The Prague Post
July 6th, 2008
Reader's SurveyNEW     Endowment Fund     Book of Lists ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre

Home » Archives » Night & Day

Turning into pumpkins

Alt-rock star Billy Corgan has his band back ... sort of
Stage Review | Search restaurants | Archives

January 23rd, 2008 issue

By Patrick Sisson

For the Post
COURTESY PHOTO
Like a lot of American musicians these days, Corgan has some strong opinions about the state of his nation.
enlarge
Smashing Pumpkins

When: Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 8
Where: Sportovní hala, Výstaviště
Tickets: 750–990 Kč, available through Ticketpro and Ticketportal

Subtlety was never Billy Corgan’s specialty. When the mercurial Smashing Pumpkins lead singer and guitarist felt it was time to reunite the ’90s alt-rock juggernaut in 2005, five years after an acrimonious breakup, he announced his intentions unilaterally in a full-page ad in his hometown newspaper. “I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams,” he declared in the Chicago Tribune.
In early 2008, with the partially reunited Pumpkins about to kick off a world tour in Prague, it’s debatable whether Corgan has actually gotten the band back together. The ad-hoc group that will be playing here next week — mainstays Corgan and original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin alongside a trio of newcomers that includes bassist Ginger Reyes, guitarist Jeff Schroeder and keyboardist Lisa Harriton — first performed in Paris last May. Conspicuous in their absence are original members D’Arcy Wretzky and James Iha.
But, as the reformed band’s recent releases demonstrate, Corgan and Co. aren’t toying with the band’s classic formula. On the aggressive album Zeitgeist and acoustic American Gothic EP, the Chicago songwriter clearly has his music back.
Corgan has called Zeitgeist a “comment on the state of the nation,” a notion reinforced by its cover art, a picture of a drowning Statue of Liberty created by artist Shepard Fairey. While it’s a striking image, the most noteworthy thing about the album is how, excluding a few lyrical clunkers and poorly written political rants, it resurrects the band’s muscular side, something notably absent on Corgan’s poorly received, synth-driven 2005 solo album The Future Embrace. New songs like “(Come On) Let’s Go!” and “Tarantula,” driving tracks thick with layered guitars, certainly sound like retreads. But at least they do justice to the original formula.
The Smashing Pumpkins became an oversize commercial success during the alternative-rock era — the band’s 1995 double-disc album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, and has sold more than 4 million copies — by fusing equally bombastic musical elements. The classic Pumpkins sound on albums like Gish and the breakout Siamese Dream blends some of the more showy styles of ’70s rock, like Sabbath-style metal riffs and the symphonic pretensions of groups like the Electric Light Orchestra, with the Gothic tendencies of the Cure and the swirling, effects-laden, heavily overdubbed sound of psychedelia and shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine.
Lyrically, the group is no less overblown, since sole songwriter Corgan has made a career out of emotionally charged, diarylike diatribes. His extreme passion and perfectionism have been both an asset and a catalyst for the band’s shaky internal politics. Rumors of Corgan’s extremely controlling nature and single-minded actions, such as re-recording other band member’s parts in the studio, have swirled around the group since its inception, and are considered the main reason Wretzky and Iha didn’t sign up for the reunion. Other facets of the band’s shaky history — Chamberlin’s history of heroin use and the death by overdose of touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin in 1996, among other things — have ensured that this group has always had its share of drama.
History hasn’t deterred any of the new members, however. In a recent interview with Venus, bassist Reyes admitted Corgan can be “cryptic,” but said she’s excited to be part of the Pumpkins in Wretzky’s absence. “The shoes I have to fill are really big,” Reyes told Venus. “She was such a cool figure for a woman out there playing. I definitely am honored to be playing.”
Despite Corgan’s overwrought lyrics and his angsty appearance (especially the bald head and Zero T-shirt phase), the Pumpkins have always been an arena-ready act relishing the big stage. While rock reunions inevitably bring diminishing returns, the new edition of the band at least does a passable job of recreating the glory days, original lineup or not.
Patrick Sisson can be reached at features@praguepost.com


survey banner


Other articles in Night & Day (23/01/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Book of Lists

Provokator
Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.