Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Is it necessary for this album to be over 2 hours long? Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? No, but I do it anyway because its sterile and I like the taste

Insert photo of Billy Corgan sadly riding a ride at Disneyland here.

Somewhere in that 2 hour sprawl is the 45 minute album it should have been.

I finally get to listen to this one. I’ve been meaning to, and the fall weather is perfect for it. I mean, a two-hour-long album about the sadness and melancholy (hah) of adolescence? Quite appropriate. Anyway, as a mythologized double album, this does it about as well as you can. It’s not that every song is some insane masterpiece, but they all contribute to the album. Obviously certain sequencing choices make this album much, much better (“Tonight, Tonight” as the album’s de facto opener, “Love” into “Cupid De Locke”), and certain songs stand out against others as clear moments of importance, high points if you will. The album’s two anchors, aka the two best songs on the album according to everyone ever, are “Tonight, Tonight” and “1979.” Now lemme tell you about these two songs. The former? Yeah it’s symphonic, but that’s not what’s special about it. The lyrics are incredible, resonant, moving. The singing is, though an acquired taste, passionate and emotional. Where the song really shines though is the band playing. The drum work on this song is out of this world, that guitar riff is instantly iconic, and the chord progression on the chorus is about the same. The latter, is mesmerizing, subtly heartbreaking in its wistfulness and its longing, and it’s a cross between an anthem and a deeply personal song, and it’s understandably become both. As for the rest of the album, it’s really just incredible; every single song feels like the cold, autumnal depression of adolescence, and the sequencing is absolutely excellent. It is by far one of the best double albums I’ve ever heard, and one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, period. 10/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: ABSOLUTELY REASON: quality, meaningfulness, influence, relevance

hell yeah billy corgan, you sweet, tortured bastard, you did it again

Mellon Collie manages to explore just about every aspect of the 90s alternative sound within its lofty 2 hour runtime

Meanders like a pompous, never-ending dream.

I’m ready to get a lot of hate for this. Did not care for the album at all. Every song felt and sounded the same why was this 2 hours. I really wanted to like it so bad but I really did not at all. Might’ve just not been in the mood but this might be the album I feel most differently about than the rest of yous

Double albums are always too indulgent. Highs/singles are great 6.5/10

I like the ones I like ya know....

"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" is an ambitious double-album spanning a collection of genres, drifting from piano lullabies and string arrangements to heavy metal, techno-industrial textures, and razor-edged alternative rock. The result is an album with a lot of filler, but also with some of perhaps the greatest rock songs of all time -- "Tonight, Tonight", "1979", "Zero" and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" specifically.

no es algo que disfrute tanto por la voz del vocalista, si fuera un album de menos cacniones me encantaria

Meh

Eh. Never really liked this one and still don’t feel much. After the crunchy guitars grandeur of Siamese Dream this one just feels flat

Partially known. Some great songs, obviously, but too fucking long.

4.5/5

Amazing album, cool that it’s so fleshed out despite the long runtime. The progression on this album is really cool, some songs are calming and nice, others really metal-like. overall cool album from The Smashing Pumpkins, although i think Siamese Dream is better. 88/100

First time listening to this album. From reading about it this was a very popular double CD. I like it generally but the lead singer's voice is annoying and monochromatic to me. My favorite tracks: title song, Cupid De Locke, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans and 1979.

mñe

Во время прослушивания этого альбома я убедился, что любой двойной альбом, даже самый великий, стал бы гораздо лучше, если бы его сократили в 2 раза. Но этот альбом ввёл меня в полное замешательство. Первая половина была довольно средняя, да, были хорошие песни, но ничего особенного. Вторая половина была практически вся отличная, кроме последних 4 песен. Жанровое разнообразие тоже не может не впечатлять, мне, пожалуй, более всего нравится гранжевая часть альбома, потому что в ней голос вокалиста звучит по крайней мере органично, чего не скажешь о других песнях. И наконец, хронометраж, разумеется, является главным минусом альбома из-за которого поставить выше 3 рука не поднимается. Здесь есть прекрасные песни, которые я буду переслушивать, но буду ли я второй раз слушать альбом целиком? Нет! Лучшая песня: Bodies

The first album that ever got through to me. The cornerstone of my teenage music taste.

Another one that’s too long for its own good, but when it’s focused, as on 1979, it really shines. There is magic here and the standard is high, there’s about three albums worth though.

It's impressive to make an album this grandiose while managing to keep things interesting throughout. Favorite track: Zero

Oh the angst and self importance of Billy and crew. Despite the pretentiousness of this group, they put out some great music.

Sounds A LOT like my 90’s

Never heard the album in full before. So good. Ah to be an angst ridden teenanger again.

Do you know how good an album has to be to listen to for 2 hours?

Nostalgic, broader range than I expected from smashing pumpkins

Other than the hits ..it was just ok

Repeat listen. I felt much the same as before. This time around I enjoyed the reprieve of mellow moments, like “Take Me Down,” “We Only Come Out at Night,” and “Beautiful.” Original review: Some great riffs, and some great tracks, but a lot to get through

I'd like to say this was the first album that proved Strings+piano+nasally vocals+heavy bass+twangy guitar=enjoyable listening experience. I'm too young to make that claim though. I hear foundations for the folk movement of the next decade, foundations for "midwest emo", and further support of the interesting direction "Alternative" music was going in 1995. It's important for me to note that only a few tunes stand out as "singles" but combined with the great album art and track structure it all makes for a very listenable (and enjoyable) album in the history of Alternative Rock

This is an album that I feel has aged like wine, getting better as we get further away, partially just because it is one of the last double, epic albums of this sort that could get such a huge budget - including just the time and energy Billy Corgan could put into writing and making it. It is so varied and yet sticks together and has both beautiful and aggressive tracks that stand up to any rock songs out there.

Too much billy Corgan for me, but a handful of excellent songs

This is an easy 5. I know Billy is a bit of an egomaniac but he’s a damn fine musician. Songwise Tonight, Tonight on top for me, it transforms me to a better place in time.

Not awful but his voice gets a bit grating.

Smashing Pumpkins went crazy ambitious on this album, and it sure is interesting. But 28 songs? I liked Smashing Pumpkins back in high school but even then, I was like "Nah, I don't like them enough to buy *this*." This album is made for teens, though. The songs are full of angst, anger, heartbreak, and nobody-understands-me-ness. I started by listening to the first 7 or 8 songs but I got kind of bored (and reeeeeal sick of Billy Corgan's voice) so I searched the Internet for a Top 10 and listened to those. They were fine. After "XYU" I just let the rest of the album play through to the end, and that was probably my favorite section.

This has some epic moments on it like XYU, 1979, where boys fear to tread, tonight tonight, and the SP guitar tones are great. I don't love Billy's vocals though and to have them in your ear for 28 songs is a bit much.

En essentiell del av 90- talets soundtrack

I can see how this is a cult album for people, but it just didn't have that effect on me. It was very up and down in terms of mood and atmosphere that felt a bit like being on a rollercoaster. There were moments where it did sort of click and I started to enjoy it, but it never lasted

"A masterclass in songwriting, it will go down in history as this generation's white album" - Billy Corgan "Pared down to an e.p., this would be spectacular" - Dan Reed 2/5

Great album

I feel the songs from a really good album we're shuffled with songs from a throwaway album, making a sort of mid double album

The guitars are produced to within an inch of their life but they sound amazing and the riffs are great. This might be my highest rated double album but I like everything here and the highs are incredibly high. 4.5/5

Struggled through many of the tracks on disc 2. Could have tightened it up and had a really stellar album for my taste.

3.5 - some great songs but way too much filler

10/10

First 5/5 album of this challenge thus far for me. I am SO(!!!!) BIASED. I grew up listening to this album. My parents told me this was the album they played on repeat while I was still in utero. I think it's worked its way into my brain permanently. Generally, I don't regularly listen to metal/heavy rock music (although I can enjoy it when I'm in the mood). Half of this album consists of this album consists of songs I wouldn't reach for on the average day, but when I do listen through I always enjoy the experience. And then, of course, there's the other side of this album, consisting of songs I love and listen to very often. I couldn't write this review without mentioning my two showstopper favorites, Cupid De Locke and 1979. Those opening instrumentals are truly beautiful. It's like a breath of fresh air every single time.

Alternative rock, grunge, alternative metal, art rock, heavy metal.

Good tunes

Recognized a few songs. Not my type of album though.

Meh, don’t like the lead’s voice

I actually thought this was way better than Siamese Dream but the fact that it's 2 fucking hours long kinda ruins it a bit.

Far too long.

too long

This guitar tone has my face doing weird things. Side one is almost perfect. Great mixture of beautiful tracks and absolute rockers, every song is so unique but works really well together. Really liked 'Take Me Down' on this listen. SP works well with and without Billy Corgan. 'Here is No Why' reaches one of the most orgasmic crescendos in music imo. The rest of the song is also pretty good, but man does that last chorus hit like a truck. The world is a vampire... that will haunt me for the rest of my days (pocket bar quiz). Tonight, Tonight is another incredible song. I could rave for hours about this. Second half is definitely weaker, but still some interesting stuff on here. 1979 might be the greatest B-side (?) of all time. By Starlight is also pretty good. Think first half is a 10/10, but second half is like 7/10. will give it 9/10 as compromise. It would feel wrong not to rate it a 5, despite all the filler that I'm not too keen on. The rest of the songs are that good

It was actually quite a lot of fun to listen to this one. Smashing pumpkins is such a fun band to listen to. I am dreadfully poor at describing the technical components of a rock album. Still +1 for the star, +2 for the album art, +1 for the music. 4 Stars.

Hmm, I think I would have told you I liked this album before listening to it again today. I’m more conflicted now. It’s sooo long, with lots of not great stuff. Saved by a few great highlights.

I liked this more than I thought. I never really considered Smashing Pumpkins for me, something was lacking. But a bit of focused listening has revealed something interesting. It's made me curious but maybe not enough. I can see why it's there and simultaneously maybe it's not quite up my alley.

A two hour album is way too long. This isn’t up to the quality of Siamese Dream for me but would have come closer but for the never ending nature of it. A slightly more sophisticated sound but I just couldn’t get away from the time it took to finish it.

Perhaps one of the most personal impactful albums that I have been given the ability to listen to. A beautiful mix, especially the Deluxe version. Such frustrations and teen angst within the album, making my younger self fall into loving it deeply. I wish I could go back in time to listen to it for the first time. But I can only close my eyes and dissect the lyrics more than I have every time it plays. First set is an incredible set of tracks, nostalgic and classic. Second half isn’t as put out there apart from 1979, but the assortment and closer still stand out beautifully.

Richtig tolle Balladen, sehr vibey und comfy. Tolle Melodien. Peppered with higher energy songs. Hat mir sehr gut gefallen :)

This is a very special album. I new a few of the songs going in and I expected to like this, but I came out loving it. It captures a moment in time and a feeling that very few albums can do. It feels like being a teenager in the 90s and for me, encapsulates the decade in a very unique way. It's very hard for an album this long to justify it's length, but for me this did. It kept surprising me and changing sounds at just the right moment. Just so beautifully written, produced, and so exciting to listen to. Is it cheesy to think 1979 is one of the best songs of all time? Top Songs: Tonight Tonight, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Love, Galapagos, Take Me Down, Thirty-Three, 1979, Lily (My One and Only)

4/5

Første plata var bråkete, de to siste var bedre. Med den spisse nasale stemmen blir det mye med spiss nasal gitar og. Andre plata var best. Mer av de gode sangene jeg har hørt før, fortsatt litt blanda men mindre skriking. Beste sang: through the eyes of ruby In the arms of sleep 1979 Through the eyes of ruby var sykt nice Stumbleine Lily

Eg elske The Smashing Pumpkins<3 Og takle de ikkje. Någe e absolutt nydelig, andre ting e hodeverk. Bullets with butterflywings, Porcelina of the vast oceans og 1979 e nydelige. Beste sang: 1979

I had my Spotify on shuffle when I hit play on this one. I was a few songs in before I noticed so, I let it roll but, as I was scrolling through song titles I accidentally hit Tonight, Tonight and it started playing and I clicked off shuffle. Now I can’t tell if which songs I’ve already heard. This album is not that bad, in fact I like it more than I thought I would. Of course, I know the hits, a few others and I’ve heard most of it in passing but, I’ve never listened to it start to finish. I have a complicated relationship with Smashing Pumpkins. I really like Gish, my roommate had it, my girlfriend had Siamese Dream and I went to see them on April Fools day, 1994 with both of those people. There were 3 opening bands and I didn’t like any of them. I was bored, and by the time the Pumpkins went on, I was in a bad mood. That experience informed my attitude from that point forward. So, how does Billy respond? With a double album (triple on vinyl). I’m out. I would just barely tolerate this transgression! Ok. I didn’t turn off 1979 if it came on the local alternative rock radio station, but a double CD? No way, Jose. “Despite all my rage I’m still a rat in a cage!” Yawn… I get that artists can be complicated and annoying at times, and if it someone I really like, I’ll forgive a lot, but Billy… just rubbed me the wrong way. I’m older now and so is Billy. I’ve softened my perspective. I’m not as cantankerous and judgmental as I was (maybe a little) and so is Billy… I guess. It seems so. I enjoyed this. I’m never going to listen to it again from start to finish, but I actually enjoyed it. There were a lot of surprisingly great songs that I either never heard or, don’t remember. Billy’s whiny voice and manufactured fury doesn’t bother me as much. I’ve forgiven him for having three opening bands that I don’t care about on that warm spring night. I miss the people I knew back then… but don’t we all? 4.6

Stone-cold motherfucking masterpiece, never mind that Corgan is a difficult character.

great and iconic album i think tomorrow tomorrow is such an incredible song. unfortunately i found it didnt have the kick to it as much as when i was younger

I have tried so many times with The Smashing Pumpkins. I think I just can't do Billy Corgan's voice. I like the hits. Tonight, Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979 are all great here. 28 songs is WAY too long for me. I think I generally liked it more than Siamese Dream, but Siamese Dream scores more points for being over faster...

A one-of-a-kind mixture of heavy, gritty rock songs and softer, dreamy tunes, blending into an album with a very unique feel Altogether it sounds, looks, and feels like a universe born from the sporadic imagination of a mind that thinks ten thoughts before I can think one... and that's a pretty cool kind of album

I’m sure it’s great if you’re really into it but I’m not and I don’t like his voice And why is it so long

I love smashing pumpkins and this could have been 2 amazing albums but for some reason they did a double album ! Too long, needed trimming. Shame as would have been a lot better as 2 albums

The hits off this album are outstanding and the rest is mostly self indulgent nonsense I don’t want to spend 2 hours listening to. I thought about two stars just for that but I’ll give it a 3 because the good ones really are that good.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Smashing Pumpkins but I do like their music. 2 hours on a single album might be a bit much, but it is good music nonetheless. A number of very recognizable songs and a talented group of musicians. Worth a listen and I would do it again.

This is a magnum opus for Billy Corgan and the Pumpkins. Too bad they didn’t have the decency to end it all after recording it. They haven’t put out a good album since and Corgan’s bloated, self-aggrandizing douche-baggery is a huge reason why. This album has a lot of great songs but they are held down by all the ‘experimental’ shit around them that all sounds the same. The hits are strong and carry the ranking here.

Epic album. Smashing pumpkins in peak form hitting on all cylinders. Dynamic track list ranging from hard rock to tender ballets tied together beautifuly by the Smashing Pumkins unique sound and orchestrations. The hits on here are 90s classics, most of the deeper tracks are just as incredible. Huge fan of this album, an absolute treat to sit down and listen to all two hours of it.

album is good but GOD it is long

sry i don't like this band -_-

Généreux album. Oui oui, sa longueur est sûrement un défaut, mais on peut quand même apprécier les bons moments et admirer le côté prolifique.

J'ai toujours trouvé ça épuisant écouter cet album. Tout le monde le dit, c'est trop long. En mesure standard de vinyle, c'est un album triple. J'aurais quand même de la misère à éliminer assez de tounes pour que ça fit sur deux; j'aime presque tout. 4.49 étoiles

I love it. There’s so much emotion in this album - Billy corgan’s voice is timeless. I forgot how chilling “Tonight Tonight” is. The volume of high quality music on this album is insane, but due to the 2hour timestamp, that also means it has its low moments. The whole album is great at capturing anger, confusion, love, and everything in between. I would listen to this album front to back a lot in the summer, and I always felt like it accurately painted what was going on in my head throughout life. Idk, just hits.

Too long and sounds flat and compressed. But other than that love

A masterpiece of alternative rock that pushes every edge of the genre. There is never a dull moment here, just hit after hit. I love how it switches from heavy emotional stress to dreamy ballads and back like it’s nothing. At times it feels like this album loses itself in its own grandiosity

They tried out a lot of stuff and lots of it was beautiful.

Their big classic songs are on here. Great stuff but the whole album isn’t great outside those.

just one of those albums that speak to me somehow. i can see how this could be a grating, bloated, arrogant mess for some people, but somehow none of that ended up being a problem for me just two straight hours of great riffs, mental solos, and softer songs that have no right to have the emotional weight they do considering they're being sung by billy fucking corgan lmao. i can definitely say i didn't expect to get through a 28-song triple album without getting bored, but it was honestly fantastic from front to back favourite songs: 1979, bodies, to forgive least favourite songs: none

I like it

Such a good album. Really defined their sound

Amazing album. But good lord is it long. At least it's all great music, beginning to end

This should have split up into two days.

For an album this long, I found myself engaged throughout the entire thing. This is an enjoyable listen if you're in the right frame of mind to listen, but I will say that it does require a certain frame of mind to fully appreciate. Lyrically, the Pumpkins tended heavily towards the melodramatic, and things got quite cheesy at times with the woe-is-me teenage angst. While a few songs are duds, there's actually a decent amount of good ones! I partially question the necessity of a two hour album (and this is the short version; the deluxe is nearly six!), but even still, the album flows incredibly well thanks to the ordering and pacing of the songs. There are still some tracks that should have stayed on the cutting room floor, but for an album that should come off as bloated, I didn't hear as much filler as I was expecting from a 2-hour double album. I appreciate the sheer amount of styles and genres that they touch, and how fresh the Pumpkins managed to keep things. I enjoyed the more tender ballads and soft rock than the pure metal tracks, even if I had a lot of fun with songs like Bullet with Butterfly Wings (even if the lyric "despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage" is eye roll inducing). 1979 is probably their most well-known track, and soaked in nostalgia for me personally, but it's a standout for a reason. I really enjoyed Galapogos and Stumbleine as well. Corgan’s voice is definitely an acquired taste. He's like an even tone deaf-er Mick Jagger. It unfortunately cuts into my enjoyment of the album somewhat, but not as much as I initially expected it to! It's only really bad on a couple of songs. I expected myself to be harsher on this album than I ended up being, but I couldn't help but enjoy it despite the length. 7.5/10 Favorites: - Tonight, Tonight - Jellybelly - Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Galapogos - Muzzle - Porcelina - Bodies - In The Arms of Sleep - 1979 - Stumbleine - XYU - Lily

This album was so long it took me a week to give it a proper listen and review. As long as it was I enjoyed this album from front to back. Billy Corgans voice at times sounds like nails on a chalkboard but it does the job similar to Mick Jagger. This album loves to switch up between soft touching ballads and heavy metal tracks. I was a fan of this pacing because some of the metal tracks are tough listens but you are immediately rewarded for toughing it out with soft healing songs like Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Galapagos or Thru The Eyes Of A Ruby. My favorite of the heavy metal tracks was Love only because the gritty, reverberating bass line reminds me of Elephant by Tame Impala. Shoutout to James Iha for writing the two lovely and perfect outro tracks to each disc. This was definitely an album I definitely needed to hear before I died and was deserving of inclusion on this list. Favorites Disc 1: - Zero - Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Galapogos - Porcelina Of Vast Oceans - Take Me Down Disc 2: - In The Arms Of Sleep - 1979 - Thru The Eyes Of Ruby - Lily (My One And Only) - By Starlight - Farewell And Goodnight

Wow. Just had this last week. Can’t say I am sad. Certainly not infinitely sad. But this IS a f*ing long album. See how I feel about that today. Yeah. I actually really love this album. I would definitely love it more if it were two albums. It’s just too long, dang it! 4 Boolean: True

I bought this album as a teenager after seeing the video for Tonight, Tonight. I loved many of the songs, and it works great as a double album. Already had Tonight, Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Tales of a Scorched Earth, and We Only Come Out at Night on my liked list. Added Zero this time.

Are there just some bands that you can’t stand for no real reason? This is one for me. The Smashing Pumpkins get right on my tits. Blerg.

Right up there with "Use Your Illusion," the White Album, and "Sandinista!" in the all-time "this would be absolutely incredible if it was just one LP instead of a double/triple" rankings. Stevie Wonder scoffs at their paltry efforts.

A two hour album - on a Monday?! It’s a lot of album to handle, but it’s pretty decent. Favourite track: Tonight, Tonight

Excellent mix of heavy and soft, such a shame that Billy Corgan's voice is so poorly suited to the softer tracks because they're the highlights of the album for me

Familiar with the singles. First time listening to them as an album. Really well orchestrated. Talented musicians at work here.

Some good, some bad. Not too shabby