Project 1001: Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins
Freak out and give in / Doesn't matter what you believe in
One thing to note about the guitar sound on Siamese Dream: I don’t think any other band sounds like the Pumpkins. It seems Billy Corgan played most of the guitars including overdubbing some of James Iha’s studio work. And producer Butch Vig stated that some tracks contained dozens of guitar overlays. It all came with lots of experimentation with different equipment.1 However it happened, the guitar sound is unique to the band and immediately marks them as different from their peers. And in my view, something grander.
A special note for Jimmy Chamberlain’s incredible drumming giving a consistent backbone to everything and a driving force throughout. Can anybody argue Chamberlain isn’t one of rock’s greatest drummers?
In case you can’t tell, I love this album. For me it’s one of the crown jewels of the 1990s rock scene. The Pumpkins, to be sure, benefited from the tidal wave of Grunge and alt-rock mania sweeping the music industry in the early 90s. But I never felt they were Grunge or even alt-rock. To me they were good old-fashioned rock in the tradition of the giants of the preceding three decades. I saw a straight line from Hendrix to Zeppelin and Sabath to Boston and Rush to Priest and Maiden. The last two may not make sense at first but think about the theatricality of the music and I think you’ll see what I mean.
A lot of alt-rock purists probably see the Pumpkins as sell outs or something. Cool. Ideological purity tests bore me and only keep one from enjoying truly excellent music. If someone wants to label Billy Corgan as “pretentious”, fine by me. At least he’s going for it all. He wanted to try to create something epic and special. I give him full marks for the ambition. Is it perfect? Is anything?
Siamese Dream is a truly special album that is foundational to a fully realized record collection. But what do I know?! hahaha My rating:
Entertainment Weekly graded the album out at a ‘B’ while declaring:
What matters, though, is what the Pumpkins do with those clichés. Like Nevermind, Siamese Dream represents the great lost link between alternative, pop, and metal. In a song like ”Today” — where Corgan actually sounds somewhat happy — the music drifts from a dreamy, acoustic-guitar folkiness to a full-bore electric bludgeoning, and the shift is so effortless and artful you barely notice it. The album is crammed with that sort of subtle attention to detail — wistful love songs with spooky, unearthly string sections, touches of dreamy psychedelia that don’t sound at all dated, and songs like ”Cherub Rock” that have the collar-grabbing power of (last Nirvana reference, we promise) ”Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In aiming for more than just another alternative guitar record, Smashing Pumpkins may have stumbled upon a whole new stance: slackers with a vision.2
A favorable review from NME including some gentle scolding of English music snobs:
The upshot of all this is clear. Given the Pumpkins' origins in the phenomenon that begins with 'G', after months of carping about the increasing mundanity of left-field Yank rock and the way that plaid-shirted enthusiasm blinded us all to the crushing shortcomings of the latest American subculture, Siamese Dream is the record that will send every smug little Englander running back to their country seat. Ha ha.3
A slightly less-enthusiastic 3 1/2-star review in Rolling Stone explained that this album advanced the Smashing Pumpkins development:
Siamese Dream is a strong, multidimensional extension of Gish that confirms that Smashing Pumpkins are neither sellouts nor one-offs. Now the band can get on with worrying about its third album.4
Siamese Dream has stood the test of time and retrospective reviews, many appearing upon the release of the deluxe edition, mark the record as an all-time great.
AllMusic’s review by Greg Prado proclaimed Siamese Dream “one of the finest alt-rock albums of all time” and “stands alongside Nevermind and Superunknown as one of the decade's finest (and most influential) rock albums.”5
A 2011 review of the deluxe reissue by Ned Raggett in Pitchfork asserted, “no matter your take on its mastermind or his divisive whining/sighing vocals, it's an embarrassment of musical riches.”6
Jayson Greene followed up in 2023 for Pitchfork that with Siamese Dream, “Billy Corgan discovered the larger-than-life sound that would reshape rock for decades to come.” Greene offered the album “might be the single most iconic sound produced in the alternative rock era, one where everything transmuted into an idealized version of itself.”7
Steven Hyden wrote about the Pumpkins for the AV Club in 2011:
The first two Smashing Pumpkins albums, 1991’s Gish and 1993’s Siamese Dream…are the biggest, brightest, and most unabashedly outré albums of the alternative era. While Corgan’s naked hunger for stardom and his unfashionable hesher-rock influences ensured his cred-conscious peers would never accept him, his music helped define the sound of ’90s mainstream rock.8
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Bruno MacDonald wrote:
“An exorcism of childhood demons? A megalomaniac’s masterpiece? A full hour of hard-rock humdingers? Siamese Dream is all this and more.”9
Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed
Cheers!
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #10 10
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: 4x Platinum | January 22, 1996 11
Released on July 27, 1993. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by UB4012
• Number one album: Zooropa by U213
• Number one movie: Poetic Justice by John Singleton14
• Most watched TV programs: 60 Minutes, Roseanne, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Murder She Wrote15
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller16
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes17
Some other albums released around that time
• Altered Beast by Matthew Sweet
• Sleeper by Tribe
• Toni Braxton by Toni Braxton
• The Battle Rages On... by Deep Purple
• Debravation by Deborah Harry
• Black Sunday by Cypress Hill
• Candlebox by Candlebox
• Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team
• Bill by Tripping Daisy
• Evolution by Oleta Adams
• Haircut by George Thorogood
• Promises and Lies by UB40
• Represent by Fat Joe da Gangsta
• Sex & Religion by Vai18
Sport
• Jul 25 Tour de France: Spaniard Miguel Induráin makes it 3 straight Tour titles; Djamolidine Abdoujaparov points winner.
• Jul 25 US Open Women's Golf, Crooked Stick GC: Lauri Merten fires a final round 68 (−4) to win her lone major title.
• Jul 28 Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. is 3rd to hit HRs in 8 straight games.19
Notable Births
• Jul 26 Taylor Momsen, American singer (The Pretty Reckless - "Heaven Knows"), and actress (Gossip Girl - "Jenny"), born in St. Louis, Missouri.
• Jul 27 Jordan Spieth, American golfer (US Masters, US Open 2015; British Open 2017), born in Dallas, Texas.
• Jul 28 Harry Kane, English footballer (Tottenham Hotspur, captain of England), born in London.20
Historical Events
• Jul 26 Asiana Airlines Flight 733 Crash: Asiana Airlines Flight 733 tragically crashes into Mt. Ungeo near Haenam, South Korea during its third landing attempt at Mokpo Airport. The devastating accident results in the loss of 68 lives out of 116 passengers and crew, highlighting critical aviation safety challenges.
• Jul 27 Mafia Bombing in Italian Cities: A devastating terrorist attack orchestrated by the Mafia targeted historical buildings across Rome, Milan, and Vatican City, resulting in the tragic loss of 5 lives and highlighting the ongoing conflict between law enforcement and organized crime in Italy.
• Jul 31 Rodney King Civil Rights Case Sentencing: A federal judge sentenced Los Angeles Police Department officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 30 months in prison for violating motorist Rodney King's civil rights, a landmark case in police accountability.21
Notable Deaths
• Jul 26 Matthew Ridgway, American general (World War II, Korean War, NATO Supreme Commander) and Chief of Staff of the US Army (1953-55), dies of cardiac arrest at 98.
• Jul 27 Reggie Lewis, American NBA star (Boston Celtics), dies of heart failure at 27.
• Jul 30 Donald Myrick, American saxophonist ("Reasons”, “One More Night”), is fatally shot by police during a narcotics investigation at 53.
MacDonald, Bruno, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 706.
Ibid.
Iron Maiden is an interesting comparison. I have a single by Zwan, one of Corgan's side projects, that features a cover of "Number Of The Beast" as the B-Side.
Great album. Check out Silversun Pickups for guitar sounds....