Post by The Curmudgeon on Feb 24, 2013 15:35:10 GMT 2
For a limited time only! Things The Curmudgeon actually LIKES - Part Three!
Those familiar with my 200 other reviews may be a little bit confused. "A five star review? Don't you normally just review all the terrible stuff and give it a deserving one star assault?" Those VERY familiar with my 200 other reviews will know this is all part of the bigger picture; that picture being that for every 50 negative reviews I attempt to restore some balance to the universe by listing five of my favourite things ever. Like this.
It's the mark of a truly great band when you can have lengthy debates over which of their albums are the greatest, and Smashing Pumpkins are no exception to that. The first three records released from Billy Corgan et al are all worthwhile contenders of (grand voice) Their Greatest Album, but it this, their third, that I consider to be their untouchable masterpiece. The first two albums, Gish and Siamese Dream are, well, just that. Albums. Great albums, granted, but Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness is much, much more than that.
Double disc albums can be tricky to pull off successfully, and is often the result of an over-inflated ego and ambition over talent, with pointless filler tracks with the odd hit single buried in alongside the clutter. A handful of artists not only managed to escape that trap but also released some of their greatest works. The Beatles, Prince and the Stones all created genuinely great doubles, while other bands like Red Hot Chilli Pepper's (2006's Stadium Arcadium) drowned under it's own weight. That the Smashing Pumpkins managed to create 28 (TWENTY EIGHT!) songs of undeniable quality on the one record is quite the astonishing feat; but these guys were knocking out great songs with seemingly every breath around this time. You only have to hear the B-sides from Mellon Collie's(amazing) singles; the lovely strum of "Meladori Magpie", which most bands would kill to have as a lead single, the sinister growl of "The Aeroplane Flies High", and let's not forget the truly stunning seven track "Zero" EP, to see that this is a band at their true creative peak.
Now let's talk about the songs on the album itself. The Pumpkins took full advantage of the double album format and created a rock record with tremendous depth and diversity. The lush, orchestral "Tonight, Tonight", the ragtime whimsy of "Lily" and the sheer feral rage of "X.Y.U" just should not WORK on the same album.. but the Pumpkins somehow pull it off. The nagging bassline of "1979" drips into your skin after a few listens, "Thirty Three" will break your heart with every listen, "Jelly Belly" is the sound of buildings falling on dynamite and "We Only Come Out at Night" is the future soundtrack to an awesome vampire movie . And you know, this would be the tracklist on most great single albums, but it barely scratches the surface on Mellon Collie. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" is a hard rock, Grammy winning gem, "By Starlight" is a sparse and gorgeous ballad and "Tales of a Scorched Earth" will either have you hiding under the bed or trashing your room with a baseball bat. Just... Too. Much. Brilliance.
Make no mistake, this isn't just a "Billy Corgan and some guys in the background playing the instruments" album. This is the sound of a BAND at work, with James Iha (who's solo work is sadly under-rated) and D'arcy Wretzky contributing more to the record than ever before (or since, for that matter). Iha's self-penned songs close both discs, "Take Me Down" and "Farewell and Goodnight" are both simple, sleepy love songs that compliment what has come before. Beauty, innocence, love, anger, loneliness and rage, all together on one essential record.
Ah, the dreaded "E" bomb. The word "essential" gets banded about a lot when it comes to music, and I imagine there are a lot of "essential" albums gathering dust on peoples shelves right now, but Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness is, in every sense, an essential album in any rock fan's collection. Endlessly inventive, as tender as it is brutal and as accessible and listenable as it is murky and challenging, it is more than a collection of great songs. It's the sound of a band reaching for the sky and soaring past the stars.
Sigh. And that's it for part three. Only two more slices of loveliness before I have to go down the long and winding road of despair and one star reviews that I normally travel. Join me next time while I enjoy myself, won't you?
