Gish [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Smashing Pumpkins

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
• Original Release Date: May 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000000W6F
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,785 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #65 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Dream Pop
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
Upon the release of Gish--the group's debut--in the summer of 1991, more than one rock aficionado hailed the Smashing Pumpkins as the best band to come out of Chicago since Ministry. A bold statement, yes, but one backed up by Billy Corgan's Hendrix-like riffs and searing signature guitar tone. Intriguing songwriting is evidenced from the start as well, with the driving, amped-up rock of "I Am One," "Siva," and "Tristessa" contrasted with the soothingly eerie psychedelic flavor of "Rhinoceros" and "Window Paine." Gish predates the band's movement toward the loop-based electronic sounds heard in their late-'90s works, yet the seeds for this transition are definitely apparent. Electro guru Tricky even sampled the backbeat from "Suffer" in the tributary "Pumpkin" on his sex-soaked Maxinquaye. Butch Vig shows off his chops as producer and cultivates signature dramatic moods on Gish, which helped put the Smashing Pumpkins on the map as one of the most important alt-rock bands of the '90s--much to the delight of the decade's disenfranchised youth. --Brad Zinser

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their first and also their best, September 21, 2000

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Woe for the days when the Smashing Pumpkins were the hottest item on the Chicago club circuit and WXRT was the only radio station in the country playing "Gish." That was way back in 1991. I was mesmorized by this album then, and the feeling has never changed. As the Pumpkins have exploded into mass popularity, their music has grown more pompous and less interesting. Not so here. Listen to the great cuts "Rhinocerous," "Suffer," "Tristessa" and "Window Paine" and you'll be hooked. An excellent low key debut from a band that eventually got too big for their own good.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stepping stone to their future successes..., August 23, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

In all fairness though, this is still an excellent accomplishment from Billy Corgan and company. Yes, it is more guitar heavy than Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie, or Adore (Pisces Iscariot I didn't include because that covers all of the b-sides from Gish and Siamese Dream, therefore it isn't a good album to be used as a measure), but consider that all of their live shows are just like Gish in their raw guitar power, and when Gish was recorded the Smashing Pumpkins were still a relatively new band who only had experience on stage, not in the recording studio. I Am One, Siva, Bury Me, and Tristessa will get your speakers booming with their grinding rythms, while Suffer and Daydream seem to around the room on a wave of soft melodies. One cannot count out Rhinoceros though, for this one song captures the best of both types of SP songs. So, to pumpkins fans new and old who don't have this album, buy it for it's sheer artistry at a time when Nirvana and the "grunge" sound ruled the airwaves, but more so, buy it because it still stands out as a great accomplishment from the Smashing Pumpkins

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning Was Beautiful, Too., May 7, 2004

By	Samhot (Star Land) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Here is The Smashing Pumpkins' full-length debut album from 1991. The Pumpkins' sound here displays what we would come to expect from the gang: heavy, searing, multi-tracked guitars (which often gets compared to Brian May - of Queen fame), melancholic, dreamy soundscapes and lyrics, contrasts from heavy sounds to soft sounds. However, these are the beginning stages of what would fully blossom on later efforts like 1993's _Siamese Dream_, and 1995's _Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness_. While the heavy tracks feature the ethereal wall-of-sound that the Pumpkins are known for, this heaviness is not as full, lush, and oceanic as it would become on aforementioned following discs, but you can hear where the band was headed.

However, when taken as it is -- an album showing the band in it's earliest stages -- _Gish_ is an excellent, highly enjoyable album. It is hardly a disappointing album -- far, far from it. The Pumpkins' amalgamation of heavy (but melodic and dreamy) rockers and dreamy, atmospheric, psychedelic-tinged mellow tracks appear here, giving ample proof that the Pumpkins didn't necessarily change their sound over the years, but rather refined it. "I Am One" and "Siva" open up the album on hard-driving notes. The former could be heard on alternative rock radio stations, even to this day. Do you think that because The Smashing Pumpkins made hard-rockers, they used nothing more than simple power chords? Well, both these tracks feature arpeggiated chords that are beyond simple.

The hard-driving rockers are interrupted for what are possibly the most ethereal, wispy, mood-inducing six minutes on the album: "Rhinoceros" is such a heavenly beauty, and is without a doubt, my favorite track on this album. Billy Corgan's acquired vocal stylings blend perfectly with the dreamy atmospheres brought on by the guitar arpeggios, textured arrangements, and the treatment of them all. Many complain about Billy's voice, but what other vocalist could complement the Pumpkins' music as perfectly as his? Nobody I can think of (except maybe one of the other Pumpkins.. ), but regardless, his voice was an ethereal instrument unto itself.

Elsewhere, "Crush" seems to foreshadow "Thirty-Three," as it's a dream-folk track (it's very hard to categorize in exact terms.) Billy's vocals are lovely here. "Snail" is a moody piece that seems to share a kinship with most adult contemporary music -- except this rocks harder, and the lyrics are probably a bit more inscrutable. The rocker "Tristessa" sounds like it could have been a dry run for "Cherub Rock." Listen to some of those whacked-out fills from drummer extraordinaire Jimmy Chamberlain. "Window Paine" is almost as mood-inducing as "Rhinoceros," and takes it's time by resting on one or two chords, which build up to an explosive, cathartic climax, and the ethereal, acoustic closer "Daydream" features bassist D'Arcy on lead vocals, followed by a brief coda from Billy.

An excellent album from an excellent band, of whom I miss dearly. Definitely worth owning, but if you're new to the Pumpkins, start with _Siamese Dream_ first.