The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the primary songwriter and sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup consists of Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha. The band has a diverse, densely layered sound, which evolved throughout their career and has contained elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, grunge, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, dream pop, and electronica.
William Patrick Corgan Jr. is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only constant member of alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan himself is credited with helping popularize the alt rock genre. He has also been the owner and promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017.
James Yoshinobu Iha is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the band's initial breakup in 2000 and rejoined in 2018.
Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993, by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan. Despite its recording sessions being fraught with difficulties and tensions, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, and was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the album selling over six million copies worldwide, catapulting the Smashing Pumpkins to mainstream success and cementing them as a significant group in alternative music.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the third studio album and first double album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on October 23, 1995, in the United Kingdom and on October 24 in the United States by Virgin Records. It was produced by vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan, alongside producers Flood and Alan Moulder. The lengthy 28-track album was released as a two-disc CD and a triple LP. It features a wide array of musical styles, including art rock, grunge, alternative pop, and heavy metal.
D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky is an American musician. She was the original bassist of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins and is credited on their first six studio albums. She left the band in 1999. She has also been a member of Catherine and performed with Filter.
Machina/The Machines of God is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on February 29, 2000, by Virgin Records. A concept album, it marked the return of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and was intended to be the band's final official LP release prior to their initial breakup in 2000. A sequel album—Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music—was later released independently via the Internet, and in highly limited quantities for the physical version.
Adore is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on June 2, 1998, by Virgin Records. After the multi-platinum success of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and a subsequent world tour, Adore was considered "one of the most anticipated albums of 1998" by MTV. Recording the album proved to be a challenge as the band members struggled with lingering interpersonal problems, musical uncertainty in the wake of three increasingly successful rock albums, and the departure of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Frontman Billy Corgan would later characterize Adore as made by "a band falling apart". Corgan was also going through a divorce and the death of his mother while recording the album.
Blindside is a Swedish rock band from the southern suburbs of Stockholm. They formed in Stockholm in 1994 as Underfree. In 1996, they changed their name to Blindside and released the Blindside album in 1997 through Swedish independent record company Day-Glo Records. Another album, A Thought Crushed My Mind, came out in 2000. The group received greater attention in 2001 when they toured with P.O.D., resulting in a contract with Elektra. In 2002 they released the album Silence and in 2003 they toured in support of Hoobastank. A 2004 headlining tour suffered equipment theft but then Blindside released About a Burning Fire. In 2004, Time Warner sold Warner Music to a group of private investors. As a cost-cutting maneuver, the new owners of Warner Music Group merged Atlantic Records with its sister, Elektra Records, to form The Atlantic Records Group. Blindside's label ceased to exist, & the next year they released The Great Depression independently, and they put out the DVD Ten Years Running Blind.
"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics; Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitars.
TheFutureEmbrace is the debut solo album by American musician Billy Corgan, frontman of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in June 2005, the album's sound was markedly different from most of Corgan's earlier work, eschewing his characteristic "drums, bass, (and) big-guitars sound" in favor of an electronic sound punctuated with heavily distorted guitar parts reminiscent of shoegaze.
"Mayonaise" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was first made available in 1993 on the band's second studio album Siamese Dream as the ninth track. It is subsequently released as the album's fifth single on November 20, 2023 through Capitol Records as part of the Siamese Dream 30th Anniversary celebrations and shows. The song was produced by Butch Vig and Billy Corgan.
Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is a music project by alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins that was started in late 2009 by frontman Billy Corgan following the second departure of original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The project initially was conceived as a 44-song concept album loosely inspired by the Tarot, with each song being released individually as a free download. By August 2018, after 34 tracks had been released, Corgan announced via Instagram that the project had been abandoned.
Kerry Paul Brown is a record producer, movie soundtrack producer, music editor, composer, artist manager, and a musician. He was the drummer in Chicago alternative rock band Catherine in the 1990s. He also played drums for the Smashing Pumpkins on the song "Blew Away" and produced "Starla" and "Plume" for the album Pisces Iscariot during his marriage to Smashing Pumpkins bass player, D'arcy Wretzky.
"A Song for a Son" is a 2009 song by the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It was the first track released from Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor from the band's 8th album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.
Oceania is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on June 19, 2012 through Martha's Music. The album was produced by Billy Corgan and Bjorn Thorsrud, and forms part of the band's 34-track music project Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It was their first studio album to feature guitarist Jeff Schroeder, and their only album to contain contributions from bassist Nicole Fiorentino and drummer Mike Byrne, who replaced original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
Monuments to an Elegy is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on December 9, 2014 on Martha's Music. Band leader Billy Corgan noted that—like the band's previous release, Oceania—the album is part of the 34-track music project, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It turned out to be the last part of the series due to cancellation of the project in 2018. Corgan and guitarist Jeff Schroeder recorded the album as a duo, with Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee adding drum parts. This was the last album before the return of original guitarist James Iha and drummer Chamberlin in 2018.
"Run2me" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins, released as the fourth single from the band's ninth studio album Monuments to an Elegy. The accompanying music video was premiered on Vulture.com on October 22, 2015.
Cotillions is the third solo album by American musician and Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan. It was released on November 22, 2019. The songs on the album were reportedly written in 2017 during a month-long journey Corgan took across America. There was enough material to allow for a 17-track double album. Corgan has said this album is a "true labor of love" in an Instagram post about Cotillions, expressing his gratitude towards his fans and his disdain of the mass media, while also being grateful of living in a "different world", where "an artist can speak directly to you without the filter of mass media shaping your heart and opinions before you've even had a chance to decide whether this music speaks to you."
Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts is the twelfth studio album by American rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. The album was released in three separate installments of 11 songs—Atum: Act One was released on November 15, 2022, Atum: Act Two was released on January 31, 2023, and Atum: Act Three was released on May 5, 2023. A physical box set consisting of all 33 songs, along with a group of 10 additional exclusive songs, under the title "Zodeon at Crystal Hall" was released in early May 2023.
