Re-Smashing the Pumpkins

With all this talk of upcoming Smashing Pumpkins shows, and the new (awesome) track (“Tarantula,” found here), I’ve been breaking out all my old Pumpkins’ CDs (and there are a lot), and re-falling in love with the (arguably) best alternative band of the ‘90s. A play-by-play (or album-by-album) run-through that will maybe get you excited enough to break open your personal collection:

Gish (1991): To truly love this album, you have to understand the context around which it was released. Another (arguably) impressive album was to be released this same year. Nevermind would come out later in 1991, unfortunately shadowing Gish, which had more potential than would come to realization. A mix of grunge-era guitar grime, the buddings of the Pumpkins’ classic guitar stylings, and of course Corgan’s trademark soprano vocals. On the way to what we all think of when we think of the Pumpkins, Gish is an interesting look at what came before they were THE Smashing Pumpkins. Track picks: “Siva,” “Rhinoceros,” “Suffer.”

Siamese Dream (1993): This is THE album that made The Smashing Pumpkins who they are (or were, depending on your thoughts of the reunion). After succumbing to horrible depression, Corgan worked himself out of the hole by basically crafting this album by himself (and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, so take that all you nay-sayers who don’t think Jimmy and Corgan can make a decent album). Debuting in the Top 10 charts with singles “Disarm” and “Today,” this is the album that let the Pumpkins take the headline-spot at 1994’s Lollapalooza—the tour that put even more pressure on an already dangerously unstable bond between band members. More drama was to come. Track picks: “Cherub Rock,” “Rocket,” “Mayonaise,” and “Geek USA.”

Pisces Iscariot (1994): Released to keep fans hanging on during the agonizingly long recording process that would give birth to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, this was an album of B-sides and discarded tracks from Siamese Dream. Track picks: “Hello Kitty Kat,” “Landslide.”

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995): Where Siamese Dream secured a spot for the Pumpkins in the current music scene, this blockbuster two-disc album placed them in a spot among the rock greats of all time. 28 tracks cover almost every human emotion possible, from rage/relationship woes (“Tales of a Scorched Earth,” “An Ode To No One (Fuck You),” “x.y.u.”), to youthful nostalgia (“1979”), to stalker-tendencies (“Lily (My One And Only)”), to simple melancholy (“Galapagos,” “Thirty-Three,” “Muzzle,” “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”). Led by singles “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Zero,” “Tonight, Tonight,” and “1979,” this removed all doubt as to the Smashing Pumpkins’ importance, and made a fan out of me. Track Picks: Everything I’ve mentioned, plus “Cupid de Locke,” “Bodies,” “Love,” and “Here Is No Why.”

Adore (1998): The album missing drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (who was recovering from a nasty drug/alcohol addiction that had taken the life of tour keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and sent Chamberlin to the hospital), I truly believe Corgan saw this absence as an opportunity to experiment. Thus we have Adore, a soft, electronic-threaded album that was a perfect picture of a band moving on – past its former styles – much to the disappointment of those who wanted more of the Pumpkins on Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie. Adore died on the charts (at least compared to the rousing successes of the two previous studio-albums) and is now viewed with different opinions. To some it is the first step for Corgan on a road to bad music, to others (like myself) it is refreshing. The tracks are wonderful (albeit not as smashing as Mellon Collie) but most importantly it proves that the Pumpkins would never be stagnant. Despite all obstacles they would always be changing and experimenting. Just because Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream were hits didn’t justify playing that sort of music forever. (Keep this in mind when Zeitgeist is released). Track Picks: “Ava Adore,” “Pug,” “Crestfallen,” “The Tale of Dusty & Pistol Pete.”

MACHINA/The Machines of God (2000): What the hell is this album about? It’s a concept album if there ever was one, but Corgan didn’t stick around long enough to explain what the heck he was aiming for. Perhaps its better that way (perhaps). The album art included with this release is gorgeous and thought-provoking, as is the music. Again, not as cataclysmic as their previous chart-toppers, MACHINA/The Machines of God saw the departure of bassist D’Arcy Wretzky and the introduction of her replacement, former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. With this album Corgan also decided to end the Pumpkins. A good, mysterious album to end with, MACHINA will always sound a bit crazy and it will be interesting to see how they patch up the gap between this 2000 release and the coming 2007 one. Track Picks: “The Everlasting Gaze,” “Heavy Metal Machine,” “Raindrops + Sunshowers,” “I Of The Mourning.”

MACHINA II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000): A final screw you to Virgin Records, The Smashing Pumpkins released this online album for bootleg download in September of 2000. Easily found today for download, it is compiled with new songs, reworks of MACHINA/The Machines of God tracks, and a few B-sides. Perhaps even better than MACHINA (perhaps), MACHINA II only adds to the mystique of the Pumpkins’ departure. If this is the first time you’re hearing about this album, you can pick it up here. Track Picks: “Cash Car Star,” “Lucky-13,” “Saturnine,” “Dross,” “Here's to the Atom Bomb (New Wave Version).”

Maybe I’ll get around to recommending some good singles and B-sides later, but this is probably enough to chew on for now. Pass the time between now and July 7th with the old albums you love. And if you’re missing any of these (especially MACHINA II), what are you waiting for?