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09-16 Smashing Pumpkins Album News
06-11 Pumpkins Find New Drummer
04-10 New Billy Corgan Blog Post
03-30 Smashing Pumpkins Auditions
03-20 Jimmy Chamberlin Leaves SP
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Alt Rock |
Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988, when Billy Corgan (lyricist, vocals, lead guitar) met James Iha (guitar) in a record store. They began playing together, with former members of Corgan's failed band The Marked joining temporarily. After recruiting D'arcy Wretzky (bass) and Jimmy Chamberlain (drums) solidifying the lineup, the band would spend the next couple of years playing around Chicago. Chamberlin joined shortly after seeing the other three perform with a drum machine, he said it was horrible, but saw potential in Corgan's songwriting. Despite being a jazz drummer, the chemistry between hi ...read more
Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988, when Billy Corgan (lyricist, vocals, lead guitar) met James Iha (guitar) in a record store. They began playing together, with former members of Corgan's failed band The Marked joining temporarily. After recruiting D'arcy Wretzky (bass) and Jimmy Chamberlain (drums) solidifying the lineup, the band would spend the next couple of years playing around Chicago. Chamberlin joined shortly after seeing the other three perform with a drum machine, he said it was horrible, but saw potential in Corgan's songwriting. Despite being a jazz drummer, the chemistry between him and Corgan was vital for the Smashing Pumpkins sound. The Pumpkins released their debut Gish in 1991.
Their follow-up Siamese Dream in 1993 established them as the leaders of alt rock, despite the band almost breaking up during the recording. Corgan was reportedly a control freak, and went as far as to record his own bass and guitar parts over the other members, he had also come out of depression and writer's block which almost lead him to suicide. Iha and Wretzky broke up around the time of the recording, making it harder to work together. Chamberlain had become an alcoholic and drug addict after the rigorous touring supporting their debut. Because in Chicago he had too many drug connections, making him completely unreliable, the band went to Georgia to record. It was all worth it though, Siamese Dream debuted at 10 on the Billboard charts, won critical acclaim, and the singles Today, Cherub Rock, and Disarm propelled the band's popularity.
1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness put them at the top of the 90s, the 28 track doule album was the apex of the band's popularity. The tour was going well, with hits like Zero and Tonight, Tonight keeping the band on the radar. But when touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoine died of a heroin overdose, and Chamberlin was fired for doing heroin with him, Smashing Pumpkins were left in a difficult position. Corgan was also being painted as an egomaniac, and somewhat as an anti-hero of rock, claiming that "rock is dead" and Mellon Collie would be the last rock album for the Smashing Pumpkins.
Adore was released in 1997, but critics' opinions were mixed with the acoustic-electronic sound and the Pumpkins' career started coming to an end, with tensions between the band members mounting. Corgan claimed that the band had no interest in making Adore, and D'Arcy wanted the album to be a Corgan solo album. Jimmy was welcomed back and in 2000 they released Machina: The Machines of God (D'Arcy left during the album's recording for unknown reasons, replaced by Melissa Auf Der Maur for their final tour). This helped to establish their rock sound again, but failed to live up to earlier SP efforts.
They released Machina 2: the Friends and Enemies of Modern Music online for fans to circulate, played their final show on December 2nd 2000 and broke up. Post-Pumpkin activity includes Iha in A Perfect Circle (the band is now offically over), Chamberlin's Jimmy Chamberlain Complex from 2005, Corgan's 2005 solo album TheFutureEmbrace, and Melissa Auf Der Maur's band Auf Der Maur. D'Arcy is living on a farm breeding horses, and has since remained out of any spotlight. In 2005 Billy Corgan announced his intention to reform the band in a full page newspaper advertisement taken out on the release date of his new solo album. In January the band were set to reunite for a California festival, but apparently backed out of it. Jimmy Chamberlain and Billy Corgan are currently recording new material under the name Smashing Pumpkins; the album is called Zeitgeist and the songs Tarantula, Doomsday Clock, and That's The Way (My Love Is) have been picked as singles for Zeitgeist. The album is due for release July 10, 2007. « hide |
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