RETURN OF THE PUMPKINS: RISE OF THE MACHINES

AMAZING NEWS!!: THE SMASHING PUMPKINS ARE GETTING BACK TOGETHER!! (a true Pumpkins fan gets the reference of the blog title)

Those of you who know me, know that I love Howie Day and that GUSTER is my favorite band in existence, but that may not be the case for long. On his website Billy Corgan (www.BillyCorgan.com) just announced plans to reunite and revive The Smashing Pumpkins, my first love in music. Why you might ask? Well to be blunt: Billy Corgan is the greatest song writer alive. Obviously I'm biased, as I'm a loyal fan, who appreciates the mans songs as they've spoken true, and soothed, inspired and energized me at many points in my life. But just imagine what many of Corgan's songs would sound like if they were sung by someone with a beautiful voice (hey, I'm not deaf to Billy's er, shall we say, unGuster-like pipes). Had someone like Howie Day, Adam Duritz or Amy Lee (who actually covered "Zero") sung his songs I think the Pumpkins would have achieved Beatle fame. Just my opinion, which of course I could never prove, but still feel strongly about nonetheless. For anyone interested below is a brief (trust me it could have been pages long) account of the Pumpkins and me.

I fell in love with the Pumpkins in 6th grade when "Disarm" flooded the airwaves (though at that time I think I called the song "The Killer In Me is The Killer in You". I'm sure I wasn't the only one). By the time I started 8th grade "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight" were huge hits (as was a certain "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" which I know everyone still calls "Rat in a Cage") and Corgan and his smashing crew were officially my favorite band in existence. I truly loved every song on "Siamese Dream" and to this day still believe "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" is the greatest rock n roll album ever. I found there b-sides album "Pisces Iscariot" intriguing (it has the best "Landslide" version to date on it) and eventually rhythmically rocked to the bands first album "Gish".
In 9th grade I spent every single ride to school for the first 5 months listening to the Pumpkins box-set "The Aeroplane Flies High". I just couldn't get enough of the variety of songs on the 5-disc collection. There were songs with heavy hooked, angst ridden rage numbers, mellow Pumpkinesque ballads, experimental tracks and a few great covers, most notably Blondies "Dreamin" and The Cars "You're All I've Got Tonight". I could see why songs like "Cherry" and "The Boy" didn't make it onto "Mellon Collie" (if for no other reason than the fact that James sings them...the latter with Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon- check it out!), but was thrilled to see a lighter, folkier side of the band. I still enjoy playing the acoustic version of "Tonight, Tonight" at night sometimes, and even made "Believe" my theme song for while.
Frome 1994-96 the Pumpkins were the biggest band in the world (even Newsweek verified this). They were everywhere. The albums were selling in the millions, teens were wearing "Zero" t-shirts (I still have mine...which I got in Israel- thats how popular they were :), and Homer Simpson was smiling politely to Billy Corgan. Then things started to going downhill.
Though Billy was able to stay clean because of his allergy to alcohol and distaste for heavy drugs, Jimmy chamberlain, rock n' rolls greatest drummer, succumbed to the misleading temptations of narcotics and was forced to leave the band (which ultimately proved to be a hiatus). The trio (Billy, James Iha, and D'arcy-who would have her own drug problems later on) went on to record the critically loved, but commercially disappointing Adore . I was entranced by this album. I could listen to it from track 1 to 16 at hours on end, not once skipping a song. I was disappointed with its marketing, as was Corgan. The albums worst (but in no way bad) song "Ava Adore" became the first single, while melodious ballads like "For Martha" and "Tear" were ignored.
The band then recorded the "Machina" albums, a high concept rock narrative about the futuristic, messianic Glass and his band "The Machines". Machina/The Machines of God was a good album, but I can't call it great. I didn't enjoy every track like previous Pumpkin albums but did feel "Stand Inside Your Love" and "I of the Mourning" were the bands best songs since "Mellon Collie". Check out the album cover to see why one must put the booklet into shaymos in the event it's thrown out (the Pumpkins aren't Jewish, but I think the artist who did the cover is- hence Hashem's name). During the recordings Jimmy rejoined the band and D'arcy left, being replaced by Hole's sweetheart of a bassist Melissa Auf Der Mauer (who now has her own suprisingly good band "Auf Der Mauer"). She toured with the Pumpkins for their final shows, and I had the pleasure of meeting her and the rest of the band in 2000 when I was 18 and waited on line for 8 hours to meet them; I don't think I'd do that today, but it was quite a thrill at the time.
I'm not sure exactly what happened, but do to a conflict with their record label the band decided to release their final album for free over the internet. It's entitled Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, and happens to be quite good. The double-album fills in the gaps and finishes the tale of Glass, Vanity, The Machines and the other characters in Corgan's attempt at a pseudo-rock opera set in the future. Songs like "Cash Car Star" and "Speed Kills" could easily have become hit singles, which just raises more questions about what was going on behind the scenes. Nevertheless fans were more than happy to receive this along with the bands last song "Untitled" as a final farewell and thank you from one of the founding fathers of alternative/grunge/progressive-orchestral rock.

After TSP'S ended Corgan and Chamberlain went to form ZWAN, which released only 1 critically praised album, that was semi-successful (Entertainment Weekly put it in its top 10 albums of the year). The album was solid, but only "Honestly" ushered a sense of true greatness. The band quickly imploded (honestly- no pun intended- the other three band members appeared like skuzzy fools, and apparently Billy felt the same way), and the short experiment that was ZWAN came and went, leaving only a small mark on the world of rock.

Now Billy has released his first solo album. So far all I can say is "eh", though it is starting to grow on me (perhaps I'll come to love this album too- I've never straight out disliked anything of Billy's). There is too much of an emphasis on electronica, which did work for the Machina albums, but seems a bit stale and overly distracting from the emotion of the songs at times. Also there is a bit of the ol' Corgan intensity that is lacking. Something is missing here, and maybe Billy realizes it too. So now the Pumpkins will rise once more. The old songs might be played again, and the world of can once more rock bask in the glory of the greatest band to ever emerge from the city by the lake. I for one, cannot wait.