Music - The Smashing Pumpkins

The son of a jazz guitarist, Billy Corgan grew up in a Chicago suburb, leaving home at the age of 19 to move to Florida with his fledgling Goth-metal band, the Marked. After the band failed down south, he returned to Chicago around 1988, where he began working at a used record store. At the shop he met James Iha, a graphic arts student at Loyola University, and the two began collaborating, performing and recording songs with a drum machine. Corgan met D'Arcy Wretzky at a club show; after arguing about the merits of the Dan Reed Network, the two became friends, and she joined the group as a bassist. Soon, the band, who had named themselves Smashing Pumpkins, had gained a dedicated local following, including the head of a local club who booked them to open for Jane's Addiction. Before the pivotal concert, the band hired Jimmy Chamberlin, a former jazz musician, as the group's full-time drummer.

Smashing Pumpkins Photo 2 In 1990, the Smashing Pumpkins released their debut single I Am One on the local Chicago label Limited Potential. The single quickly sold out, and in December, the band released Tristessa on Sub Pop. By this point, the Smashing Pumpkins had become the subject of a hot bidding war, and the group latched on to a clever way to move to a major label without losing indie credibility. They signed to Virgin Records, yet it was decided that the group's debut would be released on the Virgin subsidiary, Caroline; then the band would move to the majors. The strategy worked. Gish, a majestic mix of Black Sabbath and dream-pop produced by Butch Vig, became a huge college and modern rock hit upon its spring 1991 release. While it earned a large audience, many indie-rock fans began to snipe at Smashing Pumpkins, accusing them of being careerists. Such criticism did the band no harm, and they embarked on an extensive supporting tour for Gish, which lasted over a year and included opening slots for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam. During the Gish tour, tensions between the band members began to escalate. These tensions hadn't been resolved by the time the group entered the studio with Vig to record their second album.

The resulting album, Siamese Dream, was an immaculate production owing much to Queen, yet it was embraced by critics upon its July 1993 release. Siamese Dream became a blockbuster, debuting at number 10 on the charts and establishing the group as stars. Cherub Rock, the first single, was a modern rock hit, yet it was Today and the acoustic Disarm that sent the album into the stratosphere, as well as the group's relentless touring. Smashing Pumpkins became the headliners of 1994's Lollapalooza, and following the tour's completion, the band went back into the studio to record a new album that Corgan had already claimed would be a double-disc set. To tide fans over until the new album, the Pumpkins released the B-sides and rarities album Pisces Iscariot in October of 1994.

Smashing Pumpkins Photo 3 Working with producers Flood and Alan Moulder, Smashing Pumpkins recorded as a full band for their third album, which turned out to be, as Corgan predicted, a double-disc set called Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Mellon Collie became an even bigger hit than Siamese Dream, debuting at number 1 on the charts. On the strength of the singles Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Zero and Tonight, Tonight, it eventually being certified platinum over 8 times. The Pumpkins had graduated to stadium shows for the Mellon Collie tour, and the band was at the peak of its popularity when things began to go wrong again. On July 12, prior to two shows at Madison Square Garden, the group's touring keyboardist, Jonathan Melvoin, died from a heroin overdose; he was with Jimmy Chamberlin, who survived his overdose. In the wake of the tragedy, the remaining Pumpkins fired Chamberlin and spent two months on hiatus, as they recovered and searched for a new drummer. Early in August, they announced that Filter member Matt Walker would be their touring drummer, and Dennis Flemion, a member of the Frogs, would be their touring keyboardist for the remainder of the year. In the spring of 1997, the Smashing Pumpkins recorded two songs for the soundtrack of Batman & Robin. Iha's solo debut Let It Come Down appeared in early 1998; Adore, the new Smashing Pumpkins LP, followed a few months later to disappointing sales and reviews; Chamberlin returned to the group and D'Arcy exited prior to the early 2000 release of Machina/The Machines of God. Several months later, Corgan announced his intentions to dissolve the band before the year was out.

Disc 1: Bullet With Butterfly Wings ...Said Sadly You're All I've Got Tonight Clones (We're All) A Night Like This Destination Unknown Dreaming	Disc 2: 1979 Ugly The Boy Cherry Believe Set The Ray To Jerry	Disc 3: Zero God Mouths Of Babes Tribute To Johnny Marquis In Spades Pennies Pastichio Medley	Disc 4: Tonight, Tonight Meladori Magpie Rotten Apples Jupiter's Lament Medellia Of The Gray Skies Blank Tonight Reprise	Disc 5: Thirty-Three The Last Song The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right) Transformer The Bells My Blue Heaven