Smashing Pumpkins is fairly recognized as one of the most critical indie rock acts of the modern era. A figurehead of 90s alternative.
90's Classic Material
Their discography is a lush blend of grunge, psychedelic rock, heavy metal, shoegaze, electronica, and gothic rock. Front man Billy Corgan has an enigmatic nasally vocal delivery. An essential garnish for the edge of their sound. This is in conjunction with emotional guitar leads from James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky. Topped off with the technical skill of jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
Trajectory Towards the Stars
The Chicago band released their first single "I Am One" in 1990 (which we have a test pressing of here at Bynx!). The single sold out and gained decent acclaim. The band then released their first album Gish with Nirvana producer Butch Vig. The album received underground adoration.
Then between 1992 - 1997 they released their two cult classic albums Siamese Daydream and Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness which propelled them into the mainstream.
The band would then go on to release many more albums with mixed reception. The band also suffered from shaky internal relations. All band members other than Corgan would leave and rejoin the group at different time periods.
1979
These days, Smashing Pumpkin's is particularly cemented in the cultural zeitgeist over their most popular single "1979" from the Melon Collie album. Its a classic laid back indie rock tune with a painfully nostalgic tone. In the song, Billy Corgan describes the nostalgia of his teen days during 1979. Although most listeners can't specifically relate to the days of 1979, Its message is timeless it continues to bless indie playlists across the world.
Relationship with Local Scene
Although Smashing Pumpkins were bred in the Chicago underground scene, interviews with band members depict a unique relationship with the local scene. Both Corgan and Iha commented in interviews that the band wasn't viewed favorably in the Chicago scene. Iha further commented that “at the time, Chicago was such an oppressive musical community. We didn’t represent anything from any of those scenes." Corgan further elaborated that they sought to "out do" the local Chicago music scene.
Recent Commentary
Perhaps in accordance with the uniqueness of the band, Corgan has a tendency to enter the news cycle due to his occasionally strange views or actions.
His recent entry to the cycle consisted of speculative claims on his podcast that MTV and the CIA were potentially involved in rock's decline of relevance in the mainstream. This take also precedes Corgan's conspiratorial reputation.
Furthermore, Corgan has received some attention recently regarding an episode on his podcast with Hole and later Smashing Pumpkin's bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. He describes the unique manner in which the two connected. A connection facilitated by Maur's roommate's boyfriend throwing a beer bottle at Corgan during a Smashing Pumpkins performance. Consequently, Corgan jumped from the stage and momentarily strangled Melissa's roommate's boyfriend.
For Collectors
Here at Bynx, we have an assortment of different 12" (some rare!) Smashing Pumpkins records. If you're interested in purchasing any records from this incredible enigmatic band please click on the images to check out our Discogs listings!
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