When this album came out in 1995, it absolutely blew my 15-year-old mind. 28 years later, and still nothing has come close to taking its place as my favourite album of all time.
Same. I was 13 years old and I got lost in the songs and lyrics. It became an all-time favorite and all these years later I still listen to it on the stereo. Except on vinyl although I still have the original cd I purchased all those years ago.
There are plenty of better albums by other bands out there. Ones with fsr more hit songs too. Godsamck faceless blows this out of the park. Alice in chains dirt. Greenday dookie. Nirvana in utero. Nirvana nevermind. Staind break the cycle. I could go on forever.
This is the band at their peak in my opinion, never heard a more complete sounding album by any band. So many tracks that other bands in the 90s could only dream of writing, Billy is a genius.
Not sure myself. I mean it's a 10/10 for sure, and super creative. Just to me Siemese Dream is more concise, drums are mental and pretty much the perfect alt-meta/rock album. Melancholy is a whole other thing though... both albums together are great. Glad I don't have to choose :)
Agreed, this is peak Smashing Pumpkins. So many cool riffs, unique drums, and Billy's song writing is incredible. It is my absolute favorite album. Siamese dream is a close second for me since it doesn't quite have the same amount of variety as Mellon Collie.
The Aeroplane Flies High tracks are great too. I grew up with those so I was into the raw sludgy Pumpkins sound first and then backtracked and was surprised how clean their early albums’ sound were. But to me the 95-96 era is when they really were their own unique sound
Siamese Dream is my #1 but Melon Collie is still magnificent for sure. I wouldnt call MC cohesive but wow does it take you on a roller coaster journey with every “scene” leaving an impression. Few double albums have 0 filler tracks like MC
it was literally their peak. During the tour supporting this album, the drummer was booted for being involved in the drug death of a keyboardist. The bad never TRULY recovered from it. Adore and Machina were good albums, but not to this level.
What I love about Melon Collie is how perfectly it embodies the transition from your twenties into your 30s. Siamese Dream has that aching angst of youth and then Melon Collie widens the lens out to a greater sense of purpose and lived experience. It still deals with life, love, hurt and loss but has this kind of introspective mature feel to it. This then continues on Adore which feels even more insightful. I was 12 when Melon Collie was released and I basically grew up to the sound of my favourite band collapsing. I couldn't have hoped for a better band to hold my hand through the adolescent years. 'I fear that I am ordinary just like everyone. To lie here and die among the sorrows.' Just beautiful.
Agreed. I think a lot of people focus too much on the whole "teen" thing regarding this album, simply because they 14-17 when they bought it and the age of the actual kids used in the "1979" video (15 and 16). The band were in their late 20s/early 30s at the time, and as an almost 34 year old trying to settle down and come to grips with getting old, the album speaks to me even more than it did when I was 15-18. Back then it was mainly songs like "Bullet" and "Bodies" I went to, as I was frustrated with myself for doing poorly in social situations. Now I can appreciate the full gauntlet a lot better. For example, now I understand how Billy felt when he wrote "Bullet" as a grown man becoming disillusioned with the record industry, something my 17 year old self wasn't able to comprehend.
Omg you are right, that one was amazing! I really enjoyed it actually, but it's been so many years since I listened to it. Hella was Zachs best project by far! @@evanoverzet921 EDIT: I didn't even read your comment correctly, just saw Hella mentioned, and instantly thought of their awesome double album Chirpin something something... Gotta check out that track you mentioned too of course xD
the only double album where every single song is worth listening to. and each song gives you something. There are a lot great double albums but they all have filler songs, nothing here is a filler.
This is actually an album that I can say changed my life, it changed how I viewed music, it revealed itself to me in different phases throughout my high school/college years. It’s the best non-perfect album I’ve ever listened to.
Double for me on the "changed my life" sentiment. Listening to MCIS I have a memory for every love I had, every loss, every fun time, every hope and dream I had, and all my teen anger. Even today, the songs I wore out simultaneously bring me back to those feelings AND give me new appreciation as viewed through the context of my older self. And the songs I used to either skip or glazed over have new meanings to me as well. The nostalgia hits so hard that I teared up watching her discover this album.
I remember first hearing some of it at my cousin's after only knowing a couple SP songs from the radio and being taken with the diversity of MCIS so I saved up and bought a copy for myself (I was 15 at the time). I was just starting to play guitar at the time and remember the first time I listened through I was overwhelmed and perhaps felt even slightly defeated by the range and depth of the album. But it was also inspiring. Then I discovered the singles had great songs too and of course was first in line when the box set of those came out (even though I had more than half of them already).
It definitely changed my life. I brought it when I was 15 years old. Must have listened to it a thousand times. I can’t really explain it but it actually changed my personality. I went from being quite shy and a bookish geek to more extroverted and adventurous etc. i started dreaming big. I absolutely credit this album. Strange I know.
@@michaeljacyna1973not just teen experiences, but those I'm experiencing up to now (34). It still resonates when you're older, especially songs like "Tonight Tonight" and "Thirty Three".
YESSS I really enjoyed that track as well! I love how it so perfectly balances their more aggressive rock sound with a sort of watery haziness that transports you into this dreamscape of sorts. This entire album was such a journey sonically, I enjoyed every minute of it.
James is the lead vocalist on "Take Me Down," and the whole band sings on Farewell and Goodnight - Billy, James, D'arcy and Jimmy; describing that ending piano as "stars in the night sky" is perfect!
I've always thought the final few bars of 'Farewell and Goodnight' are like a farewell kiss to the 90s alt-rock in some ways...as if Billy and the band knew the world and music were changing around them, their listeners were growing up and maybe heading out of the angsty teenage and early-20's period of their life, and driving into the sunset of the unknown. It has such a beautiful yet melancholic tone. It always moves me and reminds me of a time long past now.
Beautifully said. Billy himself said that he knew he was losing his connection to youth at the time of writing his album and that he wanted to write a final statement to youth from his adult perspective.
It is amazing that a band can write an album like this. That is why Smashing Pumpkins are so special. Thanks for your perspective and sharing your first listen with us, Molly.
I'm surprised you only heard the two tracks before. There was a couple years you couldn't avoid hearing Tonight Tonight. It was everywhere! This was certainly the epic album of my youth.
As a millennial I really wish we had our own version for 1999, the nostalgia I feel from 1979 takes me right back to the days of Pokemon and razer scooters
@illicitleafcombuster i agree its def not the strongest on the album. But its a ridiculous earworm with some of the most conventional production on the album and does have beautifully simplistic lyrics. I also didnt get the hype as i was listening to the whole album imagining this as the big hit. But overtime it grew on me and i can understand why most can relate and feel something even if you arent a fan of the band
@spartan1121 Well, the song actually came out in '96 and the video features older kids (15 and 16) doing stereotypical teen stuff, not little kids though. That said, I hated the video when I was a teen since I felt envious of the characters for having such close friendships, and now at 34 it makes me sad for missing out on those experiences I could have easily had at 15-18, had sexuality and religion not wrecked my life at the time.
Billy and co really played the long game with this album. This defined an entire era of music in the 90s then 20-something years later, listening to it, you realize why it's called Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness when nostalgia tugs at your heartstrings.
So happy you enjoyed it, it truly is a gem of a recording. I love that it still sounds both fresh and nostalgic after all these years. It's always come across as a very sincere project, open vulnerability on display and free of cynicism. As you noted, love is a constant theme throughout but it never comes across as cheesy or pandering. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime release. Really look forward to you experiencing the departure that is Adore at some point.
I am more into metal than alternative music, but this album might be the best album of the 90's. It is an utter masterpiece and Billy was on some type of song writing tear that has hardly been matched. To write that many great songs in such a short period is crazy. Still love this album to this day.
1979 was not only the biggest song for Smashing Pumpkins but one of the biggest songs of the 90s. This is a most diverse albums I have ever heard. Metal to classical and everything in-between
Album is fantastic. Thru the Eyes of Ruby is still my favorite track from that album and encapsulates the album. Beauty and heaviness all wrapped into one.
This is my favorite double album of all time. Representing the passing of each day and each night, from Dawn to Dusk and From Twilight to Starlight. Packed to the brim with different styles, moods, and emotions all throughout. The way the beginning and ending songs reference each other with their piano parts, to signal the cyclical nature of the album. I just love it so much.
Pumpkins, compared to their contemporaries, have a vastly higher female demographic and watching this listen-through I understand why. Pumpkins have such a delicate, romantic quality to their music & lyrics. Even the heavy songs have a romantic core to them
I bought this album in 95 but mostly listened to the singles. Then one night by myself in 96 I got really stoned and listened to the whole album back to back. I remember having what can only be described as a spiritual experience when I heard porcelina of the vast oceans for some strange reason. Such a good song and the instrumental at the end always makes me emotional. It's like the instruments are talking to my soul in a language only it can understand
My favourite album of all time, if you get it, you’re forever blessed and treated every time. I love watching someone listen for the first time and get it too, it’s such a special piece of work.
This album rocked my world and expanded my musical horizons more than any other in my lifetime. While Siamese Dream is the most perfect SP album, MCIS is the best example of how diverse and unpredictable they can be. So many tracks here are simply incomparable to anything else. I’ve imagined it as a soundtrack to life, full of every kind of mood and emotion. Relatable on a human level, yet it transports you to another world. In short, this album is an experience. Thanks for sharing that experience with us!
Spot on. I find it even hard that someone would like all tracks, given how radically diferent from one another they are. but its an unique experience, hearing such an album as a whole
First off, thank you so much for doing this, Molly. I can’t begin to imagine how much time you must’ve spent not only listening and reacting, but editing this behemoth afterwards. It speaks to the dedication you must have towards your channel and us as viewers that you’d take all of this time out of your day to do this for free! Now that aside, it was a joy to see (hear?) this. Mellon Collie came to me at a very specific time in my early 20s; I’d dropped out of uni (decided my course wasn’t for me), but continued living away from home in the town I was previously studying in, hanging out with my new friends from the local “alternative” scene. I had no idea where I was going at that point, but it didn’t matter. It was the summer of 96 that I first heard Mellon Collie and every song brings back memories of that time and what I was doing at the time. This remains, and always will be, a very special album for me and I am genuinely grateful for you doing this and especially glad you enjoyed the ride. 😊
Chino from the Deftones is actually a huge pumpkins fan. He even sang the songs snail and bodies with them at one of their anniversary shows in new jersey a few years back. Also not sure if anyone else has mentioned it but Billy said the 2 albums were supposed to represent day and night. So the first album is daytime and the second is nighttime.
I was at that show. It was epic. Billy kept bringing out musical guests, one of whom was Courtney Love, who came out hammered (shocker) and tried to sing during "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" but completely botched it. We were all booing her, and so she goes up to the mic and yells "You fuckerrrrrs!!" Billy was just standing there laughing, it was great.
An epic album indeed, took me quite a bit of time to film/edit but I'm so glad I finally heard this one! A very special body of work, that's for sure. I can't believe how much music the Smashing Pumpkins put out during this time, this record is loaded with stellar tracks.
@@mollyesanborn I'm sure the review was an editing challenge in itself! 😁 A double album was a gutsy move on their part but it certainly remains their most impressive opus, nothing else came close afterwards...but don't let that put you off listening to their later offerings, some of them are still good.
Aww yeah, you made it! It's fun huh? It's wild how much the tone completely varies from track to track, but still sounds cohesive to me. I know Billy and the producer Flood had a lot of fun in the studio, I think that's why there's so much sonic experimentation everywhere. Also thanks for mentioning how long the video actually took to film! (Never mind editing it.) Cheers Molly, you're a star People have already mentioned the vocalists, but basically in the studio it was always usually Billy layering his vocals, with some occasional backing vocals from D'Arcy (bass) or James (other guitarist) - D'Arcy sang lead on Daydream on Gish though. But on this album, everyone else was more involved in the recording, and you can hear the others doing backing vocals more often too. Farewell and Goodnight has them all (including Jimmy, the drummer) taking lead vocals, which is nice - I like when bands do that sometimes. Also James sometimes has a song here and there that he wrote himself, and he usually sings lead on those - so that's what you're hearing on Take Me Down, or Blew Away from Pisces Iscariot One cool thing you can try is listening to the end of the last song on the album, and then the start of the first song - it's a nice bookending theme, and the way the mood has shifted is neat I think!
Its the guitarist James Iha singing on Take Me Down, he's also one of the guitarists in A Perfect Circle. On Farewell and Goodnight, its the whole band singing I believe, maybe not Jimmy Chamberlain the drummer, but Billy, James Iha and Darcy Wretzky the bassist.
@@mollyesanborn No problem. Will you be continuing with the Pumpkins? Its Adore next and that is a massive change in sound for then, probably their most underrated album of their whole catalogue.
@@jameswallace5235 I will definitely do Adore, and a lot of people have suggested Machina as well so at least those two. Not sure if I'll go all the way through their discography or not though.
Thanks for reacting to my favorite album! I loved seeing you enjoy this masterpiece for the first time. For me this album captures that nostalgic feeling of being young and growing up in your teenage years and your 20s. I'm excited for the reactions of the next Smashing Pumpkins albums!
I've been waiting for this video since your first Smashing Pumpkins reaction video. It's the peak of their musical progression before the band/Billy takes a different path.
Stunning... this is the best-selling double album of all time, more copies than "The White Album" and "The Wall". Corgan is a genious and Chamberlain one of the best drummers i've ever heard
This album is notorious for its building in nature like a lot of their other albums. That’s why I absolutely love this song through the eyes of Ruby. I love how it escalates. It’s always best to follow along with the lyric booklet. It makes these songs even more profound.
Thank you so much for doing this. I hear you, it must have been a ton of effort. Hearing the album through your ears was refreshing. The Pumpkins are in my DNA, so I appreciate it when I hear a neutral point of view. There are major storylines regarding this album. Billy was going to conquer the rock world. They began their US tour, and when they got to NYC, their drummer and touring keyboardist overdosed on h. The keyboardist died and Jimmy Chamberlain, their drummer, who is essential to their sound, was fired. Their next album was done without Jimmy, so that might be a point of interest for you.
Wow, after hundreds of listens only now after you’ve mentioned it do I hear the themes of the sea and ocean lyrically and effects on the instruments. It’s a true masterpiece!
The sudden shifts between consecutive songs is what gets me in this album, going from something grand and beautiful like tonight tonight then immediately thrown into jellybelly with its insanely distorted sound. The track listing has changed from the original vinyl release but I love it either way. also the art that comes with the physical album is awesome.
I'm sorry for commenting so much but this is my favorite album and the best album of all time. bar none. I love hearing other people reacting to it and/or commenting on it. This is something we didn't have in the 90s or even the early 2000s. Some of these songs are so beautiful you can just imagine falling asleep to them. I had my best sleeps to this album. But that was a long time ago. "Take me down" destroys me every time. I love each and every song. I could talk about this album for hours. Cast the pearls aside, Love is suicide. Billy is a genius in so many ways. The 90s were one of the best times. Thru the eyes of ruby is my favorite song I think. It sounds exactly like like sun light sparkling on water. That was an absolute pristine description. To appear, to disappear. Such perfection. Thank you so much for this video. "We only come out at night" was my favorite song as an 8 year old. It's so fun. I'm remembering now my neighbor friend had this album since the moment it came out. "Beautiful" ends like a dream, floating away from you with the increased reverb. Lily is amazing. The end of side 2 kills me every time. Her eyes were as vacant as the seas... Floating through outer space is a good description. This is why I could always fall asleep to this as a kid. It never did me wrong. Farewell and goodnight is my ultimate. The wave sounds in the background still stick with me to this day, I listen to 'beach wave crashing' sounds to sleep every single night, to this day..... This album changed my life in so many ways.
No please comment as much as you'd like, I love how this album resonates so strongly with so many people and I really enjoy reading all of your thoughts on it. Mellon Collie really is such a gorgeous record, so many stellar tracks on it and I love how the Smashing Pumpkins bring such a tenderness to their music, some of the tracks are so relaxing to listen to.
Great reaction; this has always been one of my favorite Pumpkins albums. Also, you mentioned Mike Patton; it would be awesome if you did the rest of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. If you wanted to, of course
This album solidified my love of alternative rock music and remains my favorite album of all time. MCIS got me through middle and high school, and fuels my creative process. Soooo happy you finally made it to this one after going through so many albums and bands I wouldn't have appreciated had it not been for this Smashing Pumpkins magnum opus. I recommend you check out the live performance of Bodies where they brought out Chino Moreno to duet with Billy Corgan.
I love this album so much. The first disc is practically flawless and the second one has some of their best tracks (Thru the eyes of ruby, 1979). The somber, slightly dark fairy tale atmosphere is incredible. Grade: A-
I've been in love with this album (albums?) for so long. You know, Billy Corgan said he wants to do MC&TIS as a Broadway musical...Who knows how that would turn out🤷 A fitting concept, I guess. '1979' and 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' are certified rock classics. The angry jams like 'Jellybean' and 'X.Y.U.' are soooo good with their wall of sound (I believe Jellybean was initially going to be the fourth single but they ended up settling on 'Zero' instead due to pressure from a producer.) 'We Only Come Out At Night' gets a lot of flack but I think it's kind of Beatles-esque and fits the rock-opera direction of the album. If there's one weak spot for me it's track 11 'Beautiful.' If you're interested Molly all of the Mellon Collie b sides are on the 1996 compilation 'The Aeroplane Flies High.' Worth checking out🤟
Oh my gosh I think this album as a musical would actually be pretty brilliant! It does have a very theatrical quality to it, would be very interesting to see it all played out on stage. And yeah this album is jam packed with killer tracks, I'm not surprised that 1979 and Bullet with Butterfly Wings I had already heard, makes sense considering their popularity. Your comment about Beautiful surprised me, that has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. It's so softly simplistic, but there's a twinge of sadness to it that always makes me a bit emotional when I hear it. Something about how it fades out at the end, it's so poignantly dreamy. And I'll have to give The Aeroplane Flies High a listen too! I'm sure there are some amazing b-sides from this album.
@@mollyesanborn😅 Seeing stage actors perform X.Y.U. as a chorus would be amazing. Or maybe Billy in a Satanic costume. It'd be hilarious. I really enjoyed how much you were enjoying the album, I knew you would. While I have the highest praise for Siamese Dream...mostly because it's one of those really perfect front-to-back albums... I gotta give the edge to Mellon Collie because it exemplifies how much talent the four of them had beyond just being another alternative/indie band. Especially Billy, D'arcy and James' guitar work here. I'm especially disappointed that she left the group because the four of them were one of those bands that were lightening in a bottle when they played together, and played off each other, in harmony.
@@mollyesanbornI actually prefer Aeroplane Flies High to Pisces Iscariot. It’s amazing how many great tracks they have as b-sides from a double album. The only track I’d consider skippable is Pastichio Medley, which isn’t really a song so much as a sound collage of discarded demos. Maybe it’s a bit ambitious to do a reaction to, especially considering it’s a b-side album, but it was originally packaged as 5 discs, so you could always take it one or two at a time. As much as I love Melloncollie, Aeroplane made it clear that some of my favorite songs from these sessions didn’t make the album.
@@EWall1498 Pastichio Medley is great for how many cool riffs and songs are in there, but also how ~clean~ some of them sound - so much music that's ready to go, and they only have space for a few seconds of some of it. I know the full demos eventually came out, but at the time it was like damn, they're really holding out on us
@@cactustactics Yeah, it's a cool curiosity. But it's also 20 minutes long with the final 5 minutes or so being one metal riff over and over. It helps to know what you're getting into and could be very odd to react to as one does a regular song.
hands down my favorite Pumpkins album and fav album from the 90s. Loved the video and was excited to see it pop up on here! Adore is another masterpiece by them I feel.
Adore is nowhere near even worthy of a mention in the same sentence as this album. A couple of "meh" tracks surrounded by weak filler. (just IMHO of course ;P). songwriting is a bit weaker, musically & tonally it's so narrow compared to MCIS - this album almost every track stands out & on adore virtually nothing does. Of course, being a massive fan of JC & what he brings to the tracks, it was possible, likely even, that I would struggle to like it as much, but I remember reading about Billy wanting to go in a more electronic direction & being genuinely excited where he would push the boundaries with a different type of music that was still in its infancy really. This was around the time groups like the Prodigy were coming from a purely electronica direction & bringing more rock/guitar based influences into their music to great effect, so I was intrigued where someone coming from the other direction could push the boundaries. The end is the beginning I liked when I first heard it, but was by far the strongest track of this era of the band. Adore, while unique, just felt like mush with an almost complete absence of attitude or emotional range which was the tentpole of earlier pumpkins. Machina had a bit more punch to it, but was overproduced & sounded like almost a parody - a band trying far too hard to be something else. It was also the start of the vocals being pushed too far forwards in the mix. Zwan had some of the best post MCIS of Billys music IMHO. There were times on that album where he sounds almost like he is having fun & enjoying the music. Zeitgeist again felt like they were trying a bit too hard & were almost a pastiche of themselves. There is a version on here where someone has remixed it pulling the vocals back in the mix & it is soooooo much more enjoyable to listen to! Superchrist is an amazing track, & while not bringing anything particularly new to the table, is a direction I so wish the band had explored more - let Jimmy go for it & keep Billys vocals to the minimum - play to their strengths & downplay the weakness (AOL sessions worth a watch - they lose the timing a bit, but just listen to that drumming!). Instead they seem to be doing the exact opposite ever since! Their newer stuff seems to be Billys vocals put to the fore - too many words, the wordsmithing is weak, vocals pushed to far forwards to dominate the music. Billys voice has always been the Achilles heel & when you have one of the best drummers out there & three amazing guitarists in the band listening to their latest stuff just feels like such a waste! Rant over ;P
I remember the first time I listened to this album. it was after my first breakup. it brought me through an emotional journey as I was very vulnerable at the time, and I agree on your take that it kinda themes around love, and the seas/oceans like the feeling of slowly sinking into the waters, I picked that up the first time I listened to it. each songs opens a different musical paths and every emotion you could think of, the lyrics are just poetic (at least for me) the fact that it opens up with the lovely piano and ends with the members of the band singing you goodnight. (yes, farewell and goodnight was sang by the four members of the pumpkins, Billy and James on the first verse, then D'arcy and Jimmy on the 2nd, then they kinda sing altogether in the end. which is lovely!) Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is and will always be my favorite album of all time. and I really love hearing your thoughts and seeing your reaction to it. cheers to you!
every song is the most underatted song in there catalogue. Idk how it makes sense. It just does. All of it is so good, none of it can each recieve the love and attention it deserves.
It was so much fun to watch you react to such a roller coaster of an album! I'll never get tired of this masterpiece. To me it's at the same level as Soundgarden's "Superunknown".
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is the greatest album of all time, Double Album, Diamond Album, 95% is amazing, no album comes close to these stats
Absolute masterpiece and legendary album. Literally all of the music that makes up the Pumpkins. Just a shame we’re never see the band play together again. Beast of an album
Magical album, apparently the second most sold double-album, released in a great year (my birth year)! My favorite Pumpkins album is Siamese Dream overall, but Mellon Collie is so good...
It's staggering how much crap the Pumpkins have put out in recent times, because this is, for me, a totally perfect album for the entirety of its runtime. I of course listen to Siamese more, but when I'm settled in for this record, there's few that top it.
This record was absolutely brilliant. For containing 28 tracks it was not once repetitive or boring to listen to. They get so creative with their sound that they always kept it so fresh, and they bring a ton of emotion into their music as well which always helps. Not sure how I'll feel about their newer stuff when I get to it but this run of their first three albums has been incredible so far.
@@willhargreaveshf I think Machina is great and massively underrated, and both Zeitgeist and Oceania are both solid albums, I can't say I've liked anything they've released in the past decade though.
@@jameswallace5235 Machina was nearly perfect. For me there are 3 absolute filler songs that could have been replaced by Let Me Give The World To You, Real Love, If There is a God (piano/vox) and Home and man... it would have been superb. Imploding Voice, Crying Tree of Mercury and Blue Skies Bring Tears... frustrating songs in the context of what Machina could have been.
This (double) album is an incredible experience! So much variety, so many emotions and memories evoked. I honestly cannot remember of another album that was this bold during the 90s, well, maybe "Time Machine" by Satriani, but that's cheating a bit because it's not all new material. Mellon Collie, however, was a big thing back then, it's definitely one of my favorites, I listen to it constantly and I'm never bored. I'm happy that you are enjoying more SP, I think that this album should be discovered by newer generations because of its cultural importance and awesomeness. Thanks, Molly! PS- Some other examples of excellent double albums that cannot be missed: "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin and "The White Album" by The Beatles
The piano at the end of Farewell & Goodnight transitions into the piano in the beginning of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It's meant to create a sense of repetition and "the infinite".
Bullet with butterfly wings and 1979 really represent the smashing pumpkins in general. These are different moods on each side of the spectrum.. anger and confusion with a hint of nostalgia.
When this album came out in 1995, it absolutely blew my 15-year-old mind. 28 years later, and still nothing has come close to taking its place as my favourite album of all time.
Me too on everything you said, except I was five.
Same. I was 13 years old and I got lost in the songs and lyrics. It became an all-time favorite and all these years later I still listen to it on the stereo. Except on vinyl although I still have the original cd I purchased all those years ago.
Yes I was 13 as well except it happened to me in 2016
It is such a great album. SP are so underrated.
There are plenty of better albums by other bands out there. Ones with fsr more hit songs too. Godsamck faceless blows this out of the park. Alice in chains dirt. Greenday dookie. Nirvana in utero. Nirvana nevermind. Staind break the cycle. I could go on forever.
‘Here is no why’ is the most underrated song in their catalogue
I'm not the biggest Smashing Pumpkins fan but I absolutely adore that song.
They sometimes do it live too, which is cool. There a bunch of gems they don’t really play live, so it’s nice to hear that one.
It's great. Also mouths of babes is sort of a forgotten classic.
It's my favourite Pumpkins song
“In your sad machines, you’ll forever stay” 😩
This is the band at their peak in my opinion, never heard a more complete sounding album by any band. So many tracks that other bands in the 90s could only dream of writing, Billy is a genius.
Not sure myself. I mean it's a 10/10 for sure, and super creative. Just to me Siemese Dream is more concise, drums are mental and pretty much the perfect alt-meta/rock album. Melancholy is a whole other thing though... both albums together are great. Glad I don't have to choose :)
Agreed, this is peak Smashing Pumpkins. So many cool riffs, unique drums, and Billy's song writing is incredible. It is my absolute favorite album. Siamese dream is a close second for me since it doesn't quite have the same amount of variety as Mellon Collie.
The Aeroplane Flies High tracks are great too. I grew up with those so I was into the raw sludgy Pumpkins sound first and then backtracked and was surprised how clean their early albums’ sound were. But to me the 95-96 era is when they really were their own unique sound
Siamese Dream is my #1 but Melon Collie is still magnificent for sure. I wouldnt call MC cohesive but wow does it take you on a roller coaster journey with every “scene” leaving an impression. Few double albums have 0 filler tracks like MC
it was literally their peak. During the tour supporting this album, the drummer was booted for being involved in the drug death of a keyboardist. The bad never TRULY recovered from it. Adore and Machina were good albums, but not to this level.
"Thru The Eyes Of Ruby" is what I tell people is my favorite song. And "By Starlight" is secretly my favorite song.
How amazing is the intro to Thru The Eyes Of Ruby!? Best intro I've heard
im telling everyone your secret
thru the eyes of ruby is so good
Im a By Starlight secret fan too. There's life for hopeless romantics like us.
The 1997 live version of By Starlight is fantastic and no one should hide having that as a favourite song.
What I love about Melon Collie is how perfectly it embodies the transition from your twenties into your 30s. Siamese Dream has that aching angst of youth and then Melon Collie widens the lens out to a greater sense of purpose and lived experience. It still deals with life, love, hurt and loss but has this kind of introspective mature feel to it. This then continues on Adore which feels even more insightful. I was 12 when Melon Collie was released and I basically grew up to the sound of my favourite band collapsing. I couldn't have hoped for a better band to hold my hand through the adolescent years. 'I fear that I am ordinary just like everyone. To lie here and die among the sorrows.' Just beautiful.
Agreed. I think a lot of people focus too much on the whole "teen" thing regarding this album, simply because they 14-17 when they bought it and the age of the actual kids used in the "1979" video (15 and 16).
The band were in their late 20s/early 30s at the time, and as an almost 34 year old trying to settle down and come to grips with getting old, the album speaks to me even more than it did when I was 15-18. Back then it was mainly songs like "Bullet" and "Bodies" I went to, as I was frustrated with myself for doing poorly in social situations. Now I can appreciate the full gauntlet a lot better.
For example, now I understand how Billy felt when he wrote "Bullet" as a grown man becoming disillusioned with the record industry, something my 17 year old self wasn't able to comprehend.
wr0ng
@@stvnm5282wrong
This is their magnum opus. The one worthy double-album ever recorded. Jellybelly is pure genius bliss...
you ever noticed headless by hella sounds like a disjointed jellybelly?
Omg you are right, that one was amazing! I really enjoyed it actually, but it's been so many years since I listened to it. Hella was Zachs best project by far! @@evanoverzet921 EDIT: I didn't even read your comment correctly, just saw Hella mentioned, and instantly thought of their awesome double album Chirpin something something... Gotta check out that track you mentioned too of course xD
the only double album where every single song is worth listening to. and each song gives you something. There are a lot great double albums but they all have filler songs, nothing here is a filler.
This is actually an album that I can say changed my life, it changed how I viewed music, it revealed itself to me in different phases throughout my high school/college years. It’s the best non-perfect album I’ve ever listened to.
Double for me on the "changed my life" sentiment. Listening to MCIS I have a memory for every love I had, every loss, every fun time, every hope and dream I had, and all my teen anger.
Even today, the songs I wore out simultaneously bring me back to those feelings AND give me new appreciation as viewed through the context of my older self. And the songs I used to either skip or glazed over have new meanings to me as well. The nostalgia hits so hard that I teared up watching her discover this album.
I remember first hearing some of it at my cousin's after only knowing a couple SP songs from the radio and being taken with the diversity of MCIS so I saved up and bought a copy for myself (I was 15 at the time). I was just starting to play guitar at the time and remember the first time I listened through I was overwhelmed and perhaps felt even slightly defeated by the range and depth of the album. But it was also inspiring. Then I discovered the singles had great songs too and of course was first in line when the box set of those came out (even though I had more than half of them already).
It definitely changed my life. I brought it when I was 15 years old. Must have listened to it a thousand times. I can’t really explain it but it actually changed my personality. I went from being quite shy and a bookish geek to more extroverted and adventurous etc. i started dreaming big. I absolutely credit this album. Strange I know.
@@michaeljacyna1973not just teen experiences, but those I'm experiencing up to now (34). It still resonates when you're older, especially songs like "Tonight Tonight" and "Thirty Three".
"Best non-perfect album" is a really good way to describe it. Mellon Collie has SO many good songs, but I can't listen to it straight through.
🖤🖤🖤 Porcelina of the Vast Oceans is such an epic track!!! It's awesome to hear your thoughts on this classic double album! 🤘
YESSS I really enjoyed that track as well! I love how it so perfectly balances their more aggressive rock sound with a sort of watery haziness that transports you into this dreamscape of sorts. This entire album was such a journey sonically, I enjoyed every minute of it.
Ditto Ruby. All the genres of the album through one entire epic song.
Porcelina is just a good solid 9 minutes and 20 seconds of goose bumps.
The dilly dally. Love it.
Yep. This is my favorite on MCIS.
James is the lead vocalist on "Take Me Down," and the whole band sings on Farewell and Goodnight - Billy, James, D'arcy and Jimmy; describing that ending piano as "stars in the night sky" is perfect!
I've always thought the final few bars of 'Farewell and Goodnight' are like a farewell kiss to the 90s alt-rock in some ways...as if Billy and the band knew the world and music were changing around them, their listeners were growing up and maybe heading out of the angsty teenage and early-20's period of their life, and driving into the sunset of the unknown. It has such a beautiful yet melancholic tone. It always moves me and reminds me of a time long past now.
Beautifully said. Billy himself said that he knew he was losing his connection to youth at the time of writing his album and that he wanted to write a final statement to youth from his adult perspective.
It is amazing that a band can write an album like this. That is why Smashing Pumpkins are so special. Thanks for your perspective and sharing your first listen with us, Molly.
I'm surprised you only heard the two tracks before. There was a couple years you couldn't avoid hearing Tonight Tonight. It was everywhere!
This was certainly the epic album of my youth.
I never heard 33 on the radio, but my local station always played Muzzle.
33 being chosen over Muzzle as the official 5th single will never make sense to me. Muzzle was the 6th single but radio promo only
@@natemekis3959Yep they played it on Conan too in 97
She’s not 40
@@natemekis3959 what? 33 is one of the most beatiful music ever written
1979 is the greatest song from the 1990s. It defined multiple generations in sound and lyrics. It’s just a wonderfully fantastic song.
As a millennial I really wish we had our own version for 1999, the nostalgia I feel from 1979 takes me right back to the days of Pokemon and razer scooters
Weakest track on the album, can't understand the push it got commercially.
@illicitleafcombuster i agree its def not the strongest on the album. But its a ridiculous earworm with some of the most conventional production on the album and does have beautifully simplistic lyrics.
I also didnt get the hype as i was listening to the whole album imagining this as the big hit. But overtime it grew on me and i can understand why most can relate and feel something even if you arent a fan of the band
@spartan1121 Well, the song actually came out in '96 and the video features older kids (15 and 16) doing stereotypical teen stuff, not little kids though.
That said, I hated the video when I was a teen since I felt envious of the characters for having such close friendships, and now at 34 it makes me sad for missing out on those experiences I could have easily had at 15-18, had sexuality and religion not wrecked my life at the time.
We still don't even care.
Easily my favorite Pumpkins album ever. Possibly my all time favorite album ever, period
Billy and co really played the long game with this album. This defined an entire era of music in the 90s then 20-something years later, listening to it, you realize why it's called Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness when nostalgia tugs at your heartstrings.
So happy you enjoyed it, it truly is a gem of a recording. I love that it still sounds both fresh and nostalgic after all these years. It's always come across as a very sincere project, open vulnerability on display and free of cynicism. As you noted, love is a constant theme throughout but it never comes across as cheesy or pandering. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime release. Really look forward to you experiencing the departure that is Adore at some point.
I am more into metal than alternative music, but this album might be the best album of the 90's. It is an utter masterpiece and Billy was on some type of song writing tear that has hardly been matched. To write that many great songs in such a short period is crazy. Still love this album to this day.
1979 was not only the biggest song for Smashing Pumpkins but one of the biggest songs of the 90s. This is a most diverse albums I have ever heard. Metal to classical and everything in-between
Album is fantastic. Thru the Eyes of Ruby is still my favorite track from that album and encapsulates the album. Beauty and heaviness all wrapped into one.
I would love to hear your thoughts on some Queens of the Stone Age too, their entire catalogue is worth a listen
my two favorite bands
I do not like qotsa one bit. too commercialized and just a little sanitized too. doesn’t sound very raw… you know? why do you like it?
one of my favorite things as an oldhead is experiencing y'all discovering our music. i get such second-hand joy.
This is my favorite double album of all time. Representing the passing of each day and each night, from Dawn to Dusk and From Twilight to Starlight. Packed to the brim with different styles, moods, and emotions all throughout. The way the beginning and ending songs reference each other with their piano parts, to signal the cyclical nature of the album. I just love it so much.
Pumpkins, compared to their contemporaries, have a vastly higher female demographic and watching this listen-through I understand why. Pumpkins have such a delicate, romantic quality to their music & lyrics. Even the heavy songs have a romantic core to them
I bought this album in 95 but mostly listened to the singles. Then one night by myself in 96 I got really stoned and listened to the whole album back to back. I remember having what can only be described as a spiritual experience when I heard porcelina of the vast oceans for some strange reason. Such a good song and the instrumental at the end always makes me emotional. It's like the instruments are talking to my soul in a language only it can understand
Never heard of this band. The music sounds chilled.
Glad I'm not the only one that's new to their music. The Smashing Pumpkins are great, I'm loving their music so far.
the smashing pumpkins had a great run until about 2000. adore and machina are well worth checking out imo! love the reactiions!
My favourite album of all time, if you get it, you’re forever blessed and treated every time. I love watching someone listen for the first time and get it too, it’s such a special piece of work.
Dude, you dropped a Massive Attack reference. Props. And beeteedubs I will forever love this album.
I love your descriptions of music. This was the first CD I ever bought for myself and it altered my pre-teen brain chemistry
I had it on double cassette before I got the cd version. Literally wore the tapes out lol
This album rocked my world and expanded my musical horizons more than any other in my lifetime. While Siamese Dream is the most perfect SP album, MCIS is the best example of how diverse and unpredictable they can be. So many tracks here are simply incomparable to anything else. I’ve imagined it as a soundtrack to life, full of every kind of mood and emotion. Relatable on a human level, yet it transports you to another world. In short, this album is an experience. Thanks for sharing that experience with us!
Spot on. I find it even hard that someone would like all tracks, given how radically diferent from one another they are. but its an unique experience, hearing such an album as a whole
Been waiting for this
Boss reviews yo
Aw thanks! Glad you enjoyed the reaction :D
First off, thank you so much for doing this, Molly. I can’t begin to imagine how much time you must’ve spent not only listening and reacting, but editing this behemoth afterwards. It speaks to the dedication you must have towards your channel and us as viewers that you’d take all of this time out of your day to do this for free!
Now that aside, it was a joy to see (hear?) this. Mellon Collie came to me at a very specific time in my early 20s; I’d dropped out of uni (decided my course wasn’t for me), but continued living away from home in the town I was previously studying in, hanging out with my new friends from the local “alternative” scene. I had no idea where I was going at that point, but it didn’t matter. It was the summer of 96 that I first heard Mellon Collie and every song brings back memories of that time and what I was doing at the time. This remains, and always will be, a very special album for me and I am genuinely grateful for you doing this and especially glad you enjoyed the ride. 😊
Chino from the Deftones is actually a huge pumpkins fan. He even sang the songs snail and bodies with them at one of their anniversary shows in new jersey a few years back. Also not sure if anyone else has mentioned it but Billy said the 2 albums were supposed to represent day and night. So the first album is daytime and the second is nighttime.
I was at that show. It was epic. Billy kept bringing out musical guests, one of whom was Courtney Love, who came out hammered (shocker) and tried to sing during "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" but completely botched it. We were all booing her, and so she goes up to the mic and yells "You fuckerrrrrs!!" Billy was just standing there laughing, it was great.
Wow, strap in for the long haul! It's a great epic album, the vinyl box set was on my wishlist for years, picked one up not too long ago!
An epic album indeed, took me quite a bit of time to film/edit but I'm so glad I finally heard this one! A very special body of work, that's for sure. I can't believe how much music the Smashing Pumpkins put out during this time, this record is loaded with stellar tracks.
@@mollyesanborn I'm sure the review was an editing challenge in itself! 😁
A double album was a gutsy move on their part but it certainly remains their most impressive opus, nothing else came close afterwards...but don't let that put you off listening to their later offerings, some of them are still good.
@@melnychuk79 yeah I will definitely continue on with their discography! Can't wait to hear what they do following Mellon Collie.
Aww yeah, you made it! It's fun huh? It's wild how much the tone completely varies from track to track, but still sounds cohesive to me. I know Billy and the producer Flood had a lot of fun in the studio, I think that's why there's so much sonic experimentation everywhere. Also thanks for mentioning how long the video actually took to film! (Never mind editing it.) Cheers Molly, you're a star
People have already mentioned the vocalists, but basically in the studio it was always usually Billy layering his vocals, with some occasional backing vocals from D'Arcy (bass) or James (other guitarist) - D'Arcy sang lead on Daydream on Gish though. But on this album, everyone else was more involved in the recording, and you can hear the others doing backing vocals more often too. Farewell and Goodnight has them all (including Jimmy, the drummer) taking lead vocals, which is nice - I like when bands do that sometimes. Also James sometimes has a song here and there that he wrote himself, and he usually sings lead on those - so that's what you're hearing on Take Me Down, or Blew Away from Pisces Iscariot
One cool thing you can try is listening to the end of the last song on the album, and then the start of the first song - it's a nice bookending theme, and the way the mood has shifted is neat I think!
Its the guitarist James Iha singing on Take Me Down, he's also one of the guitarists in A Perfect Circle.
On Farewell and Goodnight, its the whole band singing I believe, maybe not Jimmy Chamberlain the drummer, but Billy, James Iha and Darcy Wretzky the bassist.
Ahh, thank you for letting me know!
@@mollyesanborn No problem. Will you be continuing with the Pumpkins? Its Adore next and that is a massive change in sound for then, probably their most underrated album of their whole catalogue.
@@jameswallace5235 I will definitely do Adore, and a lot of people have suggested Machina as well so at least those two. Not sure if I'll go all the way through their discography or not though.
@@mollyesanborn please do through at least Machina, also the box set is like it's own album of great B sides - Aeroplane Flies High
been waiting for this one masterpiece album
This is my favorite album to ever be released. Always will be.
same.
Ditto
Thanks for reacting to my favorite album! I loved seeing you enjoy this masterpiece for the first time. For me this album captures that nostalgic feeling of being young and growing up in your teenage years and your 20s. I'm excited for the reactions of the next Smashing Pumpkins albums!
I've been waiting for this video since your first Smashing Pumpkins reaction video. It's the peak of their musical progression before the band/Billy takes a different path.
I wasn't ready for this when I bought it in 1995. Picked it up again in 2001 and couldn't stop listening to it for months...
Stunning... this is the best-selling double album of all time, more copies than "The White Album" and "The Wall". Corgan is a genious and Chamberlain one of the best drummers i've ever heard
Glad you got around to doing this one!
Side-one, for me, is near perfection. Side two is more hit and miss.
But overall an absolutely GREAT album :)
This album is notorious for its building in nature like a lot of their other albums. That’s why I absolutely love this song through the eyes of Ruby. I love how it escalates. It’s always best to follow along with the lyric booklet. It makes these songs even more profound.
Thank you so much for doing this. I hear you, it must have been a ton of effort. Hearing the album through your ears was refreshing. The Pumpkins are in my DNA, so I appreciate it when I hear a neutral point of view. There are major storylines regarding this album. Billy was going to conquer the rock world. They began their US tour, and when they got to NYC, their drummer and touring keyboardist overdosed on h. The keyboardist died and Jimmy Chamberlain, their drummer, who is essential to their sound, was fired. Their next album was done without Jimmy, so that might be a point of interest for you.
‘Bodies’ is a very good song 👌
YES that's one of my favorites too! So much energy to it.
Wow, after hundreds of listens only now after you’ve mentioned it do I hear the themes of the sea and ocean lyrically and effects on the instruments.
It’s a true masterpiece!
Loved this review!!! Can't wait for you to dig into Adore and Machina
The sudden shifts between consecutive songs is what gets me in this album, going from something grand and beautiful like tonight tonight then immediately thrown into jellybelly with its insanely distorted sound. The track listing has changed from the original vinyl release but I love it either way. also the art that comes with the physical album is awesome.
The algorithm recommended your videos and I must say I love your insightful, thoughtful commentary!
Oh that's awesome! Glad you're enjoying the channel :)
I shed a tear listening to the piano part of farewell and goodnight lol great reaction
Man I miss the 90s. This album pulls me right back, everytime.
I'm sorry for commenting so much but this is my favorite album and the best album of all time. bar none. I love hearing other people reacting to it and/or commenting on it. This is something we didn't have in the 90s or even the early 2000s. Some of these songs are so beautiful you can just imagine falling asleep to them. I had my best sleeps to this album. But that was a long time ago. "Take me down" destroys me every time. I love each and every song. I could talk about this album for hours. Cast the pearls aside, Love is suicide. Billy is a genius in so many ways. The 90s were one of the best times. Thru the eyes of ruby is my favorite song I think. It sounds exactly like like sun light sparkling on water. That was an absolute pristine description. To appear, to disappear. Such perfection. Thank you so much for this video. "We only come out at night" was my favorite song as an 8 year old. It's so fun. I'm remembering now my neighbor friend had this album since the moment it came out. "Beautiful" ends like a dream, floating away from you with the increased reverb. Lily is amazing. The end of side 2 kills me every time. Her eyes were as vacant as the seas... Floating through outer space is a good description. This is why I could always fall asleep to this as a kid. It never did me wrong. Farewell and goodnight is my ultimate. The wave sounds in the background still stick with me to this day, I listen to 'beach wave crashing' sounds to sleep every single night, to this day..... This album changed my life in so many ways.
No please comment as much as you'd like, I love how this album resonates so strongly with so many people and I really enjoy reading all of your thoughts on it. Mellon Collie really is such a gorgeous record, so many stellar tracks on it and I love how the Smashing Pumpkins bring such a tenderness to their music, some of the tracks are so relaxing to listen to.
Great reaction; this has always been one of my favorite Pumpkins albums. Also, you mentioned Mike Patton; it would be awesome if you did the rest of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. If you wanted to, of course
I never thought I’d be watching react content vids in a row but it just made me realise how truly timeless this record is, holy hell
Definitely a rollercoaster in emotions. Happy, sad, angry, and etc. it’s a tossup between Mellon Collie and Siamese Dreams. Both masterpieces.
This album solidified my love of alternative rock music and remains my favorite album of all time. MCIS got me through middle and high school, and fuels my creative process. Soooo happy you finally made it to this one after going through so many albums and bands I wouldn't have appreciated had it not been for this Smashing Pumpkins magnum opus. I recommend you check out the live performance of Bodies where they brought out Chino Moreno to duet with Billy Corgan.
Simply fantastic
10/10 watched back to back
I love this album so much. The first disc is practically flawless and the second one has some of their best tracks (Thru the eyes of ruby, 1979). The somber, slightly dark fairy tale atmosphere is incredible. Grade: A-
1979 is one of the best songs ever and makes me cry regularly
I've been in love with this album (albums?) for so long. You know, Billy Corgan said he wants to do MC&TIS as a Broadway musical...Who knows how that would turn out🤷 A fitting concept, I guess.
'1979' and 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' are certified rock classics. The angry jams like 'Jellybean' and 'X.Y.U.' are soooo good with their wall of sound (I believe Jellybean was initially going to be the fourth single but they ended up settling on 'Zero' instead due to pressure from a producer.) 'We Only Come Out At Night' gets a lot of flack but I think it's kind of Beatles-esque and fits the rock-opera direction of the album. If there's one weak spot for me it's track 11 'Beautiful.'
If you're interested Molly all of the Mellon Collie b sides are on the 1996 compilation 'The Aeroplane Flies High.' Worth checking out🤟
Oh my gosh I think this album as a musical would actually be pretty brilliant! It does have a very theatrical quality to it, would be very interesting to see it all played out on stage. And yeah this album is jam packed with killer tracks, I'm not surprised that 1979 and Bullet with Butterfly Wings I had already heard, makes sense considering their popularity. Your comment about Beautiful surprised me, that has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. It's so softly simplistic, but there's a twinge of sadness to it that always makes me a bit emotional when I hear it. Something about how it fades out at the end, it's so poignantly dreamy. And I'll have to give The Aeroplane Flies High a listen too! I'm sure there are some amazing b-sides from this album.
@@mollyesanborn😅 Seeing stage actors perform X.Y.U. as a chorus would be amazing. Or maybe Billy in a Satanic costume. It'd be hilarious.
I really enjoyed how much you were enjoying the album, I knew you would. While I have the highest praise for Siamese Dream...mostly because it's one of those really perfect front-to-back albums... I gotta give the edge to Mellon Collie because it exemplifies how much talent the four of them had beyond just being another alternative/indie band. Especially Billy, D'arcy and James' guitar work here. I'm especially disappointed that she left the group because the four of them were one of those bands that were lightening in a bottle when they played together, and played off each other, in harmony.
@@mollyesanbornI actually prefer Aeroplane Flies High to Pisces Iscariot. It’s amazing how many great tracks they have as b-sides from a double album. The only track I’d consider skippable is Pastichio Medley, which isn’t really a song so much as a sound collage of discarded demos.
Maybe it’s a bit ambitious to do a reaction to, especially considering it’s a b-side album, but it was originally packaged as 5 discs, so you could always take it one or two at a time. As much as I love Melloncollie, Aeroplane made it clear that some of my favorite songs from these sessions didn’t make the album.
@@EWall1498 Pastichio Medley is great for how many cool riffs and songs are in there, but also how ~clean~ some of them sound - so much music that's ready to go, and they only have space for a few seconds of some of it. I know the full demos eventually came out, but at the time it was like damn, they're really holding out on us
@@cactustactics Yeah, it's a cool curiosity. But it's also 20 minutes long with the final 5 minutes or so being one metal riff over and over. It helps to know what you're getting into and could be very odd to react to as one does a regular song.
I´m 42 and this magical album is in my top 3 albums of all time.
hands down my favorite Pumpkins album and fav album from the 90s. Loved the video and was excited to see it pop up on here! Adore is another masterpiece by them I feel.
Adore is nowhere near even worthy of a mention in the same sentence as this album. A couple of "meh" tracks surrounded by weak filler. (just IMHO of course ;P). songwriting is a bit weaker, musically & tonally it's so narrow compared to MCIS - this album almost every track stands out & on adore virtually nothing does. Of course, being a massive fan of JC & what he brings to the tracks, it was possible, likely even, that I would struggle to like it as much, but I remember reading about Billy wanting to go in a more electronic direction & being genuinely excited where he would push the boundaries with a different type of music that was still in its infancy really. This was around the time groups like the Prodigy were coming from a purely electronica direction & bringing more rock/guitar based influences into their music to great effect, so I was intrigued where someone coming from the other direction could push the boundaries. The end is the beginning I liked when I first heard it, but was by far the strongest track of this era of the band. Adore, while unique, just felt like mush with an almost complete absence of attitude or emotional range which was the tentpole of earlier pumpkins.
Machina had a bit more punch to it, but was overproduced & sounded like almost a parody - a band trying far too hard to be something else. It was also the start of the vocals being pushed too far forwards in the mix.
Zwan had some of the best post MCIS of Billys music IMHO. There were times on that album where he sounds almost like he is having fun & enjoying the music.
Zeitgeist again felt like they were trying a bit too hard & were almost a pastiche of themselves. There is a version on here where someone has remixed it pulling the vocals back in the mix & it is soooooo much more enjoyable to listen to!
Superchrist is an amazing track, & while not bringing anything particularly new to the table, is a direction I so wish the band had explored more - let Jimmy go for it & keep Billys vocals to the minimum - play to their strengths & downplay the weakness (AOL sessions worth a watch - they lose the timing a bit, but just listen to that drumming!). Instead they seem to be doing the exact opposite ever since! Their newer stuff seems to be Billys vocals put to the fore - too many words, the wordsmithing is weak, vocals pushed to far forwards to dominate the music. Billys voice has always been the Achilles heel & when you have one of the best drummers out there & three amazing guitarists in the band listening to their latest stuff just feels like such a waste!
Rant over ;P
wow. been a solid 25 years since i heard this album. thanks for the refresh!
I remember the first time I listened to this album. it was after my first breakup. it brought me through an emotional journey as I was very vulnerable at the time, and I agree on your take that it kinda themes around love, and the seas/oceans like the feeling of slowly sinking into the waters, I picked that up the first time I listened to it.
each songs opens a different musical paths and every emotion you could think of, the lyrics are just poetic (at least for me) the fact that it opens up with the lovely piano and ends with the members of the band singing you goodnight. (yes, farewell and goodnight was sang by the four members of the pumpkins, Billy and James on the first verse, then D'arcy and Jimmy on the 2nd, then they kinda sing altogether in the end. which is lovely!)
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is and will always be my favorite album of all time. and I really love hearing your thoughts and seeing your reaction to it. cheers to you!
Call me bias, but truly a masterpiece among many masterpieces by the mighty Smashing Pumpkins
every song is the most underatted song in there catalogue. Idk how it makes sense. It just does. All of it is so good, none of it can each recieve the love and attention it deserves.
Recently rediscovered Here Is No Why, it’s so delicate and beautiful and dreamy
I love the rhythmic quality that it has, it's real punchy but relaxing to listen to at the same time if that makes sense.
It was so much fun to watch you react to such a roller coaster of an album!
I'll never get tired of this masterpiece. To me it's at the same level as Soundgarden's "Superunknown".
Ohhh man I thought you gave up on doing this. I'm showing up late to work so I can watch it.
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is the greatest album of all time, Double Album, Diamond Album, 95% is amazing, no album comes close to these stats
Thirty-three is a soothing lullabye that reminds me of the best things of my past.
Fantastic job on the analysis. Congratulations
Excellent reaction video! You have good insight.
Keep going! Don't stop till you've taken it all in 😊
Such a nostalgia classic. Was a good time
This was peak pumpkins. What a time to be alive 🥲 their appearance on the Simpsons too
Farewell and goodnight has the 4 members singing. Billy, James, d'Arcy & Jimmy. Great reaction !
Best double album of the 90's
A monumental musical icon that captures the sound of an era.
Dude how I miss the nineties.
Absolute masterpiece and legendary album. Literally all of the music that makes up the Pumpkins. Just a shame we’re never see the band play together again. Beast of an album
Fantastic video! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Molly has a way to describe these songs even though I've heard them before
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 BRAVO Molly, this was a tough one to listen from beginning to end but you made it through.
It's crazy how many Smashing Pumpkins songs you've heard without knowing it was them
So many layers 😍
Galapagos always gets me 😢
Enjoyed this, thank you!
Thanks for watching :)
Magical album, apparently the second most sold double-album, released in a great year (my birth year)! My favorite Pumpkins album is Siamese Dream overall, but Mellon Collie is so good...
One of the greatest albums of all time
It's staggering how much crap the Pumpkins have put out in recent times, because this is, for me, a totally perfect album for the entirety of its runtime. I of course listen to Siamese more, but when I'm settled in for this record, there's few that top it.
This record was absolutely brilliant. For containing 28 tracks it was not once repetitive or boring to listen to. They get so creative with their sound that they always kept it so fresh, and they bring a ton of emotion into their music as well which always helps. Not sure how I'll feel about their newer stuff when I get to it but this run of their first three albums has been incredible so far.
@@mollyesanborn Adore is my weird favourite of theirs, but there's a rapid decline after
@@willhargreaveshf I will definitely have to give Adore a listen too!
@@willhargreaveshf I think Machina is great and massively underrated, and both Zeitgeist and Oceania are both solid albums, I can't say I've liked anything they've released in the past decade though.
@@jameswallace5235 Machina was nearly perfect. For me there are 3 absolute filler songs that could have been replaced by Let Me Give The World To You, Real Love, If There is a God (piano/vox) and Home and man... it would have been superb. Imploding Voice, Crying Tree of Mercury and Blue Skies Bring Tears... frustrating songs in the context of what Machina could have been.
Your reactions and feedback are so satisfying to see.
I love it. 🖤
"The tide coming in and going back out" to describe Porcelina is a perfect description
Your reaction to ‘tales of a scorched earth’ is hilarious
This (double) album is an incredible experience! So much variety, so many emotions and memories evoked. I honestly cannot remember of another album that was this bold during the 90s, well, maybe "Time Machine" by Satriani, but that's cheating a bit because it's not all new material. Mellon Collie, however, was a big thing back then, it's definitely one of my favorites, I listen to it constantly and I'm never bored. I'm happy that you are enjoying more SP, I think that this album should be discovered by newer generations because of its cultural importance and awesomeness. Thanks, Molly!
PS- Some other examples of excellent double albums that cannot be missed: "The Wall" by Pink Floyd, "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin and "The White Album" by The Beatles
The piano at the end of Farewell & Goodnight transitions into the piano in the beginning of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It's meant to create a sense of repetition and "the infinite".
Bullet with butterfly wings and 1979 really represent the smashing pumpkins in general. These are different moods on each side of the spectrum.. anger and confusion with a hint of nostalgia.
A master piece. The album take us to a magic travel, unforgettable journey.
If I remember correctly, Billy Corgan said that Mellon Collie is the true sound of Smashing Pumpkins or somewhere along that line.
yep, 'Take Me Down' is sung by guitarist James Iha :) great video!