Headwarmer - SMASHING PUMPKINS

Gish (1991)

Released right at the time when the grunge revolution was kicking down our doors, ‘Gish’ gave the alternative rock scene a startling indication of what was to come from this extraordinary four- piece. A soul-soaring set of unanimously brilliant songs that came as a surprise to those expecting a more obvious and relative direction; a sound that would ultimately carve out their individualistic niche from the likes of Jane’s Addiction and Nirvana with beautiful swathes of power and quivering emotion. Delicious psychedelic alt-rock emanating from Billy Corgans signature guitar and vocal style, D’Arcy’s frivolous bass lines and Jimmy Chamberlains tribal drums all allowing James Iha to spin irresistible and ambitious webs of axemanship around the swirling magnetic core. Shifting effortlessly between hard and soft most notably between magnificent opener ‘I Am One’, the sprawling ‘Rhinoceros’ and the dreamy sugar coated ‘Suffer’. This was a debut that boldly stepped outside the familiar rock boundaries of its time and is still a wonderful slice of musical expressionism today.

Siamese Dream (1993)

On their second LP the Pumpkins really came of age, blasting any shreds of doubt as to their rock-ability into stratosphere. Despite growing personal pressures to out do ‘Nevermind’ and being far from adored by their peers, Billy Corgan battled depression and Jimmy Chamberlain’s growing drug addictions to record an equally startling set of sonic soundscapes that confirmed they were here to stay. Abandoning the big Rock image they found a place to blossom and deliver an album that was utterly representative of nothing but itself. Selling over 4 million in the US alone, Siamese Dream had a perfectly whole character, each song yielding a bold and fluid uniqueness. The gigantic opener ‘Cherub Rock’ received heavy radio rotation, garnering their global appeal; fusing a dynamite guitar on top of a thunderous rhythm section. There’s a cruise connection between the silvery pop of ‘Today’, the introspection of ‘Disarm’ and ‘Mayonnaise’, mutating into the punkness of ‘Geek USA’ and the lullaby ballads ‘Soma’ and ‘Luna’. Both dazzling and reckless this was the work of gloriously imaginative rock misfits.

Pisces Iscariot (1994)

In rapid succession came a booty of b-sides, outtakes and session tracks that if you hadn’t already wallowed in the dreamy washes of acoustic guitars and heaviness that made ‘Gish’ and ‘Siamese Dream’, you weren’t disappointed. If your expectations of progression were higher then the timidity of ‘Plume’ and ‘Pissant’ would render this collection distinctly average, making it almost an exercise in simple archive and excess turnover. Most of the tracks follow the Pumpkins footprint with perhaps the haunting cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ surprisingly providing a guiding light. Though most would argue that after just two albums a rock band shouldn’t be releasing a collection such as this, the Smashing pumpkins are a BIG rock band and whilst it was a little self serving, ‘Pisces…’ proved to be a worthwhile exercise in early marketing and publicity if nothing else.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)

A Twenty eight track behemoth of indulgent experimentalism that was described by Corgan as “The Wall for Generation X”. Produced by the visionary Flood, it’s a mix of conceptual rock and superfluous electronica that touched just about every corner of their creativity and would ultimately become the best selling double album of its decade; going nine times platinum in the US. Despite some truly inspirational bombastic beauty, there’s an abundance of filler that makes coherent play-through a bit of a chore. Trim the fat however and you’ve got some of their best work and some exceptional songwriting, dazzling even on the imperial ‘Jellybelly’, the singles ‘Tonight, Tonight’ and ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’, both epic and enchanting, while ‘Zero’ (a soon to become iconic image in itself) and ‘1979’ couldn’t be more wistful, dancing between styles to stunning effect. The follow up tour sadly would end in personal tragedy and ultimately with drummer Jimmy Chamberlain being axed for drug possession. But ‘Mellon Collie…’ was ambitious, accomplished and frustrating by turns; it’s a vital album that audiences today should still readily appreciate.

Adore (1998)

Now a three piece, the Pumpkins moved away from the turbo charged anthems and headed straight into a dark and brooding cacophony of acoustics, synthesizers and techno throb. Born from even further personal tragedy following a divorce and the loss of his mother, Corgan took the listener in a new direction on Adore. There’s a murky monolithic presence to the material, setting in motion slightly vacant riffs battered up to juggernaut momentum, then layered into thick sound textures that seem like gigantic outpourings. From the opening pulse of ‘Ava Adore’ to the soothe of ‘Crestfallen’ and the swirling ‘Apples and Oranjes’, it’s subdued and subversive but with repeat spins come rich rewards and for the brave, a misty emotional fairytale. ‘Annie Dog’ and ‘Shame’ are low slung bassy mood pieces that lower the listener into the delicacies of ‘Behold the Nightmare’ and ‘For Martha’. Despite favourable reviews and in comparison to its predecessors Adore failed commercially, but what’s relevant is that the supporting tour would eventually donating around $2.8m to charity; a success in itself.

Machina/The Machines of God (2000)

1999 would see the surprise return of Jimmy Chamberlain for a tour dubbed ‘The Arising’, but with the departure of bassist D’Arcy announced on completion of this 5th opus, the reunion was short lived. Former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur signed up for the ‘Sacred and Profane’ tour but ‘Machina…’ would see a return to a more traditional progressive rock stance; searing riffs rippling through galloping beats that are sleek and immaculately conceived, with the Corgan sneer pushed way up front. Opener ‘The Everlasting Gaze’ is a sever dose of aural whiplash that acutely manages to find a place for melody alongside rampant bursts of rhythm. ‘Raindrops and Sunshowers’ and ‘I of the Mourning’ are fascinating and adventurous, while ‘Try, Try, Try’ is as close to the mainstream as they can get, harking back to earlier singles ‘Today’ and ‘Tonight, Tonight’. Further internal disruption would lead to another split and fans would be treated to a re-release of the major singles with greatest hits compilation ‘Rotten Apples’. In 2001 Corgan formed the doomed supergroup Zwan with drummer Chamberlain while James Iha hooked up with A Perfect Circle; the Pumpkin effluence bubbling through the surface of each.

Zeitgeist (2007)

On the day of the release of his own ‘The Future Embrace’ album, Corgan announced he wanted his band back. Fans rejoiced and work began with Chamberlain on new material, minus James Iha and Auf Der Maur. During a live performance in Paris, Corgan unveiled new members Jeff Schroeder and Ginger Reyes. That same month, ‘Tarantula’ was released as the first single from the forthcoming album; ‘Zeitgeist’ eventually unleashed through Reprise Records in July to very mixed media reaction. There are no surprises, the trademark hard/soft variances, driving riffs, rolling drums and bittersweet orchestrations firmly intact. Gone however are the polished productions and clarity of intent, to be replaced with a rawness that relies on a much more organic song structure. Sadly, take a grindingly significant downward gear shift and you’re left in parts, with over exuberant jamming sessions, particularly on the Kyuss ripped ‘United States’. Sporadically it works extremely well, ‘Starz’ and ‘Neverlost’ taking the listener back to the good old days, but there’s this overbearing feeling that it’s all a regurgitation of past glories. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion, so perhaps we cling on to the fact that the Smashing Pumpkins landed their
best punches in the 20th century with some truly inspirational music. Where do they go from here? Who knows, but perhaps this remarkable rock story is nearing its conclusion.