Customer Reviews

Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits

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The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the greatest bands of the 90s, a mixture of dreamy pop and stark grungey metal, set against Billy Corgan's poem-like songwriting. And "The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits" almost lives up to its name -- there are one or two songs that don't quite fit here, but most of them are indeed the "Greatest" that the band produced.

The songs are pretty much arranged in chronological order, starting off with the hard-rocker "Siva" and heading off into the mixture of hard rock/metal, and eerie dreampop, climaxing with the rich offerings from "Mellon Collie And the Infinite Sadness." With the songs of "Adore," there's an obvious shift in tone, becoming a bit more gothic and less rockish, only to swing back in the slow-burning songs from "Machina," their swan song.

There is also a bonus disc here: "Judas O," the follow-up to B-sides collection "Pisces Iscariot." Like its predecessor, "Judas O" is a collection so solid that it outshines many proper albums, containing B-sides to "Machina/The Machines of God," "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," and the rare "Machina II," as well as some truly outstanding new songs. They range from gentle acoustics to explosive guitars, and reaffirm that even the discards from the Pumpkins are of excellent quality.

Long after disbanding, the Smashing Pumpkins are still a towering presence in rock -- they debuted in the era of Nirvana, but with a very different kind of music. Their creative use of basic instruments and Billy Corgan's rich songwriting made them much more complex and deeper than almost all rock bands of the time. And "Greatest Hits" follows them through the band's entire lifetime -- from their surprisingly polished debut to the panoramic "Mellon Collie" to their gothic art-rock.

The songs included on "Greatest Hits" are not just the most commercially known, but also several of the best -- "Ava Adore," "Siva," "1979" and "Tonight Tonight." An additional track is stuck on, "Real Love," but somehow it just isn't up to the standards of the other songs. It's nice, but not up to the level of the "Greatest" Smashing Pumpkins songs. For that, "Judas O" takes over.

Corgan was without a doubt the creative center of the Pumpkins -- he wrote the songs, filling them with doubts, anger and anguish, and also provided some mind-blowing guitar riffs and his vocals. His high, reedy voice is woven well into the music, giving his poetic lyrics an unusually heartfelt quality. He's singing about love, death, bombs, loneliness in a metaphorical wasteland.

The guitar and bass provide sizzling soundscapes and dense walls of sound, while the percussion is complex and lightning-fast. At the same time, we get the sweeping dreampop -- like the haunting "Rhinoceros" -- and gentler songs, where Corgan slows his guitar down to a gentle acoustic strum. That versatility is one of the things that made the Pumpkins so outstanding.

Rock doesn't get much more original than the Smashing Pumpkins, and several of their greatest hits -- both among fans and critics -- are compiled in "The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits." The best-of disc is a good look at their work, but it's "Judas O" which makes this a must-have.

I was more than happy when the Smashing Pumpkins came out with a greatest hits record. The CD "Rotten Apples" comes complete with all of the classic Pumpkins songs from over the years.

From their first CD "Gish", you have the songs Siva and Rhinoceros.
From "Siamese Dream", you've got Cherub Rock, Today, and Disarm.
From the disc of B-Sides, "Pisces Iscariot", there is the cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, Landslide.
From "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", there is Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Tonight Tonight, 1979, and Zero.
From "Adore", you have Ava Adore and Perfect.
From "Machina/The Machines of God", there is The Everlasting Gaze and Stand Inside your Love
And two songs not released on Pumpkins CD's in the past but put on other soundtrack albums are Drown and Eye.

Some other bright spots are the two previously unreleased tracks that close the album, Real Love and Untitled. Real Love sounds much like the version put on the Machina II album, and internet release that many fans never got to hear. Untitled is a very strong track and a good closing track that has the radio-friendly sound the band masters at.

If you were lucky to get the Bonus CD of rarities and b-sides also known as Judas-O with your Rotten Apples disc, you will most definately enjoy the over 15 previously unreleased songs, that is just as good as the greatest hits disc and is sure to be a hit itself.

The Smashing Pumpkins have come a long way since their first album, and you can listen to the growth and change in sound over the years throughout this disc. It is well worth the money and even if you're not a Pumpkins fan yet or are thinking of giving them a listen, go with this CD, it is sure to be a favorite in your collection for years to come.

When making a Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits collection, the question isn't what to include, it is what you are forced to leave off. The Pumpkins have one of the most diverse portfolios in the history of music, especially considering that the band was only around for about nine years. On one end, you have the grunge-and-punk influenced sounds of Gish, to the acid-rock of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie, and the electronica of the Chamberlain-free Adore. Add to that several singles from movie soundtracks and the real gems in the Pumpkins' crown - their incredible b-sides - and compiling a Greatest Hits collection becomes a Herculean task.

Thankfully for die-hards and casual fans like, this collection manages to get it just about right. A two-disc set that's rumored to have a limited run, Greatest Hits features all the major singles on its first disc, Rotten Apples, and a healthy dose of b-sides and unreleased stuff on the second, Judas-O. The so-called "radio singles" make up most of Rotten Apples, and these are the songs that most people will instantly recognize - the songs that, rightly, made the Pumpkins famous. There aren't any major, glaring omissions here, although I can hear the fanboys from here yelling, "Why didn't they include x?"

Perhaps the fanboys should take note of the second disc, which collects some of the best b-sides stuff the Pumpkins put out. I've been telling people ever since I first heard the band right before Siamese Dream that the Pumpkins really are a b-side band; some of their very best stuff is also some of their hardest-to-locate stuff. I have my own complaints about omissions - as far as I'm concerned, the entire Zero single could have been included here - but, all in all, it's a satisfying helping. There are several unreleased tracks on here that will probably become nothing but a footnote to Pumpkins history, but they should be given their due.

I have a feeling that, as time progresses, Rotten Apples and Judas-O well become to the Pumpkins what Hot Rocks! was to the Rolling Stones: the summary collection that people of future generations will turn to when they want to add the band to their music collection. Although diehards will shake their heads and proudly spin their copies of Bullet Train to Osaka, the bottom line is that we couldn't ask for a much better representation of one of the greatest musical acts of all time. If, one day, your kid comes home with this album firmly tucked under arm and you still have a complaint about something missing, remember, that's what CD burners are for.

As a fan of every Pumpkins record in varient degrees, I have always seen the Pumpkins as an album band rather than a singles band. Sure, they released great singles but those songs were always better in the context of the records that housed them. So I initially felt that a Pumpkins greatest hits record would be pretty useless. But to my surprise, "Greatest Hits" works surprisinngly well as a record onto itself.
You pretty much know what you are going to get here. You get all the major Pumpkins singles from the mid-ninties such as "Today", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" and "Tonight, Tonight", in addition to a few lesser known singles("Stand Inside Your Love", "Thirty Three"), a couple of new tracks("Real Love" and "Untitled", neither of which assist the Pumpkins legacy) and a few question marks, both good(the inclusion of "Eye" from the "Lost Highway" soundtrack is a cool choice) to the not-so-good("Siva" instead of the excellent "I Am One", not inclduing "The End is the Beginning is The End", an excellent song from the otherwise worthless "Batman and Robin" soundtrack). But what is so surprising is how well all the songs fit togather.
The arena heavy hits like "Rocket" and "Zero" sit perfectly next to quieter ballads like "Disarm" and the Pumpkins good cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" next to electro-pop ditties like "1979", "Ava Adore" and "Perfect". This is a definte compliment to the songwritting of Corgan, who fits nearly every song on here with a memeorable melody and mood and this helps the feel of the record better. Where most greatest hits records feel scattershot this one gels togather surprisngly well which is all the more shocking because of the scope and ambition of Corgan's songwritting.
If you can find it, this C.D. was origanelly released with a second disc of B-Sides, odds and ends and tracks from the "Machina 2" record that was only released online(this second disc was the reason I purchased this record), and most of the songs on this disc show another side of the Pumpkins, a more ambitious and artsy side that their singles rarely showed(a few albums tracks on the greatest hits might have helped with this). Though the disc, called "Judas O", is a bit scattershot, it is still an excellent addition to your C.D. collection.
Obviously "Greatest Hits" was released for casuel fans and future generations of people who didn't grow up with the Smashing Pumpkins constatnly blaring out of their radio speakers. I can respect this. This disc wasn't made for the die-hard fans like myself. But surprisngly, this disc works well for anyone who likes the Pumpkins. And that is a true testament to the Pumpkins song.

Smashing Pumpkins were the one of the most definitive alternative bands of the 90's. They provided songs that were complex, yet fans could relate to them. They provided songs that will forever be remembered. They were an amazing band. However, in the late 90's, into the new millenium, music was changing, and the future plan didn't seem to have a place for the Smashing Pumpkins. Their last studio album, MACHINA: THE MACHINES OF GOD, was one of the best albums from their catalog, its my favorite, yet it didn't get any promotion from their label and didn't fare too well in terms of sales, which is a shame. At the end of 2000, the Smashing Pumpkins broke up. Maybe it was because D'Arcy quit the group shortly around MACHINA, or maybe it was because they didn't feel they fit with the music of today, but whatever the cause, it was a great shame to lose an amazing band.

GREATEST HITS spans the 10 year career of this band. The Limited Edition features two discs, disc one "Rotten Apples" which is their Greatest Hits, and disc two is "Judas O", a bsides and rarities album. For JUDAS O alone, its worth getting. ROTTEN APPLES includes many hits from their albums GISH, SIAMESE DREAM, MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS, ADORE and MACHINA: THE MACHINES OF GOD. As well included, is the cover of the Fleetwood Mac song "Landslide", the collab with Marilyn Manson "Eye", from the LOST HIGHWAY SOUNDTRACK, and two unreleased tracks "Real Love", and "Untitled", which was their last song ever recorded.

JUDAS O features some amazing bsides, that well deserved to be on the albums. It further reminds me what an amazing musician/songwriter Billy Corgan is. This one is definately worth checking out, the highlights include "Sparrow", "Lucky 13", "Because You Are", and many others. Its worth buying the CD for this limited CD! Overall this is a nice career retrospective, my only complaint is they did not include "Thirty Three" on the ROTTEN APPLES disc, but other than that it's flawless. A nice reminder of what an amazing band the Smashing Pumpkins were, a good retrospective of their career, and a reminder of what great music is.

Rotten Apples does exactly what it's supposed to do, it lists the Smashing Pumpkins most notable hit songs. Most of the best are here, including Tonight Tonight, Disarm and 1979, but it's some of the better album songs, such as Mayonaise, Thru The Eyes of Ruby and some of the gems on Machina 2 that we miss here. I'm gonna be one of those people that lists a more appropriate tracklisting here, which is a composite of all albums, many reviews and my own personal opinions. It is a 2 CD, 30 track effort and I have made it myself and find it great.

DISC ONE

1. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
2. Tonight Tonight
3. Glass' Theme (Machina 2)
4. Today
5. The Everlasting Gaze
6. Eye
7. Zero
8. Rocket
9. The End Is The Beginning Is The End
10. 1979
11. Luna
12. Galapogos
13. Perfect
14. Le Deux Machina (Machina 2)
15. Untitled

DISC TWO

1. Cherub Rock
2. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
3. Drown
4. Disarm
5. Thru The Eyes of Ruby
6. Landslide
7. Thirty-Three
8. Here Is No Why
9. Rhinoceros
10. Stand Inside Your Love
11. Where Boys Fear To Tread
12. Mayonaise
13. Siva
14. Ava Adore
15. Farewell and Goodnight

Obviously not chronological, but much more comprehensive and encapsulating than the original.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is by far their greatest album, and my compilation reflects that, though the solid nature of the Siamese Dream songs is also impressive.

Hope this is of help to those thinking of buying this CD or making their own alternative track listing.

Whilst frequently grouped with their contemporaries from the Pacific Northwest, the Chicagoan Smashing Pumpkins - both aesthetically and stylistically - never quite integrated into nor aspired to be part of the prevailing Grunge scene of the early-mid 90s. Alluding to their incongruity with regard to the grunge power base and its fans, one commentator aptly noted, "Nirvana were cooler, Soundgarden were heavier and Pearl Jam were sexier."

Although compiling a collection of the best of the Smashing Pumpkins' vast catalogue would appear at first to be a daunting task, the `Greatest Hits' tag guarantees that there are no real shock inclusions or exclusions on Rotten Apples.

The Rotten Apples disc showcases above all else the versatility and ambition of the Smashing Pumpkins and their enigmatic frontman, Billy Corgan. From the psychedelic metal of `Siva', the shoegaze-leanings of `Rhinoceros' and the bastardised synth-pop of `1979' to the orchestral grandeur of `Tonight, Tonight' and the electro-goth of `Ava Adore' and `Eye', the collection runs the gamut of the Pumpkins repertoire, demonstrating an adaptability and unpredictability that dwarfed that of their alt-rock cohorts.

For most Pumpkins fans however, the Judas O disc will be the item of most interest, with 9 tracks previously unavailable and 3 more not commercially available (the tracks taken from the internet-only album MACHINA II [this original `Saturnine' varies from the MACHINA II version, as does `Here's to the Atom Bomb']). Anybody with any familiarity of the band's prodigious non-album output will be well aware of the high quality of their "outtakes" and will be unsurprised by the quality herein. That said however, there is still some great stuff out there that didn't make the cut here.

Seen as something of a companion piece to 1994's b-sides collection Pisces Iscariot - and to a lesser degree, the 1996 Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness (1995) b-sides box set The Aeroplane Flies High - Judas O concentrates principally on tracks taken from both the Adore (1998) and MACHINA (2000) sessions. The beauty of the compilation however, is that it is patently obvious that the reason why most of these tracks are outtakes, demos or b-sides is not particularly because they lack quality but because they simply don't fit the ethos of the aforementioned albums.

"I'm jungle-drummed out man" pants drummer Jimmy Chamberlin at the close of the disc's first track, `Lucky 13' which features a brutal masterclass in percussion from Chamberlin and a ferocious guitar and vocal performance from Corgan. It is indicative of an indulgence and catharsis that the Pumpkins had perhaps not allowed themselves since the MCIS sessions, and there is almost a "shackles-off" feel to many of the tracks, with a face-melting cover of David Essex's `Rock On' being another prime example.

Tracks such as `My Mistake' and the captivating `Waiting' are quite easily identifiable as outtakes from the Adore sessions, as is the closer `Blissed & Gone', (the first verse melody of which is heard on Adore's last track [`17']), yet it is the tracks somewhat atypical to those heard on the albums which fascinate the most, notably the tender acoustic ballads `Sparrow' and `Winterlong' and the desolate dirge-like `Soot & Stars', sitting alongside old favourites like `Set the Ray to Jerry', `Marquis in Spades' and `The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)'.

The set is nicely presented with some characteristically impressive band photos (live, candid and studio) capturing the band at their oddly photogenic best in some weird, wonderful and nightmarish shots. The fact that - disappointingly - there is no prose contained within the set would seem to indicate that Rotten Apples is perhaps more the brainchild of Virgin than Corgan.

In summary, although Billy Corgan's nasal voice has always been a divisive concept (that probably prevented the band from reaching the stratospheric heights of Pearl Jam but helped maintain much of their alternative credibility) there can not be too many impartial listeners left feeling short-changed, with `Cherub Rock', `Today', `Bullet With Butterfly Wings', `1979', `Zero' and `Tonight, Tonight' all being epochal tracks from one of alternative rock's truly seminal bands.

My advice to those with a casual interest in this band: get Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie. For whatever reason, their sound and style changed on every release. Therefore, the songs on this comp, while excellent, work better in the context of their original albums. That said, the diversity of their work is one of their greatest strengths. What binds it all is romance, virtuosity, and if you look close enough, honesty and integrity.

Four tracks on this cd are non-album tracks. Eye (from the Lost Highway sndtrk), Drown (from the Singles sndtrk where it is unedited, longer), Real Love (from the internet release "Machina II/the friends and enemies of modern music". better sound quality here as M2 is only available as vinyl-to-mp3), and Untitled which was the final single released by the band (a great song which radio ignored *sigh*. perhaps it should've been given a title)

I feel I should add that the song "Glynis" (from the No Alternative comp) is one of Billy Corgan's best songs and should've been a hit, and on this cd. The song has an effect on me unlike anything else. Absolutely beautiful.

If you become a fan of the albums, there are many, many unreleased/demo/b-side/otherwise non-album tracks to be found. The songlist/bootlist/discography on spfc.org will point you to them (you can choose to view only unreleased songs if you want). As far as obtaining this stuff, check out starla.org for the various message boards/trading community and good luck to ya.
I'm behind on this Bit Torrent thing and that may also be a good way of obtaining this stuff. There is a torrent site/tracker whatever on the same site as a message board i frequent (the-zomb.com...called zomb b/c it was formerly the zwan online message board/zwanonline.com, but now is not, lol :shrug:)

I think this is an excellent cd for the Smashing Pumpkins to end with.

I've heard countless people ask "Why didn't they put this song on? Why didn't they put that song on?". You should stop and think that maybe they didn't put "Thirty-Three" and some other songs on this cd for a reason. Regardless of whether all the big hits are here or not this is still a great cd and I personally think they put much thought into the songs they chose to have on here. I think they chose the right songs to include.

There are songs on this cd that the diehard Pumpkins fans will love as as well as the people who haven't heard much of their music.

I love the booklet included with the cd. It has some great pictures of the band from over the years. I love the front cover - the band, in their long-haired, early days (circa 1990) standing by a sign that reads "END". I think that's a wonderful choice for the front cover. It has a cryptic significance for me.

I also like how they've put the songs in chronological order. If you listen to the cd from start to finish, you can hear just how much the Pumpkins have grown artistically over the years. You can hear just how much their style has changed from when they first spang into the alternative music scene in 1988 until their final disbandment in 2001.

I've welcomed the new songs included on the album. At first I was wary of the fact that they've included two new songs when maybe I would have preferred if they'd included two of their other hits instead. But I was mistaken - the new songs ("Real Love" and "Untitled") are excellent pieces of music. To me, they even rate higher than some of the older, more mainstream hits that are included on the album.

To sum things up, bravo to the Smashing Pumpkins. A great collection of songs from a great band. There's definately something for everybody here, I wouldn't miss out on this album.

If you do not already own this CD, I suggest you go out and buy it. I own two coppies, and have given three out as christmas presents. I believe it is one of the best CDs released this year. Yes, the smashing pumpkins are my favorite band, but they are my favorite for a reason: They're good. Below is a song by song review of the GH:
Siva - (8 - 10)
Siva is a very good rock song. Yet it, and other songs like it, is one of the reasons The Pumpkins have been labeled as a grunge band from the start. It has lots of wailing guitars, power chords, and fast-quick pace changes. A typical rock song, but still above average.
Rhinocerous - (9-10)
This is a beautiful song. Billy Corgan shows his soft side with soothingly smooth vocals and soft guitar strumming. The whole band follows suit to bring a lovely song to an astounding level of life.
Drown - (7-10)
Though Drown is a very popular SP song, i'll have to admit it is not one of my favorites. For one... It's too long. Even amazing song's will get boring if they are dragged out as long as this on is. Second... Billy has a habit of sounding too nasaly for his own good, and he does that in this song. And third, Drown was previously unreleased on an official CD, making it very hard to find, this angers me. Not one of their best.
Cherub Rock - (9-10)
Another one of their more popular songs, Cherub Rock is more than deserving of it's fame. The only flaw in the song is the somewhat childish chorus of "who wants honey? as long as there's some money." Of course, being a great song, that can be overlooked. Definately an SP classic.
Today - (10-10)
Today is one of those songs you can never get tired of, no matter how many times you hear it. I have heard Today many many times, yet each time I hear it, I love it more and more. It is deceiving, do not be fooled by the upbeat melody and the chorus. The meaning goes much deaper than it may seem to. Sure, there's the whole "Today is the greatest day I've ever know" Part, but that is backed up with "Can't live for tomorow, I might not have that long." Not exactly cheery... and there is of course "Pink ribbon scars, that never forget, i tried so hard, to cleanse these regrets, my angel wings were bruised and misled, my belly stings"... but many listeners skip right past that. That is the beauty of Today, there is always soemthing to be learned in every listen.
Disarm - (9-10)
Seeing as this is a song about Billy's childhood, I can't comment on the content of the song and be correct. I will say that this is a beautiful song with a beautiful video to go along with it. A classic.
Landslide - (9-10)
I can't see how this song got on the greatest hits, seeing as it isn't even their song, but Stevie Nick's, and it's only Billy and James playing in the recording, but it's there. Landslide is a pretty song, but its a cover so it dosen't take much originality to perform.
Bullet With Butterfly Wings - (8-10)
Ah, "rat in a cage", the song poser fans love and anti-fans love to make fun of. Most people completely miss the point of BWBW, asuming the the song is written from Corgan's point of view, when it is not. The album it originally comes from, Melon collie and the infinite sadness, is all about life for a teenager. Thus, the song, is also about teenage life, the anger and rage it conveys is that of a child who feels like an adult but cannot act upon his feelings. A very well written and empathetic song.
1979 - (9-10)
This is a song you can get sick of because it is way overplayed by radio stations. It is still musically and lyricaly a work of art, it has just been butchered by the airwaves and their slaves.
Zero - (9-10)
Seems to be a prequel to The Everlasting Gaze and talks about the character 'Glass' long befor GATMOG was even heard of. A very interesting song, fun to analyze, hard to understand.
Tonight, Tonight - (8-10)
This song is pretty overrated, as far as pumpkin's go. Yes, the intro is beautiful, the violin is quite nice, the lyrics are pretty... but I just can't get into it like other people do. It dosen't strike me as phenomenol, though it is beautiful. it's not anything life changing just a pretty song... plus, it was used in a baseball commercial. That's just not cool.
Eye - (10-10)
I also wonder how this got on the GH... but I'm sure as hell glad it's there! Eye is from the Lost highways soundtrack, a strange strange film by David Lynch. It's probably the most techno / electronic pumpkins song ever released. Most fans, after hearing it, were expecting tsp to make a switch to electronic, kind of like radiohead. but alas, we never got anything else quite like Eye.
Ava Adore - (9-10)
Ava Adore is much better in video format. I say this because the video is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life, the song alone (the album version, that is), is kind of iffy. You have to see the whole thing to get the true Adore experience. The acoustic version of this song is very lovely also, but extremely hard to find in a full version, it is only available in MP3 format.
Perfect - (8-10)
A sequel to 1979, and a prequel to Try, Try, Try, it is a really nice addition to the story. Lovely song to listen to when you're in a relationship, it looks at things through such simple eyes.
The Everlasting Gave - (9-10)
Another song that was greatly enhanced by it's music video, this song is apparently a sequel to Zero. It pokes fun at rockstars, and rock in general, not quite as much as Heavy Metal Machine... but enough so that you get the point.
Stand Inside Your Love - (10-10)
This song was written for Billy's *fabulously cool* girlfriend, Yelena Yemchuk, who did the photography for the Adore booklet, and directed the music video for Zero. It's a gorgeous peice of work, and a song that describes love i nall it's splendid beauty, in a simple, soft worded way. A tribute to love, Billy's love fot Yelena, and the lvoe between any two people.