1990s music Billy Corgan D'Arcy Wretzky James Iha Jimmy Chamberlin music Smashing Pumpkins Smashing Pumpkins list
by Afrobutterfly
132 comments
The Greatest Smashing Pumpkins Songs Of All Time
From L to R: Jimmy, Billy, James, D'Arcy
A post 20 years in the making, 14 years too late.
Honorable Mentions: By Starlight, Snail, Slow Dawn, Cash Car Star, Plume, Frail And Bedazzled, Obscured, Saturn9, We Only Come Out At Night, Silverf***, Jesus Loves His Babies, Crush, Real Love, Home, Speed Kills, Try, Try, Try, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, Stumbleine, Medellia of the Gray Skies, God, Dross, This Time
52) Beautiful – Makes the list solely for the nah-nah sing-along section beginning around 2:00 on the studio version. I’m pretty sure Beck’s copied it for at least half of his late career singles. The rest is bouncy, electronic fare. Not really my cup of tea, but that catchy psychedelic turn packs a hell of a hook.
51) Ugly – Pure ’80s goth-pop. I don’t know how Corgan beat Depeche Mode and Robert Smith to this one. Synthesizer? Check. Bleak lyrics? Check. Sinister delivery and sparse arrangement? Check and check. About 100 times better than the similarly sounding “Eye” that was released just months later on the “Lost Highway” soundtrack.
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50) Behold! The Night Mare – The quintessential cut from “Adore”: pretentious but quiet, absurd and haunting all the same. One of the few electric guitar cameos at 2:51. Or maybe it’s a synthesizer. Sublime either way.
49) Transformer – Just shows the quality of the Pumpkins’ catalogue that a cut like this can’t crack a 28-song double album or the 16-song follow-up (not that it would fit on “Adore” anyway). You can find “Transformer” in the incomparable B-sides collection “The Aeroplane Flies High” box, along with all the other fantastic “Mellon Collie” leftovers. Great driving bass line, typically awesome drum work and a flawless chorus… except for the “happy as a turtle” lyric. What the hell does that mean?
48) Vanity – This list’s lone representative from the digital-only “Machina II” release tells us two things: Corgan 1) still had his musical wherewithal intact when the band broke up 2) had absolutely lost the rest of his freaking mind. The problem with the “Machina” era isn’t that the band started sucking, they just could no longer sort the wheat from the sh*t. How “Vanity” and “Slow Dawn” and “Real Love” and “Dross,” etc. didn’t make the original album is one of the great mysteries in life (to me, anyway), especially when you’re releasing crap like “Heavy Metal Machine.” Here’s a hypothetical “Machina” tracklist for kicks… In no particular order: “This Time,” “Stand Inside Your Love,” “I Of The Mourning,” “Slow Dawn,” “Real Love,” “Dross,” “Let Me Give The World To You,” “Innosense,” “Cash Car Star,” “Satur9,” “Age of Innocence,” “Wound,” “Try, Try, Try,” “Home,” and “Speed Kills (But Beauty Lives Forever).” That looks like a fourth classic album to me. Morons.
47) The End Is The Beginning Is The End – Corgan’s purgatory. Still wanted to make loud rock ‘n roll, but didn’t have the drummer to pull it off. Chamberlin could have made this song a classic. Negative points for its association with the disastrous “Batman and Robin” film.
46) Ava Adore – The lead single off “Adore” and the one that gets closest to realizing Corgan’s electronica ambitions. Cool song, and even better video filled with gothic robes, heavy makeup and filmed in one continuous shot. This track could have been on “The Downward Spiral” if not for the gorgeous chorus melody. Too bad the follow-up single (“Perfect”) sucked.
The Adore Era... A perfectly well-adjusted bunch, no?
45) To Forgive – “MCIS’s” first breather. Sounds like it’s about being dumped by your parents, but maybe I’m making that up. Sad either way. The buildup around 2:40 could make you a little misty if you’re a sucker for emotional chord progressions.
44) I Of The Mourning – Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. The “Machina” sound is laughably overproduced thanks to British bigwig Flood (U2, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, etc.), but Corgan and Co. absolutely kill the guitars on this one. In a good way. The lyrics run the gamut from corny to you-can’t-be-serious, but that wall of fuzz just keeps building and building. A lone instance of the late-period excess paying off. The part at 2:40 gives me goosebumps, and the battering ram drumming reminds you just how much they’d missed Chamberlin in his drug-addled absence.
43) Set The Ray To Jerry – Another “Mellon Collie” b-side that I’m sure was a legit candidate to make the album proper. Some people think that this is one of their very best. I’ll go so far as to say that the D’Arcy/Jimmy battery has never been more impressive. The quietly propulsive bass line only pales in comparison to the restrained punch of the percussion. Some of the vocal grinds on my nerves, but no other complaints.
42) Thirty-Three – The last “MCIS” single paved the way for the softer, more introspective tunes on “Adore,” which is a little ironic given it was the first song Corgan wrote after the “Siamese Dream” tour. It’s also notable for Chamberlin’s absence both on the song (it’s a drum machine) and the video. Months earlier, he’d been kicked out of the band after overdosing on heroin with touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, who died. Still, impossibly beautiful melody that would have been the next album’s best… It was the beginning of the end in hindsight, which makes the “And you can make it last forever” line sad and nostalgic for people who care about this kind of stuff.
41) X.Y.U. – A song this punishing has to make the list out of novelty alone. Straddles the thin line between appropriately acerbic and plain ugly. Up there with “Tales of A Scorched Earth,” “Glass’ Theme,” “Aeroplane,” and “F*** You” for pure metal appeal, and the fluency of the time shifts is almost startling. What other ’90s bands had the chops to pull this off? Soundgarden, maybe? Metallica?
40) For Martha – Really the only song of its kind in the Pumpkins catalogue – an understated piano epic that goes from being a really good song to something just short of ethereal at around 4:20. Makes you wonder what “Adore” would have been like with those signature Pumpkins guitars. Should have canned the pointless coda and made this the album’s bookend. (Bonus points for Soundgarden association – Matt Cameron plays drums).
39) Once Upon A Time – An absolute gem on an album that could have been a classic if it was chopped down by 20 minutes. Sad and beautiful and melancholy. This song has a “Martha” in it, so I assume it was written about Corgan’s mother… Probably the only SP song my mom would like.
38) Zero – Spawned a classic riff and the classic t-shirt… Billy’s big, bald head was getting to him at this point as evidenced by lines like, “Emptiness is loneliness/and loneliness is cleanliness/and cleanliness is godliness/and God is empty just like me.” Okay. Somehow that stupid a cappella break didn’t seem so stupid in fourth grade.
Admit it, you have a Zero T buried somewhere in your closet.
37) Galapogos – A hybrid of “To Forgive” and that oceanic, space vibe of “Porcelina.” Shows more than anything the extent of Chamberlin’s talent – he was heavier and more muscular than any of his peers, but had deft touch as well. Here those subtle cymbal splashes? That’s world class restraint. If there’s a lesson for the kids, it’s this: if you want to be a famous drummer, better hone your jazz chops… If you’re lazy, just cut to the 3-minute mark and let it go from there. That epic buildup is quintessential Pumpkins. “To make the turn back now…”
36) Rocket – Another soaring rocker on “Siamese Dream.” I almost never listen to this song, but when I do, I think that I should more often. It’s not as good as the four songs that precede it or the three songs that come after. That it sustains the momentum is a testament to its greatness, I guess. And the last 20 seconds of feedback is a glorious mess.
35) In The Arms Of Sleep – How freaking beautiful is this track? If Billy sang this way from the beginning, he wouldn’t have had to constantly fend off the “nasally” criticisms. The supposed concept behind “MCIS” was that the first disc was supposed to be “Daytime” and the second “Night.” This is one of the only songs where I totally buy into it. Definitely has a starry, late night feel to it. Play it under the moon for your girlfriend, or in the car as background music. Great stuff, especially that “And I always need her more than she can ever need me” line… Admit it, you just teared up a little.
34) Marquis In Spades – A crunching rocker that should have replaced “Tales of A Scorched Earth” as the 3-minute metal track between “1979″ and “Ruby” on the second half of “Mellon Collie.” The pummeling riff is more impressive than the melody, but that final solo at 2:25 pushes this song to another level. A succinct classic that exists in the SP universe only as a castoff demo. Most bands would make a career out of this song.
33) Bullet With Butterfly Wings – A song played frequently at the Miami Arena during the year of the rat. Appeals to nostalgia more than anything, but I bet it means something special to Scott Mellanby. Spectacular video and the first cameo for the classic Zero t-shirt that would, in short time, be a fixture in the pop culture lexicon. Sinister and loud, just how I like my Pumpkins.
32) Wound – A dreamy pop nugget buried underneath a bunch of garbage on the second half of “Machina.” Higher on this list than it has any right to be – Corgan’s voice is grating in the verses… But, damn, those two vocal hooks are ace. The “if you wait/I will wait” melody is great. The “last night I turned around…” is nothing short of perfect. Would have fit snuggly on side five or six of “MCIS,” and there’s something sad and ironic in the line “So take it all/I doubt if we will know it’s gone” considering Billy’s penchant for defiant self-sabotage.
The Machina Era... And no, that's not D'Arcy.
31) Where Boys Fear To Tread – Good lord, can you say “groove”? So you’re 15 years-old, you go out and buy “Mellon Collie,” you’ve just listened to the best 60 minutes of music you’ve ever heard in your life, and you pop in disc 2 expecting a letdown, or at the very least, a bunch of soft acoustic music… Wrong.
30) Love – Gets bumped even higher up the list if it’s really about former Corgan/Cobain flame Courtney Love. Kind of reminds me of her – scuzzed up, druggy, corrosive, beautiful in a dirty way. Shouldn’t function – in this case, just a bunch of heavy synths and feedback – but it charges forward almost despite itself. A truly great song, and different than anything else in the Pumpkins’ catalogue. It’s a precursor to the next album’s “Ava Adore,” and if this was the electronic direction Corgan was talking about, I would’ve been totally down.
29) Disarm – The BBC banned this song because of the line “cut this little child.” The BBC sucks. String arrangements, on the other hand, most definitely do not suck. Not here, anyway. If you’re having a bad day, jump straight to 2:30. Catharsis.
28) Tristessa – The second record the band ever released right after “I Am One” sold out it’s limited edition pressing in like 10 minutes. Somehow, Seattle indie juggernaut Sub Pop got a hold of this one, which is kind of funny if you think about it. Yeah, you like us? You think we’re great? You want to sign us? SEE YAH, SUCKERS! The Pumpkins bolted for Virgin subsidiary Caroline right afterward, before re-upping for millions with the parent label… “Tristessa” has that familiar “Gish” tone i.e. faintly psychedelic and heavy as hell. A great rocker that gives the album’s second side a much needed kick in the ass.
27) To Sheila – Written right after Corgan declared rock was dead. For 4 ½ minutes, you think maybe he was on to something. Stunningly pretty. A song for overcast autumn days and 3 a.m. wanderlust.
26) Luna – Shoutout to high school friend, Sara. I used to badger her in Yearbook about all the new music I’d just “discovered.” I’m sure I was insufferable. She loved this song… It’s pretty much “Mayonaise,” except softer and prettier. Minus points for dearth of guitar squall. But great way to close an incredible album (“Siamese Dream”). Think of it as a sleepy, late-night beer chaser.
25) Bodies – So there’s this meaty, metronomic dual-guitar riffing at about 1:15 in “Gish’s” “Bury Me.” “Bodies” is four minutes of that, except Corgan, Moulder and Flood had concocted some freakish algorithm that turned those two guitars into dozens. You can hear it. Layers and layers and layers of heavy. The production never got any better.
24) Hello Kitty Kat – Ridiculous title. Ridiculously awesome everything else. This one’s a barnstorming rocker with big melody buried deep in the mix (where Billy’s voice should be; the “New Pumpkins’” songs put his nasal whine right in your earhole. Vanity, man). The guitars have that signature “SD” crush and the drum track is just as ferocious – the fills at 1:27 and 1:36 are some of Jimmy’s finest. It’s got all the pieces to be a classic Pumpkins track, and probably would have been if not for the B-side status… The coda is a clusterf*** of awesomeness.
23) Mayonaise – Everybody loves this one. I should probably like it more than I do – when I made the original list, this didn’t even make the cut… which is probably blasphemous in some Gen-X circles. At the end of each chorus verse, Corgan takes his hand off the guitar neck for a split second and just lets the feedback ring. That stuff takes a certain kind of genius… Okay, fine. I love it.
Billy still has hair, so I'm guessing '93 or '94.
22) Siva – Singular to the Pumpkins’ canon in its gothic darkness. They’d dabble in the same bleakness later on, but by then it was sterilized with electronics and crappy production. “Siva,” on the other hand, has an ’80s garage feel to it – like a re-imagination of The Cure with balls, and teeth to match all that sappy sadness… Perfects the soft-loud dynamic that they’re known for and, really, takes the two spectrums to their logical extremes. You have to turn your speakers up just to hear the interlude from 2:50 to 3:30… and then brace yourself for the ensuing heavy metal onslaught.
21) Tonight, Tonight – A stone-cold classic forever banished to modern-rock radio hell. The guilt-by-association is a shame because this is the only Pumpkins cut that ever one-upped the orchestral arrangement on “Disarm” (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, anyone?). You know the rest because you’ve heard it a billion times. Great video. My Dad’s favorite. Cemented the Corgan legacy. Etcetera. Etcetera.
20) Today – Apparently written during a particularly gloomy day in Atlanta, “Today” funneled all of Corgan’s suicidal thoughts into a tune that Blender says, “achieved a remarkable status as one of the defining songs of its generation, perfectly mirroring the fractured alienation of American youth in the 1990s.” Whatever. “Today” transformed the band from indie buzzword to honest-to-goodness superstars. You’ve probably heard it 100 times. It’s also big in Japan.
19) Muzzle – “I fear that I am ordinary just like everyone.” Seriously, what teenager can’t relate to that? This song was somewhat of a battle cry for all the kids that were just a bit too late for the grunge scene and wanted something to be pissed off about. Most of the lyrics are a little cheesy in hindsight, but I think there’s a lot of truth in words like, “I knew the emptiness of youth.” If I ever make it big, “Muzzle” will be my victory cigar.
18) Jellybelly – Oh, HELL YEAH! Pure audio adrenaline shot with a 1,000 volts of electricity and pumped through the jackhammer drumming of The Great Jimmy Chamberlin. Enough metaphors for you? Because I have more. This song is just over the top. Great melody. Great squealing guitar – about 100 of them. Great everything. Corgan said during a 1999 radio interview that he wanted to release this as the lead “MCIS” single, but was talked out of it by producers Alan Moulder and Flood. Bastards.
17) Cherub Rock – The opening salvo to one of the five best albums of the ’90s. It has to be great, right? Right. The opening drumroll is almost as famous as the searing solo at 3:09, and the lyrics are a biting putdown to the indie scene that had discarded them for “selling out.” This album and the next went on to sell 13 million copies in the U.S. alone… Hey, but Stephen Malkmus still has his street cred.
16) Bury Me – Blew me away the first time I heard it, mainly because it’s not frequently mentioned among the great Pumpkins songs. If you’re keeping track, this follows “Gish’s” opening trinity of “I Am One,” “Siva” and “Rhino” and, as such, fills the cleanup hole for arguably the finest quartet of tracks the band’s ever strung together (“MCIS” and “Siamese Dream” both have multiple contending sequences). I still have no idea what James (?) is singing between verses around the 1:30 mark, but it’s insanely catchy, and I, like my mother, have no problems making up lyrics. The doubled-up riffing at 1:15 on the studio version creates this perfectly thick tone and the scratchy wah-wah before the solo is flat brilliant. Corgan’s tyrannical practice regimen obviously payed dividends early on because these guys were tight as hell.
On the way to the tanning salon.
15) Quiet – The aural equivalent of high-wire acrobats. Rumor was Corgan and producer Butch Vig layered dozens upon dozens of guitars to build “Siamese Dream’s” “wall of sound.” One listen to the brutal ascending riff and the freakout soloing suggests that this is indeed the case. The quintessential pre-”Mellon Collie” rocker.
14) I Am One – Like with Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Jimmy Chamberlin’s first appearance on an album proper turns out to be something of a game-changer. The three rounds of soloing showcase the Corgan/Iha interplay at its finest and D’Arcy’s chugging low-end (probably Corgan’s, actually) gives the hazed psychedelia some muscular girth… But, damn, that hard, simple drum intro makes everything that follows.
13) Porcelina of the Vast Oceans – Impossibly soft (so much so that you can’t hear the first 35 seconds of the studio version), impossibly heavy (the 2:12 mark blows many a speaker), impossibly pretentious, and, yes, impossibly awesome. Pretty much mid-’90s Smashing Pumpkins in a nutshell. And how many 9-minute songs justify their running times?
12) Here Is No Why - Would’ve killed at radio had Virgin execs had the guts to confront Corgan about it. That opening riff is lush and fluid, but this is without question an air drums song despite what the towering solo (which sounds like it was ripped from “Plume,” by the way) would have you believe. I also love the uplifting vibe, a major bonus when you’re sandwiched between “Zero” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings.” No flaws here. Just a huge, crunching rock song with an even bigger melody.
11) Starla – Here’s the ideal tracklisting for “Siamese Dream”: “Cherub Rock,” “Quiet,” “Hello Kitty Kat,” “Today,” “Hummer,” “Rocket,” “Obscured,” “Disarm,” “Soma,” “Geek USA,” “Mayonaise,” “Luna,” “Starla”… That looks like the greatest rock ‘n roll album ever to me. This song’s over 10 minutes long. The bongo interlude is dreamy, and the surging final 5 minutes make me shiver. The template for Zwan’s excellent “Jesus I/Mary Star of the Sea” and probably all the soaring “MCIS”-era epics as well.
10) Hummer – My high school buddy Gus said that he’d die a happy man if he ever heard this song on the radio. Ditto. I would have been fine if Corgan chopped it at 4:30, but that spacey coda is pretty gorgeous. Also, now is a good time to point out that Corgan, Vig and Chamberlin made this album (“Siamese Dream”) by themselves because James and D’Arcy couldn’t stand each other’s company after a brutal breakup. Billy was depressed. Jimmy would disappear for days at a time on smack binges… And this is the product. Amazing.
9) Stand Inside Your Love – Everything a rock ‘n roll song should be – melodic, melodic, heavy, driving, melodic. Looking back, it’s almost hard to believe that this got bumped as the lead “Machina” single for “The Everlasting Gaze”. Think about it. You have a shrinking fan base turned off by all the anti-rock music on “Adore.” You’ve decided you’re going to bite the bullet and give the people what they want – RAWK! – and, bonus, you just reinstated the greatest drummer of all time. You have a perfect song in the can – a song that reminds people of your glorious yesterdays… And instead you release “The Freaking Everlasting Gaze.” So much for reclaiming the throne… “SIYL” is the last truly classic Pumpkins artifact and the one that proves that Corgan still had plenty in the tank when the band broke up in 2000. He’d chucked quality control out the window, shot the production to hell and lost control of his ego. But the tunes. Damn, the tunes. The surge of guitars around 3:30 gives me chills every time.
8) F*** You (An Ode to No One) – “Destroy the mind/ destroy the body/ but you cannot destroy the heart.” Pseudo-philosophical bullshit? Yeah, probably. But backed by a swirling maelstrom of dual-guitared riffing and those firing-squad drums turns these lines into something just short of apocalyptic… There’s a live version of this (linked) from the band’s last show at the Metro on 2/12/2000 that is so fast and so heavy that it’s a testament to James and (D’Arcy stand-in) Melissa Auf der Mar that they could simply keep up. A small part of me thinks the Pumpkins were always meant to be a heavy metal band. Here’s the proof.
7) The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right) – How Billy had the willpower to leave this monstrosity off of “MCIS” I’ll never know. Clocking in at just over 8 1/2 minutes, it’s the last great Pumpkins epic and maybe the best of all. It’s for sure the heaviest. The chord progression is simple and sinister. The crushing tone and corrosive soloing impressively match the drumming. It’s just really, really heavy… Heavy.
From L to R: The balding one, the hot one, the ethnic one, the backbone.
6) Soma – My favorite Pumpkins song in 10th grade and still my favorite solo. Something about these 7 minutes appeal to the pissed off teenager in me. “So let the sadness come again”? “I’ll betray myself to anyone”? Geeze. Somebody grab the eyeliner and black hair dye… I’m not going to spoil the surprise for those who haven’t heard it, but let’s just say I owe the majority of my premature hearing loss to this song. Remember Marty McFly’s Van Halen mishap in the opening scene of “Back to the Future”? No comment.
5) Drown – Originally appeared on the untouchable “Singles” soundtrack. It’s both the album closer and the only song from a non-Seattle band. I think there’s something to be said for that – this shaggy group of hippies from Chicago upstages the vaunted likes of Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains… “Drown” is most impressive in it’s 8-minute incarnation: a wave that builds and crashes and builds again on a surge of epic Chamberlin drumming. The final crest leaves you awash in four minutes of distortion and lurching bass lines. Nirvana can’t touch this.
4) Rhinoceros – The absolute apex of their early-’90s psychedelic phase. “Rhino” is basically two songs in one: first the three-minute, Velvets-inspired pop song with the classic “She knows” refrain, and then – liftoff – the screaming fretboard workout egged on by more classic drum fills. Did they ever top this? Maybe. We’re kind of splitting hairs at this point.
3) Geek USA – From the intro to the “Mashed Potatoes” bootleg version: “ARE YOU READY TO FU**IN’ ROCK?!” Well yes. Yes I am… I’d call this song perfect, but “perfect” would be a major slight. The drum ‘n guitar onslaught after the dreamy psych interlude is the stuff rock gods are made of. File the coda under “Incendiary Post-Sabbath Dirge.” I dare you not to play air guitar on this song. Got long hair? Even better.
2) 1979 – The band’s only top 20 hit. Trying to describe it further would be demeaning. It’s an immaculate pop song… You’ve heard it before, but if you haven’t, brace yourself for the section beginning at 2:28. Flooring.
One big happy... Nevermind
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1) Thru The Eyes of Ruby - Show me a better rock song. Not a better Pumpkins rock song. Just a better rock song, period. A part of me thinks this is the best track of the last 20 years. The other part of me is wrong. It’s hard to say whether the freight train drumming tops the crashing walls of fuzzed guitar or vice versa, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that everything from 2 minutes on belongs in some lionized rock ‘n roll canon with “Dazed and Confused” and “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Voodoo Chile” and all the other genre staples. Here’s my favorite part: “The night has come to hold us young/the night has come to hold us young…” THWACK, THWACK. A cascading barrage of riffing – rising and falling, falling and rising – plays perfect foil to transcendent soloing and Jimmy’s legend-making performance. And to think, it’s all bookended by these two gorgeously frail acoustic melodies. Best played loud.
- Robbie
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Gv. You got a personal top 5 for me?
I’m a bit more keen on Billy’s later material… you know, once he had properly lost his mind.
Behold! The Night Mare
In My Body
Bring the Light
By Starlight
The End Is the Beginning Is the End
Feels incomplete, but I’ll let it stand.
Bring The Light is a good one. One of my favorites off of Zeitgeist along with (Come On) Let’s Go and 7 Shades. And again, thanks for commenting.
A good attempt although I don’t agree with your number one or with the last couple, I think you got carried away with what songs where the most popular from number 6 down. You did have some good picks though, most people would not have put some of those songs as the greatest but I think you hit it right on. I do think you should have included some songs from Zeitgeist and American Gothic. Although American Gothic only has 4 songs, sunkissed and the rose march could have easily made the list, some of the best acoustic songs they have ever done.
I appreciate the feedback, Riley. We’ll have to agree to disagree, I guess… I think going the “popular” route would have landed the likes of “Today” and “Tonight, Tonight” a lot higher, and it’s not like “Soma,” “Geek,” or “Ruby” were singles.
And I really didn’t consider any of the new “Pumpkins” material mainly because it’s a different band and I consider the material far inferior. I do agree, though, that the “Rose March” is a solid song (not worthy of the top 60 or so, but solid), and I enjoy some of the rockers as well – namely, “Let’s Go,” “Bring the Light,” and “7 Shades of Black.”
You got a top 5 for me?
I guess we will have to agree to disagree. The new pumpkins stuff I think is as good or better than the rest. Corgan is clearly the driving force in that band, he doesn’t need too many elements, other than a drummer obviously, to make music. But your right the old stuff definitely sits and leaves a different feeling on you than the new stuff. Idk I guess I am just a Billy Corgan fan, I even liked his solo stuff which not a lot of people do. The new album he is putting together and releasing for free on his site I am excited about. My top 5 would have to be
Age of Innocence
Tonight, Tonight
Stand Inside Your Love
1979
That’s The Way My Love Is
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[...] About The Greatest Smashing Pumpkins Songs Of All Time [...]
the best top pumpkin-anything i’ve ever read!
i agree with basically all of your comments. they’re a great introduction to anybody who’d like to get to know the band – and of great comfort for those who forgot what it is to hear good things about them.
and just don’t tell this anyone, but i think i almost cried a bit.
cheers from brazil!
High praise, Marcio! Thanks so much. Your crying secret is safe with me (well, and other comment readers), and just know that there are at least 10 songs on here that make me a little misty should I be in the right frame of mind… Particularly “Hummer.” So beautiful.
Ruby is not my favorite, really. I think I really can’t pick one, but I think 33 is really a great song and my favorite (at this time haha).
Lucky 13, In My Body, Sooth and Stars, Rose March, Starz, The Last Song, Tarantula, Blank Page would make an appearance at my top 50.
Maybe James’ Go…I thinks Go is his best song under the pumpkins’ name.
“At this time…” I know. Making a list like this is pretty tough when 1) they have so many great songs and 2) my rankings/mood changes all the time. As for the songs you listed, “Thirty-Three” is great and might have been higher on another day, and “Blank Page” almost made the cut as well.
Also totally agree with “Go.” Definitely my favorite James song and I think his best as well. I do really enjoy “Boy,” though.
But, yeah, “Ruby,” “1979,” “Rhinoceros” and “Geek” have ALWAYS been my favorites, so for me, it was really just a matter of picking which one sounded the best at this particular moment.
Thanks for reading.
Overall not a bad list, and a worthy winner. Never really did rate 1979 that highly though, i was quite displeased when it was released as one of the singles from MCIS and very surprised it did so well.
I like that you went ahead and put in some of the great b-sides such as Aeroplane Flies High, Ugly, Set the Ray to Jerry and Vanity (to me Machina II are all b-sides).
I agree that a list like this would by it’s very nature have to have some fluidity to it, as many of the songs are packed full of feeling and emotion, and your enjoyment of them varies quite considerably by the mood that you are in at the time. If you look at your list it contains some of the most brutal heavy songs and some of the prettiest melodies in their collection, and includes quite a few of the songs that cross over between the two.
I appreciate your commentary, Ghostchild. And actually, I wasn’t a huge fan of “1979″ when it was first released… As a matter of fact, I had a change of heart/epiphany upon hearing it played in a Home Depot some 10 years ago. I was like, “Forgot about this, it’s freaking amazing.” Maybe it was just the sawdust and paint fumes getting to me.
As for the Machina II stuff, “Real Love” and “Let Me Give the World to You” are songs that might’ve popped up on this list had my mood been different. And I feel like I should have included “Dusty and Pistol Pete” as well. Fantastic melody in the chorus… “Methuselah” is another one that comes to mind, but I wasn’t including non-released songs.
Curious to know what you think should have been released in “1979′s” stead. I think “Here Is No Why” would’ve made a killer single. And “Muzzle” got a good amount of airplay anyway, if I’m remembering correctly.
Your top 5?
I would have loved to see In the Arms of Sleep released as the second single, with perhaps Jellybelly, Muzzle, and Here is No Why in the mix too.
Hmm top 5…I’m not sure i could make a definitive commitment to that, there are just so many, but i will give you a speculative top 5 :)
1 – Disarm
- First SP song i ever heard, and it was pure liquid gold to my 16 year old ears.
2 – An Ode to No One
- Pumpkins at their heaviest, and i dare anyone to listen to this at volume without feeling like busting some stuff.
3 – Cherub Rock
- The intro build up is very close to the best start to a song i have ever heard (Sixx AM’s Life is Beatiful may just top it but it is close), and it involves some of Billy’s finest singing, with the vocals perfectly matching the underlying music.
4 – In the Arms of Sleep / Luna
- For a band that can pump out songs like An Ode to No One, XYU etc and have the class and beauty to be able to pull off songs like these is just amazing. SP were always so good at capturing raw emotion, and you cannot listen to these 2 songs without feeling a stirring of the heart…
5 – Speed Kills
- The blending of vocals to music in this song is unequalled. How it never made it on to Machina is beyond me, never mind the fact it should have been released as a single :) The lyrics are some of Billy’s best, the slow drumming is perfect, and it spawns my favourite SP lyrics: “You were one of God’s children, left to cry out in the rain, waiting to be born again”
I like these picks a lot, and I totally agree with your sentiments about “An Ode To No One” – a go-to song when I’m in the “headbanging” mood. Actually, I think you’re on point with your assessments of all of these. And as for intros, love “Cherub Rock,” but “Luna” is the one that gets me every time. A killer.
You bring up a good point about “Speed Kills,” as well. Great song that probably would’ve been popular at radio… Same goes for “Let Me Give The World To You.” I’ve always wondered how the “Adore” years on would’ve played out had the albums had different tracklistings and singles. Maybe they keep more fans?
No matter. I like both albums, and one of the great SP joys is discovering those awesome b sides.
I can’t believe you picked my favourite Smashing Pumpkin Song (Thru the Eyes of Ruby) as number 1. Great work!
It’s a killer song. Thanks a lot, uh… Anonymous.
I very much enjoyed reading this, thanks!
I’m curious how the list would’ve looked if you’d included the new stuff. What are you’re opinions of “Doomsday Clock”, “Bleeding the Orchid” and “United States” for example?
I think “White Spyder” and “Soul Power” deserves a mention. Simple but effective rockers in my opinion. Spyders bulldozer drive is just crushing, I love it. Always makes me think of the videos for Rammsteins “Benzin” and Björks “Army of Me”.
Well thanks a ton for reading, RN. I do, though, have to adamantly disagree with “White Spyder.” In short, I think it’s the worse song they’ve ever done. I do, however, like the electric version of “Blue Skies Bring Tears” – which kinda sounds the same.
Glad you brought up the new stuff. Here are my favorites from the reformation in no particular order…
Bring the Light, 99 Floors, Doomsday Clock (I think you and I are the only ones that like this song), 7 Shades of Black, As Rome Burns, A Stitch in Time, Song for a Son (live version w/o piano), The Rose March, United States, Gossamer, Owata, Tarantula, When The Cocks Crow (Backwards Clock Society), Zeitgeist
On the whole, I really enjoy the new stuff, and I think BC is building something pretty special with the new album. Wish he’d never released GLOW and FOL, though. Atrocities, both.
Your new favorites?
If the consensus is that the Pumpkins ceased to exist in 2000 and I’m going to list my favorites of BC’s songs since then, I’ll have to include some songs from his solo album. I just love the gothy guitars on The Future Embrace. Sure, drum machines are anathema to many SP fans, but I can live with it since the guitars are so ethereal.
In no particular order: Mina Loy (M.O.H.), DIA, Walking Shade, Doomsday Clock, 7 Shades of Black, Bleeding the Orchid, United States, As Rome Burns.
My top five right now in no particular order: F*** You (An Ode to No One), White Spyder, 1979, Stand Inside Your Love, Hummer.
And on a side note, I would definitely have “Everlasting Gaze” on my top 50.
All this I think show how diverse both the fans and catalogue of the Pumpkins are.
:)
Great picks. I’m not a big fan of the TFE, but I really enjoy all the songs you mentioned. If we’re talking about post-2000 output, I have to plug some of the Zwan material. I think “Mary Star of the Sea” is the third best work of BC’s career (behind the obvious two) – “Black Swan,” “Lyric” and the title track are among his finest tunes. And some of the unreleased stuff, namely “Chrysanthemum,” is fantastic as well.
Crap, I had forgotten about Zwan… Didn’t give them much chance back when the album came out.
Checked out some youtube live versions of the songs you’ve mentioned. Wow, JC’s a beast as usual. Those songs could’ve easily fitted under the SP banner, great stuff. Thanks for the tip, appreciate it!
Have to agree with previous post – this is the most insightful interpretation of the Pumpkins I have ever seen! No question they are the most intellectual blend of cutting edge musical genius mixed with razor-sharp emoto-lyric in history.
Have to as the question though – how does “Age of Innocence” not make the cut? I forgot all about this track until a year ago and the first time I heard AoI again, no explanation, I just broke down. I dont know if it was the musical stamp to bring me back to a time I missed and being old enough to have regrets in life or the just the perfect production of memorable guitar melody and TRANSITION, haunting lyrics, or Jimmy’s subtle but impactful mark. Either way, perfection.
Phenomenal list, but curious to know how it got dissed?
Thanks a lot for the kind words, Cbl. These lists, as you know, are subject to change on a daily basis depending on how songs hit you at any given point in time. I think “Age of Innocence” is a really good tune – especially that breakdown with the hard guitar part. Not one of my favorites off of “Machina,” though… for whatever reason.
Can’t argue with any part of your description. I’m sure it could’ve made the list on a different day. “This Time,” too. Incredible track. Would’ve made the top 20 had I written this in Aug. ’10.
Funny you should say that. I was anticipating the question for my top 5, which is nothing short of subjective and nearly impossible bc this band can touch you with relation to its message or relation to its action. I like to think of Corgan as a warped poet with an infamous bodyguard in Chamberlin.
in any case, i have it
1. Age of Innocence. Have a personal connection to life’s regrets, but somehow the musical progressiion makes the morbid lyrics less frightening.
2. Hummer. Strangely, a polar opposite message from AoI. What a blend of heavy with a light message like “rebirth.” There is no better song to drive to on a peaceful night with the volume absolutely topped.
3. Silverfuck. More like Holy Fuck. Thrash riffs in their prime with absolute mastery of giving each bandmate the spotlight at different spots in song. Underneath the ego balance is a gem.
4. Ugly. Simple. Dark. Addicting. Could that BE any more ironic?
5. Three way tie – all for the same reason: it is Chamberlin’s mark on songs that could easily be guitar-centric, but it incessantly find myself in awe that he works the hi-hat with his left foot to free up both arms. Best there ever was.
I am One. Intro says “Hey. Its me – Jimmy. F you.”
Cherub Rock – set the tone for their breakout and the base drum/snare arrangement is flawless.
Geek USA. Perhaps some of his best stuff.
Will say this though. Some messages more obvious than others. Would love a recommendation for a “what does it all mean” blog.
Those are great picks. I adore “Hummer,” and have many a night engaged in top-volume driving. I would’ve included “Silverfuck,” but I tend to skip it these days for the wankery in the middle. Punishing riff, though. And yeah, Jimmy never topped the sound of “I Am One.”
How do you feel about Mike Byrne?
Also, check out Hipstersunited.com for a Pumpkins blog that covers just about everything. It’s fantastic, and I’m pretty sure the most popular SP site around.
Glad you asked. I respect his talents. They say he is “unrivaled*”. However, like baseball statistics, there is an asterisk. That footnote currently reads “for his age.” He has skills though.
My fear is this: Corgan has always had an ego problem. Personally, love yourself all you want as long as you keep filling my ipod like that. Chamberlin lasted the longest, so he had to provide some sort of character balance to the mix as well as a creative one. Further, Chamberlin was similar in age. He has had struggles in the industry, and God knows, in life. That makes for good stories and eventually good music.
Corgan’s strongpoint has always been his direct morbidity in his message (the letter) and the brash intensity of his delivery in his music (the envelope).
I dont question Byrne’s talented enough to hang, but how will he tie into the message with his own perspective. I am afraid he will simply be a supporting puppet for Corgan to continue to send messages to the world. After all, what has Teargarden shown us thus far? Frontman lyrics, weak masking guitar and drums to simply provide a rhythm.
I love SP. I love Billy Corgan. I have not been impressed with the latest stuff (Gothic was ok), but I think the best part about SP was their edgy, barely hanging on bc life is almost harder than death experience.
But then again…..what do i know???
I agree with you to a point. Corgan’s obviously brought in a group he can mold to his liking. Mike’s young. Jeff’s young. Nicole’s young. None of them have had experience in big time bands, etc. There’s certainly no personality – musically speaking, anyway – as forceful as JC.
On the other hand, you can see in recent live performances that BC’s beginning to loosen the reigns and let the band members, particularly Jeff, play to their respective strengths. I’m not gonna argue the ego problem for a second (and it’s a HUGE turnoff), but at the same time, I haven’t seen a tyrannical dictator either. I also disagree with your characterization of Teargarden, and I think that as the project moves forward, you’ll begin to hear stronger contributions from the other members.
I’ll grant you that some of the tracks – namely Astral Planes and Widow – haven’t been too hot… Wondering if you’ve heard As Rome Burns, Owata and When The Cocks Crow? If not, I think maybe these cuts would shape your opinion of what’s to come. Top-shelf stuff if you ask me.
thats good info. i only have the original 4 tracks that were on the website. i will check out the others.
hoping for great things.
Great list. Luna, Dross, XYU, Hummer, Ava Adore, Galapagos … Meant to give just a top 5, but it keeps extending. The Ava Adore clip is amazing and worth the painful filming process (for me anyway). Love the guitar work on Siamese Dream (am I the first to notice how good it is? – irony alert for anyone reading who lacks irony). And you’re so right about the Soma solo.
Nice picks, Ophelia. And not to beat a dead horse, but yes, the guitar playing and guitar tones in Siamese Dream are groundbreaking. Seems like Billy could’ve made any sound he wanted his his arsenal of Fenders… An incredible headphone experience.
Amazing list. None of my friends get the Smashing Pumpkins, and you write a list that nearly mirrors my feelings. Soma? Goosebumps. Hummer? Tears. Thru the Eyes of the Ruby? Singing aloud at the top of my lungs. These songs have defined me and I’m so glad I found someone who feels the same way about them as I do.
Thanks for the kind words, Jake. Glad you enjoyed the list. I’ve kinda been on a Smashing Pumpkins binge of late, and when I say “of late,” I mean “the last 15 years.” I appreciate you weighing in.
Thanks you I’ve listend more to “Through the eyes of ruby” and it has really grown on me. I like this live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhSp3qumH4
Great call. This is one of my favorite SP clips… And I love the way they play that extended coda in some of the live versions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgVGUXXVnag&feature=related
If you really want to see an epic performance of ruby check the link above. Especially cool are the performances of James who is strongly underrated and Jimmy who is just plain ridiculous.
I must say I enjoyed reading your list, and the outpouring of commentary. However, had I the opportunity to add to this list:
Appels + Oranjes (To me, each listen of this song remains just short of perfect, insisting that I return to it again, and again. I have to attribute my particular interest in electronic music, with this song.)
Medellia of the Gray Skies (Though you put this as an honorable mention, I believe this to be one of Billy’s best songs; it is so incredibly gentle.)
La Dolly Vita (I was just surprised this one didn’t make it on the list. This is hands-down my favorite song of “Pisces Iscariot,” and hands-down one of my favorite SP songs-period.)
You know what, Chris, I think “La Dolly Vita” might have slipped through the cracks a little. I agree that it probably should’ve made the list, or at least the honorable mentions. “Medellia” is a solid song that I didn’t rank any hire because it’s still in demo[ish] form. And “Apples + Oranjes”… I pretty much hate. I’ll defer to you, though, when it comes to electronica. Thanks a ton for reading and for weighing in.
Awesome read and it’s great to see other fans’ take on the Pumpkins. For me the Pumpkins showcase such greatness in such a wide variety of moods that it’s one of the few bands I’d have a hard time listing a top 5 or 10. I haven’t really listened much to the new stuff after Machina, but this list has repeaked my interest to seek it out.
My take? MCIS is an album that really is meant to be listened to as a whole to appreciate the real genius behind it. Disc 1 is a musical holy grail; it mixes seeming chaos into an amazing cycle of loneliness, need, defense, resentfulness, hurt, anger, acceptance, forgiveness, healing and peace. It goes beyond mere music and meets the soul via the heart.
For me, Adore is ‘The’ Pumpkins album. For Martha, Blank Page, Once Upon a Time are so simple and eloquent, so savagely moving with no pretense, and no veil. It is absolute self introspection with nary a glance at the outside world. It’s the Pumpkins album I listen to the most as I grow older. If I could make a top 10 list, it’d prob have quite a few songs off of Adore.
Siamese Dream has beautiful, well crafted pieces like Soma, Hummer, Disarm and Mayonaise. Stunning stuff. This is why it’s so hard to make a list!!
Machine was a big disapointment for me… Gish had moments of greatness, but just moments. PI has it’s moments too.
All said and done, music is quite personal and we all have our preferences. Kudos to the author for baring his list and sharing with us.
Thanks a ton for the kind response, TK. Picking between these songs was kind of like picking between children, so when you say you’d have a hard time… ditto. Spending so much time on this actually got me interested in the new stuff as well, and while I’m not the biggest fan of Zeitgeist, I think there’s a lot of non-album material that does a lot to reassert Billy’s genius. A couple suggestions to YouTube:
As Rome Burns
Owata
99 Floors
As The Cock Crows
Gossamer
Stitch In Time
(btw, the new lineup is GREAT live if you can get past your personal biases)
While I wholeheartedly agree with you about the first disc of MCIS, I have a really difficult time choosing it over disc 2. That said, I think it’s certainly more consistent from front to back. And I love the Adore songs you listed. The problem for me with that album – and really the reason that I don’t listen to it very much – is because, IMO, it’s all over the place and has its fair share of duds… Machina (same problems) has been growing on me since I was about 13. Its high points are some of my all-time favorites.
Picking between children might even be easier!!
Disc 2 on MCIS was a bit harder for me to absorb as a whole; I’m not sure why. I found that disc 1 followed the cycle written above, while Disc 2 had some other pattern that didn’t mesh with me that well.
Thanks for the much appreciated suggestions; I’ll definitely give them a whirl when I get a bit of free time.
All the Best!!!
TK
Totally agree with Ruby being No. 1 and 1979 No. 2. In the arms of sleep is my number 3, I am one is No. 4, and my No. 5 would be… Porcelina of the Vast Oceans I guess. Stumbleine has a special place in my heart, too. I would have never included I of the Mourning, For Martha or To Sheila, but I do get where you`re coming from.
I just saw them live here in Bogota, Colombia. Awesome show, and I love the new line up. I thought I would hate them and had low expectations but they were amazing. They played the coolest version of Heavy Metal Machine and right now its one of my favorites, although i´m pretty sure it`ll go back to the “not so cool ones” list in a few days.
How do you like “Pennies”? It`s one of my favorites, totally addictive.
Your fanhood of MCIS delights me to no end, Camila. And to answer your question, I like “Pennies,” but it strikes me as a bit lightweight. Still, its effortless melody speaks to BC’s enormous talent. And thanks for the “HMM” tip. It’s not one of my favorites, but it does have an occasional spot in my heart (and on my stereo)… Looking forward to YouTubing the Bogota version.
great list. would have ‘mellon collie’ in the top 50 easily. my top 5: 1. tonight tonight. 2. thru the eyes of ruby. 3. the aeroplane flies high. 4. 1979. 5. rhinoceros.
GREAT top 5, and I wouldn’t have a problem scooting “Mellon Collie” into the top 50 either. Beautiful song, as is its sister track “Infinite Sadness.”
Crazy. I’m currently at work listening to my iphone through itunes and my favorite Pumpkins track comes on. “Thru the eyes of Ruby” I decide that this has to be the best Pumpkins song ever. I decide to do a google search to find an article in the past 10 years that addresses “The Best Pumpkins Songs” Surely, some online zine, magazine or blogger has put this out there in the Web. Lo and Behold, the first search result I get is your site. And ‘Thru the Eyes of Ruby’ is #1. Good list!
Isn’t the Internet great? Thanks for sharing, Jonny. Love hearing stories like this.
i’ve got to agree with you #1…
when i first listened to MCIS i hated it, and it took me a while to like anything but Muzzle..
Ruby was pretty much the last sing i discovered, and what 15 years later when ever it pops up on my ipod it’s literally a case of stopping everthing i’m doing and just spending 7 minutes listening to the majesty of the song..
the harmonic guitars in the second chorus still make the hairs on my back stand up, even now.. it’s just a perfect bit of music
I can’t relate to hating MCIS upon first listen as 1) I consider it one of the 10 greatest rock albums ever and 2) it was the one that got me into the Pumpkins. But I certainly share your “Ruby” sentiments – one of the very few songs I can listen to ad nauseam without sacrificing any luster on repeat plays.
You say it best, “It’s just a perfect bit of music.”
Ok ive been listening to so much of the pumpkins lately and this would be my top 5:
1. Porcelina of the vast oceans
2. Thru the eyes of ruby
3. Mayonaise
4. To Sheila
5. Muzzle
Just missing out i would have Daphne Descends, 1979, Stand inside your love, Bodies, There it goes.
what do you guys think?
Solid picks, Aston. “There It Goes” was definitely one of the better pre-Gish takes.
I totally agree with you on Ruby being the best song. I have it in my cd player and can listen to it over and over and never get tired. I think that Rocket and Muzzle should be in the top 10 also. The Beginning is the End is still a better song than where it is even though the movie it’s associated with flopped. Snail should be in the top 25. Suffer is a song that should be on the list as long as Age of Innocence. Glad you put Disarm farther down on the list than most people would like. Annoying and overplayed. Overall I think it’s a great list.
The End Is The Beginning just sounds like a missed oppotunity to me… I really like it, but it has this stale electronic sound suggesting it could’ve been a worldbeater with the Mellon Collie-era production. Love Snail. Shoud’ve at least made the list, if not the top 25 (45ish, maybe). And just for the record, it’s one of my great regrets in life (read: this post) that I didn’t include This Time. That song kicks heaps of melodic ass… Thanks for reading, Doug. And thanks for the compliment.
Wow. I could have never created a list like this, and KUDOS to you for doing it. You definitely back up your choices with logical explanations…even though logic wont get you far with this band. I have to say I actually agree with your list, for the most part….I guess…. but the Smashing Pumpkins (for me) are just one of those bands that when you listen to them, any given song could be epic one day, and suck the next.
With that said, let me delve into the debauchery of creating MY top five list, so that someone can comment back and tell me how insightful I am. Fuck you, this is my top 5 ode to no one.
TOP FIVE
1. PUG
2. TEAR
3. JELLYBELLY
4. SIVA
5. PERFECT
“Any song can suck the next”? Disagree. Unless your referring to Tear.
I stand firm On my top four, but I do actually feel the need to back up my choice for “perfect” being in top five.
Actually, I agree with you for not even including this song in the honorable mentions. This song, in every sense of the word, sucks.
You have to remember though that every smashing pumpkins song is a gem to someone out there, and for whatever reason, this one is a gem me. In the wake of my father’s death i remember sitting in my room, staring out the window for hours, and it was the first time in my life I can recall feeling completely emotionless. I played this song over and over on the little boom box I had at the time, and the atmosphere this song creates is so bleak and so hopeless that it fit my emotions perfectly. Somehow, in some reverse Psychology kind of way, this song got me through that time in my life.
I feel for you, bro… But 1) I really can’t understand you and 2) I really can’t understand you. Thanks for weighing in, though. “Perfect” doesn’t suck. Try to get some sleep.
In my opinion, The Smashing Pumpkins are one of those bands where you can’t really just make a top 50 or so list and stand firm with both your choices and the places they hold. I like your list a lot and many of the songs on it are in good spots. However, I agree that Snail should at least be in the top 25. Also I think that Window Paine should have easily made the list ( The drumming in this song is fucking epic), and I also think Crush should be on there just cause its so damn catchy. Frail and Bedazzled, Silverfuck, and Untitled are also great songs so I think they definitely should have been on there (Untitled especially just cause it showed that they could still make killer music right up to their breakup). Other than that I think your list is spot on with the song choices,though I disagree with many of the placements ( thank you for putting Soma as 6 though, its incredible). Anyway, heres my top 16 list (couldn’t narrow it to 15):
16. Silverfuck
15. Rocket
14. Frail and Bedazzled
13. Hello Kitty Kat
12. Untitled
11. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
10. Soma
9. Hummer
8. Geek USA
7. Fuck you
6. Mayonaise
5. Drown
4. Rhinoceros
3. Window Paine
2. Snail
1. Thru The Eyes of Ruby
And before people get mad 1979 didn’t make my list because 1. Its one of the few SP songs that gets any radio play and I’ve heard it so many times and 2. I found that to me it’s actually not as great of a song as everyone thinks because although I have heard many other Smashing Pumpkins songs as many times as 1979 (Cherub Rock anyone?) , 1979 is one of the only songs i got sick of. Its still a great song just not good enough to make my top 16.
I don’t typically post comments online, but I feel obligated to commend you on a phenomenal article. Thoroughly entertaining and thoughtful.
In the 90′s, the Pumpkins were my absolute favorite band. I liked Zwan, but have been very disappointed with their post-2006 efforts. This article was a great trip down memory lane. No criticisms, I just felt like adding my two cents.
First of all, I don’t know how Snail doesn’t crack the top 52. I think it easily makes the top 20. I also would love to see Whir, Blew Away, Glynis, Bye June, and She make the list. Obviously, however, I’m more partial to the softer tunes. I don’t really want to bump any of your picks, so I’d make the list 60 items long and also add Dusty and Pistol Pete and Appels + Oranjes.
I also wanted to add to your comments about over-production. When I saw the band play live on the Arising Tour in 1999, my favorite song that they played was Home. I was so disappointed with the overproduced studio version that was ultimately released. That could have been one of their best songs. Now they just ruin songs by the dozens.
Corgan still remains one of my two favorite song writers of all time. The other one – Steve Malkmus.
Great comment, Bogey, and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to write it. I agree that the post-2006 output has not been up to par with their heyday works, but Corgan is so prolific these days, it’s still hard NOT to find a pure gem in his output every now and then (see “A Stitch In Time”). A couple other thoughts:
Snail: You’re right. Fail by me.
Blew Away: James song. Discounted it from the beginning. “Go” is his best IMO.
Whir/Glynis: pretty and, in the former’s case, memorable.
Dusty and Pistol Pete: Really like this song, and it might’ve made the cut on a different day. Killer chorus, and in general, surreal sounding.
Apples + Oranjes: just threw up in my mouth a little.
Stephen might also be my 2nd-favorite songwriter. You have great taste, sir.
What do you guys think about the pumpkins pre gish songs? i think there is so many classics in this bunch and i find it hard to believe the band didnt release an album of these before gish, songs such as:
there it goes
east
jennifer ever
nothing and everything
my eternity
daughter
honeyspider
spiteface
under your spell
my dahlia
I really think some of these songs ie. there it goes, east etc are better than some of the songs on gish, or at least deserved to be on there. What do you guys think?
and also out of curiosity, what would you say are the bands worst songs and why?
The Pre-Gish stuff really isn’t my cup of tea, Aston, though I do dig Jennifer Ever and Spiteface. As for ‘worst,’ I can’t taken Apples + Oranjes, but I know a lot of people who really like it. ‘Spaced’, too, if it counts as a song… Of course, I hate most of the second half of ‘Machina’ (Glass and The Ghost Children, Crying Tree, Blue Skies).
Awesome, really well thought out list. I like Thru The Eyes of Ruby as number 1 and having songs like Soma and Aeroplane Flies High in the top ten. The only thing I’d change is having Obscured in the top ten also. It’s one of their most beautiful and one of my favorites.
Thanks a lot, Bill. I like your style. Don’t necessarily agree with ‘Obscured,’ but how that cut doesn’t at least make a proper album is beyond me. Killer tune.
LOL… Looks like I opened a can of worms with that Snail comment. Great and IMO their most underrated song. It’s hard to narrow what are the best songs down and not take a bias opinion. Hell, I honestly HATE Disarm but 99 percent of Pumpkins fans love it.
I did however love the intro “Clap your hands” during the Anniversary tour when I saw them in Chicago. Most people would laugh at that song.
I think adore would have been so much better if annie dog and crestfallen had been dropped, although have tried to give the latter a chance recently. Not really that fond of perfect either.
Of the more recent stuff i think starz rocks and doomsday clock, and the solo in thats the way (my love is) is pretty awesome.
Its a pity billy never realeased do you close your eyes? Thats a real sweet little song, if the pumpkins made a proper acoustic album it definetly would have fit!
I know Corgan’s voice sounds weird (this was the singing lessons period), but I’ve always liked ‘Annie Dog’. Or rather, haven’t come to despise it the way others do.
The band’s released some great stuff in their newest incarnation. “Lightning Strikes” – Nicole’s backing vocals kick ass – and “A Stitch In Time” are particularly strong. “Owata” could’ve made the Zwan album and “As Rome Burns” is just a pummeling “Mellon Collie”-style rocker. If you’re out on Billy, I’d advise checking back in. He’s settling into a pretty powerful groove.
Let me give the world to you is pretty good, its got a really strong pop hook. I wonder if it had of been released on adore whether it would have been a big hit for the band. The machina production isnt bad on the song but maybe if it had of been stripped back just a bit i wonder if it would have caught on… would be good to hear the rick rubin version of it!
Apparently Corgan just unearthed roughly 700 studio tapes… Here’s hoping there’s a Rubin-produced LMGTWTY in there.
1. Soma
2. Disarm
3. Thirty Three
4. Cherub Rock
5. Tonight TOnight
Good picks, Sash, though these days, I have to be in the mood for your 2 and 5. Radio overkill, ya know?
“Soma” was my favorite song until I was about 17. An absolute monster.
My favourite video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkXjsNGgIM
I love listening to the slow songs of the pumpkins. It sounds corny but on long road trips, I put in Drown or Soma and just relax to the songs. I love how Billy puts certain moods into songs. He can do either in your face or just relaxing moods. I think that is what really defines the Pumpkins. Sad you don’t really see that anymore with bands. Seems like it’s the same crap over and over with the same bands.
Oh, just noticed you guys are Gator students.
Just wanted to say “GO VOLS!!!!!”
SIVA
ROCKET
RHINOCEROS
UGLY
DISARM
MAYONAISE
THIRTY THREE
THE AEROPLANE FLIES HIGH
MUZZLE
JELLYBELLY
ROTTEN APPLES
GEEK U.S.A
ZERO
TRISTESSA
THRU THE EYES OF RUBY
DROWN
TO FORGIVE
HUMMER
1979
BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS
MY TOP TWENTY. You did a really good job on the article. Such a great band to make a top anything list for. Cheers!
Thanks a lot, FLIM. I like your list as well (though ‘Rotten Apples’ is a little too high for my tastes). ‘To Forgive’ is such a gem – one of my very favorite songs when I was about 15.
Owata is really pretty, reminds me a little of come with me from zwan.
Speaking of other non-pumpkins songs what do you think of mina loy (moh), great song, and probably the only one i really like off his solo album.
Hey, love your list. Came across it while searching for “greatest rock drummer” and “Jimmy Chamberlain”. ;) I don’t agree with the whole list, but that’s the fun. The point is you have great insights into the band, and there were a few songs I’d just forgotten about that you prompted me to listen to (Drown, etc.).
Here’s a top 10 (or lucky 13), and wow, it’s hard to narrow this down, so this isn’t necessarily in order (but it’s pretty close to it).
1) Mayonaise
2) Muzzle
3) Rhinoceros
4) Thru the Eyes of a Ruby
5) Appels and Oranges
6) Soma
7) By Starlight
8) Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
9) Drown
10) Starla
11) Hummer
12) Stand inside Your Love
13) Blew Away
Anything current doesn’t count as SP to me, by the way. It’s just BC w/ backing band now. And much as I love his music, it lacks something without Jimmy and James.
I have done much research in my efforts to compile this list, and theses are unarguably the 10 BEST smashing pumpkins songs of all time.
;)
10. Drown
9. bullet with butterfly wings
8. mayonaise
7. zero
6. rocket
5. stand inside your love
4. 99 floors
3. 33
2. tonight, tonight
1. 1979
Just posted my Top 20 Smashing Pumpkins over at my blog. :)
http://brethelm.blogspot.com/2011/06/mixtape-smashing-pumpkins-20-best-songs.html
Discovered this while searching for something else. What an outstanding list and read! I didn’t know people felt the same way I did about “Hummer”. That song still gets to me. Your list also made me look up songs that I wasn’t familiar with. Thanks, and GOOD JOB!!!
great list, great song synopsis (plural)
Thanks, Paul. Checked out some of your stand-up. Good stuff!
I have to say its an incredibly welldone list you have here, actually as none of my friends listen to the SP its kinda hard for me to discuss their songs i agree that ruby is actually one of their best songs but in my opinion the best 10 are :
10 disarm
9 stand inside your love
8 everlasting gaze
7 tonight tonight
6 ava adore
5 fuck you
4 thru the eyes of ruby
3 rhinoceros
2 galapogos
1 Tristessa
Honorable mentiont- To forgive
guess its obvious how much i love Mellon Collie :P
anyway great picks with excelent reviews
Very impressive. Must have taken a lot of time and effort and you should be commended for it. However, I strongly disagree with much of your order, and your dislike of Machina. Call me an apologist, but I like both machina I and II. I think they are very underrated. However, I agree that it would have made more sense to combine the best 12-15 songs of those 2 albums and that it would have resulted in another classic record. On an irrelevant side note, I was hoping to see Once in a While on the list. I love that song. One of the few SP songs I enjoy to hear as a cover (probably because Billy’s voice isn’t ideal for the song). Again, nice job.
You know, Jeff, both Machina albums have really grown on me since writing this list. I’ll pretty much stick to my guns with song order here, but my biggest fail — by far — was not sticking ‘This Time’ in the top 20. ‘Real Love’ probably should’ve made the top 50 as well.
I’m happy to hear the Machina albums have grown on you. Any thoughts on Once in a While?
I strongly agree on number one.
On the other hand, here’s my top 20:
20-Geek USA
19-Gossamer
18-1979
17-Lucky 13
16-Doomsday Clock
15-Siva
14-Pennies
13-The Boy
12-Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans
11-Galapogos
10-For Martha
9-Song For A Son
8-Raindrops+Sunshowers
7-Nothing And Everything
6-Snail
5-Hummer
4-Appels+Oranjes
3-The Aeroplane Flies High
2-Drown
1-Thru The Eyes of Ruby
It may vary of course, and almost all are on a draw so… Order is just symbolical.
Nice job you made with this one mate :)
damn I forgot Soma.
nice list. sp opened me up to great songwriting possibilities. been a hardcore fan since 93. zwan was the last time BC really inspired me. that project didn’t live up to its potential sadly, a lot of great songs were left behind ['girl with the cruel face' 12/14/01 performance is one of his best songs] i’d have to at least do 2 top 5′s for sp
loud: i am one [esp. the vieuphoria version], here is no why, geek usa, ruby, soma..
quiet: glynis, obscured, medellia of the gray skies, thirty-three, methusela [it's a crime this wasn't on TAFH, along w/ towers of rabble]…
and so many more of course
also i have to say i really love ‘heavy metal machine’, though i could definitely do with less ‘feel my rock star pain’ lyrics from billy. he still writes decent stuff now and then [which btw is a great song lol]. we’ll see some more classics i bet before he’s done. a reunion seems even more unlikely now that JC is out, and since BC was down for it in 2005 and the others didn’t want to be involved. oh well.
Who are the smashing pumkins?
stumbled upon this list while trying to figure out how to smash my pumpkin leftover from halloween. tried throwin’ it in the driveway, took an ax to it, and even threw it off the roof – still intact. maybe some kind of mutant pumpkin or something…
any tips?
Hey man. First wrote you in August 2010. Still refer to your list often to track myself. Wanted to compliment you on your call that everyone’s list “morphs.”
My list 16 months ago isn’t anywhere close to today’s.
I have two questions for the group:
1. why is “Ruby” everyone’s fave? I agree it’s powerful, but I’m trying to understand the unilateral push to the top. Not a knock, just looking for some insight.
2. I think SIYL is about unrequited love. He seems to profess a love that isn’t reciprocated. “don’t understand, don’t feel me now” seems to be the hook. If you spin the song around, it sounds like he’s professing himself to her and she’s so jaded from a previous relationship, she will never see it. He’s asking her who SHE loved and wouldn’t love HER back.
Its an ongoing debate between me and my girlfriend. She’s the dreamer, I’m the pessimist. Truly dissect the lyrics and let me know what you think.
What about Spaceboy? Anyone like that one? I have actually only listened to Siamese Dream so far, and am now very interested to hear all the rest by the pumpkins. Siamese Dream is so great.
Brian,
I listened to Mellon Collie on end when I was about 10 years old, but it was hearing Siamese Dream in my mid-teens that really got me into the Pumpkins. This probably goes without saying, but I’d recommend their whole catalogue (and Zwan, too!)… I’d try MCIS and Gish from here, and then move on to the more challenging listens — Machina(s)/Adore. Enjoy!
I’ve never seen a Smashing Pumpkins top song list without Mayonaise in the top 5. Just an observation, to each their own.
Aaah, it’s so hard to pick a top ten, but I’ll try:
1. Hummer
2. Mayonaise
3. 1979
4. Today
5. Stand Inside Your Love
6. Here is No Why
7. Thru The Eyes of Ruby
8. Bury Me
9. Tonight, Tonight
10. Rhinoceros
…..something like that. I’ll probably change my mind again though!
Hummer is my no. 1 a hundred days out of the year. Great list, SG. No weak links here.
This guy really knows his SP, quite an impressive listing. I couldn’t agree more with his #1 listing, Ruby is indeed a VERY special song! The fact that Here is No Why was included really shows he knows the catalog of this band. His analysis of Jellybelly is spot on! Great list!
Thanks for the nice words, Chris. I’d call the list a product of misspent youth, but I like your characterization better.
great to find these insights. very happy to read the #1 ranking for ruby. they have so many great songs. i certainly wouldnt classify myself as a musical expert – far from it. but when you listen to a live version of ruby, it seems to be in a class of its own. raw, furious power.
my favorite smashing pumpkins song is Hummer.
its hard to pick a favorite pumpkins song but it seems like whatever mood im in, hummer fits the bill. my favorite aspect of the pumpkins is whatever mood your in, there is about 20 songs to fit that mood. listening to this music and then litening to music today is just painful. i mean what mood do you have to be in to listen to nickelback or buckcherry or any of the nickelback jr. bands??? probably “lats go down to the quarry and bring the 12 gauge and lets go shoot some frogs…. oh yea bobby, bring the bud light ill bring the 4 wheelers”………. i really hope the new oceania album makes a huge impact on music today but probably not cuz people are always going to complain about his voice and dont even listen to the music. whatever
where is “silverfuck”?
Great read. The Pumpkins single-handedly got me into music when I was a 11ish (I’m 26 now). The video for Tonight, Tonight was too awesome for my undeveloped mind to process. I really can’t even think of the Pumpkins without thinking of their classic videos. I’d love to see how you and everyone else would rank them, too.
In the meantime, here’s my favourite songs:
1. Cherub Rock – The intro… my god.
2. Tonight, Tonight – This song got me into music. Love the orchestration.
3. 1979 – Obvs.
4. Here Is No Why – When I first got MCIS (on cassette tape, thank you very much), I used to only listen to the first side of Dawn To Dusk. I broke and had to replace so many copies of it that my parents finally caved in and bought me a CD player. Mellon Collie became my first CD. In the words of Rivers Cuomo, “How cool is that?”
5. Rocket/Today/Hummer/Ah fuck it, all of Siamese Dream.
i totally agree with you on this. I personally love all of the smashing pumpkins. Just recently started getting into them and i can’t get enough.
Great list. Lots of fun to read. I agree with your focus on the Pumpkins’ older work. I still can’t listen to Zeigeist without cringing and the tracks for Oceania just doesn’t measure up.
Was a bit disappointed that La Dolly Vita, Daphne Descends, and Shame didn’t make it on the list. There’s a live version of Shame at the Guggenheim that’s so incredible. But, very pleased to see Drown at #5. Very unappreciated song.
My top 5:
1. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans (this song turned me from a Pumpkins’ fan to a worshipper)
2. Starla (I just love how it keeps going. Must be an incredibly difficult song to play)
3. Hummer
4. Galapagos
5. Rhinoceros
Thru the Eyes of Ruby is probably in the top 10 along with Set the Ray to Jerry, Luna, I of the Mourning, and Daphne Descends.
Have to pay you a compliment for a concept you stated way back I didn’t understand at the time: people’s lists morph over time – mood, circumstance, experience.
Case in point – Soma wasnt on my list, but I truly can’t get it out of my head these days. The absolutely masterful transition at 3:30 is amongst the best they have. I also think the merge at 5:02 is only comparable to two jets in acrobatic expression coming back to a group formation to blow your fucking hair back.
Cheesy rant, but it’s absolute genius music production.
Really awesome list and completely agree with you on Ruby. Such a powerful song, i never get tired of listening it.
I also have a particular fondness for “Untitled” but that’s because it was the first Pumpkins single i bought.
Have a good day sir!
I have to admit, the smashing pumpkins is my 3rd favorite band- after the foo fighters and seether. In my honest opinion, i believe that the best songs by them are in this order (top 5):
1- Disarm
2-Bullet with Butterfly Wings
3-Today
4-Tonight, Tonight
5-1979
or in some order of those. I believe disarm is quite amazing both in lyrics and in music. Bullet with Butterfly wings is just so anarchial- “despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage” say it all. I mean, it shows that no matter how hard you fight you will always be somebody’s test subject. Today is a bit more optimistic, tonight, tonight is romantic, and 1979 is reminds me of so much in my past. But all in all, i think disarm is his most passionate write.
50. Dross
49. Crush
48. Try, Try, Try
47. I of the Mourning
46. With Every Light
45. Farewell & Goodnight
44. Here is no Why
43. Set the Ray to Jerry
42. To Forgive
41. That’s The Way (My Love Is)
40. The Rose March
39. In The Arms of Sleep
38. For Martha
37. Home
36. Speed Kills
35. Untitled
34. Marquis in Spades
33. Zero
32. Rhinoceros
31. Ava Adore
30. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
29. Hello Kitty Kat
28. Rocket
27. Wound
26. Luna
25, Age of Innocence
24. Doomsday Clock
23. I Am One
22. Jellybelly
21. Geek USA
20. Galapagos
19. Let Me Give the World To You
18. The End Is The Beginning is The End
17. Stand Inside Your Love
16. Hummer
15. Muzzle
14. Drown
13. Fuck You (An Ode to No One)
12. Siva
11. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
10. 1979
9. Cherub Rock
8. Thirty-three
7. Tonight, Tonight
6. Starla
5. Thru the Eyes of Ruby
4. To Sheila
3. Soma
2. Disarm
1. Mayonaise
I was going to write descriptions, but I’d want to know someone was still reading this blog :)
This took DAYS to create.
Your top 16 is fantastic. But now I’ll nitpick …
I don’t get the fawning over the End is the Beginning is the End. Are you rating the version from the Watchmen trailer or the cheesy Batman & Robin song that everyone forgot after a month during the summer of 97? Just my humble opinion but that song seems to mark Corgan’s return to normal human being. I liked the Eye more than that crap.
I can’t get behind Stand Inside Your Love as a top 20 Pumpkins song either … barely within the top 52, yes.
Doomsday Clock is an interesting choice and I almost forgot about it … but I think there’s a reason I did and it’s the horrible lyrics (I almost burst into laughter when I heard the “gas masks on” bit … written by a 13 year old, seriously). If Corgan wanted to write an album about the post-9/11 fear complex, he should’ve written it in 2002 or 2003. He was six years late and the themes were really tired by the time he explored them. Don’t get me wrong — it rocks but they’ve recorded so many better songs.
I really like that dreamy chorus in Ava Adore but I guess I’m haunted by the horribly shitty live performances during the 98 tour … and terrible live vocs (“It’s you that I a-dorrrrrrrrr”). Studio recording suffers from having no Jimmy. If we’re looking for the worst vocal performances of Corgan’s career, look up the live performances of “Ava Adore” in 98 and listen to the verse parts of “Wound” — he crapped all over these songs.
I forgot all about “With Every Light” – gorgeous song. Turns out that Machina got it about two thirds right … most fans hate the Everlasting Gaze, Heavy Metal Machine is awful, Imploding Voice is cool but not too memorable, Wound vocals were messed up, Blue Skies Bring Tears was a promising song during the 99 tour & bored me to tears on the album. But almost every other song is pretty decent.
what a great list!
congrats! :)
awesome discussion on the best band ever. nice to see others feel the same. my top 20 (rough order):
1) cherub rock sd
2) drown s
3) hummer sd
4) crush g
5) thru eyes of ruby mc
6) mayonaise sd
7) soma sd
8) stand inside your love m
9) rhinocerous g
10) snail g
11) here is no why mc
12) plume p
13) glynis na
14) muzzle mc
15) xyu mc
16) love mc
17) luna sd
18) hello kitty kat p
19) obscured p
20) by starlight mc / la dolly vita p
Thanks for discussion
Surprised by the high position of some of these Gish songs, particularly “Rhinoceros” at #4 and “Tristessa” even making the top 52. “Snail” is a better song than Tristessa in my opinion and you could even make the case for “Crush” or “Suffer” … I used to skip Tristessa a lot.
I watched a live clip of “Bury Me” recently (may have been at PinkPop in the early 90s) and you’re right about that song being a beast. Not sure it cracks the top 25 though, considering what followed.
Songs from Siamese Dream that belong on any list: Cherub Rock, Quiet, Today, Hummer, Rocket (weakest out of the ones listed so far), Disarm, Soma, Geek USA, Mayonaise … and maybe Luna, which I’ve always liked although the musicianship isn’t really on display. The songs I would’ve left off the album are Spaceboy, Silverfuck (as much as it pains me, always was overrated and especially overblown on the MCIS tour as a closer), Sweet Sweet. To show how far expectations have fallen, we would’ve loved all of these songs if they were on Zeitgeist. Better Pumpkin songs of this era that should crack the top 52: Glynis (if this doesn’t move you, I don’t know what will), Drown (classic), Starla, Obscured, Hello Kitty Kit (agree with you … beastly).
MCIS: Let’s start from the top … Ruby and Porcelina are the best songs from the album, period — top 10 Pumpkin songs easily, Ruby probably being the best ever. I love 1979 and it’s catchy as hell but it’s not nearly as impressive as those two. Place Tonight Tonight here as well in tier two. The next tier after those four would be Muzzle (great lyrics, great guitars & drums … this would be the best song of the album for almost any other band and it’s #5), 33 (beautiful, great lyrics), Zero (call it cybermetal, whatever you want … catchy as hell, solo sounds insane), BWBW (awesome song and just one in a string on this album), An Ode To No One (crushing sound … and this is the only solo where Corgan really goes nuts on MCIS), Galapagos (just for the bridge and “if we died right now” part … fantastic, one of the album highlights), Bodies (agree on the production with this one … incredible), Where Boys Fear to Tread (absolutely killer riff and a hell of an opener), Jellybelly (crazy drums & guitar leads that all seem to bleed into one another … chaos that flows perfectly, he can’t write like this anymore). Stumbleine would be the last song in this cluster and it’s probably the one that took the longest to catch me … it suffers in comparison to Ruby, it’s like coming down from a sugar high. Put it anywhere else on the album and you realize it’s great. As much as I love the end of disc two and how those songs work together, none of those songs make this group on their own merits. The only songs I would drop from MCIS are Take Me Down, Tales of a Scorched Earth and Lily (weakest of the disc two closing collection). In their place I’d install Marquis in Spades, Medellia (how did your top 52 list not include Medellia?!!!!) and probably the Boy … it’s tough to say though, these two discs were so much about sequence and they really nailed it. The Aeroplane Flies High is a monstrous work but I’m not sure where it fits in the MCIS concept … if you’re going for two behemoths to anchor the two discs, they chose the right ones in Ruby and Porcelina.
On to the rest …
MCIS b-sides — You can’t go wrong with Mouths of Babes or Marquis in Spades … or even the impressive musicianship of Tribute to Johnny. The entire Zero single rocked, with the exception of so so Pennies. Gotta love the Tonight Tonight single as well … Medellia has to be on any top 52 list. 33 b-sides are fairly underwhelming … I think “The Bells” is beautiful but it certainly doesn’t crack a top 52.
Adore — Gets easier here as the quality of the work slips somewhat. To Sheila, Once Upon A Time, Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete (How could you forget this one? What about that feedback wail in the middle of the track? Chills!), Shame (drift off to sleep … I couldn’t listen to this while driving), For Martha. Honorable mention to Perfect … loved the ebow sound on the live tour but “Once Upon A Time” is better at that. Lots of crap on this album too — Tear is terrible, Pug doesn’t do anything for me these days, I personally hate Annie Dog but know other people who like it.
Machina I and II – Getting hard to find worthy songs now … I’ll grudgingly put Stand Inside Your Love down although I think it shows how much the singles are slipping at this point. Felt like they could’ve tightened I of the Mourning a bit (solo always felt sloppy to me) but it belongs in the top 52. I personally love the Sacred and Profane and the forever evolving guitar sound on this album … but I’ll leave it out. Try Try Try is a great song and criminally underrated. I like This Time and Home a lot and I almost confuse them when each song comes on … those are both nice. What about Glass and the Ghost Children? Was that even on your list? Has to make the top 52. As far as Pumpkin epics go, it’s one of the weaker ones but it’s still a notable track. The way he recorded the vocals on “Wound” really bothers me … I can barely listen to the vocals on that song. Had a lot of potential. Age of Innocence is probably the only song where they really nailed it on Machina — best of the group. I love Slow Dawn and Vanity on the “free” album but not much else (Let Me Give The World To You is another incredibly overrated Pumpkin song … I think the Adore tour left everyone so desperate for anything that reminded them of the old Pumpkins & people became attached to this song – during that tour – as a result). How about Here’s to the Atom Bomb? I like both versions, probably the more rocking version on Judas a bit more.
Zeitgeist – Yikes. That’s the Way My Love Goes for the shoegaze sound? Tarantula for the one face melting solo? The sad part is these songs wouldn’t even make it onto MCIS. Every single MCIS song – with the exception of Tales of a Scorched Earth – is better than this stuff. I’d be tempted to include Bring the Light (great solo and live performance in the fall of 07) but how annoying is it that he repeats the same lyric over and over? I don’t think a single song on this album merits inclusion.
However, I will put in a word for Stellar … that belongs on any Pumpkin top 52 list. I also think Again Again and Sunkissed are really nice songs.
I won’t get into any of the Oceania/Teargarden stuff because I really lost interest. I tried to pass Tom Tom along to a friend for a listen and he laughed at me … said I have wax in my ears. We can’t honestly expect ANY of these songs to match prior output.
A rough top 10 (in no particular order): Hummer, Soma, Mayonaise, Drown, Ruby, Porcelina, 1979, Tonight Tonight, Muzzle … and let’s say Geek USA for the guitar gods at #10.
There are two songs I’ve omitted which warrant mention. I really like “In the Arms of Sleep” and “Here Is No Why” but I just can’t see them making a top 52 list … no way those songs are ahead of tier one MCIS (Ruby, Porcelina), tier two (1979, Tonight Tonight) or the cream of tier three (Muzzle, 33). “Here Is Now Why” would’ve been a flop as a single too … I like the lyrics but his voice has sounded better. And it’s fairly anti-climactic once the solo is over … kind of limps to the finish line.
Robbie –
What do you think of Oceania? Personally, I’m greatly disappointed. Perhaps it’s bc I haven’t heard it enough to appreciate, but feel it lacks edge, complexity and the form of substance and transition I feel SP turned into an unreplicated art form.
Thoughts?
I could not disagree more. I was very pleasantly surprised with this album — especially on the heels of what I would consider several mediocre Teargarden songs (though ‘Lightning Strikes’ is a killer). This is the best sounding album since Mellon Collie, in my opinion. Kudos to Corgan for finally realizing his voice doesn’t need to be jacked up in the mix (See Zeitgeist)… That said, Oceania is a good album — plain and simple — because the songs are good. ‘The Chimera’ is the best tune he’s written since the Zwan days (and actually sounds like a Zwan song — ‘Chrysanthemum’ comes to mind). ‘My Love Is Winter,’ ‘Panoptacon,’ and ‘The Celestials’ are very solid as well. 8/10, A+ for effort, and a special tip of the hat to Mike Byrne for his studly drumwork.
‘The Chimera’ easily makes this list, btw.
Anybody else have an opinion on ‘Oceania’?
I’d have to say I was a bit disappointed with oceania but that’s only because I heard so many reviews about it being the best thing since mcis. That being said its still a great piece of work and I totally agree that the chimera kicks ass.
Actually now that I’ve heard the album a couple of more times, I think that the celestials is the best song on there.
‘The Celestials’ flirts with the outskirts of this list… ‘Pale Horse’ is a slam dunk. The last minute or so is sublime. My new favorite.
Awesome list man! That’s the most thorough and level headed analysis of SP music I’ve ever read. The only things I disagree with just a little is the newer stuff. I love it all, although I do think Gish, SD, and MCIS were epic and their best releases as does many others.
Oceania blew me away. Like I said, I like their new stuff. I mean shoot, I was even a big fan of Zeitgeist. But I’d always revert back to early Pumpkins. However, I couldn’t agree more with you when you said Oceania is Billy’s best release since MCIS. That is 100% accurate!! It might be the first SP that includes an element of every past LP. It’s raw at times like Gish, very layered and dreamy like SD, devastatingly heavy and progresses like MCIS, intimate and vulnerable like Adore, artistic like Machina, daring like Zeitgeist, and electronic and extremely “hooky” like TbK. Love every second of it!
Hope that made sense lol. Again, great job!
*SP album
Thanks to my brothers I grew up listening to them from the start. Anyone who has followed them has had the pleasure of enjoying the fruits of their labor. I had never heard such awesomely woven melodies combined with well produced rock. Being so young had to stay home while bros they went to shows like lollapalooza n others ’92-93 sucked. Got to see them in 95 . It was my very first concert. It has been a pleasure rockin since age 8. Song list is irrelevant to me personally. No matter how old I get, and what I start listening to SP top the list of the greatists musicians of our era. Thanks for all their hard work and hope to rock with you one more time.
Stephen Malkmus has his street cred because Pavement was the greatest band of the 90′s. Range Life is better than any SP song.
Pavement was a great band. Their highs, in my opinion, did not match the Pumpkins’ highs… But we’re comparing apples and oranges. Grounded, Fin, Here, Frontwards, The Hexx — The Pumpkins certainly never wrote anything in these veins. Malkmus, on the other hand, was never serious or angry enough to pen anything like Siamese Dream.
http://www.sportscasualties.com/2011/04/13/a-guide-to-pavement-discography/
True, they are very different. The lack of seriousness and slacker attitude is why I love Pavement. Also, thank you for posting that link. It was an entertaining read and you certainly know Pavement. Even if Pitchfork seems to agree that Pavement’s high (Gold Soundz) was higher, everyone has different tastes, and it’s great that we don’t have to choose between them.
1. Soma
2. Thru The Eyes of Ruby (very close second that is!)
3. Porcelina
The rest depend on my mood…, the three listed are the constant faves!
excellent publish, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this
sector don’t understand this. You should proceed your writing. I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
That was interesting. Sure, I don’t “agree” with your list, but that’s really beside the point. Thanks for the meaty commentary.