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[isamu]

DAMMIT ALPHA!!!!! How come you didn't tell me the Smashing Pumpkins were this fucking great???? I just picked up this........

.......and OH MY STARS AND GARTERS!!!! What a totally kick ass compilation!! I have always kinda liked the Smashing Pumkins from various songs I've heard over the years off the radio, but never took it upon myself to actually BUY one of their albums, because I figured there'd be quite a lot of stinkers on each one that I wouldn't like.

But now that they've put out a greatest hits CD, this was the PERFECT opportunity for me to get to know them better! And perhaps...with your persuasion, buy more albums.

Each track on this CD is nothing short of amazing. And this is how I rate them....

1. Siva = 8 out of 10

2. Rhinoceros = 9 out of 10...a great track that I havent' heard in AGES!!!!

3. Drown = 9 out of 10...see #2

4. Cherub Rock = 10 out of 10!!!...used to love hearing this on the radio and man...does it ever sound as good today as it did back then!!!

5. Today = 10 out of 10.....see #4

6. Disarm = 10 out of 10....see #4

7. Landslide = 10 out of 10....an awesome remake of the Fleetwoodmac classic!!

8. Bullet With Butterfly Wings = 8 out of 10...great song!

9. 1979 = 11 out of 10!!!!! O.K. here we go....What more can you say about this track??? This is one their ultimate classics and it felt so good to hear this again in my car after having not heard it in like 6 or 7 years! Probably my favorite SP song of all time!!! I can't stop replaying it! It's a flawless song and a perfect example of SP at their peak!! Simply brilliant!!!!!!

10. Zero = 7 out of 10...this one is pretty good too, although not quite up there with their best IMHO

11. Tonight, Tonight = 9 out of 10....a classic and all around good track

12. Eye = 10 out of 10.....another favorite of mine! Love the synths and the different direction they went in for this track. First heard it on my Lost Highway OST and loved it!!! Great, unique sound!!!

13. Ava Adore = 10 out of 10....another classic that deserves to be at the top of any SP fan's list.

14. Perfect = haven't gotten around to listening to this one yet....might of heard it before but I don't recognize the name.

15. Everlasting Gaze = see #14

16. Stand Inside Your Love = see #14

17. Real Love = see #14

Anyway as a SP newbie, I'd like to hear from all you SP fans and whether I should take the plunge and buy all their CDs, or do you think it will take a bit more time for the tracks that are not on this compilation to grow on me and suggest I just stick with this greatest hits CD for now?

I usually LOATHE 90's American grunge bands, and prefer to listen to 80's British rock bands(they're what I grew up on). So adjusting to this sound could take some time. I definitely WON'T be getting into Nirvana, Pearl Garden, Stone Temple Pilots, Offspring and their ilk anytime soon!!!

Oh and what's the scoop on that Perfect Circle thing? Isn't that a spinoff band by James Iha or something? Would you recommend them?

*goes back to listening to Cherub Rock*

"...and she knows and she knows and she knows...and she knows and knows and she kno...hoows"

 

[BigJonsson]

Best band ever

 

[PotatoeMasher]

Either buy Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie, depending on which style you like better.

Listen to whichever one you buy until you know all the words, buy the other one. Rinse Repeat.

Then spread out to Gish I guess... Pisces Iscariot also...

Judging from your favorites, Adore should be last--it's my favorite, but it's not for everybody.

Forget MACHINA and burn it if you ever find a copy.

Take it from a former Pumpkins junkie...

 

[NLB2]

I usually LOATHE 90's American grunge bands, and prefer to listen to 80's British rock bands(they're what I grew up on). So adjusting to this sound could take some time. I definitely WON'T be getting into Nirvana, Pearl Garden, Stone Temple Pilots, Offspring and their ilk anytime soon!!!

Oh and what's the scoop on that Perfect Circle thing? Isn't that a spinoff band by James Iha or something? Would you recommend them?

*goes back to listening to Cherub Rock*

"...and she knows and she knows and she knows...and she knows and knows and she kno...hoows"

The only good song on Gish, SP's first album is Rhinoceros. Stay away from it, its pretty bland. Siamese Dream and Melancholy are neccesary and you won't be dissapointed by either of those. It also seems like you haven't heard much of their later music. Listen to the last couple songs on the greatest hits album before deciding to make a purchase of Machina or their last album.

BTW - Tonight, Tonight > 1979

 

[isamu]

BTW - Tonight, Tonight > 1979

NOOOOOO, YOU'RE DEAD TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!! But yeah that's kinda a close one there.

Seriously thanks for the recommendations I could use as many as I can, as my favorites on this GH cd is likely to change multiple times. I am LOVE with this greatest hits CD though! My goodness I'm tempted to call it perfection!

This coming from a Smiths/Depeche Mode/New Order fan

 

[AirBrian]

Best band ever

This man speaks the truth. A very limited number of bands can evoke such a wide range of emotions out of me like the Pumpkins can.

EDIT: And don't forget to find "Christmas Time"!

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

not only are the pumpkins the greatest ROCK band of all time, they are clearly the greatest musical act in any genre to ever walk the earth! the greatest hits isn't really their best songs though. i hate to sound like an elitist dick, but there are much better songs. here are the top 10 pumpkins songs... ever!

10. muzzle
9. for martha
8. the aeroplane flies high
7. mouths of babes
6. thru the eyes of ruby
5. x.y.u.
4. hello kitty kat
3. where boys fear to tread
2. geek usa
1. Marquis in spades


there they are ladies, the top pumpkins songs at this moment! do they change from day to day? possibly. pumpkins are a timeless band that will never be topped by anyone. infact, they are better than the beatles... by a large margin! there i said it


p.s. i'm not a beatles fan anyways

 

[Dead]

I usually LOATHE 90's American grunge bands

Well, SP arent one

1. Marquis in spades

Fuck yeah!

 

[Lonestar]

Isamu, I sent you a PM of some SP Links

 

[Megafoo Chavez]

Can never get enough pumpkins. *tear for diablos*

 

[jenov4]

Can never get enough pumpkins. *tear for diablos*

Curious, what happened to him anyways?

 

[Foreign Jackass]

mayonnaise needs more lovin

edit : and who the hell buys a greatest hits, listens only to the songs he knows on it, then freaks out, and declare he's been missing something and blames someone else? This thread lacks logic. Buy Siamese Dreams and Mellon Collie. For Martha is almost worth buying Adore for, and there are a couple of other good-to-great songs on it.

2nd edit : Oh and this guy bashed Nirvana? Fuck that, I'm OUTTA HERE! "slams door"

3rd edit : AND WHO THE HELL IS PEARL GARDEN? AND JAMES IHA DIDN'T START A PERFECT CIRCLE! GHRRALGNDSAG LDG JALSDJGADLSJG CXCV

*explodes*

 

[Lonestar]

after reading that list of songs...I need to pull out some SP cd's

 

[AirBrian]

mayonnaise needs more lovin

+1

And Luna too.

 

[Lonestar]

oh, and Diablos is banned till March

 

[Macam]

I guess I should've posted my reply to your Pixies thread in here then....but ah well. Anyway, there really isn't a single bad album from them, but if you're looking for more rock n' roll style stuff, definitely grab Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness (and the 5-CD single box set from that, The Aeroplane Flies High as that has an additional 30 or so songs not on MCIS), Siamese Dream, and Pisces Iscariot. Adore is absolutely fantastic, but it's a widely different flavor, and Machina is also quite good, but requires some adjustment for most people. There's no denying Stand Inside Your Love though.

You may also want to check out Zwan, Billy Corgan's (and Jimmy Chamberlin, the drummer from SP) band following the break up of SP. The album's fantastic, but decidely more upbeat on the whole, and there are a handful of B-sides worth checking out, notably the cover of Number of the Beast. James Iha also put out a solo album, but it's more of light rock with a pop and country influence and I suspect most people won't care for it, even though I think it's good stuff. James Iha wrote some of the best SP songs out there, although none were singles or anything.

And like I said in the Pixies thread, both Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin are putting out new albums this year. The links for both their sites are below:

http://www.billycorgan.com/
http://www.jimmychamberlincomplex.com/

 

[Wellington]

Curious, what happened to him anyways?

Died in a freak accident. Sad really... Coincidentally it was a week after he had made that post about FMT's girlfriend...

 

[Optimistic]

It's good to see people still like the Smashing Pumpkins, even if they're years late.

But yeah, I suggest buying the albums in the following order -

*Siamese Dream
*MCIS
*Pisces Iscariot
*Gish
*Adore
*Machina 1 (and download Machina 2, then make a compilation fo the ebst songs from both, and you've got yourself the album that Machina SHOULD HAVE been...)

 

[Dilbert]

not only are the pumpkins the greatest ROCK band of all time, they are clearly the greatest musical act in any genre to ever walk the earth!

Well, there's wrong, and then there's WRONG.

 

[Socreges]

Died in a freak accident. Sad really... Coincidentally it was a week after he had made that post about FMT's girlfriend...

Dude, I thought you were serious for several seconds. Finally I just assumed that there's some joke between FMT and him.

 

[Error Macro]

Isamu, Diablos wants to talk to you about the Pumpkins at OA. He is a veritable encyclopedia of all things SP... I suggest you listen to the man.

 

[isamu]

Thanks guys....so what's the story with A Perfect Circle? Are they good or do they suck ass? Someone fill me in. Is it Billy Corgan or Jame Iha?

Died in a freak accident. Sad really... Coincidentally it was a week after he had made that post about FMT's girlfriend...

What? Who died???

 

[isamu]

Isamu, Diablos wants to talk to you about the Pumpkins at OA. He is a veritable encyclopedia of all things SP... I suggest you listen to the man.

OK I'll be there inna minute

 

[mattiewheels]

How old are you? Under 20?

 

[BigJonsson]

Since most of my SP cd's were purchased when I was a kid they are in shitty quality so I have to download all of them to transfer to my iPod

I got MCIS and Siamese Dream so far...

Any assistance would be welcomed....Trust me I really do own all their albums but just treated them like shit cause of my young age at the time so this isn't piracy, just back-ups

 

[Chipopo]

why doesn't iTunes have any Pumpkins?

 

[nitewulf]

isamu, dont ever change.

 

[Optimistic]

Thanks guys....so what's the story with A Perfect Circle? Are they good or do they suck ass? Someone fill me in. Is it Billy Corgan or Jame Iha?

It's neither, really. APC is Billy Howerdel's band. He was a former technician for The Smahsing Pumpkins and various other bands, NIN as well I think. Maynard is the vocalist and many see APC as his side project to Tool. Iha recently joined the band, but ahs not been involved in creating any of their music so far, witht he exception of a remix he did of the APC song Blue. As for whether they're any good...well personally I think they're crap now. Their first album (Mer De Noms) was GREAT, but their second (Thirteenth Step), while good, had crappy production (much to slick IMO, didn't sound raw), and lacked the "beauty" (god that sounds pretentious) of the first record. It lacked depth. Finally, their latest release, eMOTIVE, just sucks. It consists of a bunch of badly covered protest songs and sounds very nu-metalish at points. A void at all costs. Buy Mer De Noms and maybe Thirteenth Step, but do NOT go near eMOTIVE.

 

[Matrix]

Alpha hates everything about the Pumpkins now..sorry to break the bad news.

 

[siamesedreamer]

Look at my name here and tell me how much of a SP fan I am.

Seriously, I was the first person in the state of Georgia to get Melloncollie back in '95.

Rank of their albums:
1) Siamese Dream (my favorite album ever)
2) Mellon Collie (only because of the large number of songs on it)
3) Pisces Iscariot (B side album)
4) Gish
5) Machina
6) Adore (its got a few good songs on it, but because they were without Jimmy Chaimberlain and had to use electronic drums that takes it to the bottom)

Anyway, its great to see you discovered them.

Top songs off the top of my head:
1) Mayonnaise
2) Stand Inside Your Love
3) Frail and Bedazzled
4) 1979
5) Rocket
6) Hummer
7) Geek USA
8) Tonight, Tonight
9) #5 off Mellon Collie's first disk
10) Soma

 

[Macam]

why doesn't iTunes have any Pumpkins?

I imagine it's just a record label deal they haven't worked out; I don't even think Microsoft's store had it (via WMP10). I hate all things Real with a passion, so I don't know if Rhapsody has it.

Oh, and by all means isamu, check out Never Let Me Down Again off the For The Masses compilation and Turn My Way by the New Order/Billy Corgan -- those are among my top BC songs not on any SP album. www.spfc.org is your friend.

 

[PotatoeMasher]

6) Adore (its got a few good songs on it, but because they were without Jimmy Chaimberlain and had to use electronic drums that takes it to the bottom)

misinformation campaign! i'd expect anyone who rates machina above adore to pull out the ole' electronic drums argument...

 

[Dead]

Adore is easily theire second best album. Mellon Collie gets way too much adulation and Machina is over hated

 

[siamesedreamer]

i'd expect anyone who rates machina above adore to pull out the ole' electronic drums argument...

Seriously, have you listened to the second half (minus #8) of that album. Its not very good.

 

[PotatoeMasher]

Seriously, have you listened to the second half (minus #8) of that album. Its not very good.

for martha? blank page?

 

[AlphaSnake]

Ok, first off...who the fuck is Pearl Garden? And 2nd, James Iha doesn't have a spin-off band.

 

[Dead]

for martha? blank page?

Behold the nightmare. That one does it for me.

 

[PotatoeMasher]

Behold the nightmare. That one does it for me.

that was my favorite for a bit... although i didn't know anybody else liked it...

 

[PotatoeMasher]

Oh and what's the scoop on that Perfect Circle thing? Isn't that a spinoff band by James Iha or something? Would you recommend them?

:lol i just noticed that... surely that's just flamebait... can't be real

 

[Macam]

Adore is easily theire second best album. Mellon Collie gets way too much adulation and Machina is over hated

I'd very much agree with that. Adore is a fantastic album through and through, and to whomever said the ending wasn't terribly good, it's actually one of the strongest parts of the album, with Annie Dog, Behold! The Night Mare, Pug, and so on. Also worth noting are the B-sides off the singles from Adore, notably Czarina and Once in a While.

Just saw BC is returning to working with Courtney Love after his contribution on Celebrity Skin, this time writing the music for her new album due out this year.

 

[marsomega]

While I could go on and on about the Smashing Pumpkins like everyone else could, I have to show some love for Machina. How can you not be provoked or moved by "Stand inside your love" or "Try, Try, Try". Those songs are right up there, especialy "With every Light. "Everlasting Gaze", and "I of the Mourning" which are also top quality songs. I love the whole album but those 5 songs are really up there; songs no Smashing Pumpkins fan should be without.

Forget MACHINA and burn it if you ever find a copy.

Take it from a former Pumpkins junkie...

Smashing Pumpkins junkie my ASS, this album is far from crap. This is a far greater crime then someone demanding every Adore album burned in effigy. Do us all a favor, and this is for everyone else as well; Recommending your favorites is fine, but depriving them of another Smashing Pumpkins album is a crime. Look at the poor original poster that started this thread.

 

[Dead]

While I could go on and on about the Smashing Pumpkins like everyone else could, I have to show some love for Machina. How can you not be provoked or moved by "Stand inside your love" or "Tr, Try, Try". Those songs are right up there, especialy "With every Light. "Everlasting Gaze", and "I of the Mourning" which are also top quality songs. I love the whole album but those 5 songs are really up there that no Smashing Pumpkins fan should be without.



Smashing Pumpkins junkie my ASS, this album is far from crap. This is a far greater crime then someone demanding every Adore album burned in effgy. Do us all a favor, and this is for everyone else as well. Recommending your favorites is fine, but depriving them of another Smashing Pumpkins album is a crime. Look at the poor original poster that started this thread.

I agree with everything said here. Some of the songs on Machina are real quality, and although many people rag on the production, I love it, it gives it this etheral wall of sound feeling, its kinda undescribeable.

I have this live version of Heavy Metal Machine, and when the chorus hits, its nothing short of life affirming. Once you really get familiar with the album, its so easy to become lost in it

 

[marsomega]

I agree with everything said here. Some of the songs on Machina are real quality, and although many people rag on the production, I love it, it gives it this etheral wall of sound feeling, its kinda undescribeable.

I have this live version of Heavy Metal Machine, and when the chorus hits, its nothing short of life affirming. Once you really get familiar with the album, its so easy to become lost in it

I absolutely love "Age of Innocence". Forgot to add that in there, :lol in addition to taking too long to update my post ( fixing the typos).

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

My favorite stuff actually came from the Airplane Flies High boxed set. Dear god, I developed duch an emotional attachement to that title song.

When I saw the Pumpkins in Cincinnati ('round '98 I guess) they opened with AFH, but the whole box set was still rather new to me and I didn't really know the song yet. Shame cuz I know I would have really enjoyed it.

I stopped listening to the Pumpkins after Adore, which I liked plenty. Never even heard of this Machina album.

I ripped my older brother's Gish and Siamese Dream because my copies had long been lost, but when I listened to some of it I thought the sound quality was terrible. I remembered the Pumkins' music being soothing and empowering; I didn't like hearing them like this so I aborted the rediscovery. Another shame, really.

 

[Jason]

Everlasting Gaze makes me want to kill myself.

 

[isamu]

What's the deal with this box set? Is it a box set of every SP album plus bonus material or something?

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

What's the deal with this box set? Is it a box set of every SP album plus bonus material or something?

Mellon Collie B-sides, I guess you'd call em. Available separetly, of course.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000W3G/qid=1105080891/sr=8-11/ref=pd_ka_4/104-3254959-8746322?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

 

[PotatoeMasher]

I was all into the Machina songs played during the Arising! tour... Age of Innocence is still a song I play on guitar for fun, so is I of the Mourning... Glass and the Ghost Children... SIYL

A lot of the songs on Machina are pumpkin worthy, my beef is with the production values--which are completely non pumpkin... And the whole Glass and the Machines of God concept album bullshit was absolutely nuts...

Not to mention that they kept songs like Everlasting Gaze, while songs like Home and Speed Kills (not that I liked the studio version any different) were cut...

So I agree that some of the Machina songs are some of the best Billy wrote, but the album is the worst of the lot...

Download some of the better sourced Arising! shows (especially acoustics) from 99 to hear those songs in the raw... Dross was a helluva song for the live environment, but I feel embarrassed listening to The Imploding Voice on Machina (although they're the same song)

 

[PotatoeMasher]

What's the deal with this box set? Is it a box set of every SP album plus bonus material or something?

I can't believe I left TAFH off of my list before... If you're into the Mellon Collie stuff, it's a must have... Set the Ray to Jerry, TAFH, Jupiter's Lament, My Blue Heaven, and some other killer covers (even James singing on "A Night Like This")...

My favorite.. 'bootleg' album of sorts is Ultra Rare Trax, my favorite Pumpkins cover ever is 'Never Let Me Down (Again)'..... Jimmy's drumming on that track fires me up every time, and it's a pretty low key song...

EDIT:
Also, check out Soma off of Siamese Dream... my all-time favorite pumpkins track when the dust would settle, followed closely by Mayonaisse...

 

[IJoel]

I absolutely love "Age of Innocence". Forgot to add that in there, :lol in addition to taking too long to update my post ( fixing the typos).

Woah!

Yes... Machina r0x, and Age of Innocence is one of my faves in that album.

To the original poster, do yourself a favor and pick up Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It's simply a masterpiece.

I'm also one of those that don't like Adore too much.