In the film world it’s an issue that’s brought up every time George Lucas re-releases another slightly tweaked version of Star Wars. While fanboys argue over whether Greedo shot first or Ewoks should blink, the real question is who ultimately owns art? The fans or the artist?
In the liner notes to the 2000 remaster of All Things Must Pass, George Harrison said he found it “difficult to resist remixing every track” to free it from the “Wall of Sound” style that felt dated and over the top. In the end he released the version of All Things Must Pass his fans had known and loved, but what if he had remixed it? What would the reaction be to taking something people feel a connection to and changing it because it no longer suits the artist's changing taste?
Do artists really have a right to alter their work years later as their interest and views change? When musicians put out the newest reissue of a classic album, are they trying to perfect something or merely pull more green from their fans?
Some artists have done just that, and below are five controversial reissues in rock history.
Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails

Sometimes reissues draw the ire of the musicans as much as the fans. In 2010, Trent Reznor and NIN re-released their debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, including early singles, covers, and unreleased material. In 2011 their label re-released the album again and Trent Reznor jumped on twitter to warn his fans not to buy it; it was merely the label trying to milk his fans for all they were worth.
Feeler by The Toadies

The Toadies are a one hit wonder known primarily for their 1994 single "Possum Kingdom" on the album Rubberneck. In 1997 they recorded a follow-up album entitled Feeler. Their label, Interscope, was unhappy with the record and shelved it. The band broke up in 2001, but the bootlegs of Feeler lived on among the Toadies oddly devoted fan base. The band reunited years later and in 2010 released a rerecorded version of Feeler. Fans finally had a high quality, digital copy of what is often considered the band’s best album, but some songs had been tweaked slightly, some tracks left off, and the songs not as vibrant and rage-filled as their bootleg predecessors.
Body Count by Body Count

Sometimes controversial reissues have nothing to do with the musicians evolving sounds, but intense pressure from outside sources. In 1992 Body Count released their self-titled debut album, featuring the infamous single “Cop Killer," a protest song against police brutality. The song ushered in a massive protest campaign, denounced by everyone from parent groups to the president of the United States. Believing the song's true message had been lost in the controversy, Ice-T recalled the album and re-released it sans “Cop Killer” and left Warner Bros. the following year. Ice-T has said, “If you believe I’m a cop killer, you believe David Bowie is an astronaut."
Smile by The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson’s descent into madness is one of rock’s most legendary crack-ups. We’ve all heard the stories: orchestra members forced to dress as firemen, playing piano in a sandbox, and epic drug use. Smile was never completed, but a handful of tracks made it onto The Beach Boys' 1967 record Smiley Smile. Fans assumed they would never hear Smile the way Brian Wilson intended. Then in 2004 a newly sane and rested Brian Wilson hit the studio with an orchestra and finally released Smile. The track list included new versions of classic songs like “Good Vibrations." The new versions were okay; the new material was good; but overall the album sounded like a cover band doing The Beach Boys. Finally in 2011, cobbled together from various Beach Boys' session, Smile was released in the way The Beach Boys intended and the fans wanted.
Let It Be…Naked by The Beatles

Let It Be, both the film and the album, is a somber milestone in The Beatles groundbreaking career. The film is a bitter look at a band’s acrimonious dissolution. The album sounds like nothing else in The Beatles catalogue. At John Lennon’s insistence, the demos were given to Phil Spector, who added his “Wall of Sound” production style to it. The result was an album of female backing vocals, non-sequitor dialogue between tracks, and orchestral overdubs. Paul McCartney hated it. So did George and Ringo. John simply said, "He was given the shittiest load of badly recorded shit with a lousy feeling to it ever, and he made something of it." So in 2003, Paul finally got his wish and released a newly remastered Phil Spector-less Let It Be, entitled Let It Be…Naked. The sound was crisper, some of the tracks almost having a live feel. While most will agree Let It Be…Naked is a better album, it’s not the album fans had embraced for 33 years.
(Elford Alley has written plays, sketch comedy, and short stories. He currently lives in Dallas with his wife and daughter.)
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