Siamese Dream

Siamese Dream
LP by The Smashing Pumpkins
Released	July 27, 1993
Recorded	Triclops Sound Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	62 min 17 s
Record label	Virgin Records
Producer	Butch Vig, Billy Corgan
Professional reviews
Allmusic.com	4.5 stars out of 5	link
The Smashing Pumpkins Chronology
Lull (1991)	Siamese Dream (1993)	Pisces Iscariot (1994)

Siamese Dream was a breakthrough album by The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993. It is rumoured that due to constant fighting within the band, Billy Corgan played all the guitar and bass parts. The band generally deny this, but Corgan did say he played the majority of the guitar parts. Alongside the Pumpkins' subsequent album, 1995's Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Siamese Dream is generally considered to represent their best work.

In 1998 Q magazine readers voted Siamese Dream the 67th greatest album of all time.

The fighting within the band at the time of recording was caused by the dissolution of a relationship between guitarist James Iha and bassist D'arcy, although since the recording and release of the album, the band generally don't discuss the incident. Corgan once said that if Siamese Dream was not a success, the band would have broken up. Luckily, it was a huge success, and to date remains the band's most popular work.

Corgan has said that he experienced massive writer's block during the recording, and wrote the song "Hummer" during this lack of inspiration. He went on to say that some executives from Virgin Records were coming to the studio to check on the progress of recording the album, and panicked without any substantial material. He wrote and recorded a rough demo of the song "Today" before they arrived. After hearing the new recording, the executives were so delighted that they cancelled any future visits to the studio.

Track listing

1. "Cherub Rock"
2. "Quiet"
3. "Today"
4. "Hummer"
5. "Rocket"
6. "Disarm"
7. "Soma"
8. "Geek U.S.A."
9. "Mayonaise"
10. "Spaceboy"
11. "Silverfuck"
12. "Sweet Sweet"
13. "Luna"

The Japanese version of the album ended with "Pissant" from Pisces Iscariot, which appeared as "Hikari Express".

Singles

"Cherub Rock" was released on 7" with "Purr Snickety", and on 12"/CD with "Pissant", "French Movie Theme" and an unlisted drunken karaoke version of "Star Spangled Banner"

"Today" was released on 7" with "Apathy's Last Kiss", on 12"/CD with "Hello Kitty Kat" and "Obscured", and on CD in Japan with "Apathy's Last Kiss" and "French Movie Theme"

"Disarm" was released on 7" with "Siamese Dream", on 12"/CD with "Soothe" and "Blew Away" and on CD with "Dancing in the Moonlight" (by King Harvest ) and "Landslide" (by Stevie Nicks)

"Rocket" was released on 7"/CD with "Never Let Me Down" (by Depeche Mode)

Outtakes

• The following songs are those that were written and recorded for "Siamese Dream" but did not make the final cut, were not complete or did not get past the demo stage. Most were included on other releases as b-sides or were re-recorded and released on future albums.
• "Apathy's Last Kiss"
• "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
• "Frail and Bedazzled"
• "Hello Kitty Kat"
• "Infinite Sadness"
• "Meladori Magpie" (later released on the Tonight, Tonight single)
• "Pissant"
• "Purr Snickety"
• "Set the Ray to Jerry" (later released on the 1979 single)
• "She Says"
• "Siamese Dream"
• "Spaced"
• "Suicide Kiss" (reworked into "Geek USA")
• "Tulips"
• "Whir"

Charting singles

1993  Siamese Dream    The Billboard 200            No. 10
1993  Cherub Rock      Mainstream Rock Tracks       No. 23
1993  Cherub Rock      Modern Rock Tracks           No. 7
1993  Today            Modern Rock Tracks           No. 4
1994  Disarm           Mainstream Rock Tracks       No. 5
1994  Rocket           Mainstream Rock Tracks       No. 28
1994  Today            Mainstream Rock Tracks       No. 28
1994  Disarm           Modern Rock Tracks           No. 8
1994  Today            Modern Rock Tracks           No. 6

Sample

• Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock.ogg of "Cherub Rock"

Personnel

• Jimmy Chamberlin - Drums
• Billy Corgan - Vocals, Guitar
• James Iha - Guitar, Vocals
• D'Arcy Wretzky - Bass

External links

• http://www.caroline.com/