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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | |||||
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| Studio album by The Smashing Pumpkins | |||||
| Released | October 24, 1995 | ||||
| Recorded | March – August 1995 at Pumpkinland, Sadlands, Bugg Studios, Chicago Recording Company; The Village Recorder | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 121:50 | ||||
| Label | Virgin | ||||
| Producer | Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan, Flood | ||||
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| The Smashing Pumpkins chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | |||||
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Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (sometimes abbreviated to Mellon Collie or MCIS) is a double CD and triple LP that was released on October 24, 1995 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records.
Mellon Collie was voted the 29th greatest album of all time in 1998 by Q magazine readers. In 2003, the album was ranked number 487 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Time Magazine named it the Best Album of 1995.
Contents |
After the 13 month Siamese Dream tour, Corgan immediately began writing songs for Siamese Dream’s follow-up,[1] a double-disc concept album, described by Corgan as "The Wall for Generation X,"[2] a comparison with Pink Floyd's famous two-LP concept album. In April 1995, the Pumpkins began recording in a rehearsal space, instead of entering the studio straight away.[3] At these sessions, the band recorded rough rhythm tracks with producer Flood, after parting ways with long-time producer, Butch Vig, who had formed Garbage. Originally designed to create a rough draft for the record, the rehearsal-space sessions ended up becoming the new album's foundation. These raw tracks meant that the new record retained a certain organic essence, in contrast to the highly constructed sound of their earlier albums.
Following the rehearsal space sessions with Flood, co-producer Alan Moulder and the band applied the finishing touches to the rough tracks at the Chicago Recording Company studio.[1] The electronic looping and sampling was added in post-production, using a Power Macintosh 8100 running Pro Tools.[4] Much of the tension found in the Siamese Dream recording sessions had dissipated, and hence, the recording for the album was much more relaxed comparatively. The other band members also had a greater role in the recording of the album, unlike in Siamese Dream, where Corgan was rumoured to have recorded all the bass and guitar parts himself.[5] James Iha commented,
| “ | The big change is that Billy is not being the big 'I do this-I do that.' It's much better. The band arranged a lot of songs for this record, and the song writing process was organic. The circumstances of the last record and the way that we worked was really bad.[6] | ” |
When the recording sessions were complete, the band had 57 completed songs which were up for contention to be included on Mellon Collie, according to statements in interviews.[7] This culminated in a double album release featuring 28 songs, with the 5 main singles being backed by the remaining 28 songs. The album was going to have 32 songs, but this was cut back to the 28 songs.[8] Bassist D'arcy Wretzky recorded numerous backup vocal parts which were all cut, except those recorded for "Beautiful." She also sings in "Farewell and Goodnight."[9]
Corgan described the title as "just another one of those pretentious Pumpkin album titles continuing the long line of pretension."[3] When asked about other possible album titles that were considered, the band joked, Sad and Sadder,[10] The Phoenix Meets the Dwarf, Basketball Land, and Baseball City.[3]
Mellon Collie is a loose concept album, with the songs intended to hang together conceptually as a symbol of the cycle of life and death.[6] Billy Corgan has said that the album is based on "the human condition of mortal sorrow".[11] The sprawling nature of the album means that it utilizes several different diverse styles amongst the songs, contrasting to what some critics felt was the “one dimensional flavor” of the previous two albums.[1] A much wider variety of instrumentation is used, such as piano ("Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"), synthesizers and drum loops ("1979"), string orchestration ("Tonight, Tonight"), and even salt shakers and scissors ("Cupid de Locke").[1]
The closing track from the Dawn To Dusk disc, "Take Me Down", was sung by James Iha. The Twilight To Starlight closing track, "Farewell and Goodnight", is sung by all four members and is the only Smashing Pumpkins song to feature lead vocals by all four members. Both closing tracks end with the lyrics "in your heart".
Mellon Collie debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in October 1995, certified 9.8 times platinum in the United States.[12] At the time, the album was the best-selling double album of the decade. The album spawned five successful singles—"Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "1979," "Zero," "Tonight, Tonight," and "Thirty-Three"—of which the first three were certified gold and all but "Zero" entered the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. All charted high on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Muzzle" was released as a promotional single.
Mellon Collie was nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year ("1979"), Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("1979"), Best Pop Instrumental Performance ("Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness") and Best Music Video, Short Form ("Tonight, Tonight") at the 1997 Grammy Awards. They also won Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal for "Bullet with Butterfly Wings".
Along with the success of the album, the band's music videos were widely acclaimed. The "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight" videos combined to win 7 MTV Video Music Awards at the 1996 ceremony, including the top award, Video of the Year, for "Tonight, Tonight."
Art direction for the album is credited to Frank Olinsky and Billy Corgan. The actual illustrations are digital collages put together by John Craig. The design for the album cover was inspired by a combination of the face from the painting Fidelity by Jean Baptiste Greuze and the body from the painting Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Raphael.
The CD version of the album was divided onto two discs, entitled Dawn to Dusk and Twilight to Starlight. The cassette version is divided similarly. The triple vinyl version, however, is divided into six sides, Dawn, Tea Time, Dusk, Twilight, Midnight and Starlight, respectively. The vinyl also featured two bonus songs ("Tonite Reprise" and "Infinite Sadness"), and a completely different track order. The singles from Mellon Collie were collected on The Aeroplane Flies High box set, which also includes the vinyl bonus track "Tonite Reprise". "Infinite Sadness" is only available on vinyl and through digital download.
All songs written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.
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Rough mixes of the entire first disc, plus "Lily (My One and Only)", done on May 31, 1995, circulate on a tape commonly referred to as Sequence IV. Most of the tracks very nearly resemble the versions found on the album, the only notable difference being that "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" does not have any vocals.
Additional demo material from the Mellon Collie sessions circulates via three sets of bootlegs, commonly referred to amongst fans as the MCIS Demos One, Two, and Three. In addition to demo versions of most songs that made the album or The Aeroplane Flies High, many songs which have never been released by the band appear on these tapes. This is not a complete listing of unreleased songs from the Mellon Collie sessions, merely the ones that circulate.
- "A/B/G/Drop A" (instrumental) – 3:00
- "A/Ab/E/B/F♯" (instrumental) – 2:44
- "A Drone" (instrumental, a working version of the unreleased song "Speed") – 3:48
- "Autumn Nocturne" (not, as often rumoured, a demo of "1979") – 1:36
- "Dizzle" (instrumental) – 2:09
- "Blast" (instrumental) – 4:13
- "Busy Down Tune B♭-G" (instrumental, alternate title "Lucky Lad") – 2:43
- "Depresso" (instrumental) – 3:01
- "Feelium" (instrumental) – 4:32
- "Frantic A♭ Groove" (instrumental, at least two recordings are know to exist, but only one circulates) – 3:02
- "The Groover" (instrumental) – 5:14
- "Germans in Leather Pants" (instrumental, alternate title "New Wave Echo") – 2:58
- "James Complex Song" (instrumental, alternate title "So So Pretty") – 3:13
- "Jackboot" (instrumental, often played live following "Silverfuck" on the Siamese Dream tour, and appears on Earphoria following "Silverfuck") – 5:05
- "Methusela" – 4:18
- "New Wave A to G" (instrumental) – 3:17
- "No Escape" (instrumental, alternate title "Weeping Willowy") – 2:47
- "Pretty Drop A" (instrumental, alternate title "Milleu") – 1:38
- "Rings" (instrumental) – 3:57
- "Walking Country" (instrumental) – 2:33
- "Wishing You Were Here" (a rough demo of "For Martha" which would later appear on Adore. Two versions circulate, the first being Corgan's solo piano rendition, clocks in at 3:06. The second, a full band demo with electric instrumentation, is exactly one minute longer.)
- "With Longing" (instrumental) – 3:17
- "Dick or Peter" (uncirculated)
- "Firepower" (instrumental, parts used in "Pastichio Medley")
- "I Feel Love" (uncirculated, recorded in Australia studios)
- "Receive My Signal" (uncirculated)
Several untitled instrumental pieces also circulate on these tapes. The titles here are the titles the songs circulate as on bootlegs.
- "Instrumental (Pre-X.Y.U.)" – 3:08
- "Instrumental (Embryonic)" – 2:44
- "Unknown" – 4:10
Many songs circulate in even rougher form from the rehearsal video 666. Shot on March 1, 1995 and March 2, 1995, the circulating video lasts around an hour and contains the following tracks. Please note that track timings are not exactly correct, as a studio banter is included in some cases.
The tapes from March 1, 1995 contain the following:
- "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" (as performed by Corgan in his home for the MTV cameras) – 4:22
- "The Viper" (instrumental) – 5:10
- "Funky Jam" (an improvised jam the band played while soundchecking) – 1:14
- "Tribute To Johnny" (which would later appear on the Zero EP) – 4:45
- "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" (would appear on the album) – 8:02
- "Rachel" (a rough instrumental version of "X.Y.U.", which would appear on the album) – 4:02
- "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" (contains alternate lyrics to the album version, but is cut, signaling the end of the tape from March 1, 1995) – 3:13
The tapes from March 2, 1995 contain the following:
- "V-8" (instrumental) – 1:39
- "Rachel" (in a longer form, but still without lyrics) – 4:48
- "The Black Rider" segues into "Die" (both instrumental) – 1:35
- "USA" (instrumental) – 0:55
- "Zero" (remarkably similar to the album version) – 2:39
- "The Boy" (instrumental) – 1:32
- "Zero" (blues version) (instrumental) – 0:37
- "USA" (instrumental) – 0:49
- "Cupid de Locke" (instrumental) – 0:20
- "USA" (instrumental) – 0:29
- "Zero" (instrumental) – 1:31
- "Zero" (drum and bass only, instrumental) – 2:15
- "Zero" (drum and bass only, instrumental) – 2:31
Even rougher snippets and demos appear in the "Pastichio Medley", on the Zero EP.
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
| 1995 | Australian Album Chart[13] | 1 |
| 1995 | New Zealand Album Charts[14] | 1 |
| 1995 | UK Album Charts | 4 |
| 1995 | Australian Highest Selling Albums | 14 |
| 1995 | German Album Charts | 21 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1995 | "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 |
| 1995 | "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" | UK Singles Chart | 20 |
| 1996 | "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 22 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Top 40 Mainstream | 10 |
| 1996 | "1979" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| 1996 | "1979" | UK Singles Chart | 16 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 17 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Adult Top 40 | 30 |
| 1996 | "1979" | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 47 |
| 2005 | "1979" | Hot Digital Songs | 54 |
| 1996 | "Zero" | Modern Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 1996 | "Zero" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| 1996 | "Tonight, Tonight" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 |
| 1996 | "Tonight, Tonight" | Modern Rock Tracks | 5 |
| 1996 | "Tonight, Tonight" | UK Singles Chart | 7 |
| 1996 | "Tonight, Tonight" | Billboard Hot 100 | 36 |
| 1996 | "Muzzle" | Modern Rock Tracks | 8 |
| 1996 | "Muzzle" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |
| 1996 | "Thirty-Three" | Modern Rock Tracks | 2 |
| 1996 | "Thirty-Three" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 |
| 1996 | "Thirty-Three" | UK Singles Chart | 21 |
| 1996 | "Thirty-Three" | Billboard Hot 100 | 39 |
- Billy Corgan – lead vocal, guitar, piano, producer, mixer, string arrangement on "Tonight, Tonight", art direction and design
- James Iha – guitar, additional credits for "Take Me Down" and "Farewell and Goodnight": vocals, mixing and additional production
- D'Arcy Wretzky – bass, vocals on "Beautiful" and "Farewell and Goodnight"
- Jimmy Chamberlin – drums, vocals on "Farewell and Goodnight"
- Flood – producer, mixer
- Alan Moulder – producer, mixer
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra – orchestra in "Tonight, Tonight"
- Audrey Riley – string arrangement on "Tonight, Tonight"
- Greg Leisz – pedal and lap steel guitar on "Take Me Down"
- Chris Shepard – recording
- Claudine Pontier – recording assistance
- Dave Kresl – string recording assistance
- Barry "Sounds Like Gold" Goldberg – additional vocal recording, mixing assistance
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Frank Olinsky – art direction and design
- John Craig – illustration
- Andrea Giacobbe – photograph
- Jeff Moleski – technical assistance
- Russ Spice – technical assistance
- Tim "Gooch" Lougee – technical assistance
- Adam Green – technical assistance
- Roger Carpenter – technical assistance
- Guitar Dave Mannet – technical assistance
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"Bullet with Butterfly Wings" "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness "1979" "1979" from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Problems playing the files? See media help.
- ^ a b c d Kot, Greg. "“Double Take: Smashing Pumpkins raises the stakes with 'Mellon Collie”", Chicago Tribune, 1995-10-22.
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim. Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. Pg. 46, 80
- ^ a b c Corgan, Billy, James Iha & Jimmy Chamberlin. Interview. Smashing Pumpkins Rockumentary. MTV. 1995-10-17.
- ^ "No More Guitars." BigO Magazine, 1995.
- ^ Browne, David. "Pumpkin Batch", EW.com, October 27, 1995.
- ^ a b Kelly, Christina. "Smashing Pumpkins-The Multi-Platinum Band is over the infighting but can the harmony last?" US Magazine, December 1995.
- ^ Corgan, Billy, James Iha & D'arcy Wretzky. Interview. Hora Prima. MTV Latin America. 1996-12-19.
- ^ Corgan, Billy. "King B's", Guitar World, January 1997.
- ^ Evans, Liz. "The Last Word." Kerrang, May/June 1996.
- ^ "Title Unknown", Juice Magazine, August 1996 (available online).
- ^ Daher, Karl (1998-5-29). Listessa Interviews Billy Corgan. Listessa. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
- ^ Top 100 Albums. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2006-11-07. Sales for double albums are counted for each disc, thus 4.5 million copies of the double album package have been certified.
- ^ Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 23 July 2007. ARIA.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Chartbitz: Wednesday, July 18 2007. RIANZ.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.