Zero [EP] [SINGLE]

Smashing Pumpkins

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 23, 1996)
• Original Release Date: April 23, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP, Single
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000008QWF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,756 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Zero

2. God

3. Mouths of Babes

4. Tribute to Johnny

5. Marquis in Spades

6. Pennies

7. Pastichio Medley

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

International version of this EP originally released in 1996. Features 6 non-LP tracks, 'God', 'Mouths of Babes, 'Tribute to Johnny', 'Marquis in Spades', 'Pennies', 'Pastichio Medley' & the album version of 'Zero'. Virgin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zero, May 15, 2004

By	Sasa Janjac (Metlika, SLO, EUR) - See all my reviews

Zer0, I collected singles and I have around 100 of them, but nothing comes near this. Marquis in Spades, God ... realy good sound. Buy it

S.J.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, very impressive ..., December 31, 2004

By	Jerry (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This is practically the only "Single" type cd i own. This one is worth buying since all the songs on it equate to about the length of a full-on album. Don't be fooled about the last song on the single though ... i at first found it a "waste of time", yet after a while it really started to mesh with the whole album even though it sounds like a collection of guitar instrumentals. All the other songs are soooo awesome! "God" is god .... trust me. Overall this cd is very intoxicating - even with no alcohol - crazy huh? Give it a try.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not A Zero in Quality, Though, March 15, 2005

By	Samhot (Star Land) - See all my reviews

The Smashing Pumpkins always made quality music that made the final cut, in regards to their studio albums. But, what's more astounding is the quality of the music that never made the studio albums; you know, the tracks that either got tacked on as B-sides, or, were just not released at all. These B-sides to the _Zero_ single are *no* exception to this rule, as these are some of the best things The Smashing Pumpkins have ever made, and they have made *tons* of stunning stuff.

Like the other B-side-filled EP's deriving from the _Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness_ album, each start off with the track of the single, then are followed by the B-sides. "Zero" is a raging anthem. Likewise, the rest of the EP -- with the exception of the melodic alt-pop of "Pennies" -- shows off the Pumpkins' overdriven, distortion-filled rock. "God" is a perfect example of this; the verses are soft, while the chorus rages with an intense, overdriven madness that was the Pumpkins' niche. "Mouths of Babes" features a tasteful riff on the pentatonic (in descending mode) that opens the track, and eventually closes it off (and is repeated, but the key is changed in the final motif, before the track cuts off.) "Tribute to Johnny" is a fusionesque metal instrumental; a little bit of funk, a little bit of jazz, and loads of distortion. Perfectly shows just how talented and diverse these pumpkins were. It's tasteful and chewy as well, while "Marquis in Spades" is a more plodding, but equally heavy, well-distorted number. "Pennies" gives you a breather from all of the distortion of past, and leads into the very interesting (to say the least) "Pastichio Medley." This is a 23-minute smorgasbord of spliced-together riffs taken from dozens of Pumpkins' songs that were either unfinished, or just plain unreleased. The overdriven extremeties that were so common to The Pumpkins' niche are here, indeed, but there are also moments of quiet to be found, and the occasional vocal.

Case and point: if you are a diehard Pumpkinhead (like myself; The Pumpkins are my top favorite when it comes to the "alternative" bands from the '90s scene), you will *not* want to be without this single, or the others that came from the _Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness_ sessions. If you are lucky enough to own _The Aeroplane Flies High_ boxed set (the complete, _Mellon Collie_-derived singles/EP's in one boxed set, and with a booklet of complete lyrics, photos, etc.) then you will already own this single. Recommended indefinitely.