Reviews (page 7 of 15)
Beautiful is one of the greatest songs ever made
Ouff! Un album marathon! Je l'ai écouté en plusieurs sitting comme j'aurais fait avec un film de plus de 3h. Pas plate par contre, il se passe tout le temps quelque chose. Dans le mix la façon que c'est panné, les tones de guit, des fois des arrangements plus fancy genre de la harpe les ambiances... les bangers punk sont aussi bons que les ballades (Porcelina of the vast oceans)
Great album, great songs, good music.
Great album.
La verdad que nunca me gustó la voz de Billy Corgan, por lo que no tenía esperanza alguna más que de escuchar 1979. La verdad que las composiciones son excelentes y tienen canciones que son bárbaras. Cuando uno empieza a acostumbrarse a la voz tan icónica se vuelve todo mucho mejor. El punto bajo es que son muchas canciones y no se siente que estén bien ordenadas, siendo que coinciden canciones muy relajantes y tranquilas y acto seguido continua una canción pesada sin un mínimo pase que las una. Aún así me voy contento.
A genre and generational defining album. Still holds up.
Another double album. Can a double album be 5 stars? It’s almost impossible. But this has so many songs. It’s peak and really the end of the original Smashing Pumpkins. I love it. I want to go 5 but i can’t
What would Nigel Thornberry think about this......
Everytime I revisit an album by these guys there's a part of me that thinks I will outgrow them or be less excited about them but that never happens. I just gotta embrace them because they rock.
i def had mateen's CD of this but im not sure i ever listened all the way through until now... i was never a big smashing pumpkins fan but loveee 1979 and have really come around to them thru this list! i really liked it .. big fan!
I kinda like Siamese Dream more... but this album is still aspirational and fantastic. Disarm might be my favorite...
Very different for the time of its release
Schönes alternative Rock Album, tolle Stimmung und Melodien. Angenehme Stimme. 4/5
2 часа, офигеть. ну это такая альтернатива, ни одну песню в общем-то оттуда не узнала.
an album with some perfect songs on it but it ultimately suffers from Being Too Fucking Long. but those great songs on here make it good enough for a 4/5
Amazing mix of songs - not 100% great but overall a very enjoyable listen
4.5/5. It’s long but it’s good, unfortunately they peaked with this record.
Just a good 90’s rock album. Yeah it’s 2 hours long but at this point I listen to so much music it’s like a regular album length to me
1994. alt rock / grunge. 9/10 Tonight, Tonight / To Forgive
Smashing Pumpkins was never the same after they kicked Jimmy Chamberlin out. They lost the driving beat and high energy he provided. This album has strong songs and lavish production, the 90's alternative rock version of Tom Scholtz' studio perfectionism. Listening to the whole thing is, quite frankly, exhausting - needs to be sipped, not chugged. Worth a listen, but I'd still prefer to stream Siamese Dream.
I've heard this before and I'll happily listen again. Always a triumphant, emotional experience. It can rock out hard and rock you to sleep at times; soothing in its nostalgic melancholia. Which makes sense for a double album, you get two sides of the coin.
4 Stars (11/15)
Um ótimo álbum, com canções fantásticas, mas ao todo, é um álbum bem laborioso de se ouvir. Esse álbum possui filler sim, não adianta negar. Especialmente na segunda parte! Mesmo assim, tenho muita nostalgia e carinho por esse álbum, e suas canções boas são realmente muito boas, algumas das melhores dos anos 90 e do rock alternativo no geral. Gostaria de dar uma nota mais alta, mas esse álbum sofre com sua própria grandeza e ambição. Não consigo entender porque eles não simplesmente lançaram a primeira e a segunda parte desse álbum como discos separados. Faria muito mais sentido, ainda mais porque Mellon Collie está longe de ser um álbum conceitual. Não consigo enxergar um tema que cobre todas as canções aqui. Novamente, ele possui faixas fantásticas, mas possui também fillers esquecíveis que afundam bastante sua qualidade. Por conta disso, é um álbum especialmente difícil de só pegar e ouvir, diferente dos outros melhores lançamentos da banda, como Siamese Dream, Machina e Gish. Uma coisa que me pega, é que esse disco é extremamente adolescente. E não digo isso só porque eu era adolescente quando fiquei viciado nele e no Pumpkins como um todo. Mas tanto sonoramente quanto liricamente esse disco tem uma vibe forte de adolescência, por bem e por mal. Por bem porque te faz sentir aquelas sensações amargas e agridoces da juventude, e por mal porque algumas letras aqui são vergonhosas demais, assim como as coisas que dizíamos durante nossa adolescência. Só é bizarro que o álbum mais adolescente que já ouvi na vida foi feito por um cara que já tinha 28 anos na época que o gravou. Vai entender... E que sorte que gerei esse álbum em um domingo! Imagina ter que ouvir 2 horas seguidas do Billy Corgan gemendo no teu ouvido no meio da semana. Sem condição. 4/5
Pretty killer
Great listen, the singles are the best but the whole thing is great
Man, they sure smashed that pumpkin huh.
Det er jo ikkje nett tight, og det er for mange sluttar, men alt i alt står denne seg.
Surprisingly diverse. Only complaint is Billy's sometimes nasal grinding voice
No two ways about it, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is looooong. However, to list the good songs on this incredibly ambitious double LP would be...well, I'd list most of them. Mellon Collie is stacked with hits and none of the songs truly feel like filler; an impressive feat for a double album. Billy Corgan was definitely firing on all cylinders, creatively speaking. Not to mention, songs like "1979" and "Thirty-Three" give a glimpse of the ground the Pumpkins would tread for Adore, years later. Still, this is a LONG album, and listening to the whole thing in one sitting can be a daunting time commitment. Especially when considering most of the songs trend toward heavier angsty rockers in the vein of "Jellybelly", "Zero", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", "Bodies", and "Muzzle"; all songs I enjoy, and not to say there isn't variety, but too much of a good thing can feel like an endurance test. Also, more of a personal gripe, but this isn't that sad or depressing of an album. More like Angus Tee and the Never-ending Tantrum.
I really should probably rate this 5 stars, the musicality and sound and rhythms are next level but the vocals just don’t do it justice and kind distract me. And it’s way too long
3.5
Unsurprisingly, Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins strove to be even more ambitious here. I mean, how do you (potentially) top the success of "Siamese Dream"? Replace Butch Vig with Alan Mulder and Flood on production, make a double album, give it a little more art in a sonic (and literal) sense. Both sides of the album represent "day" and "night", respectively, with the central message being based on "the human condition of mortal sorrow" to quote Corgan. Sure, I guess. Corgan was never one to shy away from that kinda stuff and you hear it all throughout this album. Pair that with the signature guitar overdubs and a meticulous, yet more efficient recording process (For example, "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" apparently contains 70 separate guitar tracks, which is insane) Believe it or not, there was initially more content planned for this album. Double albums are tough, as they're prone to "filler" and sometimes don't justify the long runtime. I felt that the second side of this album didn't nearly stack up to the first despite housing the timeless "1979". There is a lot to appreciate here artistically though, as the group alternates from heavier elements to softer ballads and even features a live orchestra ("Tonight, Tonight"). Some legendary singles mixed within a lengthy listen.
The first disc is a 4.2 or 4.3 for me. Very solid tunes, though i think a bit front-loaded. I like aspects of Porcelina Of the Vast Oceans, but it is a bit of a microcosm of the whole album - some really exciting moments, but a bit too long and gratuitous. The second disc is more of a 3.5 - even though it has one of my top 5 favourite songs of all time, 1979. For me the second disc is much stronger in the second half, the last 4 tracks which are all quieter more downtempo cuts are way more enjoyable for me. The loud grungy moments across both albums feel out of place to me. The best tracks here are quiet and beautiful and sensitive. Tracks like Zero and to some extent Bullet With Butterfly Wings just do not feel like they belong. I think if they cut the album down to one disc mainly focusing on the lighter tracks this might've been a 5 star classic. I would do it something like: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Tonight, Tonight Here is No Why Galapogos Muzzle Porcelina of the Vast Oceans Take Me Down 1979 Beautiful Lilly (My One and Only) By Starlight Farewell And Goodnight Fave Tracks: Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, Tonight Tonight, Here Is No Why, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979, By Starlight, Farewell and Goodnight 3.8/5
Virkelig godt album, havde fået en 5'er hvis der ikke var så mange 'aggressive' sange lol
359/1001
4 out of 5. Finally heard more from this album besides the singles. A little long but solid effort.
A really, really good album. However, I think it's longer than it needs to be and could have been cut down to a double LP and been much better.
It's a good album with great riffs and songwriting (although some lyrics seem to be a miss) but it's unfortunate how Billy's voice ruins this music experience. He sounds better in faster and louder parts (covered by a wall of noise), slow or more melodic songs stand no chance. Despite that, I gave it 4 stars cause it's good grunge piece of history.
While not my favorite SP album, Mellon Collie has a lot to love. Maybe too much, though. There's beauty in excess, but this gets more into the territory of unnecessary bloat. I love the variety of sounds on this album, it's certainly its biggest strength. From the lush strings of "Tonight, Tonight", to the straight up metal of tracks like "X.Y.U." and "Bodies". The singles are timeless, of course. "1979" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" speak for themselves. With a relative lack of low points (apart from "We Only Come Out at Night"), this is a very consistent, if not excessive, record.
This album would be great if I loved The Smashing Pumpkins. As it stands, I only mildly like them. Great instrumentals, but with vocal work that I just can't get around to liking save for a few songs. '1979' is peak for me though.
This should easily be a 5 star record. Its loaded with great songs. I particularly like their grittier stuff but the softer ballady songs are also very good. The problem for me is, I have never been able to sit through this album in its entirety. I just lose interest and feel it's too much Smashing Pumpkins. Drop at least 8 or 10 songs off this and I would regard it as one of the best ever. 8/10
Good memories. I really love this album but I feel like it has enough filler to dock it a star. And I would not put it on quite the same level as Siamese Dream and Gish. So it's a victim of the band's own greatness - I think Billy would appreciate that, lol.
Lots of hits on this one: “zero”, “tonight tonight”, “1979”, “bullet with butterfly wings”. Kind of forgot how heavy it was! Loses a star due to sheer length (2+hours)
Billy Corgan's angst filled epic, a favourite of teenagers for good reason. The lyrics do push it at times for me but the song writing is strong enough that I get over them pretty easily. I do find it slightly front-loaded though preferring the first disc overall, but the second disc still does have the all timer 1979 on it.
Very diverse (and long) album. Lots of chill songs, but also some screeching ones. Overall I liked it, especially the softer songs.
Another album that is perhaps not really great across its whole double album length but it’s high moments are very good.
1. Billy Corgan seems like a dickhead 2. Billy Corgan has a very annoying vocal style 3. I cannot deny there were some bangers on here 4. It was way too long
4/5
An old favorite
Pretty good, but you could have cut half the songs and had an album that was better
So my cousin was OBSESSED with Smashing Pumpkins when they came out so I feel like I was intimately aware that this album existed and of the hits, but not necessarily the rest of it. Being into alternative music and not living far from Chicago helped build upon my knowledge of this album (because you can't be familiar with Chicago music and not know Billy Corrigan). So he is pretentious and full of himself, but this album helped to back it up. Is it perfect, no? But it was something different at the time and really filled a void for alt rockers that were more emo and not so grungy and tough. It was someone being really vulnerable about tough things and mental health struggles. Sometimes he is yelling, sometimes he is sad, and a few times he is almost happy.
Back-to-back excellent albums. A bit long and eclectic but overall very good. High 4*
Love love love. Made me want to get ready for my 90’s American high school prom after party.
Wavering between raw drum & guitar driven rock and dreamy ballads, there's more than enough variety and nostalgia to keep my little alt heart aflutter.
Something like 14 of the 28 tracks here are absolute heaters, which is an unreal hit rate for a double album, especially one from the mid-90s. Another 6-8 are good but not great. That the album mostly justifies its 2 hour run time is a miracle the likes of which we will probably never see again. I think, in my heart, this is probably a 4.5/5. I don't think it's quite good enough to give it the benefit of the doubt 5/5 here, though the presence of a handful of all-time bangers tempts me.
A little too long but so so good
Pour un genre que je trip pas super gros dessus, c’est pas mal un album grunge de qualité, malgré sa longueur démesurée (2 heures! C’est plus long que Clic! avec Adam Sandlers!). Pour ça, léger 4, genre à un poil d’être un 3
I really enjoyed it but it's very long, I might revisit and update rating.
Lots of unnecessary tracks with amazing highlights. Could have been a 5 and a full hour shorter
By their third studio album release the Pumpkins had already mastered the 4 piece rock sounds as shown on Siamese Dream, Billy Corgan began to write and boy he wrote more songs than necessary for a single CD, and while using the foundations already laid on previous material he grew more confident on the band habilities to record their instruments(previous endeavours were mostly recorded by Billy and the drummer Jimmy Chamberlain), or just by need, the band had to record their parts for this album, Jellybelly is a live cut made by the band performing in the studio. Tonight, Tonight brought back the stripped down acoustic vibes from Disarm, but instead of looking inwards while lamenting of broken childhood issues, was looking head on to the here and now with an full fledged orchestra. This isnt a flawless album, there are some misses like the ending of Dawn to Dusk(the first disk CD), Take Me Down the song written by James Iha. Love, Cupid de Love, 1979 and Beautiful are a bridge to what the band did on the following album(Adore). Dawn to Dusk 4.5/5 The second disc starts rocking with Where Boys Fear To Thread into Bodies Man, what a song 1979 is and why the fuck is Tales Of A Scorched Earth next to it XYU damn Billy you're going to blow your voice with that scream, by the end of Twilight to Starlight the band runs out of rockers and it feels like they shove the ballads together to end the album. Farewell and Goodbye is a nice closer that brings the project together with the callback to the intrumental intro of the title track Twilight to Starlight 3.5/5, so in total its an 8/10, most likely Ill just listen to the first CD, but if I do that then I miss the great start of the second CD and XYU Funny bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX5zXdDr6Hg
It is very long but it has a lot of variety and it's moody and immature. I had a good time despite not remembering much.
I have never once intentionally listened to this album but I know most of the songs.
Pretty good album. I've heard songs from it, but not the whole thing
an absolute classic, wild I had never listened to this full album.
Surprisingly good! I avoided this album for years thinking I didn't like it for whatever reason, but on this listen I really appreciated it. Only slightly too long. Really kept my attention.
Great but drags on
Long but exceptional at every turn
4 estrelas pela diversidade de estilos , pela produtividade da banda, 3 ou 4 hits ...uma música bem bonita ("Tonight, tonight")...tirei uma estrela por causa do timbre de "pedaleira" das guitarras, característico das bandas dos anos 90 :-(
I’ve enjoyed some of the hits since my younger years — metal rage Butterfly — and while much of the double album is merely fine, its status as a defining moment (with some good tunes) carries it.
So many hits
This is a great album. But I don't think we needed a double. There is 1 classic album's worth of stuff here. This revisit revealed that I had not paid enough attention to Muzzle in years past.
Not bad, nostalgia of a wannabe punk preteen !
LOVE
Very dramatic sometimes with sweeping arraignments, sometimes straight up rock gems. corgans vocals are not great, but certainly unique? If you want a 90’s rock album, it’s a great one even if it seems to have leaned heavily into its own importance.
Love this one.
This one caught me off guard. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I have, and I listened to it three times to be sure. The sonic variety, the song arrangements, the range of lyrical themes are all great. But what took it another level is how it stirs up a sense of nostalgia even when I didn’t grow up with this.
Just a solid album tbf
Awesome album. It's too long, that's true, but it's still ace.
A mix of bangers and slow stuff.
zeitgeist of the 1990s (yet timeless) - questioning norms, skepticism toward mainstream society and longing for meaning range - melodic ballads to heavy rock
4/5
Loved the sound, not all were hits but there was enough in there that I really enjoyed. The kind of nasally singing voice was a vibe and the songs were varied enough to provide good variety. Though with an album this long, you'd hope so lol. 3.5/5 stars.
Great album, insane range, from melodic to heavy metal. Long listen (over 2 hours) but an experience to enjoy.
Really unexpected - felt like it switched genres 10 times during the album. Enjoyed overall
Great album, awesome range of songs felt and really complete. I did feel some of the songs were in styles that have been done better now and because of that I wasn't particularly a fan of them, specifically some of the more punk songs in the beginning of the album. Overall a really great, cohesive album and being as long as it was didn't hurt it too much for me. My favorite song was 1979.
Good songs but the singers voice bothers me haha
First of all the album title is hilarious. I enjoyed this one. I liked the more hard rock songs even if some of them were quite similar. I enjoyed disc 1 more than two. Would have liked it better if it was more compact. 6.5/10
great album 1979 favorite song
One of the heaviest hitters of the 90s grunge rock era. I get the feeling that a lot of bands were just trying to rip off nirvana but the pumpkins had a lot more flair for the dramatic and really making some over the top songs. I don’t think they’re better than Nirvana but they put some distance between them in their style and form a bit of their own lane while a lot of other bands were just blending in.
Would have been a 5 if it weren’t so damn long
I think it still holds up, maybe I appreciate it even a little more now. I still think he writes mostly bad lyrics though.
Great for a teenager. I’ve moved on from the pumpkins, but still some good stuff
Classic at double the fun.
was prettyyy good :D
i think a step backwards from siamese dream. great guitar work but the songs aren't as good
I remember when this album was all the rage. It absolutely has an ethereal quality but unfortunately I didn’t get through all of it
Although I like some songs more than others, I always listen to Mellon Collie from the very beginning to the very end. Its sneaky, spooky sparkle hinges on the interdependency of its parts. The albumiest album, as such.
I’ve never been too into Smashing Pumpkins but I do enjoy a few of their songs a lot. This album definitely feels the length by the end but it’s solid for so much of the duration that I’m ultimately feeling a solid 8. Favorite Songs: Tonight, Tonight / 1979
8/10 First foray into these cats and they were cooking on this one. A bit long but really great stuff here and I’ll definitely be coming back. Favorite song: bullet with butterfly wings
Great album but there's too much filler. If some of the weaker songs were cut it would be a 5 star album.
The quintessential example of Billy Corgan’s smugness and brilliance, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is like The White Album. It’s too long for its own good, and for every good song, there’s 2-4 meh-songs. Of course, those “good” songs are actually GREAT songs which helps make up some of the shortcomings.
This would have been such a slam dunk 5 with the right mix of half the tracks on a single album IMO. The length really hurts this one. Hard to pull off needle drop double albums. Heavy hitting hits and lots of other great stuff on here. I too, totally forgot about “Thirty-Three”.
This was such an ambitious undertaking for the band at the time. And although there are many songs to like, even outside of the ubiquitous hits…it’s just too long to earn the highest marks. Listening to it 30 years later, Corgan does seem extra whiney and self-indulgent but not enough to bring it down. Now I’m gonna go dust off their debut “Gish.”
Great album and very listenable, especially for how long it is (28 songs and 2 hours!). Love the massive hits (even if they were over played to the point of being ruined) and some excellent songs in between (nice to be reminded of thirty-three). Only thing that hurts my heart is that this came out 30 years ago. Ouch.
The intro song followed by Tonight, Tonight still gets me to this day. Love it. And the following six or so tracks slap hard. But the sad truth is this album is overstuffed and too long. Trimmed down to 14-15 tracks and this is an easy 5* for me. 4.25/5
one of the best double albums of all-time, obviously the best double album of the 90s. amazing all the way through, sometimes i skip through the 7+ minute songs when i'm listening to this album but they're still quality songs, even the non-album b-sides for the singles are great. beautiful is one of my favorite songs ever. incredible guitar and drums, great lyrics, wonderful production.
This one was long and a bit arduous... but there was so much good stuff in there that it was worth it at the end. The first disc was my fav, personally.
Some of these songs were beautiful and ethereal, others were harsh and scary. Overall, an interesting album with lots of variation.
Liked this WAY better than I would have guessed. Lot of stylistic variation. Voice is a little annoying a whole album at a time though.
first half is really really good, second half is kind of lame
Great album, gets a little lost in the middle though. Was good to hear it again.
Too Long. Took me days to finish.
Listened recently enough, and to be honest I don't really want to re-listen. Such a range of stuff on here, you can probably find loads of songs which fit into a completely different niche which the band are know for (take me down). But there are also lots of 'typical' songs on here. Quite a lot I feel could be cut down though, as throughout the second disc it just feels like you are waiting. There are also some terrible metal-type screaming songs which become even more annoying considering his voice. Favourite songs: Jellybelly, zero, bullet with butterfly wings, an ode to no one, porcelina of the vast oceans, take me down, where boys fear to tread, 1979. Overall around 8/10
2 timer! Det har bare at være godt! Tror aldrig at jeg har hørt hele albummet fra start til slut før. Tonight gav kuldegysninger, som altid.. Disk 1 er en 5er. Disk 2 har jeg ikke hørt nok... Venter med at rate til den er hørt isoleret. 4er fordi disk 2 er mindre god end 1. Fordi udgivelsen burde være 2 separate, og fordi jeg skippede sange i 2. gennemlytning.
There's something about the Smashing Pumpkins that I love. I normally don't enjoy the genre but for some reason I really like Billy Corgan's vocals. Did the album need be two hours long? Definitely not. But it's great and as soon as I thought it was getting too noisy/grating there would be a slow song. 7.25/10 (3.625/5)
Love the eclecticness of this album and how Billy and team were peaking with creativity at the time. So many great songs across both albums, but there are a few stinkers mixed in. Gorgeous piano filled mellow intro title track, then you get right into classic 90's alt rock with "Tonight, Tonight", the rockin' "Zero", the mid tempo "Here Is No Why", mega hit "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", the crushing "Love", & "Muzzle" - all that and we're not even to Disc Two yet!! On the flip side, songs like "Cupid De Locke" & "Take Me Down" were unnecessary. Disc Two is equally good and very eclectic with the angry twosome of "Where Boys Fear To Tread & "Bodies", the hit song "Thirty-Three", radio staple "1979", the lovely "Beautiful" and the unique pair of "We Only Come Out At Night" & "Lily (My One And Only)" . But again, there are some throwaway tracks on side two like "Tales Of A Scorched Earth" & the boring "Stumbleine". It's a really good album with hard hard songs, mellow tracks, mid-tempo rockers & lovely piano heavy songs. You get it all. I'd give this a 4+ star rating and it deserves to be on the Top 1001, no one has really done anything like it since.
It was long. But a couple good songs in there. Plus one star because I’ve listened to it before
I like The Smashing Pumpkins but this is a bit too much. I also weirdly find I have to pay attention when listening ot it does nothing for me. Definitely demands attention. The aesthetic, artwork, videos etc are fantastic
So good
Did not listen to lyrics but musically good
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” (the movie) came out at a pretty formative time for me. It was 2010, and I was 17. That movie had such character, such style, and a plot and character arc that really felt relatable to me. I’ve been enamored with it ever since, through my 20’s and into my 30’s. I mention this because I then moved on and read the graphic novels, the first of which is called “Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness.” I didn’t know then what it was a play on, but obviously it’s on this album’s title. I thought the “SP” on his shirt was meant only to be his initials. Had no idea it was anything else at the time. So, this being adjacent Scott Pilgrim content, I came into curious and somewhat expecting to like it. Keep that in mind. Double albums have been a pet peeve of mine in this project. For one, their length makes it hard to fit in a full listen in one day. But more than that, if it’s a double album you don’t like, well, too bad for you. You’re stuck with it for 90+ minutes. That’s not even accounting for the fact that it feels like so many double albums are strewn with filler and half baked ideas just to fill in the run time. So I came into this with that prejudice. Keep that in mind. But ok, three paragraphs is enough of a preamble. Did I like this album? Yes, actually. More than I thought. It does get a little samey after a while. But the variety of genres present does really help to keep things fresh enough throughout this album’s two hour run time. There’s grunge, some glam type stuff, art rock, even some stuff bordering on (if not fully) metal. This is definitely a magnum opus type of album though. Every single track is incredibly well-produced and thought out; no filler here. Not even a little. I think at times some tracks are perhaps a little too well thought out (they could’ve been shorter), but I’d take that over filler any day. Do I have any idea what this album is about? Not in the slightest. It’s clear Billy Corgan has something to say, and it’s clear that he’s an excellent songwriter. I just couldn’t tell you what these songs are about. Sometimes they’re full of obtuse imagery, sometimes sobering descriptions of emotions, sometimes just straightforward storytelling. But what’s the theme throughout? Is there one? Is it a concept album? The title suggests as much. But I don’t know. In the end, though, I’m here for it. Despite the length. Despite not know what it’s about, I thought this was great. Four stars. There’s something here for most. Standout Tracks: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Tonight, Tonight, Here is No Why, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, An Ode to No One, 1979, Stumbleine, Lily (My One and Only), Farewell and Goodnight
2 hours is way to much. Shorten the album and lose the not so good songs and it would be 5 stars.
This is a great album. (So that's how you spell Mellon Collie!!
It's really long, but honestly, I enjoyed all of it. Some of it was just good memories from my teenage years, but I do think it holds up in general.
Beautiful album. It's just Billy Corgan's voice that gets a little exhausting when you listen to the whole thing in a row, that's why I gave it a 4.
This was huge but I was perfectly happy to let it play out. Good background rock. Stand-out: Cupid De Locke
Imagine you're an overly ambitious band that's just released a collection of refined, well-crafted and surprisingly popular songs - in this case Siamese Dream. What's the next step from there? Why of course, a regular two-discer wouldn't cut it; the occasion called for a two-hour monolith, baby. But is it a monolith, though? Looking at the first six tracks, the album sets itself up to be non-stop punches, catchier than ever but without sacrificing that alternative core. Looking at the final five tracks, however, you see a completely different record: a White Album-esque sprawling hodgepodge of genre-hopping tracks. Now both types of double albums have the potential to be great, the non-stop hitters and the kaleidoscopic collections of eclecticism. Where on that scale does this album lie? Honestly... I'm not sure. Somewhere right in the middle of the album, it seems to take an unexpected turn from one end of the spectrum to the other, making sure that it's both and neither at the same time. It's a strange album. Its extensive runtime is both a core part of its identity and a major flaw. The songs are both varied and a bit too safe, really. But hey, it gave the world some of the best rock tracks of all time - even just for containing 1979, this thing deserves three stars.
3.75
ok this was so good. right up my alley.
Album 676 of 1001 The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) Rating : 4 / 5 I wasn't feeling good about a 2 hour album but this flew by. Good stuff. Quite diverse and ambitious. From alternative rock and grunge to orchestral ballads and metal, this brings a bit of all. Will come back to this one.
I like the band, but I prefer the less "grungy" songs on this album.
Great thing about doing this daily album listening is recognizing popular songs from these bands that you've listened to, but never bothered to look more into the band as a whole. I had no idea that these guys sang the whale wars theme song. Entertaining album, previously, based on the band name, I thought this was some screamo band, pleasant surprise of a rock album to listen to with good variety of tracks.
I get the complaints on length, but I think they had enough material to back it up, and enough dynamic playing to make it not necessarily boring too early. The lyrics are good enough to enable this sort of length, I think. Not my absolute favorite, but definitely scratches an itch.
Smashing pumpkins were never my favorite band regardless of that, their music found its way on to the soundtrack of my life. I had never listened to this entire album and didn't even realize it was a double album, but it is something that you can definitely listen to in its entirety.
Strong 4
This album has deep rooted nostalgia for me. I remember one summer in the late 90's I stayed at my aunt and uncle's place in the city for a few days in the summer and my cousin was a few years older than me. He introduced me to this album, which was so different from the hillbilly backwoods shit I had been privvy to my whole childhood, coming from a little rural town. This would have been my first introduction to music that wasn't country or like commercial classic rock or radio hits. Smashing Pumpkins were kind of an underground, unknown genre of music at the time for me. I remember hearing how overdriven and fuzzy their guitars were and thinking "holy balls, wtf is this"... That led me to explore heavier shit, and the rest is history. But this album is largely responsible for me getting into alt rock/metal in the 00's. I also remember in the song Zero when Billy sings "Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness, and cleanliness is godliness, and God is empty just like me"... That was the darkest shit I had ever heard up to that point coming from a strong Christian family. Just hearing that I felt like I was gonna be struck down by lightning or some shit. Thinking back now, that isn't even that hard of a lyric, but at the time it was crazy. Now I'm not saying that this is the most amazing album ever... It does have its drawbacks. Mainly, it kind of overstays its welcome, with the 2hr runtime, but this album is so deep rooted in nostalgia for me that it is impossible for me not to give this high marks. I'll always be greatful to my cousin for opening my mind to new types of music, and really starting me down the road to exploring new and different sounds. Favourite songs: Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Jellybelly, 1979, X.Y.U., Here Is No Why, An Ode to No Ode, Tales of a Scorched Earth, "Tonight, Tonight", Bodies, Thirty-Three Least favourite songs: Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Take Me Down 4/5
Good
Bullet With Butterfly Wings speaks to my soul.
I’m torn on where to rate this album. On the one hand, I know the singles well, and I was excited to hear them. On the other hand, this album is very long and not every song feels as memorable or necessary. Still, I think I would considering listening to it again, even if broken up over several listening sessions.
Some really great music in the first half, but the second half starts to overstay it's welcome a bit after 1979. There are some lyrics that can look a little cringe in hindsight, but the instrumentals really sell you on them in the moment.
Long, but I enjoyed it. Hard to listen to in one sitting
Classic rock epic, The American Vegetable Destroyers manage to keep me entertained for a solid 2 hours, the 28 tracks all bring something new to the table, and even though the first half has more bangers, the album as a whole is still just really solid.
The thing about records like this that have been so beloved and popular for such a long time is that even if you've never intentionally listened to the whole thing, most of the good songs have trickled their way down to you already. Which is to say, of the two-hour runtime for this album, the songs I enjoyed most were the ones I already knew. I suppose they are the most popular for a reason. However, there is still a lot else to like on this album and I didn't mind the length of it. There is a good amount of variation within the songs without losing a generally cohesive feeling. There were a handful of songs that were new to me that I did especially like, but I wasn't paying attention to the titles for two full hours. It's an admirable piece of work with lots of very pretty songs. Billy Corgan's lyrics are the weak point for me. 8/10 overall I think.
8/10 fairly long album favorites
Really good, not perfect, but really good.
1979 has been a favourite one for me since i was a teen. I think the guitar riff alone in this song inspired many 00’s post-punk/garage bands. This has been my first full listen as the album is longer than 2 hours but i’ve enjoyed it. I’ve been leaning mostly on the softer songs on the album as the songs Jellybelly and Tales of a Scorched Earth felt a bit harder to enjoy but Muzzle is a great one too. The intro and outro of the album are quite nice too, i listen to Farewell And Goodnight occasionally these past few months. Might have to come back to this one.
8/10 Favorite Tracks: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Cupid De Locke, Beautiful, We Only Come Out at Night, By Starlight Least Favorite Tracks: Tales of a Scorched Earth, Jellybelly, X.Y.U
Can easily spot who Corgan got influenced by throughout the album. Consists of bangers that were already on my personal rotation and some new ones has surely been added. Great mix of dirtier sounds and mellow tunes, they also did a good job with keeping the quality of the songs consistent.
Damn, this is long. I sat with this one for a while. There's some good stuff on here, but dude's voice grates on me a bit. Nevertheless, I feel it would be remiss of me to give this anything less than four stars. It's a seminal record. Favourite tracks: Tonight, Tonight, Bullet With Butterly Wings.
Despite the 2 hour run time, the record flows beautifully with barely any filled tracks (actual rating:4.5)
sounds like something i should be nostalgic for. I would have adored this in high school. As for now I’m more appreciative that I now hear it and can see it as a landmark in its time, that I understand the intended or unintended referential modern music that is linked back to this moment.
A classic for a reason!! She's beautiful <3
Ein richtiges Album
I waited at the record shop to buy this the day it came out. Me and my friend Pete listened to it on repeat in his basement before getting bored and turning on scrambled porn. Not as good as non-scrambled porn, but definitely better than squinting for boobs. Should've been a single disc (but isn't that always the case?).
No private session used for Spotify. I have this CD somewhere, or maybe an ex has it. It's got some beautiful songs on it. It's been a while since I have listened to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins and I forgot how accustomed I had become to Billy's nasal whine, which this time through took away from a lot of the songs. Sometimes I listen to a double album and think "this would have been better as a single album" meaning about half the songs could have been eliminated, but not this album.
Good. But feels a bit old
Great
wild journey
Very long album. Quite good tho
I had no idea the "despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage" song was Smashing Pumpkins. My husband laughed at me. I've never listened to this album due to being surrounded by Pumpkin-loving boys in the 90s and not wanting to encourage them. It's pretty good.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG but varried
it is a little wild how the songs i (and most other people who were born after the time of the Pumpkins) got to know this band from were from a two hour long album. i hesitate to call it "epic" because i don't really think it has that quality to it, but Mellon Collie doesn't really seem like a file dump. really, it feels most like -- and this is an odd analogy, i know -- those Made-for-TV cartoon movies (Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension or Kim Possible: So the Drama) that feel like long episodes of the show they're based off of. of course, this doesn't mean nothing has changed; paradoxically, their big ambitious feature album is also a huge pop swing with crossover appeal. oddly enough, the strongest moments of the album are when it sounds completely divorced from the Yankee shoegaze of Siamese Dream. the softness of songs like "Tonight, Tonight", "1979", and "Thirty-Three" feel like an actual progression of the band's art, something alluded to by "Disarm" on the last LP. they're at their weakest at Big Layered Guitars with Whining like on "An Ode to No One" or "Tales of a Scorched Earth". those songs aren't necessarily bad, but they feel like songs by a band that wanted to make a sequel to Siamese Dream instead of something ambitious and daring. as a result, it can end up blurring together by the end of the first disc. there's also the issue of all the weird tracks being sort of crammed in the back quarter of the album, as when you've been worn down, you're blindsided by softer, goofier tracks that would have been better sequenced in between the seas of creamy fuzz that can fade into the background. i'm not even sure how the track play into the structure of one disc being the day and the other being the night -- "Lily (My One and Only)" and "Stumbeline" sure seem sunny compared to "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". i can see why people slowly start to get fatigued by this record and hone in on the excellence of the singles. i can't hate Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, in fact, i love a lot of it. it's just harder to love as a whole. i couldn't see it being anything but expansive, and i also couldn't see myself coming back now that i've heard the whole thing.
This album is a fucking classic for me... XD Angry, noisy, juvenile...
I graduated high school the year this album came out, it was a huge hit. My friends and I loved it and listened to it a lot. I remember thinking that it was cool to have a double CD because it was one of the first for me. The videos were also really cool for several of the songs. I really have great memories of this and will listen to it many more times. One of my biggest regrets is not seeing them play live.
Nostalgia bumped this one up for me. I remember my older siblings listening to Smashing Pumpkins; this album in particular. Vocals are there, drums are great, and it's just a well rounded 90's sound in my opinion. Solid 4!
This massive album is solid. It is so diverse the bigness isn't a detriment.
4.25 That's a solid 2h album!
Homer Simpson, smiling politely. I like the Pumpkins well enough, but Billy’s vocals and affinity for the occasional ear-piercing guitar feedback require this album to be taken in smaller, bite-sized pieces. I think I would have liked it less had I done it all in one sitting.
Yes, it's too long but there's enough good and great stuff here to make it a 4. Kind of crazy to me that 1979 doesn't come up until almost halfway through the second album.
He is heard to deal with for 2 hours. Had to break it up. Its a 4 all day, just for the hits and there are some hidden gems but again, trim the fat. Didn’t need to be this long. Could only be released when it was. Wouldn’t have made it in any other time in history
na
7/10 because again, it’s just too much
Great album, but boy is it long. Feel like there's a fair amount of fat that could be trimmed to make it an easy 5 for me. I've listened to other Smashing Pumpkins albums, but never got around to this one with the exception of the singles. Lots of hidden gems on here, but you've got to work for them.
Навевает
i know this one well. I've always been fascinated by how this album combines heavy songs with light relief. Sometimes it feels like an endurance test to get to the respite... but maybe that's the point. First record starts super strong with no misses. Tonight Tonight is one of my favourite ever songs. The second half is a slog, with some bright moments. An unquestionable 5 for the first disc, and a 3 for the second. I would call it a 4/4.5 with some of my favourite ever songs on here as well.
Yeahhhh this is a fantastic album. I understand if Billy Corgan's vocals are not for you, but the guitar riffs, the passion in the vocals, etc etc are so so good. I will say...this is a longgggg album (over 2 hours) and there were definitely some filler songs that could have been cut, but all things considered, it's a great album. I personally wasn't a huge fan of the last 5 songs (although Farewall And Goodnight wasn't too bad) but Disc 1 (as referenced on Spotify) was near perfect. Actual rating is a 4.5. Liked Songs: Too many to name: "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" , "Tonight, Tonight" , and "1979" are all CLASSICS. The first 6-ish songs are all perfect
A big swing that pays off. Lots of inventive musicianship that weaves within some different areas of the 90's alt-rock bubble.
I only have to look at this album cover for "We Only Come Out at Night" to become stuck in my head, and I feel like I should deduct a star for that. It's an ear worm that gets very annoying very quickly. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" was one of my first favorite songs as a kid, so there's a certain level of nostalgia that comes with the Smashing Pumpkins (before Billy ruined it with his turn toward the insane). That said, I'm more of a singles fan than a huge Smashing Pumpkins buff. I've listened to the first three albums (but really more as an adult) and enjoy them, but the only SP album I own is the Rotten Apples greatest hits compilation. Embarrassingly, I did buy the Zwan album when it came out. This album is good, but like most double albums, it's just way too long for me. It has some classic SP songs, like the aforementioned "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Tonight, Tonight," "1979," and "Zero." But by the time it gets to the second volume I've started to tune out. I respect the ambition of the project, but two hours is an insane amount of time to devote to one listening session, especially when not every song is a masterpiece. And I'm one of the rare people who doesn't hate Billy Corgan's voice (though I will never understand what he's singing on "1979" without looking at the lyrics in front of me). It's also not just because it's the "darker" half of the album — some of my favorite SP songs are the darker, heavier ones. I just feel like a lot of the second volume is filler. This album is certainly historically important, and "Tonight, Tonight" will always be one of the most impressive music videos ever made. But it's not an album I'll sit down and casually listen to very often, if at all. 3.5/5 (I'll round to a 4 since I can't do half stars).
While I am not the biggest fan of Billy Corgan, this sounds awesome. Especially the more tender tunes are beautiful.
There is a lovely balance between the softer and harder songs, some very big hits on this album, Corgan's vocals are so unique. The main issue is the length of the album. 28 songs and 2hrs long. I feel it would have been a much better record of it was shorter.
What a fantastic set of rock songs, perfectly crafted, perfectly curated. If only the vocals didn't smear a sharpie all over it. I hate that whiney voice. 3.5/5
Disc 1. I'm enjoying this a lot, although the vocals are throwing me off slightly on first listen. 4/5 Disc 2. I got used to the vocals but the second half didn't hold my interest as well as the first. 3.5/5 All together 4/5
The slower songs were highlights, as the heavier metal ones are just not my style. I think a lot of really good material on here though, and doesn't really feel bloated like many double albums tend to. 7/10
It's one of those albums where any attempt at criticism will be met by serious alt-music enthusiasts tutting like crazy. But, it shouldn't be above critical appraisal. Yes, it's a serious artistic work, but ... it needs some pruning, and some of the lyrics are a tad high-school-ish. Musically, and production-wise...no complaints, but.... not the unmitigated genius that many blindly call it.
So, the Pumpkins are from my time period in the genre that I primarily listened to at the time. But past Siamese Dream, which is a masterpiece, I've never really been able to get into them. I don't think I've ever listened to this album all the way through - I've only heard the radio songs - so this will be interesting. It's simultaneously very good, and also I didn't really connect to it. But you really can't argue with an album that has Tonight, Tonight, Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979, and Thirty-Three. As previously mentioned, this was my era, so I can appreciate how different this album was than the normal fare while also staying (mostly) true to itself. So I'll give the fact that it's a double album a little leeway, because 2 hours of Smashing Pumpkins is too goddamned long. This is one of those albums again, where I really wish I had half stars to play with. The album is so much better than many albums I've rated three stars, but nowhere near as good as most of the albums I've rated 4 stars. I guess I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. That said, I'm going to lean into recency bias a bit. I gave Dinosaur Jr. three stars yesterday and this album is light years better than that, so 4 stars it is.
It’s aptly named and is quite the rock/punk journey. Somehow Billy corgan made an album that’s simultaneously very good, but also I didn't connect with a lot of it. Right after tonight tonight you’re throwing into a mosh pit with jelly belly and it sounds like something from the pixies or Elliot smith lol. But you really can't argue with an album that has Tonight, Tonight, Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979, and Thirty-Three. I like it, don’t love it and it’s nowhere near a 5 but here I am writing a lot about it so I must have thoughts. It’s more like a 3.5-4 for me. Billy’s voice just starts irritating me after awhile…. As a piece of a art it’s impressive nonetheless
Listened to this again after not having heard it for some time. My personal preference was always for Siamese Dream, but on this resistenc I found myself more impressed with the consistency of good quality songs across both discs. Overall I was impressed with this album upon revisiting it after all these years.
:3
Sometimes less is more. Just a hair too many 'just okay' songs to make this a 5, but still wonderful. 4/5
Has some of the Pumpkins’ greats, like 1979, Zero and Buller with Butterfly Wings, but is overly long. 3.5-3.75, I’ll be generous and round up.
i liked it, didnt finish it tho
Great album. Loved quite a few songs. Would love to add to my collection
manchmal ein wenig düster mit bass und viel drums, aber mit dem gesang und melodischen gitarren passt das dann doch nett in die gehörgänge. bandname gekannt, sound war neu für mich.
Ein Album das etwas mehr Zeit braucht aber für mich eine Entdeckung.
Jävligt många tajta låtar. Älskar ju SPs sound, men skivan är faktiskt lite för lång med några dippar. Men en styrka är ändå variationen (inom spektrumet för "SP-soundet). Gillar trummorna väldigt mycket. Sen är det väldigt många sköna riff. Sångrösten är som vanligt, tyvärr, inte det starkaste kortet (men man har vant sig...). Bäst, Jellybelly, to forgive, mellon collie, 1979 (bland många riktigt bra låtar).
Så mycket kvalitet på den här skivan att den om den kortats ned till en enkelskiva (med rätt låtar) hade varit en solklar femma. Nu blir den lite för lång och med några låtar man kunde klarat sig utan, men på det stora hela ändå imponerande bra. Stark fyra.
Always prefer Gish but this was a very good album 1979 being a stand out track :)
I like Smashing Pumpkins, and I liked this, although as has been noted the length of this as a double album did leave me feeling a little fatigued by the end of it
Probably a bit too long but the good tracks are belters
It's good - really good at points - but it's just far too long and there's a lot of nothing in there
Da world is a vampire
Angsty music from the 90s. I'm never going to say no to that. Even though the album superficially sounds like it is not all connected, going straight through until the end, everything sounded like it all fit together. A testament to the song writing I guess.
Gostei demais desse! Para mim, parece que o álbum passa por vários estágios da tristeza, com faixas que variam entre muito intensas e muito calmas. Amei o fato que a segunda faixa do álbum parece muito uma música de the killers. Destaques: "Tonight, Tonight"; "Here is now why", "Muzzle", "Bodies" e "1979"
I think it’s best if I handpick the best tracks on this one as it was good but I prefer Siamese Dream… There’s obvious picks such as tonight tonight, bullet with butterfly wings, 1979 and zero. Also I loved love, I know it’s not necessarily a fan favourite but it reminded me a bit of stabilisers for big boys by panchiko, just not as good. Bodies stuck out to me as great through all of my listens. Through the eyes of ruby is a great little epic, being so late in the album it didn’t hit the first time I heard it but still it’s great. X.Y.U. Drags a tad more out of the two lover songs but it’s still great . And by starlight is a very fitting climax to the album. The rest is fine perhaps controversially Galapagos and thirty three didn’t stand out too much even though they’re meant to be fan favourites I swear. I honestly need to hear it more but I’d say 4/5
An excellent album that's way, way too long.
This is #day88 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I've always found Billy Corgan's tendency to create sprawling albums like "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" fascinatingly bewildering. While I can appreciate its monumental scope and how it reflects the '90s alternative rock scene, I'm highly unlikely to listen to the entire album again due to its unjustified length. I mean, the whole thing is 28 tracks long, droning on for a little more than 2 hours... But then again, I think the point here is that you must hear this album before you die... So, kind of at least once? At the same time, however, the consistency and story are undeniable. Standouts are "Tonight, Tonight", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings", "Galapogos", "1979", and maybe a few more. Overall, let it be a 4 out of 5 from me. Looking forward to #day89.
When a band releases a double album only three albums into their career, you know they have lots to say. Mellon Collie...allows the band to explore and expand their range of styles and song ideas on a big scale, that single LP's don't have the space to allow. Though I wouldn't call myself a Smashing Pumpkin's fan, I would consider this album their epic masterpiece (if you had to pick one) and best showcases Billy Corgan and the band's skills with a mix of songs, some beautiful, but also some less interesting. As with most double albums, there is filler and could have been edited down the song count for a more cohesive and impactful record. This is the first Pumpkin's album I've actually completely listened to and have to admit it was for the most part enjoyable, but after a while I almost forgot who I was listening to. Good, but too long.
This is an incredible accomplishment from The Smashing Pumpkins with them creating one of the greatest double albums of all time.
Yeah, I like this. Tonight, Tonight has always been a favourite, and Bullet with Butterfly Wings kicks ass.
Another nostalgia trip here. I loved this double album in my teenage angst years. I feel like some songs are definitely dated but their hits hold up. Some weird lyrics looking back...
There's a 5-star album in here somewhere, but it really suffers from bloat. The first disc is really good, but outside of the hits, the second one is mostly forgettable. 4 stars.
Lotsa banging toons
Lovely in some places, interesting and engaging in places, a bit too much Billy Corgan in others. I enjoy the instrumentals very much but I find his voice a little too whiny and OTT at times and it ruins things a bit. Also 2 hours of smashing pumpkins is a bit too much smashing pumpkins for me. Overall I like this album, in small doses; the whole thing is too long.
Iconic album. I grew up in the 90s with a lot of alternative rock radio, and the singles from this are really evocative of those years for me. Sometimes I forget how much mid-90s MTV I watched. I'm unsure if I've ever listened to the full album before now - I know I didn't own it but I think a sibling might have. I went in optimistic. The singles hold up. But, the double album thing is genuinely frustrating. It's lucky this one came up on a Friday and I got a few days to get through it a few times. It starts with a bland, pointless instrumental - like it's giving me time to get to my seat and get settled ("Tonight, Tonight" even seems geared to work as an album opener so I don't know why it doesn't just start there). By the end of track 6 it's already hit most its truly great songs. Then the album just slogs on, and on, and on for little benefit. There are at most a couple tracks in the back hour and a half that rank better than okay (I like "1979"). So much of it sounds so similar. I think my tastes are becoming clearer to me, that I would much rather have a half-hour album that I can digest than a long journey with so much material that it still feels only vaguely familiar on a second or third listen. I went in thinking this might be a 5-star album. Maybe there is one here - just one that's sharing disc space with a pair of 2- or 3-star albums. I'm going to give it a 4 on the strength of the best parts, but in the middle of the black night of disc two I did feel tempted to go lower.
A rarity in that the double feels entirely earned. Its got an aesthetic. Chamberlain is truly a great drummer. The adolescence of it all is intentional, and works well with that voice, which in other contexts gets pretty annoying, but works here, and we can see why Iha's not the singer. Some more D'arcy backing vocals would have been cool, but really the production is rock solid and everything across a very broad variety of styles sounds pretty amazing. All the songs have reason to exist, a trait lacking in most albums, even most albums on this list.
Is this grunge? Probably and probably the Smashers best album.
I like the hits and the slow ones but not sure I get the heavy stuff.
Excellent album, but the second half drags on a bit IMO.
Good fall album. Don’t think I’ve ever sat down and listened to it all the way through and I enjoyed it more than I expected.
It's a good album. The variety of styles/genres is honestly really incredible, especially since there isn't really a quality drop off, when they move away from a more comfortable rock sound. There are some real gems mixed throughout the album, too! Musically, his voice is pretty rough to listen to at times. When it gets really whiny/nasally, it's really hard to listen to and can ruin a few moments. The album is also just too long. There are albums that can justify a runtime 2 hours or more, usually albums with a longer story to tell. This is not one of those albums. There's no reason that this couldn't have been broken up into 2 albums. Favorite Song(s): Tonight, Tonight, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Take Me Down, 1979
3.5 stars, it’s a little long though
Beautiful, melodramatic, nostalgic, long. Everything.
Cool rock album, very interesting melodies and sounds. I couldn't finish it yet but I look forward to hearing the next songs!
I love the Smashing Pumpkins, and most songs on here are good to great, but A: the guitar tone (and general production) feels like a drop-off from "Siamese Dream" and B: listening to 2 straight hours of Billy Corgan is kind of alot. If this set was edited down to two 45 minute LPS instead of one 2 hour double album, they'd both probably be 10/10. I'm giving this a 4 because 3 stars seems too low, but really this is like a 3.75
If they would have edited this down to a single disc, it's a 5. I appreciate them going for it on a double disc, 2 hour endeavor is too much. I found a lot of great songs outside of the radio hits I knew.
I listened to this one before and I was a bit overwhelmed. Really enjoyed it this time round
I wish I could give this 3.5. Parts of it I enjoyed. Parts of I did not enjoy. We'll call this a soft 4.
Teenage angst at it best
Classic from my teenage years
A classic of my youth. Billy Corgan showing his breadth beyond grunge/alternative but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that a young me would end up skipping quite a few tracks back in the day. Still a cohesive album that takes you on a journey but imagine how tight this would be as a single album.
Despite all my rage, I still just in love with album. It’s not perfect, some tracks seem redundant. But the nostalgia is strong and some songs just well with emotions and continue to have impact on the music world.
Awareness of the Fall dates back to early 90’s listening to them on John Peel’s radio show on BBC international on my shortwave, but never explored further. Enjoyed this right away, and will be happy to dig further. Smith’s thing I am sure annoys some, but I was fine with it and the band was grooving.
The overly scuzzy filter on a lot of songs makes this kind of an unpleasant listen on headphones but still good overall.
I have a copy of this one. It ebbs and flows, and some of the songs are great the rest are okay at best. Its pretty uneven to be honest. But it is the second best Pumpkins record and their last listenable one IMO.
It's a modern classic that helped define post-grunge and late-90s alternative is very much indebted to it. There's always a temptation to take a double album that has flaws and proclaim that 'if you cut out x and y, it's a perfect album' but that always feels like an insult to fans and artists alike. There's a reason and a place for all of this and it's a journey, albeit a long one, that deserves to be travelled in full. That said, this journey does sag in the second half and takes itself out of contention for a fifth star, from me. Is that fair, when it easily has ten or more tracks of 5-star quality? Well, if I'm going to appreciate the full journey for the journey's sake, then I can judge this journey to be a little too long and a little bit self-indulgent. The run on side one of cassette one (yes, this was an old Walkman favourite of mine) is absolutely ludicrous though. 1. Mellon Collie... 2. Tonight, Tonight 3. Jelly Belly 4. Zero 5. Here Is No Why 6. Bullet with Butterfly Wings
The first disk is just immaculate. The second is just so much. Thats the problem with these double albums they just work you.
Great double album with good amount of variety Also manages to be impressively pretty consistent despite feeling a bit long by the end
Una de las obras cúspide de los '90s. A pesar de que en su tiempo fue aceptada como una obra maestra del "grunge" (a pesar de que la música de Corgan estaba sumamente alejada de lo que Cobain proponía), en la actualidad el público general ha perdido cariño con este monolito de más de 2 horas. ¿Es un 5/5? No, es claramente demasiado largo y algunas ideas son sumamente repetitivas. ¿Merece menos que 4 estrellas? No, porque a pesar de todas las fallas que uno podría reclamar al disco, lograr mantener interesado a alguien por más de 2 horas es un logro de por sí. Corgan canta mal y es una persona insoportable; pero claramente algo lo iluminó en el estudio y su visión era clara. Escúchelo por favor.
After Prince's 70 min album yesterday, I was hoping for something shorter. Two hours later… Overall I very much enjoyed the medley of this double feature. I think I liked their non-metal songs a bit more, but the vibes were immaculate for the album. I have a slight preference for Disk One, but there's still a few from disk two I enjoyed. The final song from disk one, Take Me Down, was like the perfect end song. It felt like the song that plays over the credits of the final episode of an anime where two friends look back at their journey. Farewell and Goodbye, the end song of disk two, also was a great ending, but didn't evoke the same sense of reminiscing as Take Me Down. Albums with a wide selection of musical styles are the best, as I get to sample a little bit of everything, which is why I started this in the first place. Favs: Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Thru The Eyes Of Ruby, Here Is No Why, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Beautiful
Something for everybody! From prog to space to alterna to metal to softrock and back again. At over two hours and twenty-eight tracks, not every moment can be compelling, but it’s still chock full of melty goodness.
repeat listen, i like how many genres they cover in one album
A whole lotta pumpkins!
Good but daf
Despite all the rage - pretty grungy.
So many awesome classics here, such creativity and diversity. For me it's all a bit much, though, and two hours of this tend to get long. Could have been a perfect single album, this way it is still great.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the third album from the Smashing Pumpkins, and a 2 CD. 28 song release. The album includes a number of the band's hits, including "Tonight, Tonight," "1979," "Zero," and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." The Smashing Pumpkins make distorted-guitar centered alt-rock that trends toward metal. Lead singer Billy Corgan's snarl is appropriate for his angst-ridden lyrics. The result is a sound that defined alt-rock of the 90s and made the Smashing Pumpkins one of the biggest bands of the era.
LONG
Tooooooooooo long Galapogos is great The slower more melodic stuff is the best stuff but it's good, great even Go for a FOUR
added a few songs to my playlist. Still way too long but I liked this one better than the other albums I've been given so far.
Very cool album. I think I actually prefer it to Siamese Dream. To be such a massive double album, there's really no duds in the track list. It's like a strong 8 compared to Siamese Dreams strong 7/light 8.
Albumi #34, 31.08.2024 Smashing Pumpkinsin mainio tuplalevy vuodelta 1995. Taisin olla armeijassa, kun levy ilmestyi, joten jäi alussa tosi vähälle kuuntelulle. Monta todella loistavaa kappaletta.
If there’s an album that truly captures the spirit of the mid-90s, this one is definitely at the top of the list. So much of the music from that era has worn out its welcome for me—I’d happily keep most of it buried. But The Smashing Pumpkins are the exception. Though they’re a quintessential 90s alternative band, they pulled in elements from nearly every facet of the culture back then. They had the grunge edge, hints of shoegaze and dream pop, a dark style that wasn’t quite goth, and even experimented with electronic music that was just beginning to make waves. This album is likely their most diverse, blending all of those elements into a single, cohesive work.
In the grand scheme of 90s rock, The Smashing Pumpkins are a band that admittedly I don’t listen to that often. I actually really enjoy their music too. At least when I really take the time to appreciate it. I’m glad I got the chance to talk about Siamese Dream first. It’s important to understand what the band went through during the recording process of that record and where it left them when the time came to start on this project. Thankfully the sessions here seem to have been a much more calm and balanced work effort. And I think that lack of tension is really felt. Something about the energy of this feels like a band just taking everything they are capable of and putting it all out there. But it’s also a lesson on why you don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Because most Pumpkins fans will admit, this was basically it for the band. The members will admit that themselves. It was posed as a supposed “final album”. Creatively, they had reached the end. And so, they decided to create a gargantuan double album that puts the solid length of its predecessor to fucking shame. They swung for the fences and exhausted any and all ideas they had left. Which would unfortunately lead the rest of their albums from then on to feel stagnant. But what is here is nothing to scoff out. It’s very impressive, actually. To find a 2+ hour long album that I am not exhausted by is rare. But I will make the argument that this record contains more of the band’s most iconic work than Siamese Dream does. Almost the entire first disc, titled Dawn to Dusk, is fantastic, with very few low points. The second disc does also have some really solid material, like the beautiful 1979, but it also falls short in many places. You can almost see the progression of them loosing steam as this album goes along. It also feels like a remarkably better balanced album than the one before it. The softer, dream pop inspired bits of Siamese Dream weren’t anything to write home about, but they are turned up to 11 here. As a result, we get gems like Take Me Down, Cupid de Locke, and Tonight, Tonight. Additionally this contains some of the sludgiest, most crushing songs they’ve ever written. Zero, Jellybelly, Where Boys Fear to Tread, Bodies, and especially X.Y.U. prove just how brutal this band can be at its heaviest. Tales of a Scorched Earth would be amazing if the mixing wasn’t horrible. In many ways, this feels like a swan song of the best, and worst, parts of the band. Obviously, there was no death or retirement that followed this. But on a particular day, I’d be willing to say that this is better than Siamese Dream as a whole. Rating: 8/10
A lot that I love and a lot that I don’t. A 5-star single album spread too thin over 2 CDs.
Favorite Track: 1979 Would have been a 5 with less filler.
Great album - one that has past me by since it first came out. Good to revisit it.
Big album that never felt like it was too long. Another that is nostalgia-laden for sure, but no denying the artistry here.
Classic old school rock with good breakdowns and solid drums
Great album start to finish.
Really enjoyed listening to this band again - I had forgotten how much I like them. Galapogos is such a great track: perfect vocals, lyrics and mood. As is 1979. And To Forgive. Stumbleine (very Elliott Smith). Actually, a lot of this is very good indeed. And surely one of the best album titles ever! I think the album is too long, so one star lost. But I really enjoyed rediscovering this band, and will definitely be listening again.
My wonderful wife bought this on CD as a gift many years ago. Listening again takes me back and I feel the same about it now as I did then. Around a dozen tracks are wonderful and if they were the album it would be up there with Automatic For The People, Doolittle and Nerrmibd as my favourite from American bands of that era. The only issue is the heavier tracks don't really do anything for me. That said the opening instrumental, 'Tonight Tonight', 'In The Arms of Sleep', '1979', 'Cupid De Locke', 'Galapogus', 'Stumbleine' and the last 5 tracks are magnificent! There you go, a perfect 12 track album among the 28 :)
What a rich and soothing sound this album has in places! I once read that The Smashing Pumpkins capture nostalgia through instrumentals like no one else, and that is definitely true with songs like 1979. My favourite on this album was actually a track that I am unfamiliar with - Galapagos. What an amazing tune!! A little oversized, hence the 4, but a great listen which put some songs in my rotation.
This was great. Quite a long album but I put it in the background when I was gaming with the boys after a busy day (attempting the Der Eisendrache EE on BO3 Zombies) and it made for a fitting soundtrack. I already knew a few of the bigger singles but the tracks in between were good too. Favourite track: 1979
Bit long but, hey...
the chorus of by starlight sounds like he's saying "dat ass"
Das Großwerk der Pumpkins.
I LITERALLY JUST LISTENED TO THIS ALBUM. I decided to start what I call the "Mega Album Mini Project" where I listen to every album on the list that's over 2 hours throughout the end of Summer so I don't have to listen to them after a long day of school or something. I started with this one because it's the shortest of the collection. I LITERALLY LISTENED TO THIS OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS. Of course, I'm not going to listen to it again, even though it's a good album. So here's the review that I wrote yesterday (as of when this review is being uploaded). Wow. That was something. This is a great album right here. I'll start by addressing something very important right off the bat. This album is very long. There's a reason why I listened to this and 2+ hour albums when I had the free time in the summer instead of just waiting for the generator to give them to me. However, the 2 hours of runtime are not wasted in Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. There's a good variety in this album. Some songs are heavier and more aggressive, while others are more ballad-like than anything. These two styles come together to form a complex album with complex themes that get explored quite well. The sound, regardless of if it's heavy or light, is pretty good. The instruments sound cool. The vocals on the other hand are something to get used to. Billy Corgan's vocals are certainly interesting. They're the kind of thing that needs to grow on you as you listen. Fortunately, I'd say they kind of grew on me. Not fully, but enough to say that I can defend his singing. It fits the themes of the album. The writing is great. There isn't a clear story here, but you can catch glimpses of general themes like relationships and adolescence. Overall, while this is certainly a daunting listen, I'd say it's worth it for any alt-rock fan. I never knew the Smashing Pumpkins were this good. High 4/5.
This was great. So much Pumpkins flavor, really enjoyed it. A lot of variety in the style and feel of the tracks, but then again, there are 28 of them, so it would be incredibly boring if they were all the same. Long album, but worth it. Four stars.
Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: ⭐🪐💃🏻 Mix (2012 Remaster): 🧏♂️📏💩 Musik: 🎭✨⏳ Wertung: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (inkl. -1 für Mix 😩)
• i love many of the songs from this album, but i have never bothered to listen to the album in full • don't understand how they can be so versatile. one beautiful, mellow song can seamlessly transition to an upbeat rock song • listening from like 6am so this is a peaceful experience • i definitely appreciate the remastering as a headphones user • some of the songs are forgettable and sound the same to me (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) • wanna rate it like a 3.7 but ill round up to a 4
Long album, so I can't say every song stood out all that much to me, but I definitely liked this.
The Smashing Pumkins deliver a lot here. However, I'm ambivalent as to whether it really had to be 2 hours on two double CDs. The “album” contains pretty much all the band's the hits, is stylistically varied, and yet remains thematically true to itself. It is probably their magnum opus. Nevertheless, the singer's voice has the inverse effect of getting used to something (it gets weirder over time) and the melancholic style becomes boring after a while, which means that large parts of the album were just background noise for me.
Really great!
Smashing Pumpkins deserve more praise, they’re fantastic. Diverse and expressive.
Some really iconic writing, but then 2/3s feels like B side filler.
didn't realise how much of this album i already knew, it's a nice mix of sounds
este disco es todo un ride, pero muy enjoyable. billy kills it, y musicalmente es muy variado. clasicazo
Why are so many albums on this list OVER TWO HOURS long????
I find Billy Corgan's voice a bit grating but a lot of these songs really slap.
Jeg synes den her er rimelig top-heavy mht. bangers - simpelthen for vanvittigt lægge måske det bedste nummer fra 90'erne (Tonight Tonight) så tidligt, you gotta make em wait for it!! Når det så er sagt synes jeg alle arrangementerne er virkelig smukke og hænger rigtig godt sammen. Billy Corgans stemme er en riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimelig acquired taste vil jeg sige, men den passer rigtig godt til musikken
Det er nok lidt besides the point at diskutere om den her BEHØVEDE at være 2 timer lang, men kæft de har styr på nogen genrer her! Det var fedt det meste af tiden! Har ingen anelse om hvad det handlede om.
Virkelig mange gode numre - Svært at vælge mellem 4 / 5 stjerner. Alle "klassikerne" er godt spredt ud over hele pladen, men de andre sange er også fede!
I liked this album a lot. I do think it was quite long and could have done better in my review if it were cut down more to the essential songs.
Somehow I didn't know this was a double album. Lots of bangers, still too long.
Classic
The most annoying voice on the planet but somehow it still works
I had forgotten how good this was.
I'm glad I finally listened to one of their albums, because you like them.
listened to again bumped 1/2 star, actually pretty great tho it's all over
Hadn't really listened to a full album from TSP, but enjoyed this one. There are some really great tracks and high-energy songs. I'll definitely return to their music more down the road.
Tough, raw and catchy. Great album!
so good i love you 90s rock
There are a few songs I love on this album (Zero, Thirty-three, Bullet with butterfly wings, 1979 and Tonight tonight) - but most of the rest I could skip! The album is bloated and pretty insufferable at times (not unlike Billy Corgan) - but I'm still giving it a 4 because there's enough good stuff going on here that'll come back for - I have a soft spot for alternative rock of the mid 90s so there's a least 1 nostalgia point here! Wanna go for a ride?
Well the sadness definitely feels infinite. This album is tooooooooooooo long. Some people may disagree, but while there are some all time great songs here, there is also at least 30 minutes of absolute filler. Best Songs: Tonight Tonight, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, 1979, Farewell And Goodnight Worst Songs: Where Boys Fear To Tread, Bodies, Tales Of A Scorched Earth
Fin dai primi minuti ho sentito qualcosa “cliccare” in me. Nonostante in precedenza io mi sia imbattuta negli Smashing Pumpkins solo in rare occasioni, ascoltando questo album ho percepito una certa familiarità, come se mi trovassi nel posto giusto. Il modo migliore per descriverlo a cui riesco a pensare è: un continuo susseguirsi di schiaffi e carezze (ma nel miglior modo possibile). Ho adorato sia i brani più “heavy” e grunge che quelli più delicati, passando dagli aspetti più genuini a quei dettagli deliziosamente pretenziosi disseminati qua e là (dato il mio trascorso adolescenziale da “I’m not like other girls” girl, non posso che apprezzare). In più, vogliamo parlare della bellezza della copertina? Però. Però. Ragazzi, le due ore di ascolto si fanno sentire. È vero che da un lato questa lunghezza notevole è il riflesso di una creatività travolgente, ma dall’altro rende il primo impatto con l’album sicuramente più faticoso. Confido nel fatto che ascolti successivi rendano il tutto più digeribile (Taylor, I see you). Detto questo, mettendo su una bilancia sia gli aspetti che ho apprezzato (che sono tanti) e quelli che hanno reso l’ascolto un po’ più difficoltoso, direi che la mia valutazione può assestarsi su un 4/5. Sono sicura che se fossi stata un’adolescente degli anni ‘90 avrei fatto di questo album un vessillo.
Not their best album but good and couple all time great songs
some stinkers but far more bangers
I really enjoyed the album. It was heavier than I expected and had a great vibe all the way through. What I didn’t expect was how long it was - 28 songs, 2 hours. It’s full of great content, but it is a bit too long.
do not have
Solid