Published on Jun 28, 1997
One of the most maddening aspects of the Smashing Pumpkins is
how critics have waffled on their monster hit
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. When it first came
out, “overblown”, “self-indulgent” and “pretensious” were words
that were associated with this opus.
A year later, after the bum rush of videos and airplay, this
album was mopping up awards left and right. “Ambitious,” “epic” and
“brilliant” were the key words of association. I’ve listened to
this album in its entirety at least 9 or 10 times and I’m still
leaning towards the “overblown” argument. It’s admirable in its
ambitions (one album could have been a double album in the 70s),
but before handing Billy Corgan and company the “Best Album of the
Decade” crown, its flaws equal each stride the album achieves.
Let’s start with the good, so I won’t get too much hate mail.
Producer Flood gives each song a full, rich sound. It’s a fat
double album and it sounds like you’re listening to an epic.
“1979”, “Zero” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” will be staples in
jukeboxes in both frat bars and pizza pubs well into the next
millennium.
The lesser known songs will have cynics of the band giving the
album another listen. The spacey “We Only Come Out At Night”, the
catchy riffs of both “Here Is No Why” and “Stumbleine” showcase a
very talented band that MAY have deserved a lot of the acclaim that
this album landed. At least a marginally talented band occpies the
collection of many high school and college kids.
And yes, critics have the right to change their mind, but not so
damn many when it came to this album. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
has grown tired and it is likely to say that it won’t have the
staying power of say “Another Brick In The Wall”. “X.Y.U.”, “Fuck
You (An Ode To No One)” and “In The Arms Of Sleep” are dictionary
definitons of album filler tunes. And with a big budget, the cheap,
innovative quirks that made
Gish their best album are all but forgotten on this one.
I know dissing the Smashing Pumpkins is about as bold and
radical as saying classic rock radio plays too much Boston, but I
can’t help but to do so with this Zeppelin-sized album. Their many
b-sides releases last year had more appeal than
Mellon Collie. Case in point with the “Zero” single. It
showcased the Pumpkins at their peak, meshing the creative pop of
“Zero” with trippy feedback that would make Thurston Moore proud,
especially with the 20 minute “Pastichio Medley”.
Corgan in interviews said he wanted
Mellon Collie to have the impact on listeners today as
The Wall had on listeners of the early 80s. Judging by the
acclaim and the sales figures, he accomplished that goal. And
though its somewhat amusing to think that this album will be the
staple in many rolled-up towel underneath the door dormrooms, I
will still think of
Mellon Collie as just a good album. Yes, it did touch a
nerve with angst-ridden adolescents, to quote from Bart Simpson
(please don’t sue), “making teenagers depressed is like shooting
fish in a barrel”.