I’ve been waiting for this one. The time has come for me to talk about one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands. The Smashing Pumpkins never quite fit in with their ’90s rock peers and always defied clean-cut categorization. They weren’t grunge like Nirvana, shoegaze like My Bloody Valentine or art rock like Radiohead, yet they were all these things and more. Despite their success, people never knew what to make of them, which I think is why they haven’t had the same renewed interest as other bands from their time. But those who take a chance on their eclectic sensibilities and ringleader Billy Corgan’s brilliant songwriting won’t be disappointed. While their 1993 album “Siamese Dream” is excellent in its own right, Corgan’s blockbuster ambitions wouldn’t be fully realized until their 1995 album, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the band released an anniversary edition on Nov. 21 featuring demos and live performances, making it the perfect opportunity to discover the album. Do not let its very cringey title dissuade you: It’s two hours of abundant creativity and adventure, full of virtuoso performances, emotional sincerity and stylistic diversity.
The album opens with the titular track, an entirely instrumental piece. It’s a simple but elegant piano ballad, setting the tone for the album’s melodrama and whimsical aspirations that become fully apparent on the next song, “Tonight, Tonight.” Corgan returns to the string ballad he mastered with “Disarm” on “Siamese Dream,” this time trading despair for a rousing ode to making the most of the night. It’s a simple sentiment executed with such sincerity and gravitas that you can’t help but get swept up in the dramatic orchestral arrangement and Corgan’s nasal belting.
This is the MO of the rest of the album: infectious earnestness. Corgan said he wanted the album to capture the heightened emotions of adolescence, and he achieves exactly that. “Muzzle” is cut from the same cloth; propulsive and grandiose, it’s a song about living life with no shame. “Bullet with a Butterfly Wing” captures teenage angst perfectly, with nonsensical vitriol and an exhilarating bridge. A forlorn Corgan whimpers about regret and loneliness on “To Forgive.” And “In the Arms of Sleep” is a tender song about restless nights due to yearning too hard. The album runs the entire gamut of the human experience; no emotion or mood goes unexamined.
The breadth and depth of the album’s soundscapes are also remarkable. You have the aforementioned live orchestra on “Tonight, Tonight,” but also ballistic drums and chugging guitars on the subsequent “Jellybelly.” This sonic whiplash is one of the defining features of the album, as the band explores all kinds of textures and instruments. Glitchy guitars and an industrial beat propel the spurned “Love.” A gorgeous harp illuminates “Cupid de Locke.” The band dabbles in prog rock with “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans,” a multi-stage suite that takes four minutes to build to its blistering chorus.
The album’s second disc is somehow even more experimental. It sees the band dabble in metal, electronic and even country — sure, why not? “Bodies” is a pathetic howl of romantic rage with acidic guitars that threaten to destroy the entire mix. “Thirty-Three” is a bizarre electronic-country fusion song; it shouldn’t work at all, but we somehow ended up in the one timeline where it does. And then there is “1979,” the band’s most popular song. I remember the first time I listened to it: I couldn’t believe it was released in 1995 — it sounds so modern and fresh. The song has an ethereal quality, capturing the intoxicating allure of nostalgia with its hazy guitars and drum loops. The album rounds out with the quirky but fun “We Only Come Out at Night,” the Beatles-esque “Beautiful,” and the lullaby closer “Farewell and Goodnight,” featuring gentle acoustic guitars and rare vocal harmonies from all band members.
I could listen to and discuss “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” for eternity. Each listen reveals a new emotion or moment of sonic brilliance. What Corgan and company achieved with this album is legendary. Every soaring melody, every thrilling performance, every balls-to-the-wall experimentation is excellent. It’s a work of art that will continue to enthrall audiences for many more decades to come.
