Scenes from the Second Storey

Scenes from the Second Storey
Studio album by the God Machine
Released	1993
Recorded	1992
Genre	Alternative rock alternative metal post-hardcore psychedelic rock post-metal
Length	77:53
Label	Fiction / Polydor
Producer	The God Machine
The God Machine chronology
Scenes from the Second Storey (1993) One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying (1994)

Scenes from the Second Storey is the debut album by American rock band the God Machine, released in 1993 by Fiction Records and Polydor. It peaked at number 55 on the UK Albums Chart. ^[1]

The album opens with a sample from the film adaptation of The Sheltering Sky (the same sample also opens Neurosis' Enemy of the Sun , 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 from the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares . "Home" peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1993. ^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
NME	8/10 [4]
Q	[5]
Rock Hard	8/10 [6]
Select	5/5 [7]
Sputnikmusic	4.7/5 [8]

In 2005, Scenes from the Second Storey was ranked number 312 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. ^[9]

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. ^[10] The authors included David Conyers, Stephen Dedman, Paul Haines, Robert Hood, Cat Sparks, Andrew J McKiernan and Kaaron Warren.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dream Machine"	5:24
2.	"She Said"	4:42
3.	"The Blind Man"	5:58
4.	"I've Seen the Man"	2:39
5.	"The Desert Song"	5:13
6.	"Home"	5:20
7.	"It's All Over"	5:55
8.	"Temptation"	5:14
9.	"Out"	5:10
10.	"Ego"	3:36
11.	"Seven"	16:39
12.	"Purity"	8:56
13.	"The Piano Song"	3:07

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

1993 chart performance for Scenes from the Second Storey

Chart (1993)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC) [1]	55

2025 chart performance for Scenes from the Second Storey

Chart (2025)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [11]	45

References

1. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
2. "Official Singles Chart Top 75". Official Charts Company . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
3. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Scenes from the Second Storey – The God Machine". AllMusic . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
4. "The God Machine: Scenes from the Second Storey". NME . February 6, 1993.
5. "The God Machine: Scenes from the Second Storey". Q . No. 78. March 1993. p. 86.
6. Stratmann, Holger (January 29, 1993). "The God Machine – Scenes From The Second Storey". Rock Hard (in German). No. 69. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
7. Perry, Andrew (March 1993). "The God Machine: Scenes from the Second Storey". Select . No. 33. p. 71.
8. Spencer, Trey (May 6, 2013). "The God Machine – Scenes from the Second Storey". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
9. Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 85. ISBN   3-89880-517-4.
10. "Scenes from the Second Storey – Australian Edition". Morrigan Books. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – The God Machine – Scenes from the Second Storey" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 February 2025.