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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSMASHING PUMPKINSRock band formed in Chicago '89: Billy Corgan (vocals, guitar), James Iha (guitar), D'Arcy Wretzky-Brown (bass), Jimmy Chamberlin (drums). Debut album Gish '91 on Caroline just made the US top 200; signed with Virgin for top ten Siamese Dream '93, a soap opera showcasing Corgan's writing: he played everything but drums on it because the band wouldn't focus on the work, and when it first came out the band couldn't play it live. Their heavy, loud music with reference to the dark side was lumped with grunge acts etc as 'alternative rock'. Pisces Iscariot '94 was an album of scraps taken by momentum into the top five, but also incl. their sweet sad mode; standout track was a cover of Stevie Nicks's 'Landslide'. Meanwhile Corgan had announced he would do a double CD in order to force himself to the challenge (he later told Mojo, 'I really miss the day when people made complete albums. I don't think it's such a bad idea to have a concept occasionally.') He pulled it off: Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness '95 reached no. 1 without a weak track in the lot (if you like their sort of thing). In May '96 a 17-year-old girl in Dublin died of injuries sustained in the mosh pit (the area directly in front of the stage where morons push and shove); in July touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, son of one-time Phil Spector session player Mike, brother of Wendy (Wendy and Lisa) and Susannah (the Family), died of heroin and alcohol poisoning; Chamberlin had shared the drug problem and was fired from the band. Set of five CD EPs The Aeroplane Flies High compiled singles, B sides, covers etc, not essential but better than Pisces; it came in a box like an old-fashioned carrying-case for 45 singles. The shaven-headed Corgan was getting fed up with the so-called 'alternative rock' scene with its alternative rituals; he was working on film music and saying things like 'rock is basically redundant' and 'I think there's a futuristic music right around the corner': he'd seen an audience for alternative rock when Nirvana were still unknown, and also knew that once the audience was found all the music would begin to sound the same. Adore '98 used a drum loop to replace Chamberlin. |