Siamese Dream

Epic album from the Pumpkins. Not only one of their best pieces of work, but I feel it's one of the greatest rock records in existence. Packed full of killer writing and musicianship, emotional Siamese Dreams blows my mind on so many levels from beginning to end. I am so grateful to have gotten to see them perform many of these songs live on 3 occasions. Zowie!

"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins." "Homer Simpson, nodding politely." This is the best album that Smashing Pumpkins made and one of the most iconic albums in alternative rock history and a relic of the 90s.

"Siamese Dream" is pretty tortured. I'm not tortured now, and don't think I was in the 90s (although most teens feel tortured to some extent?), certainly not like Corgan (with abuse during his childhood and recent relationship issues framing much of early Pumpkins), but damned if this album doesn't just do it for me anyway. I really like this album, maybe even more than I did in the 90s. It is intense and filled with agonized passion - it's raw and exposed and vulnerable and electric - both in subject matter and musical vibe. Like a lot of 90s alt-rock and grunge, the lyrics are poetic and often indecipherable, but it doesn't matter (to me). Breathy when it needs to be breathy, screaming earnestly at just the right peaks. James Iha's guitar (though apparently Corgan was super controlling in the studio and recorded everyone's parts himself) is alternatingly crunchy, soaring, soft - for some tracks they apparently layered and overdubbed the guitar parts dozens of times. Whatever that means, they get an amazing rich sound out of it. Pretty sure back in the day I put on my headphones and zoned out to this album like Mitch at the end of "Dazed and Confused." (This is not the album on this list that I would have expected to be the first to make me think of that top 5 of all-time movie, but I am sure it won't be the last.) The first half of the album is filled with gems, hitting a crescendo with "Disarm," brilliant and haunting with its orchestral build hinting at the softer direction for parts of "Mellon Collie." But they interweave hard-edged rage with soft emotional rawness seamlessly in numerous places, even better on "Siamese Dream" than on "Mellon Collie." Smashing Pumpkins stands out sonically from other early 90s alt-rock - it doesn't really fit with the Northwest grunge sound, doesn't fit with punk rock, doesn't fit with lo-fi shoegaze, Smashing Pumpkins really carved their own unique space.

I just can't enjoy the monotonous sludge of distorted guitars and Corgan's petulant whine.

This one held up really well. Just a great album. The composition, instrumentation, and lyrics are all on point. I know a lot of folks hate on Corgan's voice but it's never bothered me and it matches the lyrics and feel of these songs so well. Just really great.

This album makes me sad, there's some great, no amazing, melodies here and some really interesting ideas....but the execution is god-awful. I hate the lead singer's voice, I hate it with a passion. The man sounds like if Spongebob was doing a Kurt Cobain impersonation. It honestly hurts to listen to, it haunts my dreams, it's my waking nightmare. I don't know if I will ever find the words to properly describe my hatred of this man's singing. There's some beautiful songs here, but the fact that they're ruined so much makes this album even sadder to listen to. When I heard the opening lines of the first song my immediate freudean thought was "butt-rock" the singer sounds like he belongs in a shitty 3 doors down cover band. Overall I'm giving it 2 stars because the melodies are actually really good and the song progression and composition is interesting.

"Today" is one of the greatest songs ever written and the rest of the album holds up around it

I find it weird that so many people classify this as grunge or even part of the grunge movement. I think what the Pumpkins were doing here was so much more interesting and varied than a lot of their contemporaries in that space. Sonically, it's so good. You have deep, fat, layered guitars that smack you around the face (notably on tracks like Hummer and Mayonaise). The ridiculous amount of tracks mixed in give it such a robust, unique sound, with layers and layers and layers of guitars and noise. Jimmy Chamberlain is pummelling his drums like he hates them, and Billy is laying down some mad, squealing guitar solos on top. When this rocks, it really rocks hard, with a real depth and force to it. But then you have some beautiful and tender ballads thrown in, utilising violins, bells and all sorts, and some truly iconic songs sitting in there like Disarm. Lyrically there's so much to love here too. There's a lot of raw feeling, vulnerability and honesty. Billy really chucked himself out there, and the songs benefit from it. I get that a lot of people don't get on with his voice, but personally I love weird, interesting singers and it really works for me. There's so many different levels and riffs and interesting details running through this whole album. I just don't think other bands of the era had anywhere near this level of range. This is an absolutely superb, iconic album.

If it weren’t for Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness, I’d say this is the best Smashing Pumpkins album. Still, it’s one of the best guitar and drum albums of all time.

OMG, this album used to mean so much to me. I've already played it to death, but here we go.

Loved the guitar work - it seemed multi-layered and symphonic to some degree. Laidback and interesting music .

I dig it. Heavily distorted, but not at the expense of good riffs and melodies. It's a bit long, but not overlong, and I think its length reflects the hazy/grunge musical style. Of course, I'm all-too-familiar with the tracks "Cherub Rock" and "Today," thanks to Guitar Hero. They hold up, and there are a number of other great songs here, too. I'm not sure if I'd heard a Smashing Pumpkins album before today, but this one makes the appeal perfectly clear. Favorite tracks: Cherub Rock, Today, Sweet Sweet Album art: I like it. Looks like the original was just the photo of these two girls, and a reissue added the purple filter and orange background. Both look good to me, but I think I prefer the purple and orange. Filtering and reissuing an album cover like that seems to be a recognition of classic status. 4/5

The riffs that sold a million Big Muffs.

Тудей из тзе грейтест

The first album I've already heard!!! And I already know it's a 5/5 for me!!! Excited to relisten though!!! I adore the changes in pace and energy, the floaty instrumentals in the quieter bits are so dreamy and gorgeous, and the guitars in the louder bits are SO BLOODY GOOD!! Heck I forgot Silverfuck is almost 9min long, it just flies by (for me anyway) because it is so COOL I may be biased because this is an album I've been coming back to regularly since I was...15? There's a reason for that though

For me this album is their absolute high point - barely a step wrong in the entire album - brilliant stuff

Alternative classic, I enjoy the shit out of this one, peak 90s rock

Sometimes, an album is ruined not by poor craftsmanship, but just the sheer overwhelming presence of ego. This is one of those albums. It's got some great songs, but they're completely overshadowed by Corrigan's ego and conceit.

4 all time songs and they may not even be the best 4 on this awesome album.

This album is impossible to listen to objectively. It's in my blood and makes up some of the base pairs of my DNA. It's an endless summer album. One of lazy sunshine joy, daily crushes, and utopian conversations under stars while lying on car hoods (back when car hoods were made of real steel and could hold our body weight without buckling). I hear it and it's a time machine. More accurately, it brings a fuzzjoy mood into my 2024 brain and a goofy grin stretches across my face. The pumpkins have been up and down, musically, but this--to me--is their apex.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Hands down one of my favorite albums from the 90s. The layered guitars + Chamberlains drumming style are perfection to me and the tone is much warmer than the albums that followed.

To define the 90s, some were grasping at hard rock's ballads only to achieve a tacky fad, other tried replicating the original punk feel, almost border-lining on being parodic. The Smashing Pumpkins had a different approach. With fuzz guitars and soft spoken lyrics, they deliberately created an angst simulation machine. Rather than romanticizing the past in wailing verses or screaming at the top of your lungs to berate it, accept it since it's part of you after all. It's rare to find an album that rocks so hard without making you feel cathartic. Guess that's what they call alternative.

I oscillate back and forth between which SP album I prefer - this or 'Mellon Collie'. For all of the latter's grandiosity, I consistently find myself concluding that 'Siamese Dream' is the more accomplished record. From the bone crunching opening chords of 'Cherub Rock', this album delivers again and again on every. single. track. The band moves seamlessly between the melodically tempered and the face-melting heavy, often on the same track (Soma and Silverfuck, I'm looking at you two). While Corgan is obviously the driving force on this album musically and lyrically (not to mention that quintessential whine of his that gave the SP such a unique sound), I'm never not blown away by Jimmy Chamberlin's work on the drums. In the spirit of the greats like Bonham or Moon, his percussion flows beautifully with the music itself. On an album that is so profoundly guitar-focused, it's a testament to Chamberlin's musicianship that his drumming stands out so. One of the great albums of the 90's. While the Smashing Pumpkins would go on to release many more albums, they could never quite top the artistic zenith they achieved on 'Siamese Dream' and its successor.

This album is excellent. There is not a dull moment on it. It is meticulously crafted, every song sets up the next one perfectly. Every sound is perfectly realised. Billy Corgan pretty much claims the fuzz pedal for himself with this album. The sound he creates with it is thick, gritty but smooth, dense, and immersive but it is never overwhelming and is frequently punctured by beautiful, glassy clean strat-through-valve-amp tones. I first listened to this Album by renting it out from a library and ripping it onto my PC. I played it a lot in my youth. I bought a fuzz pedal pretty much because of this album. One of my favorite guitar pleasures is to play "Cherub Rock" through a cranked fuzz pedal, the feeling of power is immense and uplifting.

5.0 + My musical ground zero - the band and the record that ushered me full-force into rock music as a teen. I listened to this album more than any other, and can sing it all the way through. So many amazing moments here - from the guitar solo in "Cherub Rock", to the contemplative end of "Hummer", to the drumming on "Geek USA", to the trippy middle of "Silverfuck", to the gorgeous homage to shoegazer rock with "Mayonaise"...Confronting past demons head-on, believing in a better tomorrow and swirling with psychedelic color.

Glad i finally got around to listening to the whole thing. Great stuff

C'était bien

Un album très sympa de la part de Radiohead

incredible

This album is full of very hype songs.

There is a reason this album is on so many lists. So many great things about this album; the songwriting, the music, the feel. Never gets old. A must for any music library.

This is one of my all-time favourite albums and the soundtrack to high school and university. When I was you young I would argue this was the best album of the 90s. I actually don’t even want to deconstruct why I like it- I just want to let it wash over me when I listen to it. Inthe proceeding years, Billy corgan has started to become more grating but this album is preserved in my memory as a time before all of that, a time when I could listen to this with my whole heart and feel so much joy

A beautiful and complex album from start to finish.

This is true of most music of course, but I feel like Smashing Pumpkins need to be listened to LOUD! Crank this up and rock the fuck out

Y'know, when it comes to Billy Corrgan and the Smashing Pumpkins, I'll for sure have more to say about them once my group gets to hit up MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS. **That's** the one I have some sort of attatchment to. Versus this album, which, until today, I'd only known for "Cherub Rock" and, especially, "Today". As a result, in comparison, I don't really feel like I have as much to say about this album—except for that I'd really hafta agree that it's one of the best and most unique alternate rock and grunge albums of the 90's. Goodness me, can Corrgan write a tune—and can this band **play them**. (Plus, I don't mind Corrgan's voice, so that's a hurdle I have no problem getting over.) It's an **easy** 5 from me. It's an easier 5 than MELLON COLLIE might get at least, that's for sure.

I can definitely see why some call this one of the best albums of the 90s, not just in alt rock, but in general. An hour never passed by so quick. Pretty easy 5 to give.

I’m at a 5. This is my first Smashing Pumpkins album, and while I always knew there was acclaim, for some reason, I just never really went for it – it could genuinely all be in the name. Either way, I’m a fucking moron; this is a great fucking album. Lots of diversity within the soundscape, great lyricism (if a bit broad at times), and Billy Corgan’s vocals are strong as hell, almost chameleon-esque with how he can shift from soft and introspective to a classic rockstar voice on a dime. I’m just really impressed with how honest this album seems to feel – Nirvana knew how to commercialize their style, and they did it remarkably successfully, even if it was kind of at Kurt Cobain’s detriment. Obviously, Nevermind is a fantastic album, but there’s something that feels just a little too clean about it after listening to this. I can’t explain how or why this feels more raw and honest, but it just does. Sometimes, that works against the album, and I think that honesty sort of collapses in on itself during “Silverfuck”. Silverfuck’s a great track, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know that it works as one long 9 minute piece; it feels like an attempt to shove the soundscape of a mini rock opera into what would otherwise be a pretty normal song if you just look at the lyrics. I think the choice of the soundscape works well, and it’s a pretty quick 9 minutes, but in the back of my mind, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it would work better as 3 separate 3-minute tracks with their own titles to really give the song just a bit more structure and definition. It’s rather honest in what it tries to do, but I think it falls just a little short on its execution, especially with how self-serving the instrumental parts can feel the longer they go. Still a hell of a climax to the album, though, and really enjoyable. That track is basically the only nitpick I have, but it’s such a minor blip – this album, for me, is like a 9.75/10 at the bare minimum if we’re going by 10. It’s just a remarkably strong rock album, and I can finally see the hype. I know there’s at least one other Smashing Pumpkins album on the list, so that should be exciting when it rolls around. Either way, for my first experience, this was nothing short of spectacular. Very, very easy 5.

Always welcome to rock my world.

It's been said that Billy Corgan could pick a fight with an empty room, and that's arguably true. Still, if we're talking about conveying relatable angst, there's few better. For those who may be readying their throwing tomatoes for me rating this higher than The Bends, it's because I feel that despite it being very stylistically monotonous, the mood and feel of the album is not. It's a mix of manic, sad, contemplative and angry - all with a self-deprecating edge. Speaking as someone who both has lived with, and is, a depressed person, the album really gets across that feeling. Ultimately, it's the front-loading of the album that prevents it getting a 5. But, as someone who was an angsty 20-year-old (and is an angsty 34-year-old), I wish I'd listened to it when I was younger. Tangent: I didn't gel with Spaceboy, despite its usage of Mellotrons. I guess even I have a limit for my love of that instrument. Fave: Cherub Rock (yeah, I know) Least Fave: Spaceboy Strong Bad Demerit Counter: 0

This album starts really strong but by the end I'm a bit worn out and wishing it would end. There are attempts at breaking out of the mould created in the first half, but they don't achieve much and feel unnecessary.

Banger

This 1001 thing has taught me I am a Smashing Pumpkins fan

Haven't really explored the Smashing Pumpkins before, excited to hear more

I’ve listened before and it is a classic album. Don’t know that I’d give it a 5 but 4 feels appropriate

Levyn tunnelma on hieno vaikka aavistuksen pitkä kokonaisuus. Vakuuttava esitys ja helppo 4*

Although I do feel like this album goes through many different moods that the artists do not transition well, I feel like that was what they were going for. It was a pretty sick rock album, with great ballads, unique production that sets it apart from any other artist that I have listened to, and excellent hooks that were pretty cool. Also, Hummer is an amazing track that is very underrated.

I’ve heard like half of this album by itself, but never listened to the whole thing before, so I was excited to hear. Way more shoegaze influence than I was expecting. My apologies Mr pumpkins, I was not aware of your game.

A really good album for a genre that can be pretty decisive for me. It's definitely intense and noisy but there are some great hits on this album. Just when I was thinking to myself I needed a break from the noise Soma came as a nice relief. Maybe a little front half heavy. 7/10 (3.5/5)

Very good 👍 feels like an album that will get better with more listens.

The third early to mid nineties album I’ve gotten in a row is probably my favourite of the lot. Yes, this might be because all the cool music sounded like this when I was 12. Kinda sounds like if Phil Spector did a grunge album. But it seems like if Spector and Corgan made an album, not everyone would make it out alive.

I just gotta get this out of the way first, because ever since I noticed it, I haven’t been able to hear the song not think about it: The clean guitar intro to Cherub Rock, the riff that stars at 4 seconds in, then goes on and turns into distortion around the 25 second mark is nearly identical to the guitar line that Neu’s “Hallogallo” is centered around. It’s too similar to not be intentional, I think. Now that I’ve rewound that part a bunch of times, and A/B’d it with “Hallogallo”, a habit I’ve found myself engaging more than once over the years, I suppose I should start my review: Having grown up in early 90’s, I am predisposed to like the sound of fuzzed out guitars and there are an abundance of them on this record. Electro-Harmonix’s “Big Muff” fuzz pedal is the veritable backbone of this record and the guitar playing is easily the highlight for me. I could never take Billy Corgan’s voice (or personality, for that matter), but at least this record is an hour shorter than Mellon Collie, so it’s manageable, especially with the preponderance of fuzzy guitars to distract from his nasal whining and pretension. This is a great guitar record, I cannot deny that. It’s also undoubtedly the best record the Smashing Pumpkins would ever make. It could stand to be a little shorter, though. A lot of the songs here go on for too long, several stretching to the 7-8 minute mark and not enough fresh ideas in them to fully justify their length. Instead, they end up rehashing some of the same guitar tricks over and over and I’m left feeling burned out by about track 9.

I liked this 90's noisy whine-rock more than I thought I would.

Billy corgan's vocals can get grating.

I'm not a big fan of the Pumpkins, but "Disarm" is a great song

The hits are pretty epic to be sure. The rest, I find rather forgettable.

Some nice melodic ideas and good songs. I enjoyed it but thank God we progressed past phasing vocals to the nth degree. Little know fact about this album is that it was played in its entirety at the christening of Brian Blessed's second child.

Probably the better album from the Pumpkins... but I still think they're very overrated, despite the rave reviews others seem to wax lyrical about them.

a few catchy grooves. probably would sound better as a recording of a single electric guitar or two actually human beings playing instead of 100 Billy Corgans smushed together sounds absolutely like a cynical cash in. there's a My Bloody Valentine shimmer thing briefly that seems like a wink & nudge, but a completely uncharming one it's funny that one of the most overwrought groups sounds amateurish, not in execution but in style choices. it sounds like a bedroom album by somebody that hasn't learned to cut out tacky impulses yet. the shred solos are silly and don't always work. I like pieces of the music but won't make any excuses for this band music: hated. (⌐■_■)

I understand this is a classic band and “technically” a classic album but man it’s just not for me I guess. They do the “wall of sound” vibe really well and the guitar tones are great but just kinda the same throughout the whole record. I feel like this is the kind’ve music that’s more fun to play than to listen to. I was not enjoying the album until track six which I believe was disarm (I already knew that song) and that one was good and admittedly I did like the second half of the album more than the first. Geek USA was a standout. My ears just got so tired of it and I found myself tuning out a lot.

Smashing Pumpkins are hard for me to rate properly. They are a great rock group and they have some fantastic songs…but I just can’t stand Billy Corgan’s voice. If they had someone else sing it, it would be a 4 star album for me, maybe even a 5. But I just can’t stand it because his voice is so grating to me.

It was very… ok? It honestly felt pretty dull, like a sepia-tone version of emo-punk like Taking Back Sunday. There were a couple stand-outs like Cherub Rock and Disarm, but I found the droning guitar and drowned-out vocals to be offputting.

I hate Smashing Pumpkins. I can't stand Billy's voice. It ruins otherwise pretty decent music. Good melodies, good driving rock guitar/drums/bass. I'm def a fan of Iha's tone. But damn if that voice doesn't sound like a 6 year old that needs his juice box NOW!

Best Song: Cherub Rock. This is the band at their most Smashing. A grungy, gritty groove that does a great job of kicking off the album. Worst Song: This is the band at their most Pumpkins. Corgan just absolutely squeezing out how he "used to be a little boy," sounding like he's trying to sing while someone fits him for a corset that's two sizes too small. Add that to the layered vocals when he sings against/with himself and it's all just too much. Overall: This album, like the other Smashing Pumpkins albums I've listened to, is bloated, self-indulgent, and rooted around a central sound whose appeal I just don't understand. There are better, realer, rawer grunge records out there. Your time is much better spent listening to any of them.

The odd nice song is not enough to lift the rest of this album enough for me.

It was ok, I found it a bit bland with nothing much to recommend it apart from the ones that I remember from back in the day, that were bangers when they came out (Today and Disarm).

Oh my god, I hate Fuzz and this album is full of it. Very bad production as well. Vocals are pretty boring, but recognisible.

sorry billy corgan but you can’t make me hate your own band

How do you make a rock album? Well, you start by giving it drums. Drums gotta be loud, but not too loud to overpower anything. Make them pack a punch, that should be enough. Ideally, they should keep a simple 4/4 beat as the foundation of the song, but that doesn't mean they have to be boring. Fills, little flourishes here and there, it all gives the song more personality. Okay cool, drums, now what? Bass, gotta have bass. That's the second part of your rhythm section, which means it also keeps the song grounded. Don't be fooled, the bass still has a key role to play in the melodic elements of the song, as it provides a root note for the rest of the band to play off of. The bass can also provide it's own flourishes similar to the drummer, as it has the space to move around the scales while playing with the rhythm of the song. Groovy, I think now is a good time to add guitar. Guitar has the fun of wearing a lot of hats: it can have driving riffs or smooth finger-picking sections, it can provide supporting texture to a song or it can deliver a ripping solo. Where guitar is usually in the forefront, it also has the benefit of exploring different tones: sweet clean tones, exciting distortion, dreamy reverb, ambient delays all contribute to a song's personality. It is this range of sounds that allow the guitar to practically define a song. However, we still have vocals to consider. Vocals are defined more by the person delivering it than any production or songwriting nonsense I could spout here. With the lyrics and the vocal style of the singer, a rock song becomes distinct, even memorable. With these elements, you can make a rock song. Repeat the process enough times by moving around the pieces to make each song unique, bam, that's an album. The Smashing Pumpkins (in the '90s mostly) perfected the rock album. Billy Corgan and co. knew how each piece worked with each other and made 13 stacked rock tracks for an apathetic generation, helping them learn to care. Siamese Dream is tender and tough, dreamy and all-too-real. Is it better than Mellon Collie? Does it matter?

Such a fantastic album. I think it's incredibly rare to have an album with a 1+hour runtime with no weak spots or throwaway tracks. An excellent diverse set of songs that are heavy, reflective, relaxing, sad, and everything in between. Will definitely be coming back to this one

It’s a real shame that William Patrick Corgsn released this and Gish, two basically perfect albums, and disappeared never to be heard from again. (Takes a huge sip of coffee and checks Wikipedia) Oh. Oh no. Five stars.

Genius guitar riffing by Corgan balanced by phenomenal drumming by Chamberlin. Those are the two main ingredients that make this album great for me. Love the way they are able to turn a song from the most gentle beautiful softness to an absolutely raging wall of sound. Corgan's vocals are poetic and have an androgynous mystic. This album sounds best loud. VERY loud!

I guess the universe wanted me to have a good cry today. This is an alternative rock masterpiece. It's filled with emotion and absolute banger songs. Mayonaise is my #1 on this, though Disarm is a very close second. And Geek U.S.A. holds a special place in my heart as part of a glorious Greatest Hits compilation once created on cassette tape. I've been adjacent to a certain someone's Smashing Pumpkins obsession my whole adult life, which has also made me a pretty big fan. A lot of nostalgia here for me too. Saw them live 25ish years ago, and then again this past summer. They still rock it hard! And this album is their crowning jewel.

Been a while. There's a lot of really good songs on this one.

smashing

It's a borderline perfect album from probably my favorite band of all time, so obviously it's a 5. I have no idea how I'm going to choose between this and Mellon Collie for my favorite album at the end of this project. There isn't an ounce of fat on this album, it just feels so tight and focused and everyone is firing on all cylinders. I have to shout out Jimmy Chamberlin, one of my all-time favorite drummers. His drumming on Geek U.S.A. and Silverfuck in particular is so damn fun. And don't even get me started on the guitars, I live for the fuzz and will die for the fuzz. I really can't say enough good things, this album is just wonderful. One of those albums that is and has been one of my very favorites for such a long time that it just feels like it's a part of me. Also, just know that if you have written a review complaining about Billy Corgan's singing, I have rolled my eyes at you. You are boring. Go listen to Michael Bublé or something. I'm joking...but only kind of?

Brilliant Album. Never used to listen to TSP that much but as I've grown they've aged like wine on me.

a stone cold masterpiece and lifelong favorite. growing up, i always admired it mainly as a guitar record, with its bombastic, dense sound, but in this listen what i've honed in on is the percussion goes absolutely mental. jimmy chamberlin off the shits

One of my favorites

Classic 90's album

I love the instrumental, full bodied sound they create, matched perfectly with his vocals and the whimsical vibe.

Overall: 10/10 An album filled with banger after banger! I think Disarm is one of the best songs of the 90s and I absolutely adore their mix of Alt Rock, Shoegaze and Heavy Metal! If you can can get past Billy's strange vocals then you'll love it. Fav Song: Disarm Least Fav Song: Sweet Sweet

This album came out during my teenage years. The first few songs were part of the soundtrack to the 90s. I'm still wearing flannel and a band t-shirt to this very day.

A psychedelic rock masterpiece, everything about this album is absolutely perfect. The riffs are huge and fuzzed out and the clean guitars are dreamy and beautiful. Billy Corgan’s vocals range from sweet to snarling, while Jimmy Chamberlain’s drumming is both ferocious and jazz-infused. The playing is superb and Butch Vig’s production is stellar. There are layers upon layers of guitars, there are strings, there are Mellotrons, etc but it’s never too much and the raw energy of the Pumpkins blasts through. Alan Moulder’s mix is clean but muscular and somehow both the drums and guitars are loud and in your face. Today and Disarm are alt-rock radio classics but the best songs are Hummer, Mayonaise, Geek USA, and Cherub Rock. 5 / 5 flawless album.

Knew this one already but glad to revisit. Really emotional and distressing while sounding really really good. Should pay closer attention to the lyrics. Disarm has always been a favourite but Soma really hit me on second listen. 4.5/5

Always a favourite, still a favourite

Hands down the best album of the 90’s. I don’t care about your Nirvanas and Pearl Jams. This is it. This is the one. So shiny and oh so bright.

I really thought I was going to be too cool for my favorite band in the 1990s. But I'm not. This is so good! I love fuzzy guitars and melancholy emotions with some rage thrown in there. Billy Corgan has the emotions and makes me feel along with him. I was about to list my favorite songs, but all of them, they're all on the list. Maybe Mayonaise or Silverfuck would be at the top if I had to choose.

soaring scorching painful and affirming and still somehow the 5th best album the Pumpkins made before 2007 10/10

• 5/5 - Siamese Dream is a straight up 4 that gets a 1 point bonus for being a touchstone of my 20s • Several great singles that hold up after 30 years of play, especially Cherub Rock and Today. • By the end of the album the distortion and Corgan's voice have run their course, but we're left sated, neither overstuffed nor wanting.

What an album. This is such a beautiful mix of so many genres, there is the emerging grunge scene, some early moody emo vibes coming through too all the while undergirded by really incredible writing and instrumentation. The hits on this one carry it just a tad but there really aren’t any misses here either, a couple of comparatively lesser songs.

In 2018, a friend of mine recommended this album to listen to, but I ended up not paying much attention to it at the time and ended up putting the album on my eternal waiting list until today. As soon as I finish writing this review, I'm going to give him a huge scolding: "WHY DIDN'T YOU INSIST MORE ON ME TO LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM?" Musically speaking, it is a top quality alternative rock album! It's energetic when it needs to be energetic, it's soft when it needs to be soft, everything, absolutely everything on this album is precisely in the right proportion, including the voices, instruments, volumes, production, everything! Without any fear, I give it a 5 star rating!

Didn’t realize how old this was and how foundational it was for alt rock.

⭐ Mayonaise

I love this album - start to finish

What can I say? One of the best alternative albums of the 90s. A unique guitar sound and vocals, with a dreamy shoegaze sound. The whole album stands out, with no fillers. But in particular Today and Disarm stand out for me. 5/5

Without realizing it, I already knew many of the songs on this album—and for good reason. I think it’s their best work, packed with hits from start to finish. Hats off to them for delivering such an iconic record on just their second album. Overall, it’s an incredibly enjoyable listen and a true staple of the alt-rock genre.

such a beautiful album. I think it's been more than 20 years since I've listened to it whole. Some songs I used to not like (like Silverfuck and Quiet) I now see under a different light. I'm really happy this was included. I can inject Mayonaise and Disarm right into my veins <3

Lots of drive, awesome rock.

Freak out and give in. And so it began. Stunning intro to the album…Cherub Rock grabbed my attention way back when. I can’t explain just how beautiful I find this album. The Smashing Pumpkins have their own completely unique sound (not just the unmistakable vocals) which is really quite an achievement in the early to mid 90s when guitar driven indie rock was living its best life. The blend of soft/loud is exceptional. There’s the heavy distortion of the sweeping guitar riffs coupled with some very intricate and delicate guitar work too (‘Today’ being a superb example of how it should be done). And they throw in some beautiful arrangements with a variety of instruments. There’s even bells for fucks sake. I know Billy’s voice isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it just works for his music. This 1,001 list has been a slog recently with some music I’ve tried hard to find a level of appreciation from, and largely failed. But when this came up today I could really indulge with multiple listens, and I fell in love with it all over again. Knocked 30 years off me tonight 😊

I look back at 1993 with lots of nostalgia - I know I'm washing away a ton of anxiety, bad young-person decision making, and awful diets, but for me it was a watershed year noted by waves of new music, Geddy Lee singing O Canada at the all-star game, Wendel Clark, and Joe Carter. Anything on this album brings me back to all of it - I listened to it endlessly that year from week 1 of release. Although "Cherub Rock" is the perfect album starter that makes me want to run through a wall, it's the 4th track "Hummer" that immediately killed me and still does - absolutely their best song and one of my favourites by anyone from the decade. Everything in that song and then you get to the soft guitar outro to "Hummer" holy shit. That stuck with me. Man I hadn't listened to this in way too long. My only critique is that it's a bit too long in running time - they could have cut maybe 3 songs (even just stop after "Mayonaise" or just keep "Silverfuck" of the last 4 which would have been an insane album-closer) and it probably would have made for a bigger impact. The last 2 cuts are nice but almost feel like pleasant EP bonus tracks. Overall I still love it length notwithstanding and for me this was it for the Pumpkins - after the exhausting and boring Mellon Collie I don't think I ever heard another SP song. This ranks as one of my favourite guitar rock albums. 9/10 5 stars.