The Smashing Pumpkins didn't shy away from making the follow-up to the grand, intricate Siamese Dream. With Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the band turns in one of the most ambitious and indulgent albums in rock history. Lasting over two hours and featuring 28 songs, the album is certainly a challenging listen. To Billy Corgan's credit, it's a rewarding and compelling one as well. Although the artistic scope of the album is immense, The Smashing Pumpkins flourish in such an overblown setting. Corgan's songwriting has never been limited by conventional notions of what a rock band can do, even if it is clear that he draws inspiration from scores of '70s heavy metal and art rock bands. Instead of copying the sounds of his favorite records, he expands on their ideas, making the gentle piano of the title track and the sighing "1979" sit comfortably against the volcanic rush of "Jellybelly" and "Zero."
In between those two extremes lies an array of musical styles, drawing from rock, pop, folk, and classical. Some of the songs don't work as well as others, but Mellon Collie never seems to drag. Occasionally they fall flat on their face, but over the entire album, The Smashing Pumpkins prove that they are one of the more creative and consistent bands of the '90s.
Track listing
Disc one: Dawn to Dusk
01. "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" - 2:52
02. "Tonight, Tonight" - 4:14
03. "Jellybelly" - 3:01
04. "Zero" - 2:41
05. "Here Is No Why" - 3:45
06. "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" - 4:18
07. "To Forgive" - 4:17
08. "Fuck You (An Ode to No One)" - 4:51
09. "Love" - 4:21
10. "Cupid de Locke" - 2:50
11. "Galapogos" - 4:47
12. "Muzzle" - 3:44
13. "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" - 9:21
14. "Take Me Down" (Iha) - 2:52
Disc two: Twilight to Starlight
01. "Where Boys Fear to Tread" - 4:22
02. "Bodies" - 4:12
03. "Thirty-Three" - 4:10
04. "In the Arms of Sleep" - 4:12
05. "1979" - 4:25
06. "Tales of a Scorched Earth" - 3:46
07. "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" - 7:38
08. "Stumbleine" - 2:54
09. "X.Y.U." - 7:07
10. "We Only Come Out at Night" - 4:05
11. "Beautiful" - 4:18
12. "Lily (My One and Only)" - 3:31
13. "By Starlight" - 4:48
14. "Farewell and Goodnight" (Iha) - 4:22
All songs written by: Billy Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins
Jimmy Chamberlin – drums, vocals on "Farewell and Goodnight"
Billy Corgan – lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, mellotron, production, mixing, string arrangement on "Tonight, Tonight", art direction and design
James Iha – rhythm guitar; backing vocals, mixing, and additional production on "Take Me Down" and "Farewell and Goodnight"
D'arcy Wretzky – bass guitar, vocals on "Beautiful" and "Farewell and Goodnight"
Additional musicians
Chicago Symphony Orchestra – orchestra in "Tonight, Tonight"
Greg Leisz – pedal and lap steel guitar on "Take Me Down"
Technical staff
Roger Carpenter – technical assistance
John Craig – illustration
Flood – production, mixer
Andrea Giacobbe – photograph
Barry Goldberg – additional vocal recording, mixing assistance
Adam Green – technical assistance
Dave Kresl – string recording assistance
Tim "Gooch" Lougee – technical assistance
Guitar Dave Mannet – technical assistance
Jeff Moleski – technical assistance
Alan Moulder – production, mixer
Frank Olinsky – art direction and design
Claudine Pontier – recording assistance
Audrey Riley – string arrangement on "Tonight, Tonight"
Chris Shepard – recording
Russ Spice – technical assistance
Howie Weinberg – mastering
Produced - Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan, Flood
Notes
Release date: October 24, 1995
Recorded at: Pumpkinland, Sadlands, Bugg Studios, Chicago Recording Company; The Village Recorder
Genre: Alternative Rock
Length: 121:39
© 1995
Label - Virgin Records
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