Issue #5: The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Release Date:  October 24th, 1995

Recorded:  March – August 1995

Genre:  Alternative Rock

Record Label:  Virgin

Duration:  121:39

Producers:  Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan, Flood

Personnel

Track Listing

Singles

Why Mellon Collie… is One of My Favorites

The Smashing Pumpkins’ third full length album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was one of my earliest introductions to heavier rock music.  The album dropped near the end October, 1995, and I received it as a gift that same year from one of my mom’s friends.  I was only 10 years old at the time, and although I had heard “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” on the radio and MTV, I’m really not sure how I ended up with this at such a young age.  Of course I had no idea what I was getting into, and I was at an age where I rarely had the patience to listen to an album full of songs I was unfamiliar with, but it many ways, I’m sure it trained my ears for some of the other music that I’d eventually “learn to love.”

I suppose that “alternative rock” is as good of a description as any for the music found on Mellon Collie…, though most of this expansive double album transcends the typical guitar-bass-drums set-up of alt rock.  One of my favorite things about the album is how diverse and experimental it is.  Some tracks are guitar driven, accentuated in their distinctiveness by Corgan’s nasal-y whine, and many others possess a very dreamy, almost surreal quality.  Even though the songs touch on  many subjects and the album isn’t held together by a single concept, there is a very particular mood that flows through both CDs that I can’t exactly put my finger on.

Realistically, it’s not often that I hunker down with all 2 hours of Mellon Collie…  I skip around, one disc then the next and back to the first, with little regard for track order.  Often I find that that the album satisfies 2 completely different moods.  When I’m itching for a more typical “hard rock” experience, I’ll gravitate towards “Jellybelly,” “Zero,” “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Fuck You,” “Love,” and “Tales of Scorched Earth” (and a few others).  But there’s also plenty of material here for a more shoegaze, artsy listen, when Corgan’s harsh vocals and the buzzing of guitars may not be my first choice: “Mellon Collie in the Infinite Sadness,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Lily,” “By Starlight,” “Beautiful,” “Thirty-Three,” and “We Only Come Out at Night.”  Both “soft” and “loud” tracks introduce a far greater electronic element into the Pumpkins’ work than previously, bringing the album into the realm of other “electronically enhanced” records from the time that I’m fond of.

There’s a lot to explore here, more than I ought to go into detail about, and it’s clear that the band really desired to see how far they could push themselves while still sticking to conventional song structure.  Many times, works of this order get a little too experimental, with excessive levels of noise and songs that, while potentially interesting, aren’t the kind of thing worth listening to again and again.  I’m glad that the Pumpkins stick to recognizable conventions yet also expand their reach.  Dozens of different sounds are utilized on the album’s softer side to create unique rhythms (“Lily,” “We Only Come out at Night”), while many of the heavier tracks make use of varying processing and distortion techniques (“Love,” “Zero,” “Where Boys Fear to Tread”) to ensure that no 2 songs sound alike.

Melody plays a substantial role on both CDs.  Most songs contain identifiable, hummable tunes that a reasonably adept listener could pick out on a piano.  While I enjoy the Pumpkins’ rhythm-based contemporaries, it’s also nice to see some classic musicianship worked into modern instrumentation.  I can’t think of a single unappealing melody on the entire album, but some of my favorites are “Here is No Why,” “Thirty-Three,” “1979,” “In the Arms of the Sleep,” “Beautiful,” “Lily,” and “By Starlight.”  There is an infectious quality in these songs; they may not exactly be “catchy” upon first listen, but they grew on me over time, worming their way into my head until I wasn’t even sure where tune had come from.  When the fundamentals of a song or songs are so naturally pleasing that I find myself unconsciously assimilating them, I have to strongly admire the ability of whoever dreamed them up in the first place.

There has always been a degree of controversy surrounding Mr. Corgan and what it was like working with him in the studio; how much of the album is the rest of the band involved in? who recorded what guitar part? is anyone but Billy playing…anything? are all questions that pop up.  But regardless of the turmoil, the “band” is in top form here.  Corgan’s distinct vocals are an instant turn-off to some people, and I won’t deny that they could take getting used to, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s just another aspect that sets the music apart.  To be fair, there are absolutely some voices in the industry that I can’t stand, so I can understand those that can’t get past his style.  Either way, he pushes his “nasality” in several different directions, equally befitting of the caustic “Tales of a Scorched Earth” as well as songs like “Thirty-Three” and “Galapogos” where he combines his actual singing ability with mournful croons that add welcome peaks of emotion.

Both the guitar work and drumming on Mellon Collie… is flawless as well.  Like Corgan’s voice, guitars alternate between grinding riffs and soft acoustic accompaniments.  A lot of the gentler tracks favor electronic or partially electronic percussion, (“1979” uses a drum machine, for instance) but on the more traditionally hard rock tracks, there’s a good deal of complex drumming.  “Zero” in particular stands out for both its drum and guitar parts, cementing its place as all around heavy blast of primal Pumpkins at their best.

Billy Corgan made a statement to the effect of noting that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was his way of finally saying goodbye to his youth, and “waving goodbye to himself in the rear view mirror,” and personally, it’s a beautiful description of what these 2 discs (or three LPs) encapsulate.  It is in fact melancholy and sad at times, but mostly it’s a collection of farewells, however bittersweet, amicable, angry, or downright heartbreaking they may be.  If you’re anxious for a montage of yourself laughing, yelling, and crying, listening to Mellon Collie… should be near the top of your list.

Written by The Cubist

Other albums from The Smashing Pumpkins in this series:

• 1993 – Siamese Dream – Issue #82
• 1998 – Adore – Issue #68

Back to The Cubist’s 90’s Albums

Written by The Cubist

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