Tin Machine II

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Professional reviews
Tin Machine II

Studio album by Tin Machine
Released	September 2, 1991
Recorded	Sydney October - December 1989; Los Angeles, March 1991
Genre	Rock
Length	43:24
Label	Victory
Producer(s)	Tin Machine and Kevin Palmer, Hugh Padgham
All Music Guide link
Tin Machine chronology
Tin Machine (1989)	Tin Machine II (1991)	Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (1992)

Tin Machine II is an album by Tin Machine originally released by Victory Records in 1991. The band reconvened following their 1989 world tour, recording several tracks in Australia before taking a rest while David Bowie conducted his solo Sound + Vision Tour and filmed The Linguini Incident. Following this, the group split from EMI, who refused to market another Tin Machine album. For Bowie's part he was fed up with the label trying to force him into producing another commercial smash like "Let's Dance".

The group signed to Victory Records and added three further tracks in Los Angeles, with Hugh Padgham (producer of Bowie's 1984 album Tonight) overseeing the song "One Shot". The album was issued in September 1991. Hunt Sales took lead vocals on two tracks: "Stateside" and "Sorry".

Less successful than the band's debut album Tin Machine, Tin Machine II peaked at #23 in the UK and #126 in the USA. It received generally poor reviews on release. It is still considered more of a mixed achievement than its predecessor, with many believing "Amlapura", "Baby Universal" and "Goodbye Mr. Ed" to be among Bowie's best recordings from the era while some, especially the Hunt Sales-led tracks, are viewed as the nadir of his output.

For the American release of the album, the cover was airbrushed to remove the genitalia of the Kouroi statues.

[edit] Track listing

"Baby Universal" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:18
"One Shot" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 5:11
"You Belong in Rock 'n' Roll" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 4:07
"If There Is Something" (Ferry) – 4:45
"Amlapura" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:46
"Betty Wrong" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:48
"You Can't Talk" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:09
"Stateside" (Bowie, Sales) – 5:38
"Shopping for Girls" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:44
"A Big Hurt" (Bowie) – 3:40
"Sorry" (Sales) – 3:29
"Goodbye Mr. Ed" (Bowie, Sales, Sales) – 3:24
"Hammerhead" (Bowie, Sales) – 0:57

"Hammerhead", a short instrumental, was an unlisted track. A longer vocal version was issued as the B-side for the single release of "You Belong in Rock 'n' Roll".