THE UNKNOWN: The Smashing Pumpkins - Reel Time Rock Demos

This week the video game spectacular E3 rolled into town. For those of you who don't know, E3 was this giant video game event where every video game company in the world descended to peddle their new material for the coming year. In years past, there have been roughly 2,500 consoles where a lucky few were permitted to play some of the hottest games, months and even years before the general public. Some companies spent upwards of a million dollars on their exhibit. Tony Hawk had a full half pipe for Pro Skater. For the Scarface game, the company built a life-size version of the staircase from the finale of the movie. EA built an entire fake stadium and played their sports games on 50 foot high screens. It was an epic display of teenage fantasy. There was nothing else in the world that could match it. For a gamer, it was heaven.

This year, the event has been scaled down. It's in a small airport hanger with about 100 consoles instead of 2,000. I attended yesterday. It wasn't the same. Don't get me wrong, playing video games is always exciting, especially when they haven't been released to the public yet. (That's right...I played Guitar Hero 3. You can touch me for a dollar.) But nothing will beat the true E3s of the past.

This week, The Smashing Pumpkins release their first CD in 7 years. ZeitGeist. And guess what...it's fun...but it's just not the same. But Buy it...please...more Pumpkins demos in your future if you do...

Here are the Reel Time Rock Sessions from 1989:

1. Egg
2. Bury Me
3. By June
4. Cinnamon Girl (Neil Diamond ;)
5. C'mon
6. Daughter
7. Daughter (extended)
8. Daydream
9. East (alternate)
10. Honeyspider (edit)
11. Honeyspider
12. Honeyspider II
13. I Am one
14. Love
15. Not Worth Asking
16. Psychodelic
17. Rhinoceros (alternate)
18. Rhinoceros
19. Snap
20. Stars Fall In
21. With You