Now, as I read this morning about Billy Corgan’s ad in the paper to “resurrect” the Smashing Pumpkins, I must say that I felt a little dismayed. See, the Pumpkins were my absolute favorite band in high school. I still love them. I have most of their CDs, and even listen to the ones I have quite regularly. But unlike other bands that I really like, I have no desire to get the albums I do not have. There is a good reason for that. After Mellon Collie, they released the Aeroplane Flies High, which was essentially more Mellon Collie; and, to be quite honest, they should have ended at that. Now that may sound mean, but most can agree that the music they produced went sharply downhill after that. The following record, Adore, and subsequently MACHINA/the machines of God (two albums which were not on their major label, Virgin, might I add), pretty much took the Pumpkins into an area that not only alienated some of the fans (namely myself), but made it kind of strange to think that it was the same Smashing pumpkins that had made Siamese Dream that were making that crap.
Now, if you liked those albums, that is fine, but I have never been one for a COMPLETE departure from what you started as, as a band. I think that bringing the Pumpkins back together again is kind of pointless, because, unless they are going to go back to a sound that they pretty much invented and perfected in 1994, there really is no point, right? Sorry to say this, but I really don’t want them to get back together, I have managed to wipe the bit of tarnish those last albums left, and I would hate to pull back out the polishing cloth.
So I should end with this: Billy, keep making music. Keep having fun. But don’t get the Pumpkins back together, there really is no need for that. You have shown that you could do some awesome stuff and be very creative elsewhere (i.e. Zwan). I also think it is a horrible thing to say to your once band mates that you don’t care who is in the band, because it has a soul. Ouch! Either way… thanks for what you left us with… even the bad; but we don’t need anything new (unless, like I said, it sounds like the first albums).
If you want, you can check out the article here.