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.

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

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

The riffs that sold a million Big Muffs.

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

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

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

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

You know I think I would find this music listenable if it weren't for Billy Corgan's absolutely Z-tier garbage voice. He ranges from soft whisper singing like someone attempting to conceal a fart to his higher pitched yell singing that sounds like someone playing a kazoo while also pinching their throat shut.

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.

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.

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

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

one of my biggest musical pet peeves is horrible dude vocalists who simply can't accept they have a voice for the newspaper and barrel right ahead into performing lead vocals. the actual music here is good, but Billy Corgan is one of the kings of this archetype, and his singing completely kills the album

I wish I liked the Smashing Pumpkins but they make it so hard for me. Meandering songs, terrible production.

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.

Тудей из тзе грейтест

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.

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!

So my first two days using this app I got two Smashing Pumpkins albums. I really regret not being more scathing in my review of Mellon Collie cause after having to sit through another Smashing Pumpkins album in a consecutive day, I can honestly say that I hate them. Billy Corgan has a huge ego and no talent, he uses random lines of teenage poetry and slaps them together without any actual meaning or substance, and his voice drives me up a wall. The only way in which Siamese Dream is better than Mellon Collie is that it is shorter.

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

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.

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 feels intense, emotional, and oddly dreamy at points.

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.

C'était bien

Un album très sympa de la part de Radiohead

Billy corgan's vocals can get grating.

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

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

I was familiar with 'Today' (thank you, Beavis and Butt-Head), but otherwise, this was a new experience for me. It's a shame I didn't pick this one up in my youth - I think it would have hit pretty hard. Even safely tucked away here in my 40s, it was still able to speak to my long-buried teenage angst. I even got the tingles during 'Disarm'. If a song can do that on its first listen (and second and third), it's something special. So yeah, even though some parts of this album are a bit harder than the music I naturally gravitate towards these days, I really can't see giving this anything less than a 5. This is a great album.

an album that exemplifies a lot of what made 90s alt-rock so captivating. volume and distortion pushed to the brink, but always with an ear for a solid tune underneath it all. "Cherub Rock" and "Today" and "Hummer" and "Soma" and "Geek U.S.A." and so many other tracks on Siamese Dream follow that simple combination to such a brilliant extreme. the record's famously strained sessions resulted in a thing of real beauty! "Disarm" and "Luna" feature some incredible string arrangements that really heighten the drama of both songs. there's also the extremely slow-burning "Silverfuck", and do I really need to say much about "Mayonaise"? a dynamic, touching, lush slice of dreamy, crunchy rock n roll heaven. light 9/10.

The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the few 90's Alternative bands I can still listen to 30+ years later and not feel slight embarrassment. As if the music they made in their early years was less of a trend and more of an encapsulation of a band's influences. Siamese Dream also showcases more sound and beauty then most of the contemporaneous Alternative albums. It can still take me on a musical journey.

- We are honestly already off to a good start with cherub rock - This band reminds me of Kayden, my old student from Dearborn step - I definitely know today! I thought it was from shrek at first but I actually just think it’s from rock band - The end of hummer is lovely - Some of these songs are def a tad intense for me but their not bad - disarm sounds familiar too. I like their softer sounding songs. Oh yeah I def know this song - geek USA goes soooo hard - Silverfick goes so hard too. Except it’s like 10 mins long and does get slow in the middle - Luna was cute, great ending

Everything that a rock album can be. The 6-string is the staple of rock, and Siamese Dream packs in an encyclopedia of guitar tones: warbly acoustic strums, wooly fuzz riffs, mesmerizing chorus-drenched chords, shredding solos. The range of dynamics in this album are just unbelievably good, with slow builds like Mayonaise and Soma that begin with the gentlest fretting of a guitar and crescendo to a wall of distortion and howling vocals. Smashing Pumpkins capture every element of the genre that I love, each song is a world of its own and it rules start to finish.

It’s hard to classify Siamese Dream as solely grunge. Hell, it’s hard to classify it with any single genre. How the hell did Cherub Rock, Today, and Disarm come from just this album? But shit man, there is something so satisfying to me about layered guitars, specifically in the 90’s. And this album just might have the best use of layered guitars, mixing between both crunchy grunge and heartfelt ballads. Billy Corgan has this unique kind of vocals that feels like it would irritate (and it probably did irritate some), but it blends perfectly here. I’m fully convinced this is one of the best 90’s rock albums ever made. The sheer depth and sound is enough for it to stand out from the rest and make this one timeless. Favorite track: Today (picking a favorite was hard) Other hits: Disarm, Cherub Rock, Quiet, Silverfuck, Geek U.S.A, Mayonnaise, Luna

I always wanted to listen to this one, because most songs I know and love from the band are from this album. Not only is it consistent, but it has even more all-timers than I thought.

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.

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

Always welcome to rock my world.

Look, Billy Corgan is a douche, but this is a great album. Killer sounds, great lyrics, awesome hooks, music that makes you want to rock out hard at one minute and then switch easily back to chill out and get introspective the next. Even if it is all sung by a giant douche of a man that sounds as if he hasn’t passed a solid shit in two weeks and all that pushing is starting to take a toll on his voice. But damn if he can’t write a great song … and then tell all his bandmates how terrible they are as musicians and lock himself in the control room and overdub their parts with his own playing instead during the mix down because he’s a self-important narcissist and a tremendous douche of a person. Cherub Rock and Mayonnaise are two of my favorite songs from the 90s and I’ve probably listened to them at least a hundred times a piece. They still sound fresh to me. Put those on an album with hits like Today, Disarm, and Luna and I’ll show up for that all day. It forgives the misses like Spaceboy and the almost 9-minute long Silverfuck (err… Silver WTF?). Honestly this album is so good, I almost forget that it was created by the human douche chill that is Billy Corgan. It’s too bad he and Courtney Love never got back together again - I’m fairly certain their spawn would have been the anti-Christ and we could have watched it set the world to burn while listening to Rocket 🚀 on a loop.

So my introduction to this album is super bizarre because I actually heard a cover of "Disarm" by The Civil Wars (may they RIP; unless you're going to lie to the world and tell it that your band partner is your sister and not actually your wife, don't be in a band with your S/O) and I thought that *they* (The Civil Wars) had written it; obviously you can understand my surprise when I realized the song was much older. I was certainly old enough to have known better, but somehow it just missed me. all the kids trying to impress me with their musical knowledge in 2012 would have laughed openly at me. this album is fuuuuull of great tracks. Man, I'm envious of that early 90s fuzzy guitar sound. Erik and I actually started a cover of "Today" a few years ago and need to revisit it! That song is great, "Cherub Rock" is great, "Disarm" is great, and "Silverfuck" is in the running for one of the best track names of the 90s and maybe ever? Unsure. this album works on so many levels. what i love most about it, though, is its refusal to adhere to a single sound: it mimics some other groups we've had in this rotation in that way. "Disarm" doesn't sound like "Soma" which doesn't sound like "Geek U.S.A" which doesn't sound like "Hummer", and that's *the* way to keep the listener engaged: be good at all the sounds you try, and your album will always earn a spot in someone's rotation. this bit is only related because of my review from the last album we did by Supergrass: this is how you close an album. Slow it down, sure, but at least keep it interesting. this bit is completely unrelated: the apple music summary of this album claims that the smashing pumpkins are a "gen-x icon", and I'd like to state for the record I've seen *far* more teenagers in "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" t-shirts than I've ever seen gen-xers. for this reason I posit that even if these teenagers i've seen have never even listened to the album, TSP have more cultural staying power because of teens chasing clout than because of gen-xers who may have listened to this group in their mid-twenties and saw them one (1) time in Seattle or Chicago before moving onto the next thing

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

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.

It's cool, loved the bass, and the general feeling of the album, although it would not be my first choice for any day. 3,4/5.

I knew two songs from this album, which I wasn’t expecting at all. The production is amazing but this album was not for me… unfortunately the singers vocal tone is not my favourite but even with that the album was still enjoyable!

As for the Smashing Pumpkins, I had a kind of déjà vu experience today: based on everything I've read, I should love this band. The first song, “Cherub Rock”, starts playing, and I immediately have my first doubts—somehow it sounds very familiar, like Nirvana and the like, but without that special vibe. The next songs offer little variety—sure, the sound is good and “Siamese Dreams” is easy to listen to. But somehow you're always waiting for the moment when it really takes off, and that moment just doesn't come. So let's listen more closely: From my own studio experience, I know the effect (perhaps typical for guitarists) that I can think of about 25 different ways to interpret and accompany a song, but only 2–3 tracks are available. Lucky are those who have a virtually unlimited budget (like the Smashing Pumpkins in 1993 ;) – we'll just record every track imaginable! Now, it's no surprise that despite some nice ideas, everything sounds very similar – of course, certain ideas just fit every song, and if you record them all and don't make any selections during mixing... Well, I think the principle is clear. At least this gloomy music finally stopped my children from dreaming of a future I can't possibly provide. Homer Simpson, smiling politely.

Heavy rock songs with catchy lyrics and riffs. My biggest complaint with Smashing Pumpkins is that most songs sound the same. The ones that don’t stand out tremendously on the album. They are decent songs, but I don’t need the same thing a half-dozen times. Just a mid album for me.

Great then. Has aged like a smashed pumpkin.

Hot take: it's too fucking long

Totally fine, but also stupid at times. Solidly 3. - Didn't like the first smashing pumpkins, low expectations here - Ugh noise - Okay noise isn't terrible. This doesn't suck yet. Kinda singing. Kinda catchy - Not my vibe but I don't hate it. Poppy hard rock, I can see how this was popular in the 90s - More decent music. Strong 3, far from a 4. - Stupid guitar solo. Definitely not a 4.

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.

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

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.

First listen review. Overall, this kind of 90s grunge/alt rock sound is not one I’m particularly familiar with, outside of the obvious case of Nirvana. Perhaps that’s why this album didn't really click with me, although I can see that there is some quality here. I generally preferred the more melodic tracks which seemed to work better with Billy Corgan's voice. Conversely, I found the 'wall of guitar overdubs' on some tracks a bit overbearing, and his vocals rather grating/abrasive when he wasn't singing as softly. Some good moments, but this isn't one I’ll be revisiting any time soon.

Damn I genuinely do not want to listen to this album. Ok maybe I judged too hard cause of how corny Corgan is. First song sounds cool. Damn vocals started, this guy needs to shut the fuck up. Diaper vocals. An hour long? Fuck. I probably would’ve thought this was so sick when I was 13. Quiet? Ass. Today? 90s movie ass. Hummer? Oh my god I hate his voice, songs might even be good but I can’t tell cause Corgan too busy singing with his balls in his mouth. Ohhh he’s trying to sound like Mick Jagger. It’s so bad. Ok last 2:30 instrumental of hummer is nice. Rocket? Fuck you. Free me from this album. Disarm? Good god this is bad. Soma? VOCALS STAY RUINING SONGS. might even be a good song. But I’ll never really know. Geek USA? Don’t care, fuck Corgans voice. Started to skip the end of songs cause I know the last minute isn’t gonna redeem 5 minutes of dogshit singing. Mayonaise? Thanks for making me think of mayo with a bad song. Grunge “wall of sound” is so boring. Wow cool distortion. Spaceboy? Come the fuck on with these vocals. Skip. Silverfuck? Guys they’re playing loud and fast it’s epic! 2:40 is pretty cool. You guys can feel how epic it is cause they are playing fast and loud and then change the speed and even get quiet and then loud again. Silverfuck might have the most moments I liked. Sweet sweet? Thank god this is short. Don’t care what he’s even saying! Luna? Please don’t sing for me. I don’t want you to. I want you to shut the fuck up.

Ugh, this guys voice. The hits justify a bump in rating, but there was nothing else here to give a passing score.

Liked the instrumentation but not the vocals

Wasn’t really a fan of it to be honest. It was okay, but not my style

some good songs but not my cup of tea

not my style

Not too big of a fan tbh -- nothing really remarkable, not bad but not terribly good to my tastes. Quiet and Hummer lowk kinda annoying “Today” was ok? Fire bassline in silverfuck these lyrics kinda fire tho? it’s kinda deep and nostalgic? in the lyrics you can see that longing for a past that is gone now

A lot of whining, some nostalgia, but mostly whining

not my stuff

Early Pumpkins, you can see where they're going and what they would become, but honestly just didn't hold me for the entire run. Never been a huge Pumpkins fan to be fair.

Nope. It's the vocals more than anything, as I tend to like the guitar sound, but the tracks are all over the place and I cannot find a way in that I like. Not for me.

Billy’s vocals are a big wet blanket for me, otherwise music is OK. I need to find someone that does decent cover of the pumpkins to see if I like them better with a different vocalist.

The Smashing Midkins???? They're calling it the 'Headache Giver', because it gives you a headache listening to it I hate the fuzzy ass guitar, it's like listening to rock with a gas leak in my apartment Gen X can keep this one, cause I don't want it I wanna try and give some real feedback here. This genre and sound from the 90's is generally something that I have never enjoyed. I find the guitar distortion to be absolutely grating, especially over an hour long experience. This paired with the soft vocals made each track bleed into one another; making it miserable to listen to when I already was not enjoying the sound. Something about the vocals feel like a tease with no pay off. I can see the vision on certain songs like Cherub Rock, Mayonnaise, or Silverfuck. The musicians involved are clearly talented but the experience was not designed for me. I don't know how other to describe the sound than as the same feeling I'd have smoking 3 cigarettes in a row or going through withdrawal. To give it a second go, I had the album on thinking of my more critical review; I had to turn it off because I found myself getting frustrated again. idk kill me w/ hammers, I did not like it. EDIT: Imma bump it up to a 2. I can't, in good faith, keep a 1 after the past 2 days. I do have this one, Ready to Die and, Heroes to Zeros on my radar for a relisten in the next year.

Kind of boring to me. Nothing I didnt hear before and while I probably would've appreciated it for what it was back when it released, it doesn't really do anything for me today.

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.

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.

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.