Smashing Pumpkins

[snuffbox 0]

Are supposedly back together...

 

Your thoughts?

[Nighthawk 0]

I thought one of them was dead...

 

I like the band well enough, but know pretty much nothing about them.

 

So, if one of them was dead, a reunion is meaningless.

[The Czech Republic 0]

The dead one was just an auxiliary member for touring purposes, I think.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

They were my favorite band when I was 14.

[snuffbox 0]

If the reunion rumor is true...it will probably be Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlein(drums), and replacement sfor D'arcy and James Iha. Billy Corgan wrote almost all of the material...D'arcy is now a lost crackhead and James Iha's only function was to stand up onstage and look like a junked out fairy(and play the simpler stuff Billy wrote for him). If Billy wants to play the old music (and maybe some new) with Jimmy and some new folks...its still pretty much the same. This isnt like current Guns N Roses with only Axl Rose...Izzy Stradlin, Slash, etc were actually important parts of GnR, the Pumpkins was all Billy and his whacky friends.

[Special K 0]

Siamese Dream is one of my favorite albums ever. They're pretty great when they let their guitars do the talking, I'm not a huge fan of some of Corgan's ballads. Bullet w/ butterfly Wings and Zero get the most radio play nowadays, and they have some of the stoopidest lyrics.

 

I'd want James Iha back, though.

[snuffbox 0]

'Intoxicated with madness/Im in love with my sadness' is a pretty strong lyric. And the Biblical references in Bullet/Butterfly are pretty good as well.

[Special K 0]

The lyrics to Zero are just so overwrought it's almost self-parody. It's not Corgan's forte.

 

I think I don't like BWBW beacause it has an ultra-repetetive chorus (something I really dislike in general) and the guitars aren't interesting at all.

 

I'm listening to Siamese Dream right now.

[Special K 0]

And don't forget, he hit Steve Corino with a chair and took a gore. He's hardcore!

[EricMM 0]

would it involve that Paz chick he was in Zwan with, would it (or whatever that band was called)

[Sideburnious 0]

Zwan were pretty good. It was pretty much the opposite to machina, the machines of god (in the fact that it was light and not overly [i.e gayly] morbid). As long as they actually play the good stuff and stay away from 95% of the last two albums i'd be very happy to see them live as I never really got the chance. I think I'd rather see James back in the Pumpkins rather than A Perfect Circle and it would be nice to have D'arcy back, but I mean, her acting career would hardly give a chance to tour [/sarcasm].

[snuffbox 0]

Can someone explain to me why James Iha is necessary? He didnt write music and had one of the most boring stage presences ever.

[Steviekick 0]

Like Agent, they were my favorite band till I was 14.

 

Then they released Mellon Collie, which really should not have been a double album. Too much of the material on it was really filler. From that point on, I really stopped caring for any of their new material. It all sounded the same.

 

I did like Zwan a lot.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

They're pretty good. Outside of AiC, I'd say they're actually the best band of the grunge era (though they sorta hit it big right after grunge died). I can still listen to "Zero," "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Today," and "Tonight Tonight" and not get bored. Plus that song whose name I always forget, but the chorus is "the killer in me is the killer in me" or something. I love that song, but can never remember the title.

 

And Machina wasn't too bad an album. "Everlasting Gaze" was good, and so was "Heavy Metal Machine." I also remember a few songs off Adore being decent, and their song from Batman & Robin, "The End is the Beginning is the End," is a damn good song.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I loved 'em in 10th grade. I still listen to Siamese Dream once or twice a year, and I'm fond of the quieter moments on Adore ("To Sheila" is probably the simplest, best, least embarrassing song they ever wrote). I have absolutely no interest in any material they'd put out or tours they'd do.

[Special K 0]

Well, hopefully they'f be playing their good, virtuoso stuff.

 

After listening to Siamese Dream again, it's so fucking good. Definitely in my top 10. Even the ballads are good.

 

Impromptu top 10, not in any order, and dominated by Sonic Youth, natch.

 

Siamese Dream (SP)

Sister (Sonic Youth)

Daydream Nation (Sonic Youth)

Murray St. (Hey, I have a huge boner for Sonic Youth, and listen to one of these albums at work every day.)

Misery is a Butterfly (Blonde Redhead)

English Settlement (XTC)

VU and Nico (Velvet Underground)

Last Splash (Breeders, a lot of bias for my fave song ever, Cannonball. It's a great album either way.)

London Calling (The Clash)

Meddle (Pink Floyd)

 

So many incredible albums I've left out. My second favorute band, Sleater-Kinney is totally ommitted. I'm just happy I've found the music I like.

[Special K 0]

All right, I need to do an 11-20.

 

EVOL (Sonic Youth)

Washing Machine (Sonic Youth)

The Clash (duh)

Dig me out (Sleater-Kinney)

Rain Dogs (Tom Waits)

Live in NY (Niravana)

Surfer Rosa (Pixies)

White Light/White Heat (VU. Maybe best album to work by)

Fugazi-13 songs

Bikini Kill- Reject all American

[Sideburnious 0]

Plus that song whose name I always forget, but the chorus is "the killer in me is the killer in me" or something. I love that song, but can never remember the title.

 

Disarm

 

 

I still listen to them and I've liked them for about 10/11 years now. Their first three albums are great but I do remember thinking Gish was a lot heavier than it was when I went back to it recently. They are probably also one of the only bands where I can picture/hear the whole album in my head and plan it out as it's being played: especially with Siamese Dream and the first disk of Mellon Collie.

[Red Baron 0]

Cherub Rock and Disarm are probably my favourite Smashing Pumpkin songs by them.

[Special K 0]

Cherub Rock is such an incredible album opener. One of the best ever, IMO. That and Rocket are probably my fave SP songs.

 

Siamese Dream is so fucking awesome. I wish they had kept that sound forever. When I said I don't like Corgan's ballads, that toatally doesn't apply to songs oon SD like 'Disarm.'

[The Czech Republic 0]

I really liked 1979 in middle school

[Guest Coffey]

And don't forget, he hit Steve Corino with a chair and took a gore. He's hardcore!

I remember him hitting Corino with a guitar but I don't remember him taking a Gore.

[snuffbox 0]

Machina had one of the best songs in the Pumpkins catalogue...Age of Innocence...an incredible hidden gem.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Any enjoyment I get from them now begins and ends with Siamese Dream.

[Matt Young 0]

The Pumpkins were good, but not one of my favorites. The only "album" I have by them is the boxed set, The Aeroplane Flies High, which contains the 5 singles from Mellon Collie with about 7 songs on each disc.

 

I'm surprised people are just now hearing about their reunion. I read some announcement by Corgan about 3 months ago or so.

[snuffbox 0]

Thats odd....because the reunion isnt official yet.

[Matt Young 0]

Thats odd....because the reunion isnt official yet.

 

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,1679....html?rsslatest

 

Um... That's pretty much official. And I guess it was longer ago than I thought.

 

He may not have a full lineup yet, but Jimmy Chamberlain is on board and Corgan won't let the project fall apart.

[snuffbox 0]

Thats nice...

 

Yes, Billy Corgan took out a full page ad in the paper (and made a vague reference on his myspace) about WANTING to put the Pumpkins back together. NME.com and a few other sites have recently 'confirmed' this is happening due to a fake Coachella lineup that circulated from the Coachella messageboard.

 

Its not official yet...you might want to wait until its on Smashingpumpkins. com or Billy's myspace.

[JangoFett4Hire 0]

I don't get it, he wants to reunite the Pumpkins, but only Chamberlain will be from the original lineup? Wasn't that what Zwan was?

[snuffbox 0]

Basically, yes, as far as the linep it will 'probably' be Zwan-esque. The difference is that Billy wouldnt play any Pumpkins songs in Zwan or as a solo performer...now he wants to.