World Masterpiece Review: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins

Have you ever had an experience that shocked you? I remember the first time I ate chūtoro (medium fatty tuna), the first time I played guitar through an amp, and the first time I learned that scoops and shovels are called the opposite names in the Kanto and Kansai regions…

(Which do you call the scoop...?)

Anyway, the summer when I first listened to this album as a 24-year-old is one of those experiences. I couldn’t stand still and decided to write a review on the entire album. It’s something that I have always wanted to do!

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness / The Smashing Pumpkins

Have you ever heard of The Smashing Pumpkins? They’re an American rock band formed in 1988 that represented the rise of alternative/grunge music in the 1990’s. They broke up in 2000, but have reunited and since then, they’re still active (coincidentally, the day I was writing this article a news article said that they were working on a new album).

Here’s one of their popular songs. It’s a great song full of beautiful melodies from the intro to the outro...

I had heard of the band The Smashing Pumpkins, but I hadn’t listened to their songs besides “Today”. I just randomly listened to their masterpiece, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and found it to be one of the best albums of all time. This is going to be a long review, but... I hope you’ll stay with me till the end!

Review

Comments
It’s hard to believe that this album was released more than 20 years ago, but it’s an incredible piece of work with an overwhelming sense of style. The beautiful musical motifs are played by various instruments that are not typical in a standard rock band ensemble. The motifs are scattered all around the songs, so you will never get bored. The songs vary from melodious ballads to aggressive upper tunes, and the songwriter and the vocalist, Billy Corgan, shows off his broad-mindedness. His voice is quite quirky, so you will either love it or hate it.

(I’m adding star(s) ☆-☆☆☆☆☆ based on my completely subjective opinions!)

Disc 1. Dawn to Dusk

• Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness ☆
  This is the opening tune of the album. It’s an instrumental tune with beautiful piano and strings. It could be good enough to raise your expectations, but since it’s still the opening tune, I am giving it this rating.
• Tonight, Tonight ☆☆☆☆☆
  The opening then flows into this song and I am sitting here with my mind blown. The strings sound shockingly beautiful, the drums are developing elaborately, and the vocals bring out some strong feelings… It’s impeccable. Five stars aren’t enough... I really want to give it 2000 stars. This body of work should be listened to by all the people on the earth at least once.
• Jellybelly ☆☆☆☆☆
  This is an exciting rock number that is surprisingly different from track 2. The chorus, in which you can feel the scenery broadening, would be great to listen to while driving.
• Zero ☆☆☆
  It’s heavier and louder than track 3. The Smashing Pumpkins is often categorized as a grunge band along with Nirvana, but their intense songs sound more like a hard rock/heavy metal band.
• Here Is No Why ☆☆☆☆
  This song has both heavy riffs and melodic development. The climax seems to be from 1:30, but the guitar solo from 2:30 is even more exciting.
• Bullet with Butterfly Wings ☆☆☆
  The languid melody and the energetic chorus make a nice contrast. The song quickly develops from a sudden shout, and then once it becomes quiet, there’s a shout again, and the chorus starts. It’s a busy song.
• To Forgive ☆☆
  This is an impressive number with a strange chord melody with a little tonality and a mellow chorus. I feel a slight psychedelic Beatles feel.
• Fuck You (An Ode to No One) ☆☆☆
  The title is so straightforward that it makes me laugh, and the aggressive riff that follows it is impressive. It makes you start to move your body unconsciously. I think it’s quite a metal song, but the guitar style starts sounding like a noise around 2:30 has quite an alternative feel. It would be an interesting song if it were released even today.
• Love ☆☆☆
  Experimental sounds stand out with the distorted vocals and synth-like bass riffs. I thought it was a bit plain, but the roar from the middle of the song made me grin. But still, what a scary Love…
• Cupid de Locke ☆☆☆☆
  The aggressive flow of the album has suddenly taken a 180 and turned... We hear flowing phrases that sound like game music. Is this really an album from 1995? Lol. Including the narration in the latter half of the song, this song has a very modern feel to it.
• Galapogos ☆☆☆
  Beautiful numbers with flowing guitar arpeggios, strings, and a fragile melody stands out. I like it a lot, but sometimes I feel like I need a little more excitement with this song.
• Muzzle ☆☆☆☆☆
  A medium ballad with an impressive roaring guitar sounds so good. The guitar solo in the latter half of the song is very free and it makes me feel good. I personally am giving 5 stars to this part only! The drums stir up your energy with little effort. You can’t help but move your body to the beat of this song.
• Porcelina of the Vast Oceans ☆☆☆☆
  It starts out quiet and psychedelic (It goes on for 2 minutes long!). Then, suddenly, the melody turned American and light-hearted. Even when the voice starts, the melody abruptly changes a lot. In the quiet part, panning of the drum has extreme control going right and left. Like those, you can feel strong experimental elements in this song. The variety of sounds makes the song fun for the ears even though it’s 9 minutes long. You won’t get bored listening to it.
• Take Me Down ☆☆
  This song ends the first half of the album and has an unexpected calmness. I wondered how you could sing with that kind of voice, but then I realized James Iha (Gt.) sings on this song. This last song of Disc 1 leaves you with some weird feelings. And then, the album moves on to Disc 2.

Disc 2. Twilight to Starlight

• Where Boys Fear to Tread ☆☆☆
  Heavy rhythms and Buddhist-like vocals. Keep listening from Disk 1, you will be surprised by how different this disk is. The hard rock/heavy metal sense of the riffs really stand out here.
• Bodies ☆☆
  A heavy number that continues from the previous song. The intense shouting makes you worry his throat is quite powerful. But I can′t deny the impression that similar songs keep returning in this album.
• Thirty-Three ☆☆☆
  The minimal piano phrases and acoustic guitar sound beautiful. I am in awe of the phrasing from each instrument so the music does not sound monotonous.
• In the Arms of Sleep ☆☆☆☆
  A cool ballad with an exotic atmosphere. As the title suggests, it has an appealing atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re asleep.
• 1979 ☆☆☆☆☆
  This song is amazing. It’s natural with no unnecessary power. The light drumming and pop melody attracts you.
• Tales of a Scorched Earth ☆☆☆
  This song is one of the heaviest and fast-paced songs out of this two-disk album. Many people might be surprised by the sudden modulation from the previous song. It shows Billy Corgan’s talent as a riff-maker.
• Thru the Eyes of Ruby ☆☆☆
  This is a big song lasting over 7 minutes long. I think the moving phrasing in the chorus and the main guitar riff are very impressive, which is also the characteristic of the whole album, but this is a song where it appears strongly. The guitar phrase from 3:08 onwards makes you want to listen to it over and over again, but it never appears after that. I hate that!
• Stumbleine ☆☆☆☆
  A ballad that progresses with only acoustic guitar and vocals. The fragile melody is very beautiful. I personally like this song quite a bit.
• X.Y.U ☆☆☆☆
  The dubious guitar riffs and tempo changes are pretty good. The latter acceleration would be great to see live. I envy the people of that time. If you like bands like Ningen Isu (Japanese heavy metal band), you should listen to this song.
• We Only Come Out at Night ☆☆
  The song starts off with some pretty cute drums and a strange stretching sound, but the catchy vocals and piano are perfect.
• Beautiful ☆☆☆☆☆
  Just as the title suggests, this song is so beautiful. I bet it took a lot of courage to title it “Beautiful” (lol), but every part of the song is beautiful and it is great. Billy Corgan’s voice is quite unique, but I think it works best in a fragile melody like this.
• Lily (My One and Only) ☆☆☆
  A straightforward love song. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics, it’s a very sweet song that somehow makes you feel like it’s about love. I think it’s a great song with a great sense of phrasing using a variety of instruments.
• By Starlight ☆☆☆☆
  At the end of this long album, this type of song has never appeared before. An epic outro stands out. I personally love outros with a big sense of scale, so this is my favorite. The relaxing guitar phrases throughout the song flow beautifully.
• Farewell and Goodnight ☆☆☆☆☆
  A ballad that concludes this blockbuster. All the members appear as vocalists. Because it is the last song of this huge album volume, it makes you feel as if you are watching the end roll of a movie. It’s also a nice touch that the moving piano on the first track on Disc 1 returns as the album is coming to a close and the feeling is so overwhelming that it makes you start to shed tears.

The End

Thank you for reading to the end of this review! Subscription services have become commonplace and music has become easier to listen to, but don’t we also have the opportunity to listen to unfamiliar albums in depth? I myself enjoy listening to unfamiliar albums while reading reviews in magazines and on the Internet, so I hope this article will give you a new musical experience.

Whether you listen with earphones or headphones, or even with speakers for a more luxurious experience. One of the most difficult and enjoyable aspects of the music is it sounds differently depending on how you listen to it.At Sound House, we have a wide selection of products as well as information on rankings and reviews! Please come check our online store out!

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