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Album Details
- Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins
- Album: Siamese Dream
- Label: Virgin
- Year of Release: 1993
- ME Rating: Indie Classic
- Reviewed by: mschmitt on 2006-09-18
RecommendThe mythology, rumor, gossip, delicious stories, and everything that made the Smashing Pumpkins more than just your everyday rock band started here. Riding off the waves of their debut Gish and the relative tsunami that was the grunge and alternative explosion, The Smashing Pumpkins could not have been in a better position to seize the music world. That sort of pressure for a band that had spent years writing their material for their only other release was tremendous. The result would be frontman Billy Corgan sole efforts. Partly with the aid of drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, Siamese Dream would express the tumult and emotional backlash of being a rock star in a time when that was still edgy. More importantly, it sent the Pumpkins in a direction that would result in them being the gods of rock. Siamese Dream, released in the summer of 1993 - featuring Butch Vig again in the producer's chair - carved a new road not only for the Smashing Pumpkins but for alternative music. It branched away from the path Nirvana was taking, focusing not on the punk in rock but dreamy and emotional qualities. Highly introspective, songs like "Spaceboy" and "Disarm" drip with Corgan's fragility, without ever telling you what the dang problem is. That sort of emotional animosity gave the teenager listeners something to grab on to, something they could relate to. The Pumpkins also continued evolving their classic layered guitar work in songs like "Cherub Rock" and "Quiet," and achieved their first truly pop hit in "Today." Together with the rumors of drug use, romantic issues between guitarist James Iha and bassist D'arcy Wretzcy , and Corgan's ever present depression; the album was a huge success. Debuting in the Billboard Top Ten and going on to sell four million copies over the next three years, Siamese Dream firmly placed The Smashing Pumpkins among the heavy-hitters and more importantly gave Corgan the artistic license to create what would come next.
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on 2009-07-01 evenflown Said:
every time i listen to this album, shivers go down my spine as happens when i listen to many of the 90's masterpieces, Siamese Dream is unique because every single song is fresh, unique, and sounds different and awesome. For me every song was a blast from beginning to end, from charged anthems like "Cherub Rock" and "Quiet", to "Hummer" and "Rocket" to soft melodic ballads including "Disarm" and "Spaceboy" and pop hits that make you feel like its the best DAY in the world in "Today" and the traditional somewhat crazy ballads including "Mayonaisse" and "Silverfuck", all together Siamese Dream is just AMAZING, if you are lost on where to start with the pumpkins start nowhere but here and i assure u any alternative or rock fan will love them.
Rating: 10/10
Review:
on 2008-11-12 Sinist3r Punk Said:
Listening to Cherub Rock brings me back to those wonderful 90's where grunge ruled the world, thrash metal was on a hiatus, Metallica was slowly killing their audience, and that god awful boy band crap was actually selling. Fast forward 15 years, all of those are still being talked about now, but I think that Smashing Pumpkins came out with the least amount of scars. Sure, the band has taken a huge nose dive and Corgan lost his mind and is inflicting more pain than good with that goatee, but its nice to look back to a time when SP was an innocent grunge band. Siamese Dream is the kind of album that held Smashing Pumpkins to a great standard, but it was a kind of motivating benchmark that kept the band moving to bigger and better things. Smashing Pumpkins isnt an Alice in Chains or Nirvana kind of grunge band. Sure, they were all depressed out of their minds and floating towards the inevitable drug addictions that follow a hugely popular band, but Smashing Pumpkins had a certain kind of sensitive quality about them that gave you goosebumps no matter what kind of mood you where in. Some songs like "Disarm" you had to be in a certain mood to fully enjoy, but others like "Cherub Rock" and "Today" could change your mood to that of the song. Siamese Dream didnt follow the "norm" of grunge music like Nirvana, but thats not to say Smashing Pumpkins wasnt one of the greatest grunge forces to ever break out into the mainstream.
Not Rated
Review:
on 2008-10-15 kev_stev Said:
This album is so brilliant it kills me. Layers of warm, fuzzy guitar-work capture the inexplicably intangible emotions that make music so special. "Mayonaise," in particular, is a melancholic emotional burst from outer space, where lofty dynamics are the smaller picture in a song where guitar feedback resonates ruminative sonic buzzes over Corgan's cathartic vocals. Siamese Dream has the hits, "Disarm" and guitar-hero favorites "Today" and "Cherub Rock," but its depth makes this album a classic. This album is still being talked about 15 years after its release and the band is still playing it heavily on their tours; hopefully they won't let up when they play their 20th anniversary show in NY, because I will be going in with extremely high expectations.
Rating: 9/10
