe that’s just me.
[Disturbdance 33, Part Two] (0’59”)
This is a minutes-worth of a chilled, instrumental ‘Frozen Faces’ that features saxophone and bass guitar most prominently atop the familiar synths and rhythmical elements. Not released elsewhere as yet.
Separation (0’20”)
A very short sequenced synth excerpt from ‘p:Machinery’ that was first released as the closing track on the 1985 cassette ‘singlette’ ‘Complete Machinery’ and more recently digitally on the October 2021 digital-only release ‘p:Machinery (βeta)’.
With ‘Introduction’ opening side one and ‘Separation’ closing it, you can sense that there is perhaps a variant of the approach adopted for the ‘Complete Machinery’ singlette, but with a different sandwich filling in the choice of mixes between these.
Flipping over on to side two (‘poisoned’) or βeta:
[Disturbdance 14] (1’14”)
Not released elsewhere as yet. An extended loop from the opening section of ‘p:Machinery’ with some random guitar chops throughout, derived from the βeta mix, which featured the guitar-work of John McGeogh, “Installed by the machine…” are the only words to be found here. To be honest, even at not much over a minute in duration, it outstays its welcome very quickly indeed.
Frozen Faces (αlpha) (4’23”)
The αlpha Mix of ‘Frozen Faces’ is basically the original version of the song as first released on the B side of the 7″ editions of the ‘p:Machinery’ single. ZTT love to re-title an existing mix to make it sounds like it is something else, don’t they? So, you should have no problem sourcing this one digitally, it has been re-released many times, most recently on the ‘p: Machinery (αlpha)’ digital-only release in September 2021 and on many of the CD issues of ‘A Secret Wish’.
Frozen Faces (βeta) (5’30”)
And, naturally, the βeta Mix of ‘Frozen Faces’ is the original version of the song as first released on the B side of the first 12″ edition of the ‘p:Machinery’ single in summer 1985. Again, you should have no problem sourcing this one digitally, it has been re-released on CD on the 2002 ‘Outside World’ compilation and the October 2021 digital-only release ‘p:Machinery (βeta)’ and the 2021 ‘p: Machinery (Reactivated)’ digital-only release.
[Disturbdance 6] (1’03”)
Another of the previously unreleased exclusives and once again a derivation from the βeta mix of ‘p:Machinery’ with plenty of lead guitar let loose at the start before the first verse of the song comes in with vocals from both Suzanne and Claudia over a more stripped-back instrumental arrangement.
So, there we have it, another ZTT Record Store Day exercise in re-packaging to the collectors. Did you buy it, or steer clear based on previous examples? Do post your own thoughts on this release.