What's your opinion on Smashing Pumpkins returning?

[Neo Zeed]

Billy Corgan announced the return of Smashing Pumpkins a few months ago. Jimmy Chamberlain is officially on board, and Billy is supposedly working on new songs. James Iha and Darcy's involvement is still a mystery. They might not be coming back, and two new musicians might take their place. Weird. Nevertheless, I can't wait. I think Billy works better in a band environment, and I'm open to new members. I wonder if they'll continue in their goth direction, which I enjoyed. What do you guys think?

[esbern]

It doesn't seem like that was gonna happen. It was more of a promotion/attention getter for his solo album. Didn't really work I guess.

[Shane]

Um....

Why?

Who cares?

They were nothing big to me.

[Fievel]

Awwwww Zwan didn't work out?! That's too bad. The band's name became my favorite random sound effect to make.

ZWANNNNNN!!!!!

Hopefully Chamberlain has stopped shooting smack with their keyboard players. A Smashing Pumpkins without Iha or Darcy would be lame. Maybe they'll call themselves Smashed Pumpkin, or Smashing Pumkpins Revistited, or Smashing Zwan, or More Songs By A Whiny Lead Singer, or Peaches & Herb 2, or Cueball & Junkie.

Zwan!

[Tubbs Tattsyrup]

Personally I'd love it if it happened. But I really don't see James, or particularly Darcy, returning. Having Melissa Auf der Maur wouldn't be too bad, but yeah.

I don't see it happening. Corgan's solo album isn't too bad, so yeah. It's interesting, actually - every former Pumpkin except for Darcy has released a solo album.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

Reunion Tours (like the recent apparently excellent Pixies tour) means that Gen X is officially OLDE!!!

Where have the years gone?! WHERE?!

NOOOOOOOOOO!

[ONeillSG1]

They split up?

Who knew?!

Who cares??

KONG!

[Neo Zeed]

They split up?

Who knew?!

Who cares??

KONG!

To answer those questions in order.
1.Yup.
2. A lot.
3. These people for starters. http://www.myspace.com/billycorgan

As for KONG! Well that's more of a statement really so...KONG! right back atcha' buddy.

P.S. Kong dies...But the Smashing Pumpkins will live on.

[Pudie]

James Iha said no I thought. Im just recently getting into them though, so it would be cool to see em live.

[jgraphix]

That vegetable was crushed so long ago it's gotta be rotten by now.

Used to be a huge fan but thier last album was garbage.

[so sorry]

Noe Zeed... great topic... shoulda had a poll to go with it!

I was a big pumkins fan for a few years (many years ago).
i don't think i could give two shits about them now, though.

and i agree with esbern, i beleive this was a bullshit statemnt from the bald one.

[Lord Voldemoo]

from what I hear James/Darcy and Billy really, really hate each other now. There may be a "reunion", but I doubt everyone will be on board. The Pumpkins may be my all-time favorite band, I'd love to hear something new, but I fear it may be the musical version of The Phantom Menace.

[Brocktune]

so corgan finally ran out of cash, eh? oh well. im a little surprised at the strong desire to see iha and darcy back in the lineup. ok, they were original members, but lets face it, they are as interchangeable as a double a battery. iha was just your everyday run-of-the-mill rythym guy, corgan did all of the writing, and played lead while he sang. and darcy didnt even know how to play bass, until her boyfriend (corgan) taught her how to play those songs. by my way of thinking, that means she still doesnt really know how to play bass. i used to love them back in the pre siamese dream days. then the bigger they got, and the bigger corgans head got, the less they interested me. ive seen them a couple of times though. this might be cool if they did like a small club tour, instead of the 65 dollar a ticket 2 week tour of our fine house of blues locations. (eta:) which is the most likely scenario.

[Brocktune]

Reunion Tours (like the recent apparently excellent Pixies tour) means that Gen X is officially OLDE!!!

Where have the years gone?! WHERE?!

NOOOOOOOOOO!

what an astute and depressing observation! here here, well spoken bruce.

[Neo Zeed]

Noe Zeed... great topic... shoulda had a poll to go with it!

I was a big pumkins fan for a few years (many years ago).
i don't think i could give two shits about them now, though.

and i agree with esbern, i beleive this was a bullshit statemnt from the bald one.

Cause you asked for it! Here's da poll.

Well if you thought he was bullshiting then, well.... he's still at it now...Check out his blog

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=9685952&blogID=68327525

I'm think it will happen, but with two other people. But who knows?

[dark wesley]

huh, used to love em with a passion only a young teen could have for a band, but alas, they made a couple of bad choices with the last album and well it kinda sucked and then well then they all died.
billy corgan though, was my hero for a coupla years, but i cant see this working out. so fuck off billy.

[Neo Zeed]

huh, used to love em with a passion only a young teen could have for a band, but alas, they made a couple of bad choices with the last album and well it kinda sucked and then well then they all died.
billy corgan though, was my hero for a coupla years, but i cant see this working out. so fuck off billy.

The last album had some weak tracks like "Heavy Metal Machine" but I thought The Everlasting Gaze,Stand Inside Your Love, Wound, This Time, Try,Try,Try, Sacred and Profane, and Age of Innocence, were superb. I thought they could have taken Home, Slow Dawn, Real Love, and Let me Give the World to you off of Machina 2, and added it to Machina 1. Add those, remove the weaker tracks, and it would have been a four star album. But since Corgan made Machina 2 free to the public anyway, it was no problem for me.

For Machina 2 tracks check out
http://www.metrochicago.com/pumpkins/

[Keepcoolbutcare]

to quote S.M...

"out on tour with the smashing pumpkins, nature kids, I/they don't have no function, I don't understand what they mean and I could really give a fuck..."

notice the "I/they", at least HE acknowledges he serves no function!

[Neo Zeed]

to quote S.M...

"out on tour with the smashing pumpkins, nature kids, I/they don't have no function, I don't understand what they mean and I could really give a fuck..."

notice the "I/they", at least HE acknowledges he serves no function!

Who's S.M.? I'm confused...

[Keepcoolbutcare]

Stephen Malkmus.

The lines from "Range Life", off of Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

Didn't mean to offend you, as obviously you're a fan of Corgan.

Just pointing out that he takes himself WAY too seriously...

[doglips]

1979 - best song ever?

They should leave it alone I reckon.

[Neo Zeed]

Stephen Malkmus.

The lines from "Range Life", off of Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

Didn't mean to offend you, as obviously you're a fan of Corgan.

Just pointing out that he takes himself WAY too seriously...

Oh no problem at all. Corgan does say a lot of bold stuff ("Rock is dead" etc..), and thinks he's a rock and savior of sorts. I actually think it's funny and also fun! Today's rock bands just kinda want to just rock, record songs, and come off as normal people. Corgan on the other loves concept albums and tries to think big!! He doesn't always succeed, but I always appreciate his attempt to be dramatic. When he returns, I hope he becomes more batshit crazy, pompous, vampiric, or whatever. With good songs too, of course. I'd just hate SP2 to end up like Zwan with Billy in a cowboy hat with a bunch of normal joes, saying "Here comes some good old fashioned Rock and Roll.." zzzzzz. Though I enjoyed the Zwan album, there was zero mystique about them or the album.

PS Just curious has anyone ever heard Machina 2 (The album they released for online for free). I thought "Home" was fantastic.

[psychedelic]

I've been listening to Machina II since it was first released and I think it's terrific.

"Glass' Theme" "Cash Car Star" "Real Love" "Let Me Give The World To You" "Home" "Blue Skies Bring Tears (heavy)" "White Spider" "Slow Dawn" "Vanity"....

There's a lot of good stuff on there. It's certainly worth checking out, especially since it's free. Grand total: 25 tracks. 2 CDs worth.

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

Wait I'm confused, wouldn't Smashing Pumpkins with only Corgan and Chamberlain as the original members just be Zwan?

[buster00]

I liked the Zwan album a lot...didn't hear the Corgan solo album all the way through, but was underwhelmed by what I did hear...

Either way, I'd give a new Pumpkins album its day in court. Hey, man, the band who gave us Siamese Dream at least deserves a listen in my book.

[Neo Zeed]

Wait I'm confused, wouldn't Smashing Pumpkins with only Corgan and Chamberlain as the original members just be Zwan?

I believe Billy will only pick 2 new members, as opposed to Zwan's 3. Plus Corgan seems to hint that Smashing Pumpkins' concept was more "art rock/metal" (As opposed to Zwan's power pop/rock). I thought the Zwan album was fantastic, but the band's "happy" mission statement (as evidenced in the press/tour/album) seemed to deny any more dark or angsty songs, in the future.

It was as if Zwan's musical identity was just that of the "Anti Pumpkins," and it backed him into corner. If he wanted to go back to his roots, he'd either have to go solo or start the Pumpkins again. He has always stated that he never wanted to be solo, so I think he used his solo album as a bridge between Zwan and the new SP. So the stylistic change wouldn't be so drastic to the media/public.

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

Yea, I guess I just figure a band is more about who's in it then what kind of "identity" the lead singer feels like assuming or putting out. Like Radiohead isn't less Radiohead when they're doing the electronic soundscapes of Kid A vs the garage rock of Pablo Honey.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is one of my favorite albums, but it just seems a little silly to go through three incarnations where the only consistent thing is yourself and just be like, on this album I'm Billy Corgan, here I'm Zwan, ok ok, now I'm Smashing Pumpkins. I dunno.

[Neo Zeed]

I know what you're saying Gheorghe Zamfir. I'm not completely sure why he "brands" his musical incarnations. He seems to limit the range of styles on each project (Billy solo=electronic & Zwan= happy rock) I think he wanted to see if he could create a different sound than Smashing Pumpkins and found out that he couldn't (or subconsciously didn't want to). For some psychological reason he can't go forward in his sound or career without the history of Smashing Pumpkins backing him up.

I guess it's how Robert Smith or Trent Reznor don't want to make albums without their band names. Maybe, they worry as if they'd confuse their fans and be starting all over. Some artists love their own career continuity, and without it they can't create. Billy probably found this out just recently.

He's also an attention craver, and he knows this will get people talking about his music again. He wants desperately to be number one on the charts again "and save rock and roll". On the creative side he also knows that he'll have to stop messing around and get serious, because the media will be watching him closely again. Corgan likes to paint himself in a corner and fight his way out. He's the best creatively when the media expects him to fail in the worst way. He'll propabably pick two new people just to exasperate that tension. It's Corgan's creative fuel.

[ONeillSG1]

P.S. Kong dies...But the Smashing Pumpkins will live on.

WTF?!?!?

NO SPOILER WARNING?!?!? WHAT KIND OF MAN ARE YOU?!?!?

YOU JUST RUINED THE FILM FOR ME!!!

ARRRGGGGGG!!!!!

KONG!!!!

[Neo Zeed]

Ooops, Kong (a.ka.ONeillSG1) is on a rampage again!! I thought you died big fella (Making this death #3 by movie remake standards). Put the chick from Mulholland Drive down before you find out what's really the deal with Norman Bates' mommy! Oh wait, I've already said too much! Kong's a big Vince Vaughn fan, ya know.

AAAAAAAA!!! (Sound of me screaming like a little bitch in '33 automobile, that was poorly CGI-ed by team WETA)

KONG!

PS. Funny shit, ONeillSG1. Off topic, but how did you feel about Conan O' Brien's Pierre Bernard saying, "Stargate was better without Dr. Daniel Jackson?" Is he talking out his ass? Inquiring minds wanna know....

[Vegeta]

That's cool with me. I think the best thing would for Billy to write the lyrics, but have someone else sing them. He whinesssssss....

Having Pumpkins back reminds me of the good old days... right Cheech.

[I_Was_Saying_Boo_urns]

I didn't even know it happened. Still don't care.

[rufie72]

Today is the greatest day I have ever known.

[TheBaxter]

I'm all for the Smashing Pumpkins reuniting, as long as they get someone else to sing so I don't have to listen to Corgan's whiny voice

[oisin5199]

I remember in 98 when Bauhaus reunited for the first time, and I saw them in Chicago. They pulled Corgan on stage for a couple of encores, and he got booed like crazy. I don't know a lot of people around here (his hometown) who take him that seriously. Personally, I can't stand it when frontmen carry on their band name when they're essentially solo albums - I can think of Tears for Fears, OMD and Judybats, offhand. Though to be fair, when Roland Orzabal finally got back with Curt Smith, TFF's last album sucked way more than the Smith-less albums.

[bamf]

IT was D'arcys drug issues that broke the band up last time, Chamberlain has been clean for awhile. i can handle a pumpkins without her.

[Neo Zeed]

I remember in 98 when Bauhaus reunited for the first time, and I saw them in Chicago. They pulled Corgan on stage for a couple of encores, and he got booed like crazy. I don't know a lot of people around here (his hometown) who take him that seriously. Personally, I can't stand it when frontmen carry on their band name when they're essentially solo albums - I can think of Tears for Fears, OMD and Judybats, offhand. Though to be fair, when Roland Orzabal finally got back with Curt Smith, TFF's last album sucked way more than the Smith-less albums.

The Cure had great albums with rotating band members. Corgan and Chamberlain alone could be the Smashing Pumpkins. It's not like Axl Rose without Slash. I also doubt Corgan would bring on 2 new people that couldn't fill Iha and Darcy's shoes.

I dunno...If Morrissey and Marr teamed up with killer bass player and drummer, I'd might be content to call them The Smiths...maybe..uh..I'd at least think about really hard

[oisin5199]

I guess I'm not that much of a Pumpkins fan (was into their 2nd album, but that's about it) to care specifically about their comeback. I was really just commenting in general about the phenomenon. I think artists who want to carry on without their band should really call themselves something different.

I agree about the Cure examples (I'd say the Top was a great anomalous album, the only one since the first without Simon, the bassist). And probably Morrissey/Marr. (God, Johnny Marr. What a crash and burn story of someone who could have been one of the most talented guitarists of the late 20th century). Sometimes with a duo collaboration, the other partner's personality is sometimes the only thing keeping the other from being totally self-indulgent.

It really depends on who are the primary songwriters. There's a certain sound that the others provided in the Cure, but it's really Robert all the way. In another thread, there was a comment about Alan Wilder leaving Depeche Mode. Even though he wasn't credited as being a primary songwriter, my understanding was that while Gore wrote the melodies and main riffs, it was Wilder who filled out the environment and created the unique sounds. So when he left, they had to fill his place with lots of producers and other musicians.

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

I don't have a problem with artists who keep a band's name after mates have dropped out, it definitely changes the band and the sound, but the name is just the identity, guys coming and going can be part of the evolution of that identity (to an extent). Just this situation strikes me as a bit weirder than that, cause its being called a "return" of Smashing Pumpkins, but no one's actually returning or reuniting. Mostly more just Corgan deciding to use the name Smashing Pumpkins again. It doesn't bug me too much, just find it odd, to me the news is basically the equivalent of simply saying Corgan has a new album coming out.

[Groggy]

Corgan will have to go a long way to restore my faith in him. I loved the Pumkins way back when. Loved 'em. Due to various reasons I always has to miss their gigs.

The only one I could catch was their Birmingham leg of their farewell tour in 2001 or whenever. D'arcy had already left and been replaced by the gal from Hole. Chamberlain had been welcomed back into the band. Sadly for all in attendance Corgan had disappeared up his own arse. A shit performance wand he clearly didn't want to be there. He eventually stormed off early and didn't come back out because we weren't clapping loud enough at his crap show.

Apparently the next night on Halloween in Manchester they gave an awesome performance with encores and featured a good humoured Corgan and Melissa dressed up as Posh and Becks, I shit you not.

The guy is temperamental to say the very least and I think his recent musical chairs with band names and sounds is indicative of someone who is no longer sure of what he wants from the business.

[Tubbs Tattsyrup]

Corgan and Chamberlin Back as Smashing Pumpkins

Just an update. Seems like the reform is going ahead with just Billy and Jimmy. According to Melissa Auf der Maur, they're working on a new album, with a tour to follow.

[Neo Zeed]

Corgan and Chamberlin Back as Smashing Pumpkins

Just an update. Seems like the reform is going ahead with just Billy and Jimmy. According to Melissa Auf der Maur, they're working on a new album, with a tour to follow.

Yeah I've heard this too. I think according to Auf der Maur, Corgan and Chamberlain are working on the new material on their own.. Maybe Iha and Darcy will come out for the tour?

[Eric G]

The Pumpkins are returning? Corgan and all? Hey...I liked them when I was a teenager, but I can see them slotting into the same category as Cold Play nowadays. Now; to some that may be a good thing, but to me; that's just fucking awful.

EDIT: Oh - and where is the voting option of "No. Please! No!"

[Iconoclastica]

um ok they rock. my motto in life:


Disarm you with a smile
And cut you like you want me to
Cut that little child
Inside of me and such a part of you





don't care what the new reunion yields . . my life's already been defined by a combo of pearl jam and smahsnig pumkins, so I'm happy ;-D

[Eric G]

um ok they rock. my motto in life:


Disarm you with a smile
And cut you like you want me to
Cut that little child
Inside of me and such a part of you





don't care what the new reunion yields . . my life's already been defined by a combo of pearl jam and smahsnig pumkins, so I'm happy ;-D

I would say, they rocked. Back in the Stone Temple Pilot, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Alice in Chains days; yes. they rocked.
Maybe I shouldn't write them off just yet. Maybe Billy Corgan has got all that sad and depressing shit out of his system.

[Iconoclastica]

yes they rocked . . . I still pretned we stilll live in the early 90s in terms of music, so stp, smashing pumpkins, and the advent of nirvana are all that I listen too . .. wow, I'm in hard core denial of reality

[Eric G]

Hahahaha.....

Yeah. The Seatle grunge days. Who could forget....

[Tubbs Tattsyrup]

I'd say they still rocked in their later days, the Machina era. Hell, I think all of their albums are great, yes, even Adore. I'd kill to see them live again, even if it is just Billy, Jimmy and some others. What they need to do, if they can't get Iha or Darcy, is to get musicians who will just play the music and not swan around or anything. Kinda like Auf der Maur in 2000 or Matt Walker during the Adore tour.

Just because their sound changed in the late 90s (to the pseudo-electronica of Adore and the wall-of-sound of Machina) doesnt mean they started to suck. The songs were still strong, the attitude was still strong. Machina 1 and 2 are fucking great albums.

Bring on a reunion, even if it's just those 2 plus guests. Corgan is still a great musician and songwriter.

[Tyrone_Shoelaces]

Meet Smashing Pumpkins drummer Mike Byrne

[Fievel]

Meet Smashing Pumpkins drummer Mike Byrne

May the gods of rock keep that kid safe, humble, and always striving to get better.