Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (country, metal)

Urban Hat€monger ? · 05-31-2006, 12:43 PM

Authors note ...
About a year & a half ago I wrote this reveiw of this album and posted it in several places online.I actually took it down from them all a couple of months later due to the sheer amount of hatemail I was getting from Smashing Pumpkins fans
Anyway a friend of mine emailed me this reveiw a couple of days ago asking me 'Do you remember when you wrote this?' And how we laughed remembering the bile directed at me from all of Billy Corgans little groupies.So anyway I figuered it was worth posting here , just for a laugh really. and to see if it gets the same sort of reaction......Enjoy

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Let`s get one thing out of the way.When this came out i HATED it.The pumpkins were one of my favorite bands around the early 90s & then THIS came out.At first I was excited at the thought of getting a double album of one of my favorite bands.I heard the first single off it (Bullet with Butterfly Wings) & thought it was pretty OK but nothing reallt THAT special .However the album itself once I had heard it made my face drop. I couldn`t beleive how this good band had basically made a double album of mostly fillers. I put it on the shelf & there it has stayed fall that time. Until now , I had seeing it`s now the 10th anniversary of it`s release I`ve decided that it`s time for a re-evaluation & that with the band long since gone & with my greater range of musical tastes & the stigma of them being one of my favorite band long gone I felt I could listen to it again with a totally open mind , so here goes ......

1. Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness
Long drawn out intro , I thought I was listening to a Genesis album or something *shudder*

2. Tonight tonight
It`s OK, reminds me of the Manic Street Preachers with the big orchestral string section

3. Jellybelly
Not bad,Average rock song that could ultimately be a B side off a single from the Gish album
Nothing special though

4. Zero
Easy choice of single , bit predictable though

5. Here is no why
Dire stadium rock ballad that ultimatly put me off this band,sadly for me this is basically the direction they took after this album

6. Bullet with butterfly wings
Good choice of first single off the album , liked it when it came out still think it`s OK now

7. To forgive
Another dull ballad

8. F*ck you (an ode to no one)
Reasonable rock song but ultimatly nowhere near as good as anything off the first 2 albums

9. Love
Awful distorted vocals as if Corgans voice isn`t irritating enough already,horrible horrible song

10. Cupid De Locke
Sounds like a decent tune for a short interlude, unfortunatly they decided to make a full length song over it. Boring

11. Galapogos
Another boring ballad , Jesus this is the band that wrote ****ing Soma & Mayonaise ...what the hell happened

12. Muzzle
Not a bad song although if they had written in for Siamese Dream it would be lucky to be a B side for a single

13. Porcelina of the vast oceans
Long intro that goes nowhere,turns out to be a pretty decent song but the computerised distorted guitars just become intrusive & annoying which is a shame coz it had potential to be a good song.Also loses points for having a wanky song title

14. Take me down
Acoustic country style ballad that goes pretty much nowhere & gets boring after a short while

15. Where boys fear to tread
Starts of ripping off Sonic Youth then they get bored & rip off Nirvana, has to be said Corgan`s vocals on this song are atrocious.And the guitars are out of tune

16. Bodies
Corgan rewrites Soundgardens Jesus Christ Pose with out of tune guitars again,stick with the original

17. Thirty three
Yet another dull ballad

18. In the arms of sleep
And ANOTHER ballad , at least Corgans found his vocals at last

19. 1979
Highlight of the album , shame there`s so much rubbish to wade through to get to it

20. Tales of a scorched earth
Corgan tries death metal ... absolutly hilarious

21. Thru the eyes of Ruby
Pretty good song very reminicent of the stuff on Siamese dream & this could have even made it onto that album too, a thumbs up for a change.

22. Stumbleine
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ acoustic ballad ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

23. XYU
Decent enough rocker, could have been taken off the Gish album , but still distinctly average.

24. We only come out at night
Awful Awful Awful , Sounds like they tried to write their very own Yellow Submarine & yes it`s really that bad

25. Beautiful
Very Trip Hop sounding ,However play this directly after a Massive Attack song & see Corgans musical limitations to the full and laugh at it ...go on i did

26. Lily (my one and only)
Yep another dull ballad

27. By starlight
And here

28. Farewell and goodnight
And here ... thank god thats it

To sum up ...

I still maintain this NOWHERE near the great album like people seem to think this is , It`s blatently obvious to me Siamese Dream is far far superior to this.Most of the songs are just fillers , Corgan`s vocals on some of them is awful & it`s far too over produced & long winded.Even if this was trimmed down to a single album it STILL wouldn`t be as good as Siamese Dream & in fact i`d say Gish might even top it.I wish people could see this album for what it was , Billy Corgan flexing his ego & his ego falling flat on his backside showing his musical limitations.I wanted to like this album, i tried to like this album but at the end of the day it doesn`t warrant being a double album.Think of it as a single album with a free disc of outakes ... you`ll feel better for it, but not THAT much better......Horrible.

Verdict 1.5/10

shiftael · 05-31-2006, 12:50 PM

Ouch, that album didn't jsut get burned, it got flamed! but good review.

Alo · 05-31-2006, 12:50 PM

lol, it isn't that negative!
But you really got hatemail for this?

cardboard adolescent · 05-31-2006, 12:53 PM

Generally, I agree with you. I would say I like this album, but the truth is when I listen to it I usually don't get past An Ode to No One. But I'm not quite as critical as you are, so I'd say I like it based on Zero, Jellybelly, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, and the fact that the other songs aren't actually BAD - just not great.

And of course, Corgan is a controlfreak douchebag and shouldn't be trusted with an album. I'll agree that Siamese Dreams is better, but I'd probably still give it more than a 1.5.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 05-31-2006, 12:59 PM

It`s a pretty sad state of affairs when you think a double album would make a good E.P.

Stone Magnet · 05-31-2006, 01:35 PM

I like a few songs off of Mellon Collie (XYU, Zero, etc.), but I agree with you for the most part. A lot of it just seems like filler. It's as if they made it a double album for the sake of making it a double album. I don't think it's right to compare it to the first two SP albums though.

...Then again, even on its own, it's still a mediocre album. You're right when you say that it could have been cut down to an E.P..

Merkaba · 05-31-2006, 03:41 PM

I only like 2,4,6 and 19 really. Good to see a negative reveiw on here too.

boo boo · 05-31-2006, 04:24 PM

Can't say i agree with this at all, in fact, i have to say i disagree til the cows come home to cook their flapjacks on Marcia Crosse's forehead while Kevin Spacy throws donuts on Tori Spellings penis.

Expect a bad review of a MSP album, coming your way.

mosesandtherubberducky · 05-31-2006, 04:28 PM

ouch

Good review though but I do like this album and boo boo please do not post in here again or I and everyone else will start flaming Nirvana

boo boo · 05-31-2006, 04:29 PM

Meanie.

And i just noticed he only liked The Holy Bible, thats what interests me about Urban, he likes at least one album per artist and thinks everything else sucks.

05-31-2006, 12:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Authors note ... About a year & a half ago I wrote this reveiw of this album and posted it in several places online.I actually took it down from them all a couple of months later due to the sheer amount of hatemail I was getting from Smashing Pumpkins fans Anyway a friend of mine emailed me this reveiw a couple of days ago asking me 'Do you remember when you wrote this?' And how we laughed remembering the bile directed at me from all of Billy Corgans little groupies.So anyway I figuered it was worth posting here , just for a laugh really. and to see if it gets the same sort of reaction......Enjoy Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Let`s get one thing out of the way.When this came out i HATED it.The pumpkins were one of my favorite bands around the early 90s & then THIS came out.At first I was excited at the thought of getting a double album of one of my favorite bands.I heard the first single off it (Bullet with Butterfly Wings) & thought it was pretty OK but nothing reallt THAT special .However the album itself once I had heard it made my face drop. I couldn`t beleive how this good band had basically made a double album of mostly fillers. I put it on the shelf & there it has stayed fall that time. Until now , I had seeing it`s now the 10th anniversary of it`s release I`ve decided that it`s time for a re-evaluation & that with the band long since gone & with my greater range of musical tastes & the stigma of them being one of my favorite band long gone I felt I could listen to it again with a totally open mind , so here goes ...... 1. Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness Long drawn out intro , I thought I was listening to a Genesis album or something shudder 2. Tonight tonight It`s OK, reminds me of the Manic Street Preachers with the big orchestral string section 3. Jellybelly Not bad,Average rock song that could ultimately be a B side off a single from the Gish album Nothing special though 4. Zero Easy choice of single , bit predictable though 5. Here is no why Dire stadium rock ballad that ultimatly put me off this band,sadly for me this is basically the direction they took after this album 6. Bullet with butterfly wings Good choice of first single off the album , liked it when it came out still think it`s OK now 7. To forgive Another dull ballad 8. Fck you (an ode to no one) Reasonable rock song but ultimatly nowhere near as good as anything off the first 2 albums 9. Love Awful distorted vocals as if Corgans voice isn`t irritating enough already,horrible horrible song 10. Cupid De Locke Sounds like a decent tune for a short interlude, unfortunatly they decided to make a full length song over it. Boring 11. Galapogos Another boring ballad , Jesus this is the band that wrote *ing Soma & Mayonaise ...what the hell happened 12. Muzzle Not a bad song although if they had written in for Siamese Dream it would be lucky to be a B side for a single 13. Porcelina of the vast oceans Long intro that goes nowhere,turns out to be a pretty decent song but the computerised distorted guitars just become intrusive & annoying which is a shame coz it had potential to be a good song.Also loses points for having a wanky song title 14. Take me down Acoustic country style ballad that goes pretty much nowhere & gets boring after a short while 15. Where boys fear to tread Starts of ripping off Sonic Youth then they get bored & rip off Nirvana, has to be said Corgan`s vocals on this song are atrocious.And the guitars are out of tune 16. Bodies Corgan rewrites Soundgardens Jesus Christ Pose with out of tune guitars again,stick with the original 17. Thirty three Yet another dull ballad 18. In the arms of sleep And ANOTHER ballad , at least Corgans found his vocals at last 19. 1979 Highlight of the album , shame there`s so much rubbish to wade through to get to it 20. Tales of a scorched earth Corgan tries death metal ... absolutly hilarious 21. Thru the eyes of Ruby Pretty good song very reminicent of the stuff on Siamese dream & this could have even made it onto that album too, a thumbs up for a change. 22. Stumbleine ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ acoustic ballad ZZZZZZZZZZZZ 23. XYU Decent enough rocker, could have been taken off the Gish album , but still distinctly average. 24. We only come out at night Awful Awful Awful , Sounds like they tried to write their very own Yellow Submarine & yes it`s really that bad 25. Beautiful Very Trip Hop sounding ,However play this directly after a Massive Attack song & see Corgans musical limitations to the full and laugh at it ...go on i did 26. Lily (my one and only) Yep another dull ballad 27. By starlight And here 28. Farewell and goodnight And here ... thank god thats it To sum up ... I still maintain this NOWHERE near the great album like people seem to think this is , It`s blatently obvious to me Siamese Dream is far far superior to this.Most of the songs are just fillers , Corgan`s vocals on some of them is awful & it`s far too over produced & long winded.Even if this was trimmed down to a single album it STILL wouldn`t be as good as Siamese Dream & in fact i`d say Gish might even top it.I wish people could see this album for what it was , Billy Corgan flexing his ego & his ego falling flat on his backside showing his musical limitations.I wanted to like this album, i tried to like this album but at the end of the day it doesn`t warrant being a double album.Think of it as a single album with a free disc of outakes ... you`ll feel better for it, but not THAT much better......Horrible. Verdict 1.5/10 __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.**

05-31-2006, 12:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Alo Scarf Join Date: May 2006 Location: Brighton, UK Posts: 715	lol, it isn't that negative! But you really got hatemail for this? __________________ I rocked my shoelaces untied

05-31-2006, 12:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	It`s a pretty sad state of affairs when you think a double album would make a good E.P. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

05-31-2006, 01:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
Stone Magnet Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Keswick, Ontario Posts: 731	I like a few songs off of Mellon Collie (XYU, Zero, etc.), but I agree with you for the most part. A lot of it just seems like filler. It's as if they made it a double album for the sake of making it a double album. I don't think it's right to compare it to the first two SP albums though. ...Then again, even on its own, it's still a mediocre album. You're right when you say that it could have been cut down to an E.P.. __________________ Lock to field screen, row the ocean onto sentient ground. New rites of a Vedic sun to attend the blue horizon. Prevails flight resplendent, sails the shrine effulgent windship. Stillness breathes apex supreme - I walk toward the mountain. Crowns the sovereic rite to freedom. Shored the origin forms to a ground accede. Axiom core of the light shrine flight to shining. Glows serene to attenuate the space and time.

05-31-2006, 03:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
Merkaba Whitewater! Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Zealand Posts: 2,885	I only like 2,4,6 and 19 really. Good to see a negative reveiw on here too. __________________ She thinks I'm a reclusive genius, she's going to be very disappointed when she finds out i'm a reclusive wanker

05-31-2006, 12:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
shiftael Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 390	Ouch, that album didn't jsut get burned, it got flamed! but good review.

05-31-2006, 12:53 PM	#4 (permalink)
cardboard adolescent ;) Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CA Posts: 3,503	Generally, I agree with you. I would say I like this album, but the truth is when I listen to it I usually don't get past An Ode to No One. But I'm not quite as critical as you are, so I'd say I like it based on Zero, Jellybelly, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, and the fact that the other songs aren't actually BAD - just not great. And of course, Corgan is a controlfreak douchebag and shouldn't be trusted with an album. I'll agree that Siamese Dreams is better, but I'd probably still give it more than a 1.5.

05-31-2006, 04:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
mosesandtherubberducky butt say x Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: so i read the question as "Where YOU live" which was kinda funny instead of "Where you live" Posts: 1,649	ouch Good review though but I do like this album and boo boo please do not post in here again or I and everyone else will start flaming Nirvana __________________ Can I have a youtube video for a sig? There's a thing that says "Wrap [YOUTUBE] tags around selected text"