SMASHING PUMPKINS | SIAMESE DREAM
Siamese Dream is one of the most ambitious rock albums ever created. It is the brainchild of genius perfectionist Billy Corgan and was birthed out of the pressure he placed on himself to make an album that would “set the world on fire.” The record wasn’t without its conflict in the studio between band members, but the resulting output remains one of the greatest works of all time.
The album is layered with guitar takes and ornate arrangements courtesy of producer Butch Vig’s quest to achieve the sonic depth the band was after. “Soma” is a masterpiece of over 40 overdubbed guitar parts alone. The track feels like floating through a heavenly vanilla sky filled with white clouds, then being cast through a tumultuous storm only to fall to a final resting place in the mournfully delicate underworld below.
“Hummer” and “Quiet” zing and zip with thick fuzz while still achieving clarity and punch. On songs like “Geek USA” Jimmy Chamberlin’s drumming is slick and furious inspiring us to fully understand how important his articulation is to compliment Corgan’s excess of lushness. Chamerlin often sights jazz fusion as his style of performance, which is quite a contrast to power chords and overblown Marshall stacks. This is the ying and yang balance of the Pumpkins.
The album opens with “Cherub Rock” a track that introduces itself with a snare drum roll and builds a simple guitar pattern into a full out sensuous explosion. “Disarm” has taken its place in the cannon of great acoustic rock ballads, one of the only alt-rock songs orchestrally peppered with timpani, strings and tubular bells.
The entire journey of the album is deeply satisfying, never overly anxious or uneasy even when dealing with suicide, depression, and mental health. Any fan of the genre becomes challenged to stop moshing and start listening, even going inward for reflection. There are feelings and emotions in every chord and nuance as the album unwinds down a long road of melancholy and sweetness interlaced through grooves and distortion.
By the time we reach the stunning gorgeousness of “Mayonaise” its clear the album just keeps giving, not a single out of place track. The final guitar strum on “Luna” lingers in the mind long after the album runs out of music.
Siamese Dream is the perfect combination of pure authenticity, self-indulgence, talent, songwriting, production, and divine inspiration. It’s hard to lump it in with other alt-rock contemporaries from the same time period, as the album just seems to have come from a higher place. Corgan’s vocals in subsequent years could be sharp and grating, but on Siamese they are soft and focused, dry but layered, and almost soothing at times.
The band keeps the guitar and fuzz as the focal point for the entire album, even venturing into progressive rock territory at times without losing the pretty effect of the layered production. This is rage and sorrow at it’s absolute finest.
The Siamese Dream
2 oz white rum
1 oz raspberry vodka or liquor
1 oz lemon juice
1.5 tbl vanilla syrup
3 oz Champange
Fresh raspberries
*Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of the shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients. Shake with ice. Strain into coupe glass, top with champagne, and garnish with a raspberry and cherry.