Long before it was just the Billy Corgan show (well.. it always was, but less so then as opposed to what passes as the Smashing Pumpkins now), the Pumpkins were basically the most learned and convincing of all the kings (and queens) of alternative rock in the 90’s. Rather than pontificating quite boringly about mommy/daddy issues (Nirvana) or having some sort of Messiah complex (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden), Smashing Pumpkins just wrote strange, blissed out songs about suicide, taking drugs, being a kid, and growing up weird; and they did it the best on Siamese Dream (1993). While the tide was still rolling with grunge, the Pumpkins somewhat avoided the dull drudgery of that genre and embraced a far more advanced musical sensibility, and while most of the composition fell to Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, Siamese Dream encompasses the classic Pumpkins image—somewhere between psychedelic supernerds and nouveau-goth punks-gone-metal. The album is heavy to say the least; famously the song “Mayonaise” contains over 40 independently tracked guitar parts, assembled by Corgan in a fit of perfectionist delight (much to the dismay of James Iha and producer Butch Vig), but heavy only sums up so much of the albums grasp and unbelievable scope. Based in an unbelievably dynamic approach, the Pumpkins assembled the pomp and grandiosity of Grand Funk Railroad, combined it with the strange sonic cruelty of Bauhaus, painted it rainbow-luminescent with romantic Cure-esque baroqueness, and then turned up the volume to eleven, adding a touch of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath for good measure. All of this synthesizes into tracks like the unyielding “Geek U.S.A.” which producer (and drummer) Vig described as “the single greatest drum performance ever committed to wax,” or the explosive and chillingly bracing “Cherub Rock”, all of which would become alternative radio staples. And while the Pumpkins began to step away from their massive progression towards something even greater than themselves and the scene from which they were borne, the solipsistic need of Billy Corgan eventually corrupted the band; nonetheless, Siamese Dream stands as an artifact that encapsulates the perfect album for the perfect moment—both dreaded and revered as something even greater than what its creators could’ve imagined.
Listen to “Rocket” (Live in Barcelona, 1994) and “Cherub Rock” and “Quiet” (Live in Atlanta, 1993 - From the Viewphoria DVD)
Download “Siamese Dream“
