| Iha expresses fondness for the "Adore" CD |
| May 18, 2000, 11:00 pm |
Source: The Press-Enterprise Swan Song: Melancholy Corgan mulls future of Smashing Pumpkins Alan Sculley. The Press - Enterprise. Riverside, Calif.: May 19, 2000. pg. AA.12 Abstract (Document Summary) Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has always been prone to provocative pronouncements and opinions. Just as the band's new CD, "Machina: The Machines Of God," was arriving in stores, he hinted at the demise of his band in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. [James] Iha has a point. Search through past interviews with Corgan and it's not hard to find similar statements. In a November 1995 Rolling Stone interview he noted that he thought the Chicago-based band had reached the end of the line emotionally and creatively with their 1993 sophomore CD, "Siamese Dream." Instead, the Pumpkins rolled on, recording the sprawling two-disc epic, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," a 1995 CD that Corgan in the same interview described as either the band's last album or the "last album as people know the Smashing Pumpkins." Instead of folding, Corgan, D'Arcy and Iha closed ranks, hiring a temporary drummer and keyboardist to finish the tour. Soon work began on a new CD, "Adore." That's when the public began to sour on the Smashing Pumpkins. "Adore" marked a significant musical departure, focusing largely on introspective ballads as opposed to the edgy majestic rock of earlier records. The CD quickly sank from the charts and topped out at just over one million in sales. Iha expresses fondness for the "Adore" CD, even if it wasn't the kind of album fans expected. Full Text (786 words) Copyright Press Enterprise May 19, 2000 Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has always been prone to provocative pronouncements and opinions. Just as the band's new CD, "Machina: The Machines Of God," was arriving in stores, he hinted at the demise of his band in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. "I've taken pop songwriting as far as it can go," he told the magazine. "This is pretty much the end of the line." But if Corgan's comments alarmed the other members of the band, guitarist James Iha wasn't showing it. "He's kind of said it on every record, so I take it with a grain of salt," Iha said in a recent interview. "You know, if he decides after this he doesn't want to play anymore, obviously we're not going to go on anymore. But I don't know. Every time it's just such a long process with a record, for everything. Every record is supposed to be our last record. So I don't really think about it too much." Iha has a point. Search through past interviews with Corgan and it's not hard to find similar statements. In a November 1995 Rolling Stone interview he noted that he thought the Chicago-based band had reached the end of the line emotionally and creatively with their 1993 sophomore CD, "Siamese Dream." Instead, the Pumpkins rolled on, recording the sprawling two-disc epic, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," a 1995 CD that Corgan in the same interview described as either the band's last album or the "last album as people know the Smashing Pumpkins." Five years later, the Smashing Pumpkins have endured. But it hasn't been easy. By the time "Siamese Dream" catapulted the band to stardom behind hit songs like "Today" and "Cherub Rock," the Pumpkins were already becoming known as much for their inner-band turmoil as for their raw, yet cinematic brand of guitar rock. Yet the Pumpkins not only persisted, the group soared even higher. "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" was released to critical acclaim two years later, becoming one of the year's most popular CDs and selling some eight million copies in the United States alone. But triumph soon turned to tragedy and chaos. On the night before a two-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden during the tour behind "Mellon Collie," touring keyboardist Johnny Melvoin died from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Chamberlin, who allegedly was using drugs with the keyboardist, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. The tour was put on hold and a few days later, Chamberlin was fired. Instead of folding, Corgan, D'Arcy and Iha closed ranks, hiring a temporary drummer and keyboardist to finish the tour. Soon work began on a new CD, "Adore." That's when the public began to sour on the Smashing Pumpkins. "Adore" marked a significant musical departure, focusing largely on introspective ballads as opposed to the edgy majestic rock of earlier records. The CD quickly sank from the charts and topped out at just over one million in sales. Iha expresses fondness for the "Adore" CD, even if it wasn't the kind of album fans expected. "I think for Billy, who was the writer on that record, he just wanted to get away from that band sound because we'd just sort of run it into the ground," Iha said. Now two years after the "Adore" disappointment, the Smashing Pumpkins are trying once again to bounce back with "Machina: The Machines Of God." The CD marks at least a partial return to the Pumpkins sound of old. Response to "Machina" so far has been mixed. While reviews have been guardedly positive, sales have slipped. After debuting at number two on the Billboard's album charts it has quickly sunk below 100. Before recording the CD, the band reunited with Chamberlin, and in fact did a brief club tour last spring to test new material being considered for the CD. The return of Chamberlin is clearly a positive move. His propulsive drumming was always a key to the Pumpkins sound. Time will tell if another change will be as good for the band. In September, D'Arcy left after 10 years with the group, and so far, all involved parties have been tight-lipped about the circumstances. D'Arcy's replacement is bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, fresh from her stint with Hole, the band led by Courtney Love. [Table] * * * Smashing Pumpkins San Diego: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, San Diego State University Open Air Theatre, 5500 Canyon Crest Drive, $30, (619) 594-6947. Universal City: 8:15 p.m., Tuesday, Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, $27.50, (818) 622-4440. Information: Ticketmaster, (714) 740-2000 or (619) 220-8497. [Illustration] PHOTO; Caption: Virgin Records; The members of Smashing Pumpkins have so far survived rock excesses. Credit: Special to The Press-Enterprise Credit: Alan Sculley |