It's easy to forget that by 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the Smashing Pumpkins — guitarist/singer/mastermind Billy Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist James Iha and bass player D'arcy Wretzky — were among the biggest bands on the planet. The ambitious double album topped critics' year-end best lists, sold 10 million copies and won a Grammy, and the band was selling out arenas worldwide. It was on the Mellon Collie tour that things finally fell apart in a haze of drug abuse, arrests and warring band members.
But before any epic downfall there's a steady climb to the mountaintop, and for the Pumpkins that period encompassed the recording of the band's first two albums, 1991's Gish and 1993's Siamese Dream. Both were recently reissued, the deluxe re-mastered editions capturing the raw power and emotion of the period.
Formed in 1988 after Corgan split St. Pete for the Windy City, the Pumpkins played around Chicago for a few years, releasing a Sub Pop single and an EP before signing to Caroline Records and going into the studio with producer Butch Vig (still under the radar in those pre-Nevermind days). The sessions were filled with tension, as Corgan played the guitar and bass parts himself, alienating Iha and Wretzky (who were by this time a couple). The resulting album is dramatic, stripped down (by Pumpkins standards, at least) and rocking, with trippy psychedelic interludes and blazing guitar solos that earned comparisons to Jane's Addiction and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The dirty secret of this re-release is that Gish (and Siamese Dream) has always sounded great and didn't really need the spruce-up. Part of Corgan's MO is that he's studio-obsessive, and he and Vig got the recording of Gish done right the first time. Even though the sonic upgrades will go unnoticed by most listeners, Pumpkins fans should still be drooling over this set, as the bonus material is the real attraction, anyway. Included are a bonus disc of unreleased tracks (many familiar to anyone who owned the Pumpkins B-side collection Pieces Iscariot or the Lull EP, though these are different takes of the same songs); a book with complete lyrics and song-by-song comments by Corgan; picture postcards; a free download; and — saving the best for last — a DVD of a 1990 performance at The Metro in Chicago.
The DVD is a revelation. Here are the Pumpkins at their earliest, still finding their way as a band and completely alienated from the audience (stage banter is limited to Iha thanking the crowd twice, and Corgan commenting "Rock is dead" before a crushing take on Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla") – but possessing an undeniable power and energy. The video quality is murky at best (I could barely make out the band members' faces), though well-edited and mixed, but no amount of image distortion could ruin the excitement of seeing the Pumpkins so fresh. This is an archival document of the highest order, one made all the more relevant when paired with the deluxe edition of Siamese Dream.
It should come as no surprise that the Pumpkins were an emotional mess when they returned to the studio with Vig to record a followup to Gish. They were always an emotional mess! But the stories from the Siamese Dream sessions are especially legendary; Corgan had a nervous breakdown and damn near offed himself (the inspiration for "Today"), Chamberlin disappeared for days at a time (Corgan supposedly "punished" the drummer by making him play until his hands bled), and Iha and Wretzky fumed over Corgan's continued insistence that he play all their parts.
In the end, all of the turmoil paid off. Siamese Dream still defies comparison with any other record of the time. It's big, bold and weird, with Huge (capital H) guitars, audacious song structure (check out the loud-quiet dynamics of standouts "Soma" and "Mayonaise") and sentiment to spare. Videos for Siamese Dream tracks came to dominate MTV, none more so than "Today" (that damned ice cream truck was ubiquitous) and "Disarm."
It's surprising that Corgan chose not to include a disc of music videos with the album. Instead, we get a bonus DVD of the 1993 Siamese Dream record release show filmed at the Metro in Chicago. By the time of this recording, the Pumpkins were a well-seasoned touring act, especially when compared with the band in the Gish bonus DVD. (The picture quality is much better here, too.) Corgan prowls the stage obsessed, engaging the audience, cracking jokes, taking one moron to task for annoying the bassist, and absolutely slaying every riff and solo he touches. The show itself is phenomenal, loaded with vintage early-'90s atmosphere (crowd surfing, mosh pits, flannels galore), deep cuts ("Bury Me," "Siva," "Drowned"), and light-speed takes on Siamese Dream tracks (personal favorites: "Geek U.S.A." and "Silverfuck").
The Gish and Siamese Dream sets are worthwhile buys for Pumpkins fans, though the Siamese Dream collection is a little more of a must-have. Both are seminal albums from a band that has earned its place next to Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the grand scheme of grunge.
Gish, 4 Stars
Siamese Dream, 4 and 1/2 Stars
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.