"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" by the Smashing Pumpkins

While I don’t mind some of the music they put out towards the end my feelings about that period of the Pumpkins before they split are severely embittered by a gig I saw at the Glasgow SECC in 2000 which probably ranks amongst the worst performances I’ve seen by any band. From what I remember the tour was sold to fans as a ‘final farewell’ and as such expectations were high that we would be treated to some of the hits. What we got instead was Billy dressed in a frock ranting unintelligibly at the audience for extended periods, a set list made up primarily of Machina II tracks and, when they finally did play something recognisable, a slowed down version of Bullet with Butterfly Wings and a sped up take on Today.

Brutal experience that really tainted my opinion on the band. The gig itself is the stuff of legend on account of how bad it was. Throughout the years I’ve met several others who were there that night and they’ve all felt the same.

Anyway, regardless of that I’m picking this up on vinyl. I’ve been after a copy for years but it’s been selling for stupid money. Managed to snag the reissue from Amazon.ca for £26 delivered.

Managed to snag the reissue from Amazon.ca for £26 delivered.

Wait, what? I'm not seeing that on there!

yeah, amazon.ca fucked up for a while and was offering the boxset for 26 bux but they fixed it a week or so ago, but all orders placed under that price are valid because of their store policy. altho iirc a lot of people on netphoria got their orders cancelled and had to get em again under the regular, insane price

also, does anyone have the bonus discs in non-watermarked form and is willing to share?

I've been listening to this since the thread revive, and I've changed my mind. I was ten years old when the Smashing pumpkins were huge, and my first exposure came from my older brother's cd collection. He had Gish and Siamese Dream, so I suppose I had sentimental reasons for favoring those two so heavily over Mellon Collie. I also had a friend in high school that would make Jack Black-esque hand gestures and faces to "Here Is No Why" in his car. That always bugged the hell out of me.

hahaha weird, one of my fave songs!

here is no why might have the best sp solo

The "Here is No Why" solo is very melodic. Corgan's solos on Gish are amazing, though they unravel into rapid fire muscle memory at times. The first part of the solo in "Bury Me" is great, but the part after the 3000 bpm picking of the same note sounds more like a fretting exercise than a contribution to a song. The "Tristessa" solo has an interesting mixture of 80s guitar virtuoso and melodic Corgan guitar solos. He does many interesting things while keeping it melodic. It's possibly my favorite.

Okay so here's one for everyone -- who here tuned into the radio broadcast of the album release show in Chicago, with Cheap Trick (who opened) joining them on the encore to do three of their songs?

I also remember them or something blowing out the power about five seconds into "Zero" so they had to pause the show and say something to the audience and/or the listeners about the glitch. I think they played the studio version of "By Starlight" as a stopgap on the broadcast.

'Here Is No Why' is definitely a gem - like 'Muzzle' I definitely feel that could have been a single too. The solo on 'Soma' from Siamese Dream is probably my favourite solo of his overall.

who here tuned into the radio broadcast of the album release show in Chicago

KROQ simulcast it, didn't they? I listened to it.

http://archive.org/details/tsp1995-10-23.flac16

ha, listening now to "4. (power failure) 7:51"

"people will remember it as like a mythic show, even though we didn't play"

and she was right

Hahah. I should go back and relisten.

The Cheap Trick choices were inspired too -- "Baby Loves to Rock," "If You Want My Love" and "Auf Wiedersehn."

Giving MACHINA/The Machines Of God right now. 'Glass And The Ghost Children' is a masterpiece, isn't it? Yes, it is! Some incredibly Jimmy Chamberlin drumming in the first part... and I love that weird section that links the two parts together.

*incredibly good

man waiting for this to leak suuuuhckxs

I feel like there's a Louis C.K. bit to be written about that

Omfg found the bonus discs dl'ing now will report back shortly

btw in case you missed it, here's what's on offer:

MORNING TEA
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
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
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)"

This was the first album I ever bought that wasn't a Now! compilation. Rocking from an early age

That's a lot of tea, innit?

This thing is so ridiculous and wonderful:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/374489_10151316598296136_419070252_n.jpg

wow!!

Four decoupage sheets in total in a lovely envelope, the CD/DVD holder as noted, reproduction of the lyric booklet, full annotation booklet etc with photos and a slew of early art design concepts, the whole kept in that case in the upper right, which really looks lovely. Think I'll drown in the sound of this all week.

That indeed looks awesome! This album was all about excess and sprawl, and now it's got the packaging to match!

Need to pull the trigger and order that damn thing.

i would love a mix of just the rarities, WOW

again, i will say it, and loud: I WANT MY PISTACHIO MEDLEY BOX SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET

yeah only 7 pistachio songs out of the 70-something pieces, none of my favorites either

And into the listen. Damn, it might just actually sound better, this remaster!

agreed, it cuts more and it's a little less muddy on the low end. all the heavy tracks sound glorious.

That box sort-of reminds me of the Andy Partridge "Fuzzy Warbles" total-box-set..

It has stamp-sheets, an envelope that says it contains 'hinges' but in fact it has another CD..

And 9 other CDs.

And a 'best-of' in a envelope..

And a book...

Listened to the first bonus disc yesterday, on the rest today. Loving all this. It'll never fully replace all the bootlegs because it's more like a wide sampling of so many different tracks as opposed to an every-last-track thing but it's just great hearing so many of these songs all the more cleanly now.

Also "Set the Ray to Jerry" remains one of the best things they ever, ever did.

Okay this 'barbershop' version of "Jupiter's Lament" is lovely.

favorites so far - Dizzle (didn't stand out to me on the gravity demos, but this home demo is just gorgeous), the 1979 demo (the one that billy made the afternoon after flood told him the song wasn't ready for the album and got to change his mind), Phang, Knuckles, Ruby take 7, Jellybelly pit mix, Bagpipes drone, Cherry remix, Wishing You Were Real, My Blue Heaven remix, Isolation cover, Autumn Nocturne.....so many great nuggets on here!

The first line of "Stumbleine" sounds like "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Ha!

ha! Johnny's in the basement, mixin' up the loose teeth....

could actually be a cool Dylanesque way of expressing that the guy was shooting dice down there actually

Ordered this last night, can't wait to get it.

Spazz can you make me a copy

I'm hoping Santa Claus drops the vinyl set in my stocking this christmas

i dug out mellon collie last night. it's a rare example of a double album with very very few bad moments on it.

yup, the only replacements i would make are "The Boy" instead of "Love," and "Meladori Magpie," "Jupiter's Lament," or "My Blue Heaven" instead of "Take Me Down."

i like both those songs. i always loved the guitar sound on Love especially. And Take Me Down is slight, but nice and it has Iha singing on it.

billy could've kept the band together by promising iha 2 songs no questions asked on all future albums. then he'd be able to say he gave him a shot, and that iha wasn't really a "repressed talent" like he thought and people would stop jumping to the conclusion that billy was an asshole for not putting any shite songs on his records.

xp Is it confirmed that all the Pistachio Medley bits were pulled from full-length songs?

i don't think the seeds of resentment against Billy from fans or bandmates really has much at all to do w/ whether he let other people write SP songs (xp)