The creative and commercial arc of The Smashing Pumpkins in the '90s was so inextricably linked to the alternative rock movement (still kind of underground in '91, everywhere in '93, over by '98) that it's often easy to forget just how singularly remarkable they were at their creative peak. Need a reminder? The brand new Gish (1991) and Siamese Dream (1993) boxed set deluxe edition reissues (out tomorrow) are an astonishing set of encapsulations of who the band were and what they were all about before their MTV-fueled skyrocket.
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The inch-thick, glossy packaging (when and if you can get them open... this author spent at least five solid minutes with the Siamese Dream box) houses a feast of extras that might not astound the die-hards and bootleggers, but will put stars in the eyes of casual fans or first-time listeners—both sets include the original album (completely remixed and remastered—you'll notice the difference within the first 30 seconds of "Cherub Rock")... an extra CD's worth of outtakes, demos, live radio performances, and other semi-rarities... and a full concert on DVD, as well as exclusive postcards, revamped artwork, new liner notes by David Wild, and (of course) a frustratingly cryptic track-by-track commentary by Billy Corgan (ex: he describes Gish's "Rhinoceros" as "idealism hidden amongst the ruins of a sentimental smear". Have fun, kids.).
The outtakes are (unfortunately) a bit of a mixed bag. Many of them appeared in some form or another on Pisces Iscariot, but the handful of gems (Billy's solo demo of "Daydream", an extended demo version of "Siamese Dream", the "U.S.A." / "U.S.S.R." instruments) are more than worth the price of admission.
The real surprise here is the pair of concerts, recorded at Chicago venue The Metro in August of 1990 and 1993, respectively. The video and sound quality on the latter is understandably superior, but it's astonishing to watch the band's transformation over those three short years—in addition to cutting his hair and learning how to deal with his audience, Corgan had built the Pumpkins into an astonishingly well-oiled machine; watch both performances of "I Am One" and marvel at how fully they'd come into their own. (Confession: I laughed out loud at James Iha's "Electric Light Orchestra!" line towards the end of the '93 show.)
SumOlogy: I wouldn't throw away your old copies just yet, but this first round of deluxe reissues are the perfect intro to the Smashing Pumpkins' formidable back catalogue.
Rating: Gish (4.5/5.0), Siamese Dream (5.0/5.0)
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Follow Brett Warner on Twitter: @Erasurehead
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