Smashing Pumpkins: Fresh Fruit or Rotten Veg?

it's already done so little risk of that

haha, yes, that was my point

it is billy though so i wouldn't completely put it past him

I wasn't there, but apparently they were pretty solid last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faqxbmj6sIg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMlb3UEA4MI

lol

Disappointed in ilm tbh, feels like there was a time when Corgan eating chips and dip during a show would have at least led to a day or two of riffing. Hoped to get a least one "despite all my rage, I am still eating dip on a stage" joek in.

It's 2022, Billy C being a weird dick is no longer news

idk I think footage of him eating dip on stage mid-concert is objectively funny no matter the year

Maybe if James had done it...

That's a pretty good bit tbh. And Jimmy Chamberlain is crushing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SLr5UK1WIg

5:05 for a great Corgan vocal take.

What are the marks on his arm (1:16 in)? Has he been ill?

It’s a birthmark

They're birthmarks, he had concealed them for years and then became comfortable with them around the time of his first solo record iirc

sorry just1n3

Birthmarks, he's always had those. It wasn't until TheFutureEmbrace, his solo record from 2005, that he made a conscious effort to stop covering them up.

lol oops xpost, what they said

I have always thought of them as a long-sleeved shirt kinda band.

just gonna keep it to myself after this post but i'm kinda enjoying the first third of atum, much as i kinda enjoyed cyr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFChKps-0AA

ok i did not end up keeping it to myself

seeing them tonight, if corgan shows up (they cancelled the portland show two nights ago)

ran outta dip?

he lost his voice apparently

this after janes addiction had to pull out of several shows because perry hurt himself onstage doing contortions or whatever the fuck

Some interesting stuff on the new album but mostly meh.

It's better than I expected? Still lots of meh, but a step up from Cyr imho. That intro title track is misleading, it's like an atmospheric black metal intro or something, I was all stoked for it to lead into like "Tales of a Scorched Earth" v2 or something but, nope, back to the same synth pop sound he's been chasing. I do love the metal loving guitar solo in "The Good in Goodbye" though, along with a few other parts where the guitar makes a notable impression. It's overproduced to death, but the drums do hit pretty hard.

Again, borderline criminal that Corgan has a rare talent like Chamberlain in his band and refuses to let him loose and keeps him tied to so many boring ass beats.

they were great last night, new songs were good too. interestingly, no keyboards on stage; there were some programmed things here and there being triggered from somewhere, but this was an extremely guitar heavy set. I hadn't realized there was another guitarist in addition to Iha and Corgan now too.

Jeff?

Yeah, he's still with them afaik.

yes. also, sadly, no chips and dip, though we were treated to the worst version of Once in a Lifetime I've ever heard

Jane's Addiction were awesome, I didn't miss Navarro at all, plus Josh Klinghoffer showed up for a few songs.

I feel bad for Jeff - he's been in the band for 15 years now and still gets forgotten.

well in fairness, I pay no attention to smashing pumpkins in general so don't assume my ignorance is a sign of anything

the stage set up was interesting in that they didn't have any amp cabs up there, just heads, so I guess they routed everything back through the monitors (and in-ears, I assume). I've read somewhere else this is becoming common for some bands but I'd never seen it before.

hmm

https://www.discogs.com/release/25361299-The-Smashing-Pumpkins-The-Rubano-Tapes-Vol-2

xp yeah I saw a gear video where their amp tech had the cabs miked up inside acoustic isolation boxes for whatever perfection of tone that permits

Are these Rubano Tapes intended to ensure that the songs remain copyrighted, much like what The Rolling Stones and Beach Boys have done?

second chapter of atum came out to zero fanfare or awareness today

really enjoying the opener

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KZ-N9gkTnQ

I attempted to listen to Billy’s podcast recently. So bad.

i bet it's terrible!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MCJsgNe3VU

this is the other major highlight from the new one... uhhh maybe his best tune since oceania, closest he's come to writing a new order song since thefutureembrace. if only he were this good all the time still

Brad, you’re not wrong. This is actually a pretty good song, particularly in context of the last 15 years or so of this band.

Yes, fantastic song.

I think there might actually be a decent 40-minute album to be salvaged from all of this at the end!

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

just here to casually brag that my six year old's favorite song now is "an ode to no one"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtT46ScAgVY

i do love when billy just goes for it and writes a pop song

please tell me that's not Jimmy Chamberlin drumming

So today I learned that as part of the Atum project, they've recorded a full on "psychedelic", guitar heavy record that won't be officially released as part of the Atum set. BUT it is currently only available as part of the Atum autographed limited edition box set going for... checks notes... $500. It won't even be available for streaming or digitally until at least 2024.

Absolutely insane. Burying the album most of your fans have been waiting to hear as a bonus item on a ridiculously overpriced limited edition box set tells you exactly what Billy thinks of his fans at this point.