5.0 out of 5 stars
"Aeroplane" flies high, indeed, February 22, 2005
This review is from: Aeroplane Flies High (Audio CD)
The Smashing Pumpkins created a sprawling, rich rock masterpiece with "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness." They also created a lot of songs that didn't make it to the final cut, but ended up being attached to the singles as a series of EPs. "The Aeroplane Flies High" collects those five EPs together, and creates a B-side/single collection that is well worth having.
The first song on each disc is a song from the "Mellon Collie" double album, but the five or six songs that come after each single are unique to the EPs, originally from various recording sessions. These songs are often as good as -- sometimes even better -- than what did make it onto the albums.
Each EP has its own mood, and its own self-contained flow, keeping the B-sides from feeling tacked on. One is hard and angry, one is bitter, one is soft and sweet, one is feel good, and so on. As a result, the full range of what the Pumpkins were able to do -- rock, pop, metal, ballads and experimental -- got put on full display, in all their glory.
For example, in the "1979" disc, the Pumpkins get to explore their alt-pop side, while the "Zero" disc explores bitterness and loneliness, sticking to their hard-rock sound. Not to mention the orchestral/acoustic flavor of the "Tonight Tonight" EP, with its subtle strings and laments, and a lo-fi reprise of the title song.
But there is no lag in quality, just because the B-sides didn't make it to the final cut of "Mellon Collie." Songs like "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" prove that Pumpkins B-sides are still exceptional, including covers of bands like Blondie and the Cars (yes, that IS Blondie's "Dreaming" you hear Corgan singing, strange as it is).
The heart of the Smashing Pumpkins was Billy Corgan, and Corgan's talents shine in most of the songs here. He delves into orchestras, distortion, lo-fi acoustics and jazz, all in the name of experimentation. Corgan's complex songwriting resembles poetry set to music, and his high, slightly offbeat vocals seem well-suited to the songs he sings. James Iha also wrote and sang a bit on these collections, including a pretty duet with Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt.
If fans have the EPs already, then they will already have the content of "The Aeroplane Flies High." But if they don't, this exceptional collection is definitely worth getting and keeping. A wonderfully overblown collection of B-sides and singles.
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