Smashing Pumpkins: Fresh Fruit or Rotten Veg?

If you email me negativly about this, expect to get a reply...a nasty one! I am not above flaming anyone that does not respect that hard work and hard currency I have sunk into maintaining the Archive over the past year and a half.

damn fools, fuck a $25 boot, you should have gotten into the CD-R trading scene!!!

― brimstead, Friday, March 2, 2018 5:54 PM (twenty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

CD-Rs were still not on the market at that time! I did some tape trading, but once stuff made its way to me, we're talking like 10th generation audience recordings recorded over my sister's copy of Grease.

heads up btw: POLLcelina of the Vast Oceans - ILM artist poll #87 - SMASHING PUMPKINS (voting open until 2 April 2018)

RS: You're a Smashing Pumpkins fan. Thoughts on the D'arcy-free reunion?

JARED LETO: I don't...I didn't even know there was a reunion. Sorry.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/f...ouring-w518756

I didn't know Thirty Seconds to Mars was still a going concern.

1991/08/17 - I-Beam - San Francisco, CA

Rocket
Tristessa
Window Paine
Iha: Bob English come on to the stage, Bob English.
Bury Me
Corgan: Danke
Iha: Mr. Bob English, we want you to report to the stage. Please we're begging you, Bob English, come to the stage, thank you. Thank you very much, it's very nice to be here. Toronto again!
Corgan: No way man, San Francisco kicks fucking ass.
Wretzky: He says that to all the girls.
Corgan: But you should hear what I tell the boys.
Iha: Mr. Bob English, get to the stage, get to the stage at any point in time.

"It used to be pleasurable to crank up Zeppelin or Nirvana to 12 in your car. Now everyone would complain – it's so piercing, so bright."

new single "Solara" is out there. officially released tomorrow I think.

BWBW/God drum beat, The Cars "Just What I Needed" guitar hook, vocals way too high, melody isn't bad, lyrics feel like Mellon Collie mad libs, forced moments of JC showoff, too long. Could've been worse, but not much...

You summed it up well there to me, sadly. An utterly underwhelming song.

Sounds like it was recorded on a phone, where is the ATTACK?

idk what i expected from a rubin-produced sp track but this checks out. v monuments-lite

lol this is almost identical to how i felt about “glow” when it came out

Really the song is not bad but the drumming is fucking hilarious

That's some alt-rock paint-by-numbers schlock if I've ever heard any. At this point I'd be shocked if the album has any decent moments let alone a good song.

This is a middling Zeitgeist track. I don't like it. But after a few listens I kinda dig the bridge ("Speculation" etc.).

And what's the deal -- this is going to be part of a tour EP, right? Not a full album?

"Drown" just came on after I played "Solara" on my playlist. God, BC really could conjure some magic in those days.

Overloud vocals and poorly mixed instrumentation. This is why Rick Rubin gets the big bucks.

Love that there are "reaction videos" on YouTube.

Literally every riff from the Pastichio Medley is more compelling than this

which is prob why every time i try to remember how this song goes, i get "glow" stuck in my head instead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRV1n00iga0

v encouraging performance for me, a person who bought tickets lol

James is good there.

I haven't liked "Zero" since 1997 and that was pretty great.

Just watched the Solara performance as well and it is significantly better than the released version - again I think I like James's additions most. Billy is very lack-lustre in both performances and they do all seem a little lifeless, but I hope proper shows will be better on that front than tv appearances.

so James was either a) not on the studio recording, or b) his parts are so buried in the mix that they're almost indistinguishable. Still not a good song but way more interesting with James' parts. re: Zero, Billy's holding back/not screaming for whatever reason - nerves, first performance this year, trying not to strain his voice. But I too have a ticket to this tour. Feeling shiny.

I cancelled my SiriusXM subscription a while ago but I'm listening to a stream of the Pumpkins on Howard Stern rn, they did BWBW and yeah, same thing as Zero, not screaming. Solara sounds OK. Another thing is that Billy's vocals aren't as high and dry in the mix, which improves the song by an order of magnitude. Howard pressing Billy on the shapeshifter story. Very nice to hear James talk.

yeah instrumentally tight af, Billy singing a guide vocal

usually a band will have some backup vocals

and usually it's a choir of Billies

he posted the song titles of the rest of the EP on instagram today. no idea when it's coming out, either during tour or after.

Announced tour dates in London and Bologna today.

The title of this article is both sad and hilarious:

https://www.spin.com/2018/06/billy-corgan-shapeshifter-howard-stern-naked/

The URL is scarier.

So I wrote a thing about Adore

http://rockandrollglobe.com/punk/into-the-last-divide-the-smashing-pumpkins-adore-turns-20/

Literally every riff from the Pastichio Medley is more compelling than this

flappy bird otm. I'm still marveling over how bland "Solara" is for a lead single. "Tarantula" was not the best, but in comparison to "Solara" it stands out as a f-ing classic.

as much as i think the song is whatever, i think the video is pretty rad, which i haven't thought about a sp video since they broke up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do3tSdZucyA

Nice video, way more interesting than the song.

I like that Billy is going full goth again

I really like that video a lot. Made me like the song more, but that video deserved a better song. Agree with Brad that it's the best post-2000 SP/Billy video. Noticed his son make a cameo at 3:53.

Your Favorite Band Sucks podcast features SP on the latest episode.

So, the tour has started. Was anyone at the first couple of shows? I've watched/listened to a few videos via youtube and they do sound and look pretty good.

You get your money's worth with the apparently 3hr-ish, 30+ song set as well, though I could really live without the Led Zeppelin cover...

https://i.redd.it/st0eld2j5z911.jpg

the setlist is awesome

I'd like "I Am One" in there, but otherwise it's hard to fault, bar my Stairway complaint.

https://imgur.com/gallery/vWdeJb1

It is ridiculously good, I'm honestly surprised. Can't see myself going but credit to him for figuring out exactly what would work best.

Store nearby is selling an original Adore 1998 vinyl copy for 40 euros. Yay or nay?

yes! it’s in mono!

a friend of mine was at the first show & loved it. One of the many texts I got that night: “I think Corgan’s rocking a kilt.”

I’m seeing them in a little less than 2 weeks, v excited

Bought it! Looks mint can’t wait to give it a spin when I get home.

that kicked a ton of ass

all the footage I've seen of it looks pretty fantastic and the best they've been in a long long time, glad you had a good time. hope they bring it here

highlights, avert your eyes if you don’t want to know anything:

- probably the best incarnation of the smashing pumpkins i’ve seen (didn’t ever get to see them until ‘07 lol)
- james playing an ebow onstage makes all the difference
- the three guitar approach is pretty rich and harmonic throughout the whole show (especially on “stand inside your love,” those guitars sound like the ocean!) only occasionally do they feel like they’re burying each other
- “siva” tore the roof off
- “porcelina” was fucking unearthly
- and “the beginning is the end is the beginning” was amazingly crunchy and gothy, prob the best song of the night which i was not expecting to think
- “stairway to heaven” was super unnecessary but i really like the “space oddity” cover????
- the visuals were corny and tasteful at the same time? like obviously drawing on mellon collie romantic imagery and weird billy corgan iconography, but it was really effective and playful; the improvisational (?) dance they filmed for “for martha” was actually moving
- mark mcgrath filmed two vaudeville... things for this show, one of which is an intro to “blew away”
- cried during “33”

k think that’s it