Smashing Pumpkins Reissues
Back in 1993 "Siamese Dream" helped make up the soundtrack to my year, and probably many others shared a love for this scuzz-filled rock classic, and still give it a dust off at regular intervals and wallow in nostalgia. The only bug bear I really had with the album in those days, along with the earlier debut album "Gish" and the later (in my opinion masterpiece) "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", was the horrible muddy production. It didn't really add to the grungy alt-rock feel so much as smother all those great riffs and vocals, I have a distinct memory of pressing my Walkman headphones as close to my ears as I could with the palms of my hands to try and hear something other than open fuzz and sometimes not succeeding.
These two re-issues are worth the price just for the fantastic remaster job - what was once indistinct has become clear; the difference in the production is very noticeable and makes the experience of listening to these albums so much more sweet. Listening to the bands debut "Gish", originally released in 1991, you still get that blast of youthful energy and optimism, and despite the clean up job you don't lose any of the intentional fuzz, so tunes like 'I Am One' with its jagged and jangly guitar solos, the classic dreamy 'Rhinoceros' and the low key but beautifully subtle 'Suffer' still have the sound of the 90s about them; the edges haven't been rounded too much.
"Siamese Dream" was the record that really made the Pumpkins name and it begins in brilliant fashion with 'Cherub Rock' a scuzz-filled, dreamy rock song with a brilliant melody, everything they did best at their peak- as with "Gish" the album now sounds so much better than that muffled vinyl I have stashed away and really makes you remember why you loved it so much in the first place.
On top of the remastering of the two albums the three disc special editions are a collectors dream; elaborately boxed, a whole disc of extra unreleased material (demos and rough mixes mainly) and a live DVD in each box. "Gish" also has postcards with previously unseen band photos while "Siamese Dream" contains cards with original album collages. Both have a 24 page booklet in which Billy Corgan goes through and comments track by track on the albums, which for fans will no doubt a big selling point.
In terms or discovering or rediscovering these records these cleaned up versions are the way to go, the added extras are as always, for the fans, but do add an extra layer of interest to these plush re-issues.