Siamese Dream
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Siamese Dream is the second album for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released on July 27, 1993 by Virgin Records, it was the band's breakthrough success. The album was critically acclaimed, but the recording environment was fraught with difficulties, with the band fighting constantly. Despite all the problems in its recording, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard charts, and sold over four million copies in the U.S. alone.[1]
Background
After the release and minor success of the band's debut, Gish, the Smashing Pumpkins were being hyped as "the next Nirvana".[2] However, the band was experiencing problems at the time; drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was undergoing an increasingly severe addiction to heroin, James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky had recently broken up after dating, and Billy Corgan had become overweight, depressed to the point of contemplating suicide, and was suffering from writer's block.[3] Billy Corgan recalled that "after the first album, I became completely suicidal. It was an eight-month depression, give or take a month, and I was pretty suicidal for about two or three months."[4] Under the pressure and other complications, the Pumpkins entered the Triclops Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia to record the follow-up to Gish, Siamese Dream. Corgan once said that if Siamese Dream had not been a success, the band would have broken up.
Recording
The album was recorded mostly between December 1992 and March 1993. The band lived in Marietta during the sessions, as Butch Vig reprised his role as producer, after producing their first album, Gish. The decision to record so far away from their hometown Chicago was motivated partly by the band's desire to avoid local friends and distractions during the recording, but largely as a desperate attempt to cut Chamberlin off from his known drug connections.[5] In this respect, the strategy failed, as Chamberlin quickly managed to find new connections and soon engulfed himself in the Atlanta underground drug culture and often was absent without any contact for days at a time.[5]
"Today" was the first song written by Corgan for Siamese Dream.[3] Corgan played the self-recorded demo to their producer, Butch Vig, and the band and received a positive reaction.[3] Soon afterwards, executives from Virgin Records came to check up on the band after hearing about their problems, but were pleased with the demo.[3] After hearing the new recording, the executives were so delighted that they cancelled any future visits to the studio.
The reaction from the executives only served to put more stress on Corgan.[2] To counteract his depression, Corgan worked overtime, saying he practically lived in the studio for the recording of Siamese Dream. Butch Vig and Corgan would sometimes work on a 45-second section of music for two days, working 16 hour days for weeks at a time to achieve the sound Corgan wanted.[6] Virgin began to grow impatient with the album's recording as it went over budget and became behind schedule. The band, however, would not let the company cut corners if it meant compromising the sound.[6] Eventually, the album was finished after four months and $250,000 over budget.[6] By the end of the recording, Corgan had written 50 songs for Siamese Dream.[2]
The contemporary music press portrayed Corgan as a tyrant during the recording sessions. Corgan admitted there was some truth to the accusations, though he felt the press misunderstood the situation.[7] It was rumored that due to constant fighting within the band, Corgan played all the guitar and bass parts on the album. The band generally denies this, with Corgan stating that he only performed a majority of the guitar work because he could lay them down in recording easier and with far fewer takes.[6]
Production style
The album's unique production sound is due, in most part, to Butch Vig, the producer of the album. For the album, the guitars were layered multiple times. Corgan has stated that "Soma" alone contains up to 40 overdubbed guitar parts.[8] "Layering" is a technique in which a sound is recorded multiple times and the sounds are "layered" on top of one another so that they are played at the same time. It is the recording equivalent of an orchestra, except only one person is needed for the particular instrument to be layered. (See Multi-track recording).
Response
In 2006, Q magazine readers voted Siamese Dream the 54th greatest album of all time. Template:RS500 Pitchfork Media ranked it as the 18th best album of the 1990s. "Siamese Dream" was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards of 1994. Along with a nomination for Cherub Rock for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal, this was the Pumpkins' first Grammy nomination.
Two songs from Siamese Dream were included in Guitar World's list of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time. Readers voted "Geek U.S.A." at number 54, and "Cherub Rock" at number 97.
Track listing
All songs were written by Billy Corgan, except "Soma" and "Mayonaise" by Corgan and James Iha.
- "Cherub Rock" – 4:58
- "Quiet" – 3:41
- "Today" – 3:19
- "Hummer" – 6:57
- "Rocket" – 4:06
- "Disarm" – 3:17
- "Soma" – 6:39
- "Geek U.S.A." – 5:13
- "Mayonaise" – 5:49
- "Spaceboy" – 4:28
- "Silverfuck" – 8:43
- "Sweet Sweet" – 1:38
- "Luna" – 3:20
Japanese bonus tracks
Exclusive to Japan, was one bonus track:
- "Hikari Express" ("Pissant" from Pisces Iscariot, re-titled for the release)
Outtakes
The following songs are those that were written and recorded for "Siamese Dream" but did not make the final cut, were not complete or did not get past the demo stage. Most were included on other releases as b-sides or were re-recorded and released on future albums or Pisces Iscariot (1994).
- "Apathy's Last Kiss" (later released on the "Today" 7" and Still Becoming Apart)
- "Blew Away" (later released on Pisces Iscariot)
- "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" (main riff only; later completed, recorded for and released on Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness)
- "Doorstep" (later re-recorded and released as "Meladori Magpie" on the "Tonight, Tonight" single)
- "Frail and Bedazzled" (later released on Pisces Iscariot)
- "French Movie Theme" (later appeared on the "Cherub Rock" single and Earphoria)
- "Glynis" (later appeared on the No Alternative compilation)
- "Infinite Sadness" (later appeared on vinyl copies of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness)
- "Kitty Kat" (later released as "Hello Kitty Kat" on Pisces Iscariot)
- "Mayonaise" an acoustic outtake from 1993 and included in Corgan's personally assembled bootleg set Mashed Potatoes, This recording was released on the Still Becoming Apart promo from 2000.
- "Pissant" (included on Japanese release, and on Pisces Iscariot)
- "Purr Snickety" (later released on the "Cherub Rock" 7")
- "Set the Ray to Jerry" (later re-recorded and released on certain versions of the "1979" single)
- "She Says"
- "Siamese Dream" (later released on the "Disarm" 7")
- "Spaced" (later released on Pisces Iscariot)
- "Suicide Kiss" (re-worked into "Geek USA")
- "Tulips"
- "Whirl" (later released as "Whir" on Pisces Iscariot)
- "Where's Vince?"(unofficially released on the Mashed Potatoes' bootleg)
- "Spaceboy"(a half minute shorter version with electric guitar overdubs, which was released on the mashed potatoes bootleg)
Chart positions
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1994 | UK Album Charts | 4 |
1994 | Australian Album Chart[9] | 7 |
1993 | The Billboard 200 | 10 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | "Cherub Rock" | Modern Rock Tracks | 7 |
1993 | "Cherub Rock" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 23 |
1993 | "Cherub Rock" | UK Singles Chart | 31 |
1993 | "Today" | Modern Rock Tracks | 4 |
1994 | "Today" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
1994 | "Today" | UK Singles Chart | 44 |
1994 | "Disarm" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
1994 | "Disarm" | Modern Rock Tracks | 8 |
1994 | "Disarm" | UK Singles Chart | 11 |
1994 | "Rocket" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
Sample
Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end
Personnel
- Billy Corgan – vocals, guitar, Mellotron on "Spaceboy", string arrangements, bass, producer, mixer
- James Iha – guitar
- D'Arcy Wretzky – bass, vocals
- Jimmy Chamberlin – drums
- Mike Mills – piano on "Soma"
- Eric Remschneider – string arrangements and cello on "Disarm" and "Luna"
- David Ragsdale – string arrangements and violin on "Disarm" and "Luna"
- Butch Vig – producer, engineer, mixer, string arrangements
- Mark Richardson – engineer
- Jeff Tomei – engineer
- Tim Holbrook – special technical engineering
- Alan Moulder – mixer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Len Peltier – art direction
- Steve J. Gerdes – design
- Melodie McDaniel – photography
Footnotes
- ^ Rosen, Craig (1999-11-02). "Pumpkins' "Dream"". Yahoo! Music (Yahoo.com). Retrieved 2006-11-04.
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(help) - ^ a b c Thompson, Dave (January/February 1994). "LOCAL GEEK MAKES GOOD". Creem Magazine. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
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(help) - ^ a b c d Black, Johnny (Dec 2001/Jan 2002). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Today". Blender.com. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
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(help) - ^ Shepherd, Julianne (2005-06-13). "Billy Corgan: Pitchfork Interview". PitchforkMedia.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg. "Pumpkin Seeds," Guitar World. January 2002.
- ^ a b c d TAzzerrad, Michael (January/October 1993). "Smashing Pumpkins' Sudden Impact". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
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(help) - ^ Mundy, Chris. "Strange Fruit: Success Has Come at a High Price for this Chicago Band," Rolling Stone. April 21, 1994.
- ^ Aledort, Andrew. "Introduction," in Siamese Dream Songbook. Miami: Warner Bros. Publications, 1994.
- ^ "Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 23 July 2007". ARIA.com. Retrieved 2007-07-29.