Bang Bang You're Dead... POLL In Your Head - ILM Artist Poll #87 - SMASHING PUMPKINS - Results

I was sure that "I of the Mourning" was the one that I always heard on the radio in Canada but, oddly, I can't find any evidence that it was even a major single release. I have no memory of hearing "Everlasting Gaze" or "Try, Try, Try" on radio.

'Pug' too high.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Friday, 6 April 2018 10:30 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Pug too low, obv.

One of my top choices, and probably the pinnacle for me of the electro-goth sound that started with "Eye" and ran through "Ava Adore", "Tear" etc. I love the contrast between the crunchiness of the verses and the velvety smoothness of what I suppose is meant to be the chorus. Only flaw is the bridge which I feel doesn't quite gel with the rest of the song, but then they more than make it up for it with the new tearing synth sound that comes in afterwards.

The production reminds me weirdly of Tori Amos' 'From The Choirgirl Hotel' from the same year.

"I of the Mourning" is a great song that just missed my ballot because of the muddy production - you can hear the amazing Catherine Wheel tune struggling to rise out of the murk.

Yeah, it was listening to the live MusiquePlus performances of "I of the Mourning" and "Stand Inside Your Love" that really decided their spots on my ballot.

Both songs are among the least egregious on that album in terms of poor production, in truth, but their quality as songs almost makes It more upsetting.

I mean at least "Raindrops + Sunshowers" is just a dumb song so there's no lasting harm done there.

We're probably never going to agree on this but electro-goth production is particularly unforgiving to Corgan's voice in a way that noisy guitars (or even gentle guitars) aren't. It's a bit like how Kele Okerere's strangulated yelp worked OK with post-punk revivalism but dear god not with piano house.

I feel like all of billy's vocals post-SD are borderline awful with maybe 10 exceptions, so then it just comes down to how much I like the music / tune / production.

https://i.imgur.com/Oov9FUq.jpg
49. Cupid de Locke
156 points, 9 votes
From: Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, 1995

We're probably never going to agree on this but electro-goth production is particularly unforgiving to Corgan's voice in a way that noisy guitars (or even gentle guitars) aren't.

I think a lot of us were agreeing with this on the voting thread?

idk i think corgan’s voice is particularly suited toward stuff like “eye”

then again it is impossible for me to hear his voice as bad on the first five records (it is certainly v bad now)

i think the convo on the voting thread was about the shift in his voice between sd and mellon collie which isn’t so dramatic to me (but it made a ton of sense to me that he recorded his vocals in single takes without monitors on mellon collie bc he’s often a mess on that record). his singing on adore is really solid and unobnoxious for the most part

tim otm about “pug” btw which i didn’t vote for

yeah I agree with Brad he sounds fine on Adore. another thing about SD is his voice seems a little lower in the mix than on later albums

Cupid de Locke is pretty but not really something I was expecting to place at all.

Cupid de Locke is so good and weird. I'm not sure it would fit on any other SP album.

i love “cupid de locke” it’s so silly

Didn't vote for Cupid de Locke but it's lovely - it was definitely a favourite when I first got the album.

I can hear what Tim means about From the Choirgirl Hotel re: Pug, good shout.

https://i.imgur.com/3GLrQXe.jpg
48. By Starlight
162 points, 9 votes
From: Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, 1995

part of the nature of mellon collie being so long: i bought the album when i was eight but i don't think i got around to this song until i was nine or ten

it's one of the best though

“Cupid de Locke” is delightfully ridiculous. The first thing from my ballot to place, too!

lol i love the outro of pug, sounds like the song's malfunctioning

i love the kinda last blast of full on romanticism that "by starlight" represents on the album, such a lovely, warm song. the sudden appearance of the "does she really know who i really am" bridge is my favorite part

I love the repeating guitar line in By Starlight that slowly increases in intensity throughout the song

https://i.imgur.com/txNiliK.jpg
47. Where Boys Fear to Tread
170 points, 8 votes
From: Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, 1995

I agree with most of what was said about Ava Adore, it's all style with very little substance, as if we were supposed to be impressed that SP were hip to goth and electronica so it didn't really matter if they forgot to write a decent melody or chorus.

But on other parts of Adore (the album) they totally nailed the goth rock/electronica hybrid which is why that album is so fascinating but also so frustrating.

I sort of wish the drums were a little more forceful or something?

the hi-hat in the second verse, though

^^^ re: "ava adore"

All the last three are way too high with the exception on 'By Starlight' which is roughly in the right place. In no way are these better than the MACHINA tracks that place lower. I guess I'm just fortunate that I'm able to spot a good song even if the production is a barrier to some.

'Pug' has some neat ideas in the arrangement, but the vocal melody isn't all that strong.

Starting to think that every single thing on Mellon Collie is going to place but otoh there's no chance of enough people voting for We Only Come Out At Night.

By Starlight is one of his best ballads though.

It is, but the version they played at Glastonbury was fucking awful, if I recall.

https://i.imgur.com/LArDV2t.jpg
46. Eye
172 points, 9 votes
From: Lost Highway Soundtrack, 1997

YEAH

this song sounds so cool

it's really those thick daubs of bass throughout

most of the recent Machina tracks were higher than those MCIS tracks for most of the voting period, none of the recent MCIS tracks had many votes at all until the last day or so

I love the repeating guitar line in By Starlight that slowly builds in intensity, one of my favourites.

I don't care at all for Where Boys Fear to Tread though, just feels like an aimless riff to me.

Eye rules and I wish there were more harder-hitting songs like it on Adore, which mostly went for a murkier sound in its percussion & bass.

https://i.imgur.com/kfl7mJ1.jpg
45. Blank Page
180 points, 9 votes
From: Adore, 1998

yesss beautiful song

https://open.spotify.com/user/beeok/playlist/4IrfPuY4059KGXCZoMftEl?si=3HXmKcGNSei8NLSHIU2ouw

Please keep updated.

Eye is great and probably too low. I thought it'd get a Lynch bump around here.

there's an adore demo/outtake called "my mistake" which it sounds like they dissolved that song in water and "blank page" was the result

also:

take a day
plant some trees
may they shade you from me
may your children play beneath

https://i.imgur.com/8MZRYur.jpg
44. Glynis
184 points, 8 votes
From: No Alternative, 1993

this is the only one I don't have a good image for unfortunately, couldn't find an easy way to replicate the font on the No Alternative cover...

yayyyyy!!!

dang Glynis now that's a song, my #5

i voted for "glynis," two spots above "blank page" oddly. everything i love about gish/sd era sp is kinda embodied by that song, especially the contrast between its two halves. i can't explain why but it feels related to "hummer," like an even more chilled-out paisley mirror of it

love those yelps at the end, there's an alt version on the deluxe Pisces that replaces the yelps with a bunch of "crayzeeee" vocals & it sucks so bad, but the original is total blissed out sadness, my Pumpkins

never heard Eye before! almost sounds more like a God Lives Underwater or Jesus Jones track or something.

this is prob the fourth time this video has been posted between the voting thread and the results thread but this is a really stunning performance imo and billy actually sounds great for most of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohGwSHQ7Vdc

I totally forgot about Glynis. Great tune, it wouldn't have jelled on SD but it's an album worthy song for sure.

All of my least favorite Adore songs are placing thus far ...