Along with Nirvana's Nevermind marked the high-tide line of the alternative rock wave of the early nineties. Siamese Dream was the Smashing Pumpkins second album and launched them from relative obscurity to being one of the biggest bands in the world.

The album's stellar commercial success was complimented by widespread critical acclaim. Although it is not quite true that frontman Billy Corgan played every guitar part (the introduction to the song Mayonnaise was written and played by James Iha, for instance) he did run the band in a rather dictatorial manner. The album was recorded at a stressful time for the Pumpkins who were under immense pressure to be the next big thing; Corgan was also suffering from depression which provided bountiful angst for songwriting.

Commercial radio listeners would be most familiar with Siamese Dream through the album's hit singles. Cherub Rock was a condemnation of the state of alternative rock. The deceptively uplifting Today concerned Corgan's decision not to commit suicide. Disarm was one of the album's few tracks not to use a large amount of distortion and Rocket was a rock song done as only the Pumpkins know how.

The album was produced by Butch Vig, who also worked with Nirvana and Sonic Youth and went on to form Garbage, for whom he is the drummer. It also sparked a 'Nirvana v Smashing Pumpkins feud' which was always more alive in the popular music press than in reality. Critically, Siamese Dream was the Pumpkins zenith, and it is still regarded as one of the all-time great rock albums. The success of the album and Corgan's perverse nature meant that the band was immediately pushed in a new artistic direction by the acclaim that was heaped upon it, culminating in the two-disc opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Billy Corgan was never one to shy away from greatness though, and when considering the Siamese Dream's success remarked "I feel in my heart that I can obscure Siamese Dream with what comes next."

By The Smashing Pumpkins
Released June 27, 1993
Recorded at Triclops Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA
Virgin Records
Produced by Billy Corgan and Butch Vig

Billy Corgan was clinically depressed when he created Siamese Dream.

He also had a serious case of writer's block.

We should all be so talented.

Make no mistake: Corgan was the mastermind here.

The Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream is one of the most important albums of the 1990s. Online album retailers find that buyers of this album usually also pick up Nevermind, Ten, and The Bends — Dream is one of the pillars of alternative music.

The Pumpkins were dysfunctional. Notoriously so. It's rumored that in-band fighting was so intense that Billy Corgan had to rough up his fingers playing every string track on the album. Corgan himself did little to dispel the rumor, never denying it expressly at first but instead providing cryptic non-answers to reporters' questions. Later on, bandmates D'Arcy and James Iha would admit that Corgan was responsible for much of the recording, but explained that he was capable of laying down tracks with much fewer takes. It was simply more efficient to have Corgan do the whole thing.

The album was recorded in Atlanta because it was harder for Jimmy to find drugs there than in Chicago.

Virgin Records executives' first taste of Dream was a rough recording of Today that Corgan had thrown together himself at the last minute.

Priorities were incorrect. Evidently.

But what fighting? Well, Jimmy Chamberlin had just exited rehab sponsored by his bandmates; Corgan was in therapy for losing a girlfriend. Before that he'd lost his apartment.

Thank god for Talent.

As of May 2005, Siamese Dream has sold four and a half million copies in the US.

"Layering" is a tedious recording technique in which a single track is recorded on top of itself over and over again. Butch Vig layered the guitars as many as 50 times — like painting a house with watercolor. The distinct sound of Siamese Dream's guitars owes itself to the technique of layering. You never heard fuller riffs.

You could make another album out of the tracks that didn't make the cut for Siamese Dream. Some of the tracks were released as b-sides, while others were included on the follow-up Pisces Iscarot. Notably, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" became a signature track on the epic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

1. Apathy's Last Kiss
2. Blew Away
3. Bullet with Butterfly Wings
4. Doorstep aka Meladorie Pie
5. Frail and Bedazzled
6. French Movie Theme
7. Glynis
8. Infinite Sadness
9. Hello Kitty Kat
10. Pissant
11. Purr Snickety
12. Set the Ray to Jerry
13. She Says
14. Siamese Dream (interestingly)
15. Spaced
16. Tulips
17. Whirl

And what of the tracks that did make it?

Review by Track
or
Bitriot tries desperately to write about music without turning into some kind of lame assed Puma-wearing hipster

Note: Billy Corgan is a songwriter, not a lyricist.

Cherub Rock
This one was released a few times. In addition to its place as introductory track on Siamese Dream it found a place on a 7" vinyl with "Purr Snickety" and on a 12-incher with "Pissant," "French Movie Theme," and an obscure drunken singalong to the Star-Spangled Banner.

The guitar riffs are memorable and catchy. The upbeat melody characterizes the bittersweet grunge that made the Pumpkins famous. As is typical Corgan, vocals are unintelligable — this does not matter. Layering techniques are apparent in the guitar solo. The Pumpkins departed from typical early '90s music by continuing to incorporate sweeping instrumentals.

Quiet
You want to know why people call the Pumpkins grunge? Here you go.

These days, the harmony's guttural stair-step progression is cliché. In 1993 it was heavy. Chamberlin's drums burst heavy before each chorus. The lyrics' mention of castration refers to either Corgan's ex-girlfriend or mother.

Today
A delightfully melodic song. The light, sing-song guitar introduction sets a tone for care-free joy, of —

Oh. Right. It's an ode to the day of suicide. Pink ribbon scars. Right, right, I get it. Billy, you old rapscallion you. The music video is about an ice cream truck and everything.

"Today" was also released on 7" with "Apathy's Last Kiss" and on 12" with "Hello Kitty Kat" and "Obscured."

One might call this Siamese Dream's pivotal track. Not only was it the piece that won the hearts of the Virgin execs, it's the most frequently-played Pumpkins song on the radio. The upbeat pitch of Corgan's vocals contrast nicely with images of burned-out eyes.

Hummer
Written through the worst of Corgan's writer's block, "Hummer" is a sprawling six-minute opus about the depressing mental residues left by an ex-girlfriend. The introduction has a World's Fair-Egyptian feel — constructed of a sound like radio static, it's the most synthesized part of the album. The following guitar riffs are some of the sweetest and most memorable of the decade.

The song is largely instrumental. Vocals come in well-spaced drawls of one or two syllables. Chamberlin's drumming has a rare moment of forgettableness. This is a song for guitars.

Rocket
Probably Siamese Dream's most forgettable track. Guitar and drum tracks never quite reach fever pitch, and Corgan's vocals come flat. Christ imagery illustrates a battle with depression. The subject is again either Corgan's ex-girlfriend or mother.

Disarm
The most beautiful song Billy Corgan ever wrote.

Released as a single, its success was second only to "Today." One release saw it coupled with the original Stevie Nicks' "Landslide." The orchestra achieves incredible power, culminating to a perfect harmony to the final lines. Being the devout melancholic that I am, I used "Disarm" to wear out a CD player and muster the inspiration for countless lines of abysmal poetry.

I should join the club.

Soma
Another six-minute track. But unlike "Hummer," this one's got some structure to it. Verses imposed over growing riffs speak of the emptiness of returning to broken relationships.

"Soma" starts out almost inaudibly. You'll find yourself maxing out the volume to get the nuances, pressing your ears against the speakers to understand Corgan's lyrics. By the end, the little melody has become a monster, screamed out by layered guitars in a perfect marriage of power and grace.

Geek U.S.A.
Like "Quiet," this is a guttural, rhythm-heavy piece, but less repetative. Chamberlin's drums come through big and Corgan's voice is clear. Lyrics speak of lust and the emotional distance of sexual relationships. Comparison of the relationship of father and mother to daughter evoke gender identity and the role of a young woman as a sexual object. One of the most substantial pieces on the album.

Mayonaise
The catchy, scratchy guitars are James Iha's contribution. This song is simple but very enjoyable. Corgan's use of a sixty-dollar electric guitar manifests as pronounced feedback at every moment the strings aren't being plucked. Sections of the chorus dip low enough to lose melody and are redeemed to memory only by the cry of cheap guitar. Not a terribly solid song, but classic Pumpkins.

Spaceboy
Another orchestral piece. Very simple. The earthiness of the acoustic guitar is amplified by the track's intermittent and near-silent orchestral harmony. Unfortunately, this one never achieves the strength of "Disarm." It probably was not meant to. The chorus is achingly melodic, and the synthesized strings evoke the cold, faraway feeling of, well, a spaceboy.

Of course, the spaceboy is a metaphor for Corgan. But the lyrics don't say much. Some stuff about being away from home, some passing reference to breaking lovers. Feeling of not fitting into a mold. Billy Corgan is not a lyricist.

Silverfuck
You want some drums? You got you some fucking drums, mang. Jimmy Chamberlin will blow you away. He will hit things that do not seem to be able to be hit on drum sets. At least not at that speed.

Until the waning tracks of the later Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, the Pumpkins did not reach this frenzied pitch of rocking. Heavy bass and island-influenced drums give the song a surfer feel. The protracted interlude lulls the listener into a serenity that's just utterly exploded by the sudden entrance of the final chorus.

This is another trademark Billy Corgan breakup song, but it's somewhat less self-pitying and quite a bit creepier. Think Alanis Morissette with testosterone shots.

Sweet Sweet
Sweet is right. This song is sweet.

But not the good kind — the sickening kind. You can expect nothing else from Mr. Corgan. Remember, he was not a well man.

The chorus is a chant with a very creepy feel. Like Children of the Corn. Something that might be sung at some Americana village gathering. But the agony and whatnot provide a little edge. Corgan is the master of the sweet gone bad.

Luna
The final track of Siamese Dream feels, fittingly, like a lullaby. Strangely enough, though, it's a positive song. Billy must have reached deep down for this one.

Here you'll find the dreamlike quality that characterizes some of the Pumpkins' later work. The final ballads of Mellon Collie share the sleepy feeling, the undercurrent of love. The Pumpkins eventually took on a storybook-themed persona, illustrating lyric sheets with surreal visions that might appear in children's books and composing sweepingly romantic ballads.

Lyrically, it's about emerging from dark times. A fitting end.

Credits

David Rasgale, Violin
Jeff Tomei, Engineer
Mike Mills, Piano
Mark Richardson, Engineer

Butch Vig, Producer & Engineer
Billy Corgan, Vocals & Guitar
D'Arcy, Bass & Vocals
James Iha, Guitar
Jimmy Chamberlin, Drums

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins Chronology
http://www.starla.org/chrono/sd.html

University of Amsterdam
http://staff.science.uva.nl/~jellekok/lyrics/siamese.htm

Musicmatch
www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=927560&AMGLENGTH=full#review
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=972560

cduniverse
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1033661/a/Siamese+Dream.htm