360 - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

[csberry]

There is a selection of huge albums from the "grunge revolution" that I have barely listened to since the late 90's because I had listened to them so much from their release to the end of the century. Siamese Dream is one of those albums. Earlier in the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums list I dissed Mellon Collie... for being all over the place musically and for the screaming vocals Billy had on some of the songs. The band's debut, Gish, is a favorite of mine for the dreamy, metal atmosphere, but I agree that there's not much diversity on that album. Siamese Dream is the Goldilocks album that features the dreamy atmospheres and Billy's soft tenor that distinguished the band from much of their 90's cohorts but also stretches into new territory.

There are soft ballads ("Disarm") and thundering songs that show the influence of the grunge revolution that happened after Gish's 1991 release ("Geek USA"). Billy does some screaming, but it is just enough to add gravel to the timbre of his voice and certainly doesn't compare to the screeching that he would do later for "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."

Over the years, my memory had tinted my feelings towards this album because of how it differed from Gish and then how the band wandered even further away in their subsequent albums. It was really refreshing to hear the album again and be blown away with how much I like it. Butch Vig did a great job of balancing the more ragged sound with the prog rock-like guitar work and song structure.

My CD copy of Siamese Dream will see a tremendous increase in listens after this past weekend.

Songs I knew I liked: "Cherub Rock," "Today," and "Disarm"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Hummer," "Soma," "Silverf*ck," and "Sweet Sweet"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "Geek USA"