Smashing Pumpkins, "Siamese Dream"
Mitch pulls out the old zero shirt
Mitch’s Pitch:
I finally know what it feels like to be a baby boomer.
No, I don’t mean that I’ve taken up destroying the planet to make a quick buck or that I’m falling for moronic conspiracy theories on Facebook. What I mean is that like the baby boomers and the birth of rock and roll, I’ve finally lived long enough to see music history collapse in front of my eyes. And this time...it’s personal.
In the 30 years since the dawn of the alternative rock era, the history of grunge has been pretty much reduced to: Kurt Cobain invented this cool new sound, inspired a bunch of guys from Seattle, everyone died, and then someone combined rap and metal and ruined rock forever.
Of course, to those of us who were there, this is complete bunk. Pearl Jam’s Ten broke through long before anyone cared about Nirvana. The “Seattle Sound” was a natural progression from late-’80s metal (see Mother Love Bone) and was certainly not invented by Kurt Cobain. In fact, Nirvana’s run was pretty short and there were plenty of other bands that defined and dominated the era: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Jane’s Addiction, et al.
Worst of all is that the Smashing Pumpkins, perhaps the greatest grunge band of them, have been completely forgotten by the mists of time, even though they created the decade's best album, 1993’s Siamese Dream.
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Three reasons why the Smashing Pumpkins are the greatest grunge band and why Siamese Dream is the greatest grunge album:
Billy Corgan (guitar) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums) are virtuosos in an era that valued authenticity over skill.
Musically, the Smashing Pumpkins are a two-way conversation between the epic, heavy metal-inspired, layered guitars of Billy Corgan, and the hard-hitting, energetic drumming of Jimmy Chamberlin. I’m not one who usually even notices drumming, but when I think of Siamese Dream all I can hear is Jimmy’s insanely powerful drumming. Normally hard-edged songs like “Quiet” and “Geek U.S.A.” would have me screaming for mercy, but the playing is so damn good I love them anyway. Billy’s tone and attack is amazing throughout the album. He can shred with the best of them and would have been a “guitar god” if he was ten years older.
The songs are always melodic and frequently beautiful in an era that was often sludgy and depressing.
“Disarm”, “Soma”, “Spaceboy” and “Luna” stretch the definition of “power ballad” beyond the breaking point, but these songs are truly gorgeous and are among Corgan’s most effective vocal performances. Billy Corgan’s nasally vocals are a stumbling block for a lot of people, but I think he’s a great crooner and his approach is emotional, vulnerable and totally fits the songs. The subtle but tasteful use of strings, piano and mellotron are really unique for the era as well, and add a baroque grandeur to the album’s sound.
Siamese Dream captures the best of grunge rock but delivers so much more in an era that was full of copycats.
Vague lyrics expressing personal and societal discontent? Check.
Loud-soft-loud-soft song structures? Check.
Awkward cover photo exploiting the innocence of children? Check.
While the Pumpkins fit in quite nicely with the rest of the alt-rock class of 1993, and they certainly embrace many of the tropes and stylistic tics that we associate with grunge rock, the sound of Siamese Dream is so much more than the typical lo-fi production of the times. Butch Vig and Billy Corgan make the album sound huge. There’s an arena-rock vibe to some songs (“Cherub Rock”, “Today”) and a prog-rock structure to other tunes (“Mayonaise”, “Hummer”) that make Siamese Dream feel bigger, more diverse, and more polished than the other big grunge albums.
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Whenever I see a Zoomer wearing a Nirvana tee shirt I’m always tempted to go up to them and tell them that the Smashing Pumpkins were better and that they should listen to Siamese Dream to hear the actual best grunge album. It’s cool that the kids love Nirvana but they should know the real history - not just the Clif’s Notes version.
But then I remember that I’m a Gen Xer and I don’t really care. Whatever, man.
But the Pumpkins were better. You just had to be there.
CJ’s Response:
Billy Corgan is a card-carrying Rush superfan. (For those of you who are wondering what a Rush superfan card looks like, it’s a guitar in the shape of a maple leaf.) In one of my favorite Rush documentaries (yes, there’s more than one), Corgan tells a story about playing Rush’s “Entre Nous” to his mom in an effort to connect with her during his difficult teenage years. It’s unclear whether Mrs. Corgan was more or less confused about her 6’ 3”, 180 lb. Goth kid after hearing the song, but that’s not the point. The point is, Billy’s musical roots are solid.
Echoes of Geddy Lee aside, Siamese Dream is a puzzle for me. On one hand, it has absolutely aged much better than its grunge-era counterparts. “Cherub Rock”, “Disarm” and “Rocket” all sound as fresh today as they did when I first heard them on the local college rock stations. “Today” is one of my favorite ‘90s songs and the video is so brilliant it almost saved MTV.
On the other hand, “Hummer” and “Luna” drag a bit while “Spaceboy” sounds like something that inspired the creation of Coldplay. And I am philosophically opposed to anything that might have led to the existence of England’s most repulsive export since the scone.
In the final analysis, I just think it’s hard to sit through an hour straight of Bill C’s vocal stylings and all the fuzzy guitar that accompanies them. To put it another way, I’m always excited to hear a Smashing Pumpkins song on the radio. I’m never excited to hear two in a row.
Siamese Dream is an alt-rock touchstone and certainly deserves its place in the hallowed halls of ‘90s music history. But even as I listened to it, one question kept bubbling to the surface.
Why doesn’t Mitch just admit he likes Rush?
Pitch Failed
Ken’s Response:
It’s difficult to express in words how much I disliked listening to this album. Mitch had to know this wasn’t going to go well. After 34 years of friendship, he knows me well enough to know I hate (and have always hated) the Smashing Pumpkins with the heat of a thousand suns.
I don’t like the argument that Billy Corgan is a great musician, giving him credibility. Being competent (or even great) as a technical musician doesn’t mean your product is worth a shit. My sophomore year in college, our football team went like 4-7 and ended up having 5-6 guys drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. Talent and skill don’t equal a quality product.
This is a band that’s too hard for me with almost non-stop distortion, Corgan’s voice is grating like a middle school fire alarm, and they misspell mayonnaise with one N. Five years earlier, this album would have been put in the heavy metal section of your local record store, but in 1993, it hid behind the grunge moniker in the hopes that no one would notice.
File this one away on a remote island, along with people who throw elaborate gender reveal parties, dogs that can fit in a purse, and cilantro.
I’m just glad we’re on to a new album, so my siamese nightmare can be over.
Pitch Failed
Don’s Response:
Other than Nirvana’s Nevermind, I’ve never really enjoyed grunge. My personal tastes lean towards more earthy, rootsy, blues-based rock. Maybe that’s why I am a fan of Pearl Jam. Even though they were labeled “grunge” by virtue of their Seattle hometown and the unmistakable influences of their peers, I’ve always felt they were more of a classic rock band, even in the beginning.
But even though I was indifferent to the genre, there was no mistaking it’s impact in the ‘90’s, including that of the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream. Spinning it this week was a project. At first I eschewed it and reluctantly replayed it. Over time, I admit I grew to respect Billy Corgan’s ambition, best captured, of course, by the massive singles “Today,” “Disarm,” and “Rocket.”
I don’t have anything really insightful to write about it, being the Gen X slacker that I am. Other than to say Corgan’s voice too often sounds like a famished Siamese cat. Shrug.
Pitch Failed
Mitch’s pitch was thrown to the pavement and the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream has been exiled from the Newbury St. Collection.
Do you adore the Smashing Pumpkins or do they provoke infinite sadness in you? Tonight, tonight we’ll ask you to go to the comments section and try, try, ty to tell us what you think about Siamese Dream.
Please join us next week as Ken tries to make us happy with Sheryl Crow’s breakthrough debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club.
Allow me to be the first to point out that CJ (who once lived in London) is blaming the British for mayonnaise, an obviously French cold sauce. A mother sauce!
Let me also say that mayonnaise is delicious and I highly recommend using it in place of butter or margarine for all of your grilled sandwiches. Don't pay attention to mayonnaise haters like Ken and CJ.
I definitely felt what Mitch wrote here. In my head I still think I’m 22. Every once in a while, the universe reminds me I’m not.
I don’t know what’s worse; Zoomers in Nirvana tees, or a social media feed full of albums I love turning 30…