The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins (formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988 and previously known as simply Smashing Pumpkins) were an influental American alternative rock band.

History

Early years: Foundation and Gish

At the age of 19, singer and guitarist Billy Corgan left his native Chicago, Illinois, moving to St. Petersburg, Florida with his Goth band The Marked, so called because of the birth marks on his and his drummer's hands. The band had limited success and quickly dissolved. Corgan returned to Chicago, taking a job in a record store. There, he met guitarist James Iha. They began writing songs with the aid of a drum machine. In 1988, Corgan met bassist D'arcy Wretzky at another band's gig in Chicago; Wretzky would join the band shortly after. Wretzky and Iha would eventually have a personal relationship. They played their first gig as a trio at a Polish bar. Jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was brought in to the band after Cabaret Metro owner Joe Shanahan agreed to book the Pumpkins, provided they threw out the drum machine and recruited a human drummer instead.

Related Topics:
Billy Corgan - Chicago - Illinois - St. Petersburg - Florida - Goth - The Marked - James Iha - Drum machine - D'arcy Wretzky - Jazz - Jimmy Chamberlin - Cabaret Metro

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In 1989, the group had recorded a handful of demo tapes, which appeared on the 1995 bootleg release Early 1989 Demos. They released their first record, a limited edition single called "I Am One" in 1990 on local Chicago label Limited Potential. The single sold out and they released another single, "Tristessa" on Sub Pop Records, after which they signed to Virgin Records. To give them indie credibility, Virgin matched the band with Sonic Youth producer Butch Vig and recorded their 1991 debut album Gish in his own studio, Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. They released the album on Virgin subsidiary label Caroline Records. Although the album is often associated with silent film actress Lillian Gish, Corgan has alleged that the record was not named for her. The music fused heavy metal guitars, psychedelia and Dream pop. The album became a minor success. During the Gish tour, Iha and Wretzky went through a messy breakup, Chamberlin became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and Corgan entered a deep depression, writing some songs for the upcoming album in the parking garage where he lived at the time.

Related Topics:
1989 - 1995 - Early 1989 Demos - I Am One - 1990 - Limited Potential - Sub Pop Records - Virgin Records - Indie - Sonic Youth - Butch Vig - 1991 - Gish - Smart Studios - Madison, Wisconsin - Caroline Records - Lillian Gish - Heavy metal - Psychedelia - Dream pop

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Siamese Dream : Mainstream success

To counteract his depression, Corgan worked overtime, saying he practically lived in the studio for the 1993 follow up album, Siamese Dream. Contemporary music press portrayed Corgan as something of a tyrant during the recording sessions, with rumors circulating that he had recorded all the guitar and bass parts himself, claims which band members say were greatly exaggerated. It was never confirmed exactly how much each member did on the album, although Billy did say he performed a majority of the guitar work, but only because he wrote the songs.

Related Topics:
1993 - Siamese Dream

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A bad case of writer's block came upon Corgan before recording and he feared he may not be able to finish an entire album's worth of songs. His writer's block is the subject of the song "Hummer".

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The album was recorded at Triclops Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, mostly between December 1992 and March 1993, with Butch Vig reprising his role as producer; the band lived in Marietta during the Siamese Dream recording sessions. The decision to record so far away from their hometown was motivated partially to keep away from local friends and distractions during the recording, but largely as a desperate attempt to cut Chamberlin off from his known drug connections. In this respect, the strategy failed miserably, as Chamberlin quickly managed to find new connections and often was absent without any contact for days at a time; he was once randomly discovered as far away as Athens, Georgia.

Related Topics:
Atlanta, Georgia - Marietta - Athens, Georgia

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Corgan went on record saying if the record didn't sell well, the band would break up. Siamese Dream sold four million copies in the US, and the videos for the songs "Today" and "Disarm" garnered the Pumpkins international attention through heavy rotation on MTV. The album is generally considered to be the band's finest work.

Related Topics:
US - Today - Disarm - MTV

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In 1994, Virgin released a B-sides/rarities compilation Pisces Iscariot and a concert video Vieuphoria. A CD version of Vieuphoria, entitled Earphoria was released to radio stations only. In 2002, Vieuphoria (on DVD) and Earphoria were released to the public.

Related Topics:
1994 - B-side - Pisces Iscariot - 2002

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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Following relentless touring to support the recordings, the band took time off to write the follow up album. Corgan worked non-stop over the next year and wrote, according to statements in interviews, about 56 songs for the next album. Following this spell of concentrated creativity, the Pumpkins went back into the studio with producer Flood to work on what Corgan described as "The Wall of the '90s," a comparison with Pink Floyd's famous double concept album.

Related Topics:
Flood - The Wall - Pink Floyd - Concept album

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The result was Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, a double-disc (triple on vinyl) album release featuring 28 songs and lasting over 2 hours. While the idea of an overriding concept was dropped somewhere along the way, (although many would argue the arrangement of the tracks on the album depicts the story of a disenchanted youngster going through the motions; hence, the argument made that it is a concept album) Mellon Collie became even more successful than Siamese Dream, selling over sixteen million copies worldwide. It also garnered seven 1996 Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. Its hit songs included "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "Tonight, Tonight," "1979" and "Zero." Many of the remaining songs that, for one reason or another, did not make it onto Mellon Collie were released as B-sides to the singles, eventually compiled in the now out of print The Aeroplane Flies High box set.

Related Topics:
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 1996 - Grammy Award - Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Tonight, Tonight - 1979 - Zero - The Aeroplane Flies High

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In May 1996, the Smashing Pumpkins played a gig in The Point Depot in Dublin, Ireland. The venue was over-crowded and despite the band's repeated requests for moshing to stop, a 17-year-old fan from Cork, Bernadette O'Brien, was crushed to death. The concert ended early and the following night's performance in Belfast was cancelled out of respect for her. Corgan later said that he considered quitting show business for good after the event.

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The band's fortunes changed significantly on July 12, 1996, when touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin and Chamberlin overdosed on heroin in a hotel room in New York City. Melvoin died, and Chamberlin was arrested for drug possession. Chamberlin was subsequently fired from the band (though later rehired)..

Related Topics:
July 12 - 1996 - Jonathan Melvoin - Heroin - New York City

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Though the band finished the tour with another drummer and keyboardist, their profile had taken a marked downturn. Billy Corgan became something of a hate figure amongst the hard rock press following a statement in which he declared rock to be dead. He stated that Mellon Collie would be the last Pumpkins record of that type, and that rock was, for himself at least, becoming stale due to a lack of willingness to experiment from other rock artists.

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Adore

:Main article: Adore

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Recorded following the death of Corgan's mother, 1998's Adore represented a significant change of style from the Pumpkins' previous guitar based rock, veering into electronica, trimming much of the guitar-driven sonic underpinnings and infused with a much heavier mood. The record was cut using drum machines and was distinctly experimental. Corgan also modified his public image, shedding his alternative hipster look for a dark Gothic persona, and began hanging around with Marilyn Manson. Although Adore received quite favorable reviews and was nominated for Best Alternative Performance at the Grammys, the album sold only 3 million copies.

Related Topics:
Adore - Goth - Marilyn Manson - Grammys

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Machina

The return of a rehabilitated Jimmy Chamberlin for 2000's MACHINA/The Machines of God signaled a return to a more familiar Pumpkins sound, but failed to widely connect with fans. MACHINA also brought Corgan's desire to write a concept album to fruition.

Related Topics:
2000 - MACHINA/The Machines of God - Concept album

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The band's lineup changed again at this point. Bass player Wretzky departed after the recording of MACHINA/The Machines of God, and former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur was recruited for the "Sacred and Profane" tour in support of the album.

Related Topics:
Hole - Melissa Auf der Maur

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Machina II & Breakup

On May 23, 2000 in a live radio interview on KROQ (Los Angeles), Billy Corgan announced the band's decision to break up at the end of that year following additional touring and recording. In a first for an established band, the group's final album, MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, was released in September 2000 in a limited pressing on vinyl with permission and instructions for free redistribution on the Internet by fans. Only 25 copies were cut, each of which was hand numbered and given to friends of the band along with band members themselves. The album contained 2 LP's and 3 EP's released under the Constantinople Records label, created by Corgan. This is the only Smashing Pumpkins album released that is not under the Virgin Records label.

Related Topics:
May 23 - 2000 - MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music - Internet - Virgin Records

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On August 5, 2005 an idea of the value of Machina II was discovered as the Q101 copy (#19) was put up for sale on eBay. The seller decided to end the auction four days early when the bidding had reached $10,000 from a bidder in France. This bidder has since disclosed that there was a mutual agreement after the auction was ended to cancel the sale transaction. It remains to be seen if this copy (or any other) will go up for sale again publicly in the near future, but clearly the whole incident shows that an original vinyl copy could easily fetch upwards of five-figure sums given the current market.

Related Topics:
August 5 - EBay - France

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On December 2, 2000, Smashing Pumpkins played their final concert at The Metro, the same Chicago club where their career had effectively started twelve years earlier. The Smashing Pumpkins' final commercial recording was a single, "Untitled" released to coincide with the final show. A DVD of the 4 hour concert (3 main sets and 4 encores in total) is still in the works.

Related Topics:
December 2 - 2000

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Post Breakup

2001 saw the release of a greatest hits compilation, Rotten Apples (Greatest Hits), which included various singles spanning their decade long career. The now rare double disc version of the album, released as a limited edition, included a B-sides/rarities collection called Judas 0. A greatest hits DVD was also released around the same time. It compiled all of the Pumpkins promo videos from Gish to MACHINA, the rare promo for "I Am One", a 15 minute short film called "Try" as well as a TV performance of "Geek U.S.A.". It also features the performance of "Fuck You (An Ode To No One)" from their final gig at the Metro. (There is one notable omission, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", used in the Batman and Robin soundtrack. This is excluded because the rights are owned by Warner Brothers, who loaned out the band from their regular label, Virgin Records.)

Related Topics:
Rotten Apples (Greatest Hits) - Judas 0 - DVD - TV - Batman and Robin - Warner Brothers - Virgin Records

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Corgan and Chamberlin would reunite in 2001 as members of Corgan's next project, the shortlived Zwan. Their only album, Mary Star of the Sea, was released to mixed reviews, and after cancelling a few festival appearances Corgan announced the demise of the band in 2003.

Related Topics:
2001 - Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea - 2003

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On February 17, 2004, Billy Corgan posted a bitter message on his personal blog calling Wretzky a "mean spirited drug addict" and blaming Iha for the breakup of The Smashing Pumpkins. On June 3, 2004, he added that "the depth of my hurt is only matched with the depth of my gratitude". In October, 2004, Corgan released his first book, a book of poetry entitled Blinking with Fists. He has also released a solo album, entitled "TheFutureEmbrace". At the same time, Jimmy Chamberlin is touring with his new band The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex who's first album, entitled Life Begins Again, features Billy Corgan singing a track entitled Lokicat. James Iha has completed his work as a guitarist in A Perfect Circle and is currently appearing with other acts such as Chino Moreno's Team Sleep, and Vanessa and the O's. He continues to work with his own record label as well, Scratchie Records. D'arcy Wretzky has not made any statements or appearances since leaving the band in 1999.

Related Topics:
February 17 - 2004 - Billy Corgan - Blog - June 3 - October - TheFutureEmbrace - Jimmy Chamberlin - Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - James Iha - A Perfect Circle - Chino Moreno - Team Sleep - Vanessa and the O's - D'arcy Wretzky

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Possible Reunion

On June 21 2005, the day of the release of Corgan's album TheFutureEmbrace, Billy took out a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Tribune newspaper to announce that he planned to reunite the band. "For a year now," Corgan wrote, "I have walked around with a secret, a secret I chose to keep. But now I want you to be among the first to know that I have made plans to renew and revive the Smashing Pumpkins. I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams."{{ref|spreunite}}

Related Topics:
June 21 - 2005 - TheFutureEmbrace - Chicago Tribune

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Corgan appeared on Chicago morning television to discuss the advertisement and his new album, but gave little elaboration to the actual newspaper advertisement.

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No other information was given as to the lineup or possible releases from the group, and he did not say when he would try to reform the Pumpkins. He signed the message off with the Pumpkins traditional logo. Jimmy Chamberlin is the only member that has publicly confirmed interest in joining up with former Smashing Pumpkins band members. Within the first few days after the publication of his ads Chamberlin gave a press interview where in he said he had not heard from D'arcy in years but still remained in e-mail contact with James Iha.

Related Topics:
D'arcy - James Iha

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