The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (34-44)

2014 was filled with 90s superstars, indie rap reinvention, 80s throwbacks, and some of the best EPs to come out in recent memory. The 55 Best Albums of 2014 (34-44):

34.  Nothing - Guilty of Everything
35.  D'Angelo - Black Messiah
36.  Protomartyr - Under Color of Official Right
37.  Future Islands - Singles
38.  LA Dispute - The Rooms of the House
39.  Freddie Gibbs and Madlib - Pinata
40.  Stevie Nicks - 24 Karat Gold
41.  Smashing Pumpkins - Monuments To An Elegy
42.  Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
43.  Ought - More Than Any Other Day
44.  Small Black - Real People EP

Buy these albums and more...now!!!          

The 111 Best Songs By The Smashing Pumpkins

Twenty-five years down the road, the Pumpkins continue to kick ass. Here are the 111 Best Smashing Pumpkins Songs:

1. Starla (Pisces Iscariot)
2. Disarm (Siamese Dream)
3. Rhinoceros (Gish)
4. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
5. I Am One (Gish)
6. Porecelina of the Vast Oceans (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
7. Quiet (Siamese Dream)
8. Siva (Gish)
9. Drown (Singles)
10. Mayonaise (Siamese Dream)
11. Thru the Eyes of Ruby (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
12. Tarantula (Zeitgeist)
13. Stand Inside Your Love (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
14. Tonight, Tonight (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
15. Song For A Son (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
16. Perfect (Adore)
17. An Ode to No One (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
18. Tristessa (Gish)
19. Rocket (Siamese Dream)
20. Love (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
21. I Of The Mourning (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
22. Bury Me (Gish)
23. Ava Adore (Adore)
24. The Everlasting Gaze (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
25. Slunk (Lull)
26. Today (Siamese Dream)
27. Raindrops + Sunshowers (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
28. Soma (Siamese Dream)
29. Galapagos (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
30. That's The Way (Zeitgeist)
31. Aeroplane Flies High Turns Left Looks Right (The Aeroplane Flies High)
32. Muzzle (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
33. Once In Awhile (Ava Adore)
34. ...Said Sadly (The Aeroplane Flies High)
35. Bodies (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
36. 1979 (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
37. Waiting (Greatest Hits)
38. Cherub Rock (Siamese Dream)
39. Appels + Oranjes (Adore)
40. The End Is The Beginning Is the End (Batman and Robin)
41. Here Is No Why (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
42. Hello Kitty Kat (Pisces Iscariot)
43. Freak (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
44. Dross (Machina II/Friends and Enemies of Modern Music)
45. Zero (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
46. Wound (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
47. Mouths of Babes (The Aeroplane Flies High)
48. Never Let Me Down Again (For the Masses)
49. Snail (Gish)
50. Age of Innocence (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
51. Apathy's Last Kiss (Still Becoming Apart)
52. Widow Make My Mind (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
53. Lightning Strikes (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
54. Daphne Descends (Adore)
55. Geek USA (Siamese Dream)
56. Pissant (Pisces Iscariot)
57. 7 Shades of Black (Zeitgeist)
58. The Fellowship (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
59. Marquis in Spades (The Aeroplane Flies High)
60. Eye (Still Becoming Apart)
61. Landslide (Pisces Iscariot)
62. Glynis (No Alternative)
63. Tom Tom (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
64. A Night Like This (The Aeroplane Flies High)
65. Jennifer Ever (The Smashing Pumpkins)
66. Untitled (Greatest Hits)
67. By June (Lull)
68. A Stitch in Time (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope)
69. Try, Try, Try (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
70. God (The Aeroplane Flies High)
71. In The Arms of Sleep (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
72. The Celestials (Oceania)
73. The Imploding Voice (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
74. Violet Rays (Oceania)
75. Doomsday Clock (Zeitgeist)
76. The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete (Adore)
77. This Time (MACHINA/The Machine Of God)
78. Pug (Adore)
79. Siamese Dream (Siamese Dream Deluxe Edition)
80. You're All I've Got Tonight (The Aeroplane Flies High)
81. One Diamond, One Heart (Oceania)
82. Frail and Bedazzled (Pisces Iscariot)
83. There It Goes (Pisces Iscariot Deluxe)
84. Dancing In The Moonlight (Disarm)
85. Do You Close Your Eyes When You Kiss Me? (Adore Deluxe Edition)
86. Crush (Gish)
87. Thirty-Three (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
88. The Boy (The Aeroplane Flies High)
89. My Dahlia (Light Into Dark)
90. Farewell and Goodnight (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
91. The Chimera (Oceania)
92. Nothing And Everything (The Smashing Pumpkins)
93. Come On Let's Go (Zeitgeist)
94. Let Me Give The World To You (Machina II/Friends and Enemies of Modern Music)
95. Pox (American Gothic)
96. By Starlight (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
97. Speed Kills (Machina II/Friends and Enemies of Modern Music)
98. The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning (Batman and Robin)
99. Oceania (Oceania)
100. Cash Car Star (Machina II/Friends and Enemies of Modern Music)
101. Speed (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness Deluxe Edition)
102. Hummer (Siamese Dream)
103. Ugly (The Aeroplane Flies High)
104. Dreaming (The Aeroplane Flies High)
105. Bleeding The Orchid (Zeitgeist)
106. Jackie Blue (20 Dynamic Super Smash Hit)
107. To Forgive (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
108. For Martha (Adore)
109. Smiley (Peel Sessions)
110. Not Worth Asking (I Am One)
111. Behold! The Night Mare (Adore)

Buy Smashing Pumpkins new album,  Monuments To An Elegy...now!    

The 11 Best Bonus Tracks from Smashing Pumpkins' Aeroplane Deluxe Edition

Billy Corgan has been called an insane genius.  He has also been called just insane.  He was a 90s icon, who to many of us who lived through 90s know, the Pumpkins were as big if not bigger than Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden when they released Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness.  Though grunge seemed like it was about to pass the mic to rap-metal, the Pumpkins slammed down their 10x platinum double album gargantuan masterpiece to remind everyone they held the throne...dominantly.  Following this madness, the Pumpkins released 5 singles to MCIS with enough B-sides to make up more albums, literally.  About a year later, The Aeroplane Flies High Box Set was released.  It was a concoction of leftovers, covers, and alternative versions, all stuffed in a funky lock box costing about three times as much as a typical Pumpkins album.  It still went platinum.

Last summer, Billy Corgan, revisited the unique MCIS companion Aeroplane box.  Expanded from 33 songs to 90 songs, it was one of the most exhausted remasters effort of its time.  The Pumpkins have definitely set the bar as high as it can go as they've been revisiting their catalogue.  The Pumpkins' underrated Adore, recently had the super deluxe treatment, which is such a massive release of material that will take months just to listen to it...let alone digest it.  It's taken a good year to absorb all the goodness of Aeroplane, and I figure I'll be ready this time next year to do the same for Adore.

The most interesting remaster is yet to come...the often forgotten Machina I & II rock opera.  I can't wait to see how they realize Billy's original vision.  That will be worth waiting for.  Until then...

Here are the 11 Best Bonus Tracks from Smashing Pumpkins' Aeroplane Deluxe Edition:

1. Silverfuck (Live in Landover 1996)
2. God (Live at the Double Door 1995)
3. Love (Live at the Double Door 1995)
4. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans (Live in Cleveland 1996)
5. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Live in Los Angeles 1996)
6. 1979 (Acoustic)
7. Star Song (DAT mix/Vocal Rough)
8. Bodies (Live in Philadelphia 1996)
9. A/Ab/E/B/F# (Gravity Demo)
10. Marquis in Spades (8-Track Demo)
11. The Groover (Gravity Demo)

Buy the 6-CD, 1 DVD Smashing Pumpkins Adore Box Set...now!!!

The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins Reissues Rare Tracks

In the '90s, the Pumpkins were one of the most prolific bands.  To follow up a double album, the band put out a 5-disc b-side collection.  That's pretty hardcore in a pre-Ryan Adams era of music.  Though the Pumpkins took a hiatus through most of the '00s, they made a big comeback in the teens re-releasing of all things...their '90s of material.  While other bands may take years in between reissues (I'm looking at you Pavement).  The Pumpkins have been turning out reissues quicker than Fast and the Furious sequels.  This past week saw the release of the Pumpkin fan favorite Aeroplane Flies High.  A 5-CD EP set of b-sides, covers, and who the hell know what the "Pistachio Medley" was.  Expanded from 33 to 104 tracks, the Pumpkins don't shy away from giving their fans their money's worth like some bands that will re-issue an album with one bonus demo or live track.  This is the fifth album in the Pumpkins re-issue series and though the packaging may be the strongest of the series, it's probably one of the weakest when it comes to content.  That's saying something when their release with 70 extra tracks is the weakest of the re-releases.  So far Pisces Iscariot has set the bar for the re-releases.  With a spot-on second disc of rare unreleased tracks, where every song was winner, it's by far the package that encourages the most re-listens.  Also, it bares the best DVD show of any of the releases, featuring a live show with an entire slate of unreleased songs.  Gish and Siamese Dream hold up as strong contenders both with solid discs or rare tracks and DVDs with stellar live shows.  Gish's DVD is slightly better because Corgan has yet to begin evolving into Jesus-mode.  Mellon Collie seemed like it would be the best of the bunch but was the biggest let down so far.  Though it is packed with 3-discs of alternate takes (most which sound a lot like the originals) and rare tracks (most are instrumentals), there are very few true gems in the package.  This makes it increasing frustrating due to the re-issue's hefty $130 price tag.  That's a lot of money for some alternate takes and instrumentals, especially when the package comes in a cumbersome vinyl-sized box set that doesn't include any vinyl!  I mean honestly, where the heck am I supposed to store this?  Also, they included b-sides that would be included on the Aeroplane box.  What's the point of that?  The Aeroplane box set is much bigger and much more concise and structured with the instrumentals on one CD, the alternate tracks on another, and the live tracks on their own. It's also $40 less for 6 CDs versus 5.  That's still a lot but at least I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

Here's a look back at the best new tracks we've heard on the expanded editions.

Here are the 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins Reissues Rare Tracks:

1. Siamese Dream (Siamese Dream Bonus)
2. There It Goes (Pisces Iscariot Bonus)
3. Speed (Mellon Collie Bonus)
4. My Dahlia (Pisces Iscariot Bonus)
5. Methusela (Mellon Collie Bonus)
6. STP (Siamese Dream Bonus)
7. Crawl (Pisces Iscariot Bonus)
8. Jesus Loves His Babies (Pisces Iscariot Bonus)
9. Moleasskiss (Siamese Dream Bonus)
10. One and Two (Mellon Collie Bonus)
11. Translucent (Pisces Iscariot Bonus)

Buy The Smashing Pumpkins Deluxe Edition of Aeroplane Flies High...now!

The 11 Best Non-Pumpkins Billy Corgan Songs

The new Smashing Pumpkins album has been met with some trepidation.  Billy Corgan is now the sole remaining original member of the group.  Many critics have questioned whether one original member is enough to constitute the privilege of continuing to use the name.  Billy's response is a resounding..."fuck you."  Though that may seem like Billy is the one being the gigantic dick...are the critics really being fair?  When it comes to the amount of original members of a band...the critics seem as consistent as teenage girl's emotional stability. Guns N Roses (Axl Rose) are habitually abused...while no one questions that Mick Fleetwood (the freaking drummer) is the only original member of Fleetwood Mac.   Robert Smith gets a pass for being the only original member of the Cure as does Dave Murray and Iron Maiden.

I honestly don't think it should matter as long as the integrity of the band remains in tact.  Good music is good music...and the name of the artist is pretty irrelevant.  It's not like we're talking about Napalm Death or the Misfits who have no original members.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Billy Corgan (non-Pumpkins songs):

1. Declarations of Faith (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)
2. Lyric (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)
3. Honestly (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)
4. DIA (Billy Corgan - The FutureEmbrace)
5. Come With Me (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)
6. Mina Loy (Billy Corgan - The FutureEmbrace)
7. Settle Down (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)
8. Walking Shade (Billy Corgan = The FutureEmbrace)
9. Love Is a Battlefield (Djali Zwan - Spun Soundtrack)
10. The CameraEye (Billy Corgan - The FutureEmbrace)
11. El Sol (Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea)

Buy Smashing Pumpkins new album...Oceania..now!

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2012

Tebow nation is on fire.  Nothing will further propel his legendary status than throwing 316 in his upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  But was it really an upset?  Was it really that surprising that Denver won?  I don't think so...in fact, I called it.  (I swear...you can ask the one friend I told they were going to win).  There's three things you have to take into account.  First of all, Tebow is not leading a 8-8 team.  He's QBing for a 7-4 team.  There were five games of the season where he wasn't playing.  Even if he only won two of those games, they'd be a 9-7 team.  A 9-7 team upsetting a 12-4 team isn't that big of a stretch...especially since they're playing at home (which is the second factor).  Thirdly, Pittsburgh was injured up the ass.  Literally...I read one of the defensive end injured his ass.  With Mendenhall out...Big Ben at about 50% and half the o/d lines riding the bench...the Steelers were not at full strength.  Denver beating Pittsburgh is a mild upset at best...it doesn't even compare to 7-9 Seattle's upset last year of defending Superbowl Champions New Orleans.  In football...any given Sunday...and team can win.

In music...any given Tuesday, an established vet can release a dud.  A has-been can make a comeback.  Or a new band could become a new trend-setter.  Who will make waves this year...that is something we've never been able to predict.

Here are the 11 Most Anticipated Albums of Spring 2012:

1.  Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - TBA (May)
2.  Kanye West - G.O.O.D. Album (May)
3.  Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania (June)
4.  Madonna - Gimme All Your Luvin (April)
5.  Metric - Realities (May)
6.  Garbage - TBA (June)
7.  Mazzy Star - TBA (April)
8.  The Hives - TBA (May)
9.  K'naan - TBA (May)
10.  Beck & Dwight Yoakam - TBA (June)
11.  The Mars Volta - In Absentia (April)

The Unknown: Smashing Pumpkins - Adore Sessions

Adore came out when I was in college.  No other album in my collegiate career or for that foreseeable future caused more arguments than this album.  With Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins were the unstoppable force who had taken over rock music.  After they kicked out the best working drummer of the day, they turned their sound on its head and did the unthinkable...they rejected rock music and put out an electronic album.  Whether you were a Pumpkin fanatic or a Corgan hater (and there are plenty) no one knew why they chose to do this.  This was a big mystery.  And no matter how many discussions we had about the band, the question of why this choice was made was always left unresolved.  Some people thought Billy did it because he didn't want to become the next Cobain and blow his brains out...therefore he wanted to fail.  Others thought he did because he thought he was the next Cobain and could do anything he wanted and still succeed.  Corgan had also just lost his mother and one theory suggested he wanted to re-invent who he was.  Another theory had to do with ex-drummer Jimmy Chamberlain.  That theory suggested that Billy Corgan was so arrogant that he purposely made an electronic album just to show Jimmy how little they needed him.  Because of this, a rumor floated around that there was a version of Adore that existed with drums instead of a drum machine.  Though that album never actually surfaced (I guess we'll have to wait for the reissue for that), there is a demo session that exists that does have some of the Adore songs featuring drums...along with a couple cuts that didn't make the album.  It's not exactly the Holy Grail we were looking for in college but it's still a very solid listen.

Here are is the Smashing Pumpkins - Adore Sessions:

1. For Martha (instrumental)
2. Chewing Gum
3. The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete
4. Annie-Dog
5. Once in Awhile
6. Do You Close Your Eyes
7. My Mistake
8. Blissed and Gone
9. The End Is The Beginning Is the End
10. The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning

Buy the Smashing Pumpkins reissues for Gish and Siamese Dream...now!!!

The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins B-Sides

Here's a little Smashing Pumpkins story for you.  It's not enough that we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of these two albums when their releases really only seem like they happened yesterday.  But I was trying to explain to a co-worker who the Smashing Pumpkins were.  I named songs...which didn't help.  I even tried to hum a few of the bars but I'm a terrible singer and probably did more harm than good.  I tried to explain how popular they were in the 90s...from the epic double album to their electronic experimentation to the being first band to really use the internet to give an album away for free.  I finished giving the person one last point...they even headlined Lollapolooza.  The co-worker looked at me with a blank stare and said..."What's Lollapolooza?"  When do I sign up for social security?

Here are the 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins:

1.  Drown (Singles Soundtrack)

2.  Aeroplane Flies High (Thirty-Three)

3.  Said Sadly (Bullet With Butterfly Wings)

4.  Slunk (Peel Sessions)

5.  You're All I've Got Tonight (Aeroplane Flies High)

6.  Apathy's Last Kiss (Today)

7.  Marquis In Spades (Zero)

8.  A Night Like This (Aeroplane Flies High)

9.  Once In Awhile (Ava Adore)

10.  Dreaming (Aeroplane Flies High)

11.  The End Is The Beginning Is The End (Batman & Robin)

Buy the new Smashing Pumpkins reissues Gish & Siamese Dream...now!

The 11 Best Songs By Smashing Pumpkins (Post-Break-Up)

The post break-up years of the Pumpkins might as well be considered the dark years.  Billy has had to endure years of criticism for everything he put out.  Zeitgeist was criticized for sounding too much like the original Pumpkins (true story).  Teargarden was criticized for being given away for free.  I remember reading one review where the writer said that "A Song For A Son" was an excellent song but he hated it because it was made by Billy Corgan.  Billy just couldn't win.  But when you listen to the material with a unbias view...it's surprising how consitant the sound is to the 90s Pumpkins.  They may be the only band of their peers who has maintained such a solid hold on their rock roots.  Listening to the new reissues back-to-back with stuff like Zeitgeist and Teargarden...there's a definite kinship to the material...it's not like Pearl Jam or Stone Temple Pilots who have abandoned the sound that made them who they are.  Along those lines, the best thing about the reissues...the reason why we're here....is that they haven't done the same thing as the other recent reissues.  Billy has fought the loudness war.  He didn't make all the music levels blasted up.  The highs are still high and the lows are still low.  As criticized as he is for being musical pariah...he sure knows what the hell he is doing.

Here are the 11 Best Songs by Smashing Pumpkins (Post Break-Up):

1.  A Song For A Son (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: Songs For A Sailor)

2.  Tarantula (Zeitgeist)

3.  Doomsday Clock (Zeitgeist)

4.  Freak (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: The Solstice Bare)

5.  The Fellowship (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: The Solstice Bare)

6.  FOL (FOL Single)

7.  That's The Way (Zeitgeist)

8.  Lightning Strikes (Teargarden By Kaleidyscope: Vol. 3)

9.  7 Shades of Black (Zeitgeist)

10.  G.L.O.W. (Guitar Hero Single)

11.  Pox (American Gothic)

Buy the Smashing Pumpkins new reissues Gish & Siamese Dream...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Smashing Pumpkins (Pre-Break-up)

Back in the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins were it.  Nirvana had faded since Nevermind and wouldn't perk up again until Kurt died.  Pearl Jam was big until No Code...then slipped away quickly.  But the Pumpkins kept going strong.  Through Mellon Collie in the late 90s, they were the biggest rock band out there.  Even when nu-metal rap-rock took over...the Pumpkins stayed relevant.  In hindsight, the Pumpkins have been kicked down in importance behind Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and even Stone Temple Pilots...but during the 90s they were hands down the heavyweight champs.  Over the past couple of years, all the 90s bands have been re-releasing their epic albums with new mastering and bonus tracks.  Nevermind was mediocre with a bunch of song all freely available on the internet and in better quality...and apparently the remastering is blown out.  The new version of Ten was so cheesy, I didn't even bother to listen to the remastering of Vs. and Vitalogy.  But...the bonuses were decent...albeit only a handful of songs were released.  Both re-issues were a bit of a let down.  But the Pumpkins re-issues for some reason seem the most exciting.  Both come with a full DVD concert (winning!) and a full CD of bonus tracks...some have been leaked on the internet...but a lot still are still surprisingly unheard of.  It's like the Pumpkins took a lot of care in making a package that people would want...and not just one that they could sell.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Smashing Pumpkins (Pre-Break-Up):

1. Siva (Gish)
2. Disarm (Siamese Dream)
3. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
4. I Am One (Gish)
5. Soma (Siamese Dream)
6. Galapagos (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
7. Starla (Pisces Iscariot)
8. Stand Inside Your Love (MACHINA)
9. Rhinoceros (Gish)
10. Tonight, Tonight (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
11. Thru The Eyes of Ruby (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)

Buy the new Smashing Pumpkins Deluxe Re-Masters now!!  Gish & Siamese Dream

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

The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins Songs

Tomorrow marks the Second Coming. Well, not for Jesus. For Billy Corgan. Now Billy may think he's Jesus...and it would be hard to debate him on the fact...but sadly, he's not. After two failed post-Pumpkin endeavors (and Zwan wasn't even that bad) Billy has reformed The Smashing Pumpkins with brand new members because the original members are either all dead or were not invited to re-join. I have not heard any songs from the new album and I am specifically waiting until tomorrow for a proper listen. Before that epic moment, today it is time for a recap of the Pumpkins history up until now...

Please buy the new album by The Billy Corgan Band...I mean Smashing Pumpkins. Get an exclusive track when you buy the album here!

Here are The 11 Best Smashing Pumpkins Songs:

1. Galapogos (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
2. Rocket (Siamese Dream)
3. Drown (Singles Soundtrack)
4. Quiet (Siamese Dream)
5. I Am One (Gish)
6. Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
7. The Aeroplane Flies High (The Aeroplane Flies High)
8. Said Sadly (The Aeroplane Flies High)
9. Mayonaise (Siamese Dream)
10. Wound (Machina)
11. Starla (Pisces Iscariot)

THE UNKNOWN: The Smashing Pumpkins - Reel Time Acoustic Demos

We all know Billy Corgan is one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of rock. Billy has been known to write more songs for the recording of one album than most people write in an entire career. Don't believe me? For "Mellon Collie," it is rumored that he wrote well over 100 songs. You can hear many of the unused tracks on the Pistachio Melody B-Side. In comparison, Axl Rose has released less than 60 original songs during his 20-year-career. Does quantity equal quality? In Billy's case, even his worst songs are better than Hinder's best tracks. Of course that's not saying much. But this is what Billy has been good at forever. Even before the release of the Pumpkin's debut "Gish" the guy had written enough material to fill two full albums. This material has surfaced as the Reel Time Sessions. One session is full of rocking material, much of which would go onto be featured on "Gish." But there was also an acoustic session of all unreleased material.

When listening to this, remember this was recorded in 1989, well before the alternative revolution, at a time where GNR and Skid Row ruled the radio. It's amazing to notice how far ahead of the musical trends the band was. As early and as rough as the music was...it still sounds as fresh and as new as anything on the radio or blogosphere today.

The Reel Time Acoustic Session (note: song two link should be fixed)

1. Waiting For You Now
2. Fat Man Blues (take 1)
3. Fat Man Blues (take 2)
4. Bleed
5. She
6. Vanilla
7. My Dahlia
8. Waiting
9. Sun
10. Stray Cat Blues
11. I Am One Part II

If you buy Zeitgeist now, I'll post the Reel Time Rock Sessions next.