The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the band has undergone several line-up changes since their reunion in 2006, with Corgan being the sole constant member since its inception. The current lineup features Corgan, Chamberlin, and Iha.
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 the rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He has also been the owner and promoter of the National Wrestling Alliance since 2017. A cultural icon of Generation X, Corgan is credited with helping popularize alternative rock music as a member of the Smashing Pumpkins.
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.
D'arcy Elizabeth Wretzky-Brown 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 break-up 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 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.
Life Begins Again is the debut studio album by the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, led by drummer Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan. It was released on January 25, 2005 and as an Enhanced CD. The album featuers several guest musicians and vocalists including Billy Corgan, Bill Medley, and Rob Dickinson.
"Cherub Rock" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It is the first single from their second album, Siamese Dream (1993) and is the opening track. It was written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
"1979" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was released in 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. "1979" was written by frontman Billy Corgan, and features loops and samples uncharacteristic of previous Smashing Pumpkins songs. The song gives something of a foreshadow of the synth-pop sound the band would embrace more openly on Adore and its tracks "Ava Adore" and "Perfect". The song was written as a nostalgic coming-of-age story by Corgan. In the year 1979, Corgan was twelve, and this is what he considered his transition into adolescence.
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.
Jeffrey Kim Schroeder is an American musician. He is best known as a former guitarist in the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Joining in 2007, Schroeder recorded five studio albums with them, before amicably departing in 2023. After bandleader Billy Corgan, Schroeder is the second-longest-serving member of the group.
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.
"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.
"Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, written by the band's frontman, Billy Corgan. It was announced on the band's Twitter account on September 13, 2018. The song was released as the second single from the band's tenth album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., the same day. The track was recorded with Rick Rubin in early 2018 and is the second track from the reforming three-quarters of the band's original lineup.
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, was released in early May 2023. This is the band's final studio album to feature guitarist Jeff Schroeder, before his departure in October 2023.
