The Smashing Pumpkins

[Tyler Durden]

Maybe I didn't explain things well. Let me draw a comparison. I don't like Rush...but I respect them and believe what they make has value (I would just never listen to it, EVER). If I was to just say they suck and should tour with Nickelback, I'd sound like a fool. In other words, Rush isn't my thing but I still acknowledge that what they do is good. If you don't like what the Pumpkins are doing these days, that's cool...but to basically say it's garbage is ridiculous (and you probably haven't given the material a fair listen).

Hoka, I've come to the conclusion that you let your own personal nostalgia solely guide your taste in music. The fact that you think the latter work of NIN and Pearl Jam sucks, speaks volumes.

[Hokahey]

Maybe I didn't explain things well. Let me draw a comparison. I don't like Rush...but I respect them and believe what they make has value (I would just never listen to it, EVER). If I was to just say they suck and should tour with Nickelback, I'd sound like a fool. In other words, Rush isn't my thing but I still acknowledge that what they do is good. If you don't like what the Pumpkins are doing these days, that's cool...but to basically say it's garbage is ridiculous (and you probably haven't given the material a fair listen).

Who said they should tour with Nickelback? There's varying levels of garbage. I've given it a fair listen and I don't like it. You do. Great. My opinion is no less valid than yours.

Hoka, I've come to the conclusion that you let your own personal nostalgia solely guide your taste in music. The fact that you think the latter work of NIN and Pearl Jam sucks, speaks volumes.

Funny. I'd suggest the opposite is true, and logically makes more sense. Your nostalgia and love for these bands leads you to want to new material to be good and so you believe it is. You know, nostalgia glasses and all that.

Some of what SP does now, as well as PJ and NIN are just fine. But would if they were a new band releasing those albums would I care? No. And that's the definition of not being blinded by nostalgia, something you clearly seem to be afflicted by.

[Pandemonium]

I see both sides of the argument but a key point is - the vast majority of bands that have been around for a couple decades or more pretty much are a shadow of their former glory days creatively, live and often the soap opera personal dynamics of the band members (past and present). Opinions about the perceived decline of Corgan's music, the new album, etc are just that - opinions, but when your start factoring in a lot of the nonsense Billy's been involved with the past decade or so (the wrestling shtick, the adversarial relationship with his audience especially during shows, filling his current band with physical look-alikes of the original members, etc) that's naturally going to add to any negative opinion of the band and Corgan himself.

[Tyler Durden]

Hoka, I've come to the conclusion that you let your own personal nostalgia solely guide your taste in music. The fact that you think the latter work of NIN and Pearl Jam sucks, speaks volumes.

Funny. I'd suggest the opposite is true, and logically makes more sense. Your nostalgia and love for these bands leads you to want to new material to be good and so you believe it is. You know, nostalgia glasses and all that.

Some of what SP does now, as well as PJ and NIN are just fine. But would if they were a new band releasing those albums would I care? No. And that's the definition of not being blinded by nostalgia, something you clearly seem to be afflicted by.

Nah...I fully acknowledge when these bands have made weak albums. I just think that recently, the quality of their output has been on the upswing.

And just to clarify, none of these bands are in heavy rotation for me these days.

[Tyler Durden]

Opinions about the perceived decline of Corgan's music, the new album, etc are just that - opinions, but when your start factoring in a lot of the nonsense Billy's been involved with the past decade or so (the wrestling shtick, the adversarial relationship with his audience especially during shows, filling his current band with physical look-alikes of the original members, etc) that's naturally going to add to any negative opinion of the band and Corgan himself.

I agree 100%.

[Matz]

I don't think it's possible to take one's own taste too far...

well, I mean if you're not a SP fan at all to begin with it makes sense of course, I just took it as a given that everyone on this board are fans. Slightly naive maybe.

But if you think that an album like Adore is amazing and that Oceania competely sucks, that doesn't make sense to me.

[Hype]

I don't think it's possible to take one's own taste too far...

well, I mean if you're not a SP fan at all to begin with it makes sense of course, I just took it as a given that everyone on this board are fans. Slightly naive maybe.

But if you think that an album like Adore is amazing and that Oceania competely sucks, that doesn't make sense to me.

I am an SP fan (like Hoka), I just know what sounds I like, and Oceania doesn't have many of them.

[Tyler Durden]

A great song from Teargarden By Kaleidyscope.

[Matz]

not feeling that Owata song. This on the other hand, from the same sessions (I guess), is really cool. It sounds like a song that would have blended right in on Adore'

'

[Artemis]

Billy Corgan interview by Jian Ghomeshi on Q.

http://www.cbc.ca/q/uncut/


http://blip.tv/q-tv/billy-corgan-on-the ... -q-6420259

[Artemis]

Billy Corgan interview by Jian Ghomeshi on Q.

http://www.cbc.ca/q/uncut/


http://blip.tv/q-tv/billy-corgan-on-the ... -q-6420259

I hope people will actually listen to the 45 minute interview. It's really pretty good, imo. Jian and Billy are rapping about stuff other than the new album. Some things Billy says are annoying, but overall, very enjoyable.

[Matz]

I listened to it and also thought it was cool. One fucked up thing was that he dissed Nine Inch Nails though, pretty surprising.

[Tyler Durden]

I listened to it and also thought it was cool. One fucked up thing was that he dissed Nine Inch Nails though, pretty surprising.

I didn't hear it as a diss...he was just stating that he is taking a different road than NIN.

Thanks for posting this, Artemis. Billy Corgan is always a fascinating guy to hear pontificate on any number of things. While there is a lot I don't agree with him on, there is also a lot I do. I'm just glad he always has the balls to stick his neck out.

[Matz]

I heard as a diss because the interviewer said something like 'what he did with Bowie was cool though' and Billy said 'yeah'. So to me it sounded like they were saying that everything else Trent has ever done sucks. I hope I'm wrong

[Tyler Durden]

Another great song from Oceania. How can anyone not like this?

[Hokahey]

Another great song from Oceania. How can anyone not like this?

Yeah, it's not bad, but it's nothing great. I don't like the way he sings now. Like Perry, Trent, Maynard etc., it seems that Billy seems interested in really SINGING these days. I don't like what any of them are doing vocally now.

[Tyler Durden]

Another great song from Oceania. How can anyone not like this?

Yeah, it's not bad, but it's nothing great. I don't like the way he sings now. Like Perry, Trent, Maynard etc., it seems that Billy seems interested in really SINGING these days. I don't like what any of them are doing vocally now.

That's a fair criticism. I've heard other people mention that as well. Billy's vocals seem higher in the mix these days. I'm fine with it but I can see why others are not.

[Pandemonium]

Live 2 disc CD/DVD and 1 disc Blu-ray release coming on 9/3/13 of "Live in NYC" show:

The Blu-ray will have the show in both 2d and 3d on the same disc. Setlist included an entire performance of Oceania:

DISC 1:
1. Quasar (5:05)
2. Panopticon (4:09)
3. The Celestials (3:50)
4. Violet Rays (4:34)
5. My Love Is Winter (3:37)
6. One Diamond, One Heart (3:54)
7. Pinwheels (5:52)
8. Oceania (10:09)
9. Pale Horse (4:35)
10. The Chimera (4:39)
11. Glissandra (4:31)
12. Inkless (3:03)
DISC 2:
1. Wildflower (5:06)
2. Space Oddity (7:38)
3. X.Y.U (10:23)
4. Disarm (3:31)
5. Tonite Reprise (1:27)
6. Tonight, Tonight (4:21)
7. Bullet with Butterfly Wings (5:02)
8. The Dream Machine (7:01)
9. Hummer (7:13)
Encore
1. Ava Adore (5:11)
2. Cherub Rock (4:43)
3. Zero (6:01)

[Pandemonium]

(taken in part from Blabbermouth.com)

Two new SMASHING PUMPKINS albums will be released in 2015: "Monuments To An Elegy" and "Day For Night". The first single is expected to be released by year's end in 2014.

The PUMPKINS' Billy Corgan says: "Thrilled to report that we now have our album in total, as top songs are arranged and set for drum tracking. So over the next three days, I'll be focusing on vocal arrangements, lyrics, and tweaking the overall aesthetics of the record as I hope it shall be. At least then I'll be able to share a different narrative for a spell, and get off this merry-go-round we've all been on."

Corgan also revealed the tentative track listing for "Monuments To An Elegy". It is as follows (all titles subject to change):

* Being Beige (World's On Fire)
* Anti-Hero
* Tiberius
* Run To Me
* One And All
* Drum And Fife
* Dorian
* Monuments
* Anaise
* W.P.C.

"Monuments To An Elegy" is being produced by Howard Willing, who first worked with SMASHING PUMPKINS during the "Adore" sessions

[Pandemonium]

Great news about the upcoming box set for "Adore;"

"News out of the SP camp is that tracklisting for the upcoming ‘ADORE’ box set is now complete. The 6-disc set will feature the original album in stereo (as remastered by Bob Ludwig), the album as it was released in mono (here for the first time on CD), plus an additional 3 discs of unreleased material and a live DVD, taken from the band’s charity tour of 1998.

A summer release is expected.

From Billy:

“One thing that might excite fans of the album is that we were able to go back and locate elements from the original sessions that were stored digitally, but never used; such as some of the brilliant work done by Bon Harris. In that fresh mixes have been commissioned, shedding new light on not only the songs hidden foundations, but their futuristic nature as well. “




(Look carefully at the top of this list of songs, it appears you can see Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" on the other side/underneath.)

[JOEinPHX]

Another great song from Oceania. How can anyone not like this?

Yeah, it's not bad, but it's nothing great. I don't like the way he sings now. Like Perry, Trent, Maynard etc., it seems that Billy seems interested in really SINGING these days. I don't like what any of them are doing vocally now.

Maynard still runs the full gamut of his vocal abilities. Listen to Puscifer's Conditions of My Parole (the album, not the song)

Trent and Perry are both totally hoarse now though. I'll give you that.

And Corgan just can't get that obnoxious whine like he used to have, probably due to his voice deepening with age.

[Pandemonium]

Corgan pissed that Amazon.com leaked the "Adore" box set (due 9/23/14) track list today before he could reveal it:

http://www.smashingpumpkinsnexus.com/#! ... BCB6F962C8

Looks pretty impressive although I think a disc devoted to a mono mix of the album is taking it a bit too far.

[Pandemonium]

For a few days, the entire '98 show included on the Adore box set is on YouTube:

[JOEinPHX]

Watched it last night.

I enjoyed it, but I imagine the crowd was probably annoyed that they didn't break out all the hits, and that they were playing other songs totally different than the albums versions (like Bullet with Butterfly Wings, which was sung over a totally different riff after they came out of a jam)

Also, too much piano. That guy was totally unnecessary and it didn't fit in with the rest of what was going on.

[Pandemonium]

Watched it last night.

I enjoyed it, but I imagine the crowd was probably annoyed that they didn't break out all the hits, and that they were playing other songs totally different than the albums versions (like Bullet with Butterfly Wings, which was sung over a totally different riff after they came out of a jam)

Also, too much piano. That guy was totally unnecessary and it didn't fit in with the rest of what was going on.

I think this tour ('98) was the turning point where Billy really started fucking with audience expectations, playing wildly different (and not always successful) arrangements of well known songs and often stupefying pacing and song selections in the setlists. I don't know if he thinks he's Springsteen who can actually pull off this sort of thing or just has a level of contempt for his audience. Judging by many of the shows since '07, it seems it's more a case of ego and contempt.