Smashing Pumpkins: Fresh Fruit or Rotten Veg?

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A unique and versatile group or a bunch of pretentious goths? You decide.

― Philip Alderman, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

i liked a couple of tracks per album - not my thing really - not unique or versatile - when billy became fester they got even worse

― Geordie Racer, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I am, truly, a pathetic fan. And I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE.

Classic, full up, full stop. I'm glad I've never had even the slightest opportunity to interact with Billy Corgan in real life, he'd drive me crazy, I figure. But oh man, all that good music. I love it all down to every last strangled squeal in his voice. Refer to these entries in the FT 136 list for more slavering if you really care:

Adore

Siamese Dream

Mellon Collie

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

That's pathetic, Ned.

I think I liked the Smashing Pumpkins okay with Gish and Siamese Dream because, although they were really just classic rock slightly warmed over, it was updated slightly and had some good associations in my life. I remember listening to Gish fairly often with someone who...well, never mind the details. When Mellon Collie came out, though, it became very clear to me that they were really a band who worshipped at the altar of classic rawk, esp. the bad overwrought and overblown kind, and that's really where I lost interest. When they scaled back on subsequent albums, there really wasn't much good material there, and I couldn't really be bothered to find the good stuff anymore.

― Sean Carruthers, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I said I was pathetic. Did I lie? ;-) Check the AMG entries on some of the bootlegs.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I'll use this rare opportunity of not entirely disagreeing with Ned, to say that Siamese Dream is indeed pretty great, and "1979" is one of my favorite songs. The other stuff I can take or leave.

― Patrick, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

at least actual rotten vegetables are useful as compost. smashing pumpkins aren't even that.

― ethan, Tuesday, 1 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I had a little skirmish on Bitchpork (message board) a few weeks ago in which I defended Billy Corgan and SP from a self-righteous Frank Black fan (yes, of his new album, too--blechhhhh). It's hard for me to separate SP from being a 9th grader and listening to "Siamese Dream" EVERY DAY FOR MONTHS and worshipping it, but nonetheless I put it on a few months ago and it hit hard, real hard. I gave "Mellon Collie" another listen, too, and there's surprisingly little filler. I remember not having the attention span to take it all in at once when it first came out, though. Still, I feel like it's only when you become an anal analyst of music-- worried about being pretentious or uncool, worried about whether Corgan and Co. are "too goth" or something-- that stuff like SP starts to become suspect. I'm sick as hell of worrying about that, so I'm going to say classic. I haven't heard "Adore" or anything after, but based solely on "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie"--absolutely classic. Hmm, I think I'll go listen to them now...

― Clarke B., Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Monumental dud. Rotten to the core. What stunned me was how such a slight band got so far. With Gish they all had some kind of individual imput, (more democratic), before Billy, or the record company, got the idea into his head that he was an artist, and turned them from a distinctive sound into a vehicle for his ego. The focus of the music turned to his performance, supporting his every indulgence, which would have been fine if he carried the same gravitas as the sound, or promotional campaign behind him. A case of Emperor's New Clothes, I couldn't understand why so many people didn't notice the disparity between his shallow introspection and their collossal sound. It might have worked with humour or irony but he was deadly serious, and so were his fans (at the time he was compared to Kobain???, and he sounds like he believed it). An embarrassment, I can't even bring myself to admit that 1979 was modest enough to survive. They can't be unique cause they did the same thing over and over, varing the scale. Versatility - the musicians were, but I never heard anything they did outside of the band.

― K-reg, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Monstrous dud. 'Gish' I must admit was quite dreamy in a post-Jane's Addiction way. But after that! By Thor, the pretentions, the bald head, the whiny bastard voice, the smug attitude, the lack of tunes. Utterly insignificant.

― Omar, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Classic singles band ca. SAD MELLON, and up to "Ava Adore." Never bothered with the albums (uh, so not TOO classic on the singles then). Early stuff dud - Hendrix-styled guitar solos/tones a welcome surprise for an indie-aligned band, but still dullsville.

― AP, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Oh they are great! Mellon Collie is one of the best albums of all time (almost)...Billy has a big ego, but I admire his sense of melodrama...and for a modern rock band they were quite innovative, and quit just before they became a parody of themselves. Though, I do think they will reform, they are like the modern Grateful Dead, they will still be playing in 2025.

― james e l, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

The question is surely irrelevant. Smashing Pumpkins have been SCIENTIFICALLY PROVED to be the WORST BAND IN THE WORLD.

― Tom, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

I'm not quite sure I'd say they were classic, but _Adore_ is certainly an underrated album. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say it's thebest thing they ever released.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Their version of "Dancing In The Moonlight" is at least better than Toploader's.

But not by much.

Would be classic for Siamese Dream, but dud for Adore, Machina and the fact that they could have edited Mellon Collie down to a single disc brilliancy - and didn't. Also, dud for bad song titles.

― EdwardO, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Idiots who believed their own hype. Glad they're gone. Dud.

― alex in nyc, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Despite all my rage, my solo album will be "new age".

― Billy Corgan, Wednesday, 2 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Another pure classic. Siamese Dream is still up in my top 10 favourite albums of all time, and Cherub Rock is surely one of the greatest full on rock songs ever written, I saw them on the Siamese Dream tour in Liverpool and it was only my second ever gig, but one of my favourites. I think their output went downhill slightly after Mellon Collie...(which has to be one of the only double albums, along with Physical Graffiti, to have virtually no filler material) but Adore and Machina are still 100% better than any other so-called hard rock band have put out. I just hope they get back together soon.

― achilles_last_stand, Saturday, 12 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Bwah hah hah! No filler material! Please stop, I can't breathe.

I read a great thing in Gina Arnold's book "Kiss This" about how the Bullet With Butterfly Wings video was based around this painting of children trying to get out of being trapped in a coal mine or something, and how incredibly obnoxious it was that Billy Corgan would equate his angst with such horrendous suffering. I liked parts of "Siamese Dream", but I think one album of semi- romantic angst and mediocre prog-Sabbath guitar work is enough. So Dud, for sticking around too long, and for inexplicably blaming their failure on Britney.

― Dave M., Saturday, 12 May 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

I would have to say "a unique and versatile group" in reference to earlier material. Up to and including Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness I enjoyed Smashing Pumpkins. It's a non-intrusive kind of music that can't exactly fit into a genre. I saw a decline happening prior to the release of Adore. Then after hearing the odd attempt at fitting into a genre, I went back to MC&IS. With Machina I saw no comeback, only a further descent into doomed stardom. Machina II, however, was a very unique statement, very fitting for Smashing Pumpkins. All in all I couldn't say Billy Corgan and crew are pretentious goths. They're just genre-less artists being pushed around by the music industry.

― James Hunyar, Monday, 15 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Great big fat bloated DUD. 'Gish' did posess a mildly pleasing hazy neo-psychedelic sheen, unlike the flatulent rock histrionics that followed. I walked out of a 'Siamese Dream' gig feeling slightly nauseous at being exposed to so much smug mastubatory guitar- soloing.

― stevo, Monday, 15 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

They weren't even the best band whose name was of the form Smashing [fruit] in 1991.

'1979' is ok, but not as good as its title. Everything else is excrement.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 15 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

a bit of both. I'm another for whom the Pumpkins were a favorite band in high school .. 'Siamese Dream' is still an excellent rock album, Billy Corgan's one successful opus .. still sounds great today. thick, ridiculously beefy guitars, perfect mix of rawking out and sensitive effeminacy .. still very much intending to be rock, but still with a glance at the less formulaic dimensions, 'Loveless' in particular .. classic as one of those 'diary' albums for yr typical emotional high school kid. sounds cheesy, but "saved my life!"

.. then they started putting out shitty albums. I lost interest after Melon Collie. bloated wank. and his voice became ever-more- hideous. such sludge.. they'll be most useful in that regard for documenting very clearly a band just completely losing their artistic vision and soul. I've only heard 'Machina' once, but it was so lifeless...

that said, I'll list a few of their best rare tracks so that brave souls can attempt to get another perspective on the band. they did have a few obscure b-sides and such that won't likely turn up on any best hits collection. search for these on your favorite music- trading platform ..

* daughter - a rare demo from 1989 or so, just two minutes of ethereal guitar & singing

* siamese dream - the song, not the album. very lo-fi, scratchy acid folk piece

* pulseczar - feedback-drenched psychedelia. slightly twee, too.

* their cover of Depeche Mode's 'Never Let Me Down Again' - better than the original. very light touch, just guitar, bass, drums and for once not the 'soundwall' approach ... brings you up to an imagined peak, then lets you down ..

* their cover of 'Dancing in the Moonlight' - soft, acoustic. if you don't mind his voice, this is a great song.

* obscured - a slow, drifting rock song. spacey, but subdued. nice.

* smiley - slow, simple pop. his voice on the deep end for once.

* Eye - darkwave/synthpop song from the Lost Highway soundtrack, great if you like that sort of thing

* the Moby remix of '1979' - doesn't contain anything of the original song except for that skipping vocal 'tweee-ee' effect super- slowed down. the actual music itself isn't much like Moby's usual fare, especially not like 'Play' -- imagine if the Boards of Canada had a VERY bad trip. I love this song.

* Drown -- not the most rare Pumpkins song, it was on the Reality Bites soundtrack. 3 or so minutes of rock, then 4 of the best kind of guitar feedback drone, yumm..

* Starla - only if you're into guitar wankery. Corgan goes off for about 5 minutes, and most of it is actually pretty entertaining, if not exactly Fennesz..

― Dare, Monday, 15 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

classic or dud" isnt about how much you like a particular group. its about how they enudre, how much they produce, etc. so classic all the way. (yea billys an egomaniac, but so are most rock stars."

― chameleon, Wednesday, 17 October 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

(late, late, late)

gish, '89 demos, set the ray to jerry, cherry, obscured: classic i believe i speak for god album(s): dud everything else: i listened to it too much when i was 15

― Johan, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

"Gish" was amazing. The drumming, the guitars, the voices. A psychedelic milestone. Should be listened to on headphones.
Next and last album I liked was "Mellon Collie". One of the best double albums. More mainstream than Gish and more song-orientated with some ballads but still very good.
All the rest they did is quite mediocre. Corgan's voice alone really turns me down nowadays. Though the song with New Order on the new album is great.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

As is predictable by the whole "love it, hate it" option of "classic/dud", this seems to be a love it or hate it band. I think they were actually quite good, for an alternative rock band, all the way through The Aeroplane Flies High (collection of mellon collie b-sides that were actually pretty swell and stripped down) and that song on the lost highway collection. But the Batman song was cruddy. Adore I didn't buy or listen to at the time, but now that I hear it, I think some of the songwriting is fine, but hurt a bit by the production, which sort of robbed them of their strength, i.e. RAWK POWER. Still, if someone were to cover any of the songs, they'd be classics on par with the earlier material, maybe even better since they cut most of the "wanky guitar solos" that so many people on this board have problems with (honestly, what is this? 1977? I think Corgan's up there with Prince and Hendrix (and maybe that guy in Dinosaur Jr.) in that he can actually make a solo SAY something.)

So, continuuing with my theory, if one were to just sort of cut and re-record, you'd probably have about two good albums out of all the b-sides, machina 1 & 2, and adore stuff out there, post-melon collie. Which is what, eight albums (including a double album) total? In less than 8 years? Sounds classic to me.

Or I could just say I like 1979 and a few of their other songs to sound hip.

― sean patrick, Sunday, 2 February 2003 00:54 (10 years ago) Permalink

Siamese Dream is my favorite album evah. Actually, I probably wouldn't have even bought it if it hadn't been for Ned's song reviews on AMG (of course, this was before I had ever heard of ILx, so I didn't know who he was).. so kudos to you Ned.

Gish and Pisces Iscariot are also grate, and MCIS and Adore have a few nice songs (might as well join in on the "1979" praise here). Haven't heard anything off of Machina but I have a feeling I don't want to ;)

― Curtis Stephens, Sunday, 2 February 2003 01:01 (10 years ago) Permalink

Completely had forgotten I had done those reviews! :-) Thanks!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 2 February 2003 01:32 (10 years ago) Permalink

I'm afraid I must object--Moby's remix is horribly dull. It's essentially just Billy's vocals over a repetitive electro beat (and he doesn't even go to any lengths to actually change the order of the verses). I'm a big fan of Moby's early work, but I can't stand to listen to this.

― Curtis Stephens, Sunday, 2 February 2003 01:49 (10 years ago) Permalink

Then again, your description sounds VERY different from the version I've heard; perhaps I mis-downloaded.

― Curtis Stephens, Sunday, 2 February 2003 01:50 (10 years ago) Permalink

I thought these guys would be a classic with me but when I reviewed Greatest Hits for the college radio station here I was shocked by how crappobloaty I found all their singles before "1979" (oh, and "Zero" sucks too). From that one through "The Everlasting Gaze" (I always wished it was called "The Everlasting Gays", like Billy was trying to scare homophobes or something) I dig all their singles. Only album I've got is Adore, which even that I have a hard time getting through all the way (damn songs just loop for eternity, don't they?).

Half-Classic/Half-Dud. And why wasn't "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" or whatever that Last-Pumpkins-Video-In-Pants Batman song was called on Greatest Hits?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 February 2003 23:53 (10 years ago) Permalink

Putrid, impotent whinging... pretensiously overproduced post-glam. I believe they were Virgin's answer to the equally talentless Mother Love Bone.

― gygax!, Monday, 3 February 2003 00:49 (10 years ago) Permalink

damn songs just loop for eternity, don't they?

And this is a bad thing? Excuse me, I have to listen to some Muslimgauze now.

And why wasn't "The End Is The Beginning Is The End" or whatever that Last-Pumpkins-Video-In-Pants Batman song was called on Greatest Hits?

I think everyone involved with that film removed it from their resume.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 3 February 2003 01:00 (10 years ago) Permalink

Gish and Siamese Dream are pretty good. Mellon Colie has some moments. Adore gets no respect. The rest...not so good.

― Juan (Juan), Monday, 3 February 2003 01:07 (10 years ago) Permalink

Adore is saved by "Appels + Oranjes," which is the most perfect synth-pop song EVAH

― Curtis Stephens, Monday, 3 February 2003 02:00 (10 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

TEITBITE omission is b/c of licensing out to Warner Bros. for the film - hence not owned by Virgin.

But the real reason I post here is merely to drop this bomb you can find posted at http://www.billycorgan.com/

You know that beatles song 'I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink....'? I'm having one of those weeks...I just got 2 new kittens, brothers and sisters, named miss sami and mister thom cat...they are the best of friends, which is wonderful, but being young, they are into everything, including some things I didn't know you could get into...mister thom also seems to want to wake me up at 5am to say hello...well, the music for the rock and roll record is going really swell, just starting to get into a groove writing some songs...predominately focusing on melodies right now, leaving the words for a bit further down the road, which is unusual, but necessary...in the months to come, I am going to share some things with you that you have never heard me say...that doesn't mean I'm rewriting history, that means that I'm going to tell you the truth about who I am and what I believe in my heart...a lot of things that I have said thru the years seemed confusing, like I was hiding somethin!g, and often times I was...'why', you might ask? Many times I hid things to protect my band mates...for example, its been almost 4 years since I went on my friend tami's radio show and announced that the pumpkins were breaking up...that day, when she asked why we were breaking up, I said something silly like 'I'm tired of fighting britney blah blah'...and it went on to be widely quoted, as if I was breaking up my love, my band, because of some pop star...13 years of my life, and you know, let's pack it in cause their teeth are whiter...by saying that, I was seen as someone who was crying foul, taking his ball, and going home...which was sad cause it wans't true at all...The truth of the matter is is that james iha broke up the smashing pumpkins...not me, not jimmy, but james...did it help that d'arcy was fired for being a mean spirited drug addict, who refused to get help? No, that didn't help keep the band together, not at all...it made it very hard to go on, but we soldier! ed thru it even though our hearts were broken...But d'arcy didn't break up the band, we didn't let her...and jimmy didn't want to break up the band, not at that time...and I would have gone on forever...the smashing pumpkins were essentially my entire life...a dream I still believe in...many friends at that time suggested letting james leave, so jimmy and I could continue on under the name...but I was too loyal to the man I had started the whole thing with, and I protected him until the very end...right up until the last show on dec 2, 2000, when he thanked d'arcy on stage, but not the 2 men standing next to him...and I was loyal until he left the metro without even saying goodbye, or an 'its been great boys!', or a simple 'I love you' to us...no, james iha left the metro that night without saying goodbye to the 2 people he had won and lost and traveled the world with...so I won't be protecting him anymore...and I won't be protecting a whole lot of other people anymore...not because I don't love them (I do!!) but because ! I love myself too...I want to say one more thing, and that is I appreciate you reading this...+I want to remind you that I love you...God has given me the strength to say that to you, and I hope that you don't hide who you are...does it make me sad that I have hid myself all these years? No, it was what I had to do to survive, or at least what I 'thought' I needed to do...but surviving is not enough...we all deserve to flourish, and to know happiness and joy...that is my new dream...the smashing pumpkins gave me that, and I am eternally grateful...especially to those that shared in the dream with me...even if you bought just one cd, or came to a show, you gave us that chance...we thank you for that...even if we don't always know how to show it...be well!! William

Wow.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:28 (9 years ago) Permalink

I don't know, man -- I am a huge SP fan, but Corgan sounds like a raving lunatic in that post, and James Iha always seemed pretty normal when I would see him around NYC a few years ago (he was playing with Nathan Larson (ex-Shudder to Think) at places like Brownies).
I mean, fine, maybe the band broke up because Iha left, but maybe Iha had a perfectly legit reason to run for it!
That said, I vote classic on the Pumpkins.

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:46 (9 years ago) Permalink

I likes 'em! They got some good stuff. Of course back in the mid-90s when music radio completely SUCKED ASS, it was either the Pumpkins or Candlebox, Offspring, or Bush.

So, best of a bad lot, then. Neither classic nor dud. Good.

Say! Anybody heard that one album they did where they leaked it onto the Internet for free simply to piss off their record company?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 19 February 2004 00:58 (9 years ago) Permalink

Did Iha also break up Zwan?

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

Considering he wasn't in Zwan, that might have been hard.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yes, but I'm interested to see if Billy will throw the blame his way all the same.

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

Actually, reading that over, maybe they were the Bob Mould and Grant Hart of the nineties altrockcracy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:30 (9 years ago) Permalink

Okay Pumpkin Experts, James Iha is in A Perfect Circle's touring line up and support when I saw them was the boring Auf Der Meyer.
Are they an item or what?

― mei (mei), Thursday, 19 February 2004 01:40 (9 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Corgan in a non-stop bandmate blagging mission from God:

i did not feel that a cd release on a major label that i was out there trying to hawk with a bunch of immoral band mates (that does not include jimmy, by the way...he is one of best men i know) was a place to talk about the deepest of issues...no, the internet is!!!

In other news, he's now gone public with an email address. Guess who's gonna have 1000+ emails by Sunday?

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 27 March 2004 02:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

That's referring to Zwan, btw.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 27 March 2004 02:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

Slow motion apocalypse.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 27 March 2004 04:04 (9 years ago) Permalink

I love the Pumpkins but I cannot stand to read Billy's blog. It just makes me upset.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 27 March 2004 04:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

For our mutual entertainment, here's my version of a perfect,
1-disc _Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness_. You may find
it rather bizarre, since I include a lot of "filler" that I
prefer to the full blown centerpieces:

01. Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
02. Tonight, Tonight
03. Jellybelly
04. Here Is No Why
05. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
06. Where Boys Fear To Tread
07. Thirty-Three
08. 1979
09. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby
10. We Only Come Out At Night
11. Beautiful
12. Lily
13. By Starlight
14. Farewell And Goodnight

Truth be told, I could live without "Tonight" and "Thirty-Three" -
I guess I included them out of some obligation to remain in the
realm of the remotely possible. Billy is rather proud of these
songs, I highly doubt he would have dispensed them.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Monday, 5 April 2004 00:32 (9 years ago) Permalink

Wow thirty-three is one of my favorite pumpkins songs!

― ipsofacto (ipsofacto), Monday, 5 April 2004 00:36 (9 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 165 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/12/slashing-pumpkins-billy-corgan-argues-with-entity-that-is-not-arguing-back-calls-nonlistening-entity-buddy/

― Mad God 40/40 (Z S), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 15:21 (11 months ago) Permalink

"Not in the world I grew up in, buddy. Not in the world I grew up in"

gonna guess that the recording of this has Corgan's voice getting progressively more distant and is immediately followed by the sound of a pub's lavatory door closing

― geezargh butlargh (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 15:21 (11 months ago) Permalink

I don't even know why he is comparing the two bands. Did he buy In Rainbows expecting a cover version of I Surrender?

― Zaireeka Badu (NickB), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 15:32 (11 months ago) Permalink

LoL this thread is hilarious. This band is hilarious.

Last time i saw Smashing Pumpkins they were playing on the TV at some bar, and in-between some songs a bunch of wrestlers came out on stage to 'stop the show' and the Pumpkins had to fight back or something. This lame skit lasted maybe 5 mins or so and then the wrestlers left the stage and they went back into playing more music.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 16:25 (11 months ago) Permalink

Also is that the album cover? It looks like it was randomly generated by myspace or something.

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 16:26 (11 months ago) Permalink

Does Billy Corgan not realise that if Jonny Greenwood ducks and he accidentally pees on Phil Selway instead, he'll have to endure years of Splashing Drumskins taunts?

― Zaireeka Badu (NickB), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 10:13 (11 months ago) Permalink

xxp: I feel like this is Corgan's game though, right? playing the heel?

― how's life, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 11:06 (11 months ago) Permalink

Look, if Corgan does actually piss on Radiohead (and let's hope that this will happen), I will pay good cash money on "Oceania". Not that I'd play it or anything.

― Gentlemen Take Instagram Photos (King Boy Pato), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 11:30 (11 months ago) Permalink

OCEAN OF PISSANIA, the band’s 7th studio record, is “an album within an album,” part of their 44-song work-in-progress PISSGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE

― some dude, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 11:31 (11 months ago) Permalink

NOBGARDEN BY URETHRASCOPE

― Zaireeka Badu (NickB), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 11:47 (11 months ago) Permalink

And then we have

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/159706-in-defense-of-billy-corgans-foray-into-professional-wrestling/

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 12:06 (11 months ago) Permalink

(The picture is worth more than the article, which appears to have been written by a mummy.)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 12:09 (11 months ago) Permalink

1) Weird Al >>>>> Billy Corgan
2) Maybe he was confusing In Rainbows and Rainbow? Corgan was all, huh, I thought Blackmore was in Rainbow, but this doesn't sound like him at all. And then he felt really foolish so lashed out.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 13:07 (11 months ago) Permalink

Mayonnaise is probably the best Smashing Pumpkins song.

― Poliopolice, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 17:07 (11 months ago) Permalink

Mayonnaise is ~~probably~~ the best Smashing Pumpkins song.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 17:09 (11 months ago) Permalink

in what world are Deep Purple and Rainbow NOT pompous

― a dense custard of infinity (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 21:08 (11 months ago) Permalink

I mean, I agree with him that Blackmore is way more interesting/better than Johnny Greenwood but uh

― a dense custard of infinity (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 21:09 (11 months ago) Permalink

Those wrestling medals/belts look weirdly like customised party cakes

― seven league bootie (James Morrison), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 23:44 (11 months ago) Permalink

I don't even know why he is comparing the two bands. Did he buy In Rainbows expecting a cover version of I Surrender?

― Zaireeka Badu (NickB), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 11:32

awesome.

i get what he's saying, but there are a lot more effective ways to voice your displeasure with guitar rock falling out of fashion. it's not a question of whether greenwood is better than blackmore, because no one listens to radiohead for the riffs.

― borntohula, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 23:48 (11 months ago) Permalink

the new album is actually pretty ok

― fauxmarc, Thursday, 14 June 2012 16:57 (11 months ago) Permalink

Billy Corgan, enemy of pomposity.

That's what's making me laugh about this. And say what you like about Radiohead but I don't think they take themselves even half as seriously as Corgan.

― I found him in a Bon Ton ad (Nicole), Thursday, 14 June 2012 17:27 (11 months ago) Permalink

Radiohead were a good riff band, around the same time Smashing Pumpkins was a good riff band. actually, they both started focusing on synths and drum machines around the same time shortly afterward too.

― bronytheus (some dude), Thursday, 14 June 2012 17:29 (11 months ago) Permalink

i wish i knew computer shit better so i could make a mash-up album "In Rainbow"

― wack nerd zinging in the dead of night (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 14 June 2012 17:37 (11 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

Reissues reissues reissues. Next up next week, Pisces Iscariot:

---

‘PISCES ISCARIOT’:

Deluxe Physical Album Contents:
– Original Album Remastered & Reissued For The First Time
– 17 Previously Unreleased or Alternate Versions of Pisces Era Songs
– 24 Previously Unreleased Live Performances (Pulse Basement Jam, 1988) (DVD logo)
– First Ever SP Demo Reproduced on Cassette
– Postcards, Watercolor Illustrations, Lyrics, Photos
– Liner Notes by David Wild and Track-by-Track Annotations by Billy Corgan

Deluxe Digital Contents:
– Original Album Remastered
– 17 Previously Unreleased or Alternate Versions of Pisces Era Songs

Standard Physical, Digital and 180G Vinyl
– Original Album Remastered & Reissued For The First Time
– Includes: Starla, Landslide & La Dolly Vita

TRACKLISTS:
[CD 1] (Deluxe Physical/Digital, Standard Physical/Digital, Vinyl)

1. Soothe
2. Frail And Bedazzled
3. Plume
4. Whir
5. Blew Away
6. Pissant
7. Hello Kitty Kat
8. Obscured
9. Landslide
10. Starla
11. Blue
12. Girl Named Sandoz
13. La Dolly Vita
14. Spaced

[CD 2] (Deluxe Physical/Digital only)

1. By June (Ignoffo Sessions/2012 mix)
2. My Dahlia (Ignoffo Sessions/2012 Mix)
3. Jesus Loves His Babies (Gish Sessions rough mix)
4. Cinnamon Girl (Ignoffo Sessions/2012 Mix)
5. Glynis (2012 Mix)
6. Crawl (Gish Sessions outtake)
7. Cinder Open (Eddy St. demo/2012 mix)
8. Blissed (Sadlands demo/2012 Mix)
9. Slunk (Live)
10. Jackie Blue
11. Venus In Furs (Live)
12. Translucent (Sadlands demo/2012 mix)
13. French Movie Theme (Siamese Sessions outtake)
14. Purr Snickety (Gish b-sides session outtake)
15. There It Goes (demo/2012 mix)
16. Vanilla (Ignoffo Sessions)
17. Why Am I So Tired (Live in studio demo)

[DVD ] (Deluxe Physical Only)

Pulse Basement Jam ( 11/19/1988 - Pulse Cable Access - Lou Hinkhouse)

Introduction by Lou Hinkhouse

1. There It Goes
2. She (Inc.)
3. She
4. Under Your Spell
5. My Eternity (Inc.)
6. My Eternity (Inc.)
7. My Eternity (Inc.)
8. My Eternity
9. Bleed
10. Nothing and Everything
11. Jennifer Ever (Inc.)
12. Jennifer Ever (Inc.)
13. Jennifer Ever (Inc.)
14. Jennifer Ever (Inc.)
15. Jennifer Ever
16. Death of a Mind
17. Spiteface

Bonus Performaces
1. Blue (10/22/1991 - Atomic Records - Milwaukee, WI)
2. Offer Up (6/9/1992 - The Unicorn - Milwaukee, WI)
3. The Joker (6/10/1992 - The Unicorn - Milwaukee, WI)
4. Slunk (6/10/1992 - The Unicorn - Milwaukee, WI)
5. Dancing in the Moonlight (7/4/1993 - Raymond Revue Bar - London, UK)
6. Snap (8/11/1989 - Avalon - Chicago, IL)
7. Hello Kitty Kat (8/21/1994 - Starplex Amphitheater - Dallas, TX - 2nd stage
Lollapalooza performance)

DEMO CASSETTE (Deluxe Physical Only)

SIDE A
1. Jennifer Ever
2. East
3. Nothing And Everything

SIDE B
1. Sun (remix)
2. She (live)
3. Spiteface

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:26 (10 months ago) Permalink

rad!

― mississippi joan hart (crüt), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:27 (10 months ago) Permalink

Very excited for that one!

Also, the new album is not terrible and arguably their best since Adore.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:29 (10 months ago) Permalink

Kind of annoyed that "Jennifer Ever" is only going to get relegated to a cassette though. Even for low-level SP B-sides that one never gets much love and I've always liked it.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:36 (10 months ago) Permalink

Oceania is aight. they finally released a single off it and made the really odd choice of "The Celestials."

Pisces Iscariot is so dope, one of the most album-y and cohesive rarities comps ever

― some dude, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:38 (10 months ago) Permalink

otm

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:39 (10 months ago) Permalink

it weirds me out that now i can't find any evidence of "Frail And Bedazzled" ever charting or even having a single release but i def heard it on the radio a lot before "Landslide" became the big hit off that record

― some dude, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 03:44 (10 months ago) Permalink

New album is the best thing Corgan has been involved with in probably the last 12 years or so.

― Moka, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 04:53 (10 months ago) Permalink

imo "G.L.O.W" and "That's The Way My Love Is" and a couple Zwan songs slay anything on this

― straight up now tell me will I be a fucking lump forever? (some dude), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 09:16 (10 months ago) Permalink

for all the cr*p etc that surrounds billy, i really like the zwan album.

― mark e, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 10:58 (10 months ago) Permalink

They were pretty fun live, saw their second-ever show. Was kinda unusual to see him actually laughing and having a good time for a whole set.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 12:44 (10 months ago) Permalink

Zwan live was much, much better than they ended up being on record, though I liked a handful of songs off of it. I'm really happy with Oceania though, because it restores a tiny shread of faith in Corgan (though even that is slowly being eroded every time he does an interview).

I remember "Frail and Bedazzled" being played on the radio too but, being from Chicago, we'd get a lot of non-single SP stuff played on the radio and it was hard for me to tell if it was any sort of official release.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 13:48 (10 months ago) Permalink

He has seemed quite chirpy and personable the last couple of times I've seen the Pumpkins here in Glasgow (circa 1 year and 4 years ago).

Not big on Oceania yet, but keen on the Pisces Iscariot reissue; I think of that as absolute prime era.

― only NWOFHM! is real (krakow), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 21:27 (10 months ago) Permalink

The reissue looks to be as close as we'll get to seeing Mashed Potatoes get a formal release, though even then it's just a grouping of selections from it, and in some cases alternate takes. ("Cinnamon Girl" is only known from a live-on-radio performance, which is where I'm assuming "Venus in Furs" comes from here.)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 21:54 (10 months ago) Permalink

The demo cassette is exactly that, a bright red cassette in a faux photocopied cardboard cassingle slip, kinda redundant, and the old-timey postcards are totally pointless. But I'm looking forward getting into the extra tracks and DVD.

― MaresNest, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 22:00 (10 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

And here we go...

MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS

DELUXE BOX SET:

– 5CD +DVD

– Physical Tracks: 106, Digital Tracks: 92

– Original album remastered for the first time

– 64 bonus tracks of previously unreleased material or alternate versions of Mellon Collie era songs

– DVD featuring live show filmed at the Brixton Academy, London (1996) and bonus performances from Rockpalast (1996)

– Housed in a 12 x 12 lift-top box with magnetic closure, reimagined cover art and velvet-lined disc holder

– 2 books containing personal notes, lyrics, new collage artwork plus a Decoupage kit for creating your own scenes from the Mellon Collie universe.

VINYL

– 4LP (180gram), Original album remastered for first time, 28 tracks

– Remastered vinyl features the original record spread out over 8 sides (4 LPS) for the first time to ensure the optimum sound

– MCIS never before released on vinyl in the US (original vinyl previously released in the UK)

– Housed in 12x12 rigid slipcase with 2 books containing personal notes, new collage artwork, lyrics and more.

2CD

- Original double album remastered for the first time

- Physical and Digital Tracks: 28

TRACKLISTS

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Dawn To Dusk (CD1)

1. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness

2. Tonight, Tonight

3. Jellybelly

4. Zero

5. Here Is No Why

6. Bullet With Butterfly Wings

7. To Forgive

8. An Ode To No One

9. Love

10. Cupid De Locke

11. Galapogos

12. Muzzle

13. Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans

14. Take Me Down

Twilight To Starlight (CD2)

1. Where Boys Fear To Tread

2. Bodies

3. Thirty-Three

4. In The Arms Of Sleep

5. 1979

6. Tales Of A Scorched Earth

7. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby

8. Stumbleine

9. X.Y.U.

10. We Only Come Out At Night

11. Beautiful

12. Lily (My One And Only)

13. By Starlight

14. Farewell And Goodnight

Morning Tea (CD3)

1. Tonight, Tonight (Strings Alone mix)

2. Methusela (Sadlands demo)

3. X.Y.U. (Take 11)

4. Zero (Synth mix)

5. Feelium (Sadlands demo)

6. Autumn Nocturne (Sadlands demo)

7. Beautiful (Loop version)

8. Ugly (Sadlands demo)

9. Ascending Guitars (Sadlands demo)

10. By Starlight (Flood rough)

11. Medellia Of The Gray Skies (Take 1)

12. Lover (Arrangement 1 demo)

13. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby (Take 7)

14. In The Arms Of Sleep (Early Live demo)

15. Lily (My One And Only) (Sadlands demo)

16. 1979 (Sadlands demo)

17. Glamey Glamey (Sadlands demo)

18. Meladori Magpie

19. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Home Piano version)

20. Galapagos (Instrumental/Sadlands demo)

21. To Forgive (Sadlands demo)

High Tea (CD4)

1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Sadlands demo)

2. Set The Ray To Jerry (Vocal Rough)

3. Thirty-Three (Sadlands demo)

4. Cupid De Locke (BT 2012 mix)

5. Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans (Live Studio rough)

6. Jellybelly (Instrumental/Pit mix 3)

7. The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)

8. Jupiter’s Lament (Barbershop version)

9. Bagpipes Drone (Sadlands demo)

10. Tonight, Tonight (Band Version Only, No Strings)

11. Knuckles (Studio outtake)

12. Pennies

13. Here Is No Why (Pumpkinland demo)

14. Blast (Fuzz version)

15. Towers Of Rabble (Live)

16. Rotten Apples

17. Fun Time (Sadlands demo)

18. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby (Acoustic version)

19. Chinoise (Sadlands demo)

20. Speed

Special Tea (CD 5)

1. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (Nighttime version 1)

2. Galapagos (Sadlands demo)

3. Cherry (BT 2012 mix)

4. Love (Flood rough)

5. New Waver (Sadlands demo)

6. Fuck You (an ode to no one) (Production Master rough)

7. Isolation (BT 2012 mix)

8. Transformer (Early mix)

9. Dizzle (Sadlands demo)

10. Goodnight (Basic Vocal rough)

11. Eye (Soundworks demo)

12. Blank (Sadlands demo)

13. Beautiful (Instrumental-Middle 8)

14. My Blue Heaven (BT 2012 mix)

15. One And Two

16. Zoom (7 ips)

17. Pastichio Medley (Reversed extras)

18. Marquis In Spades (BT 2012 mix)

19. Tales Of A Scorched Earth (Guitar Overdub mix)

20. Tonite Reprise (Version 1)

21. Wishing You Were Real (Home demo)

22. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby (Pit mix 3)

23. Phang (Sadlands demo)

DVD

Live at Brixton academy, London, 5/15/96

1. Tonight, Tonight

2. 1979

3. Zero

4. Here Is No Why

5. Thru the Eyes of Ruby

6. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans

7. Jellybelly

8. Silverfuck

9. Disarm

10. Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Live at Rockpalast, 4/7/96

11. Fuck You (An Ode To No One)

12. Muzzle

13. Cherub Rock

14. X.Y.U.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 14:25 (7 months ago) Permalink

ahhh those cd names in light of corgan's new business

― fauxmarc, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 14:50 (7 months ago) Permalink

Hahah hadn't even thought of that...

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 14:58 (7 months ago) Permalink

Billy Corgan recently opened a 1930s Chinese-style tea house, Madame Zuzu's Tea House, raising eyebrows among the hoi polloi of navel-gazing hipsters who are probably wondering if the famed Smashing Pumpkins frontman has committed a serious rock 'n' roll faux pas. He hasn't.

Tea is awesome. I don't know about this "Zuzu" business.

― how's life, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 15:06 (7 months ago) Permalink

excited as all fuck!

― spazzmatazz, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 15:24 (7 months ago) Permalink

2 books containing personal notes, lyrics, new collage artwork plus a Decoupage kit for creating your own scenes from the Mellon Collie universe.

But of course.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 15:29 (7 months ago) Permalink

When does this come out?

― van smack, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 20:39 (7 months ago) Permalink

Early December.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 2 October 2012 20:44 (7 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

In the lobby bar of one of the tallest hotels, Cornell and Thayil are settling back with a couple of beers when Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins wanders through, and decides to join them for a strawberry margarita.

― she was giving it to two friends ...Aaay! (crüt), Saturday, 8 December 2012 22:01 (5 months ago) Permalink

this performance of zero from 2000 kind of rules, so much more metal than the other ones on youtube

― fauxmarc, Wednesday, 19 December 2012 16:41 (5 months ago) Permalink

3 months pass...

so will anyone rep for PUmpkins stuff post-Machina? I finally got around to listening to Oceania and it was ok! Much better than I expected. I didn't deal with Zeigeist or whatever it was called....how about the other freebie stuff (teagarden etc).

― akm, Tuesday, 2 April 2013 22:27 (1 month ago) Permalink

I still think this one (a one-off single for some freebie comp.) is great:

― Walter Galt, Wednesday, 3 April 2013 09:19 (1 month ago) Permalink

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