For anyone who cares. I was there. This solo was not planned or practiced. We showed up to jam and a friend had a camera. In 1985 we were in high school, and a camera was rare. We recorded a bunch of jams, and Bill did an improve solo. We mostly were just goofing around. I posted it because I knew I had something rare, and thought people would enjoy it. So enjoy! - Jim
Jim Malone Billy is a gem. Thank you for sharing. Met him in Portland in early 97 shortly before Bowie's 50th BDay. He was very kind to a star struck fan.
In one of his Siamese Dream era Guitar Player mag interviews he said (paraphrasing) "he realized that soloing this way (like Yngwie) really only appeals to other guitar players, but soloing in the context of great songs appeals to everyone". That always stuck with me.
I mean it's so true. Good songwriting can appeal to both sides. But most of the time technical guitar playing only appeals to other musicians (it's very rare for non musicians to care more about technical skill but there are some out there).
@@Orangetension Yeah, I agree completely. Siamese Dream has a few show offy parts but it's very minimal and pretty much the last record Billy ever did any "shreddy" type shit on. But I do think it's a great asset to have a high level of technical ability whether you actually use it or not. It opens up the doors of songwriting and let's you not be limited. Also, it helps you be able to play the more simple shit flawlessly. There are plenty of guitar players that cant play live nearly as well as on their albums.
@@Orangetension just think, had he chosen wrong (like most did) he could have been a casualty in the first wave of Grunge that destroyed hair metal...before he ever even got a start... Bullet with the Butterfly Effect..
I remember that interview, but he sounds nothing like Malmsteen whatsoever here...or Randy. It's generic 80s wankery. He started focusing on what made him unique and what he was good at. - quirky catchy guitar lines and songs
Even in his early days he was incredibly skilled. I always liked the fact that Corgan was never show-offish on the records or even live. He had the skills but never relied on them in his playing. His solos on the Pumpkins records and more thought out and expressive, which I personally like more. But, this is some incredible stuff here (obviously very 80s Van Halen and thrash metal influenced)
BigBoss1292 it makes me reflect on the time when Billy Corgan introduced Van Halen at an award show and David Lee Roth disrespected him in front of the audience. I felt so horrible for him cuz those guys were his idols into do that to him like that on stage was so f***** up. You can tell they were an influence on him in this video.
I'm 50/50. He never shredded, but his solos on Siamese Dream were so bizarre and avant-garde that I knew he must have had some form of mastery. No one makes the solo on Cherub Rock without the capacity for understanding the intimacy of their music. It's too perfect to be a lucky coincidence from a mediocre guitarist. James Iha and Kirk Hammet are two of the luckiest guys on earth. Their lead singer does it all, so they could just do the shows. Not that they did that, but they certainly had the option.
it's not the greatest solo he's ever played, but considering that he's 18 in the video - which means that at that point he had only been playing guitar for 3 years, it's absolutely astonishing how good he plays
His Dad was a modestly successful musician actually and first started off by discouraging Billy saying "he wouldn't have the discipline necessary to learn the guitar and he should probably just give up before beginning" this would've discouraged 99.99999% of people trying to get into music for the life of a rockstar like Billy did, but Billy I think actually was determined to learn just to spite his Dad. Eventually his Dad did begin steering him stylistically, specifically encouraging him to listen to John Beck and Jimi Hendrix and probably others, but yeah the main thing Billy improved his playing by doing was basically enslaving himself in his bedroom for at least 5 hours a day practicing nothing but warmups, technical exercises and scales. He worked HARD to become as good as he did, but there is no denying that he is also an extremely talented artist on top of all that, but the main thing is he was willing to work for it really, really hard and he did it, but not even his Dad was supportive until his son finally defied all odds and became a rockstar. He'll never see glory days like he had at their peak in the 90s ever again, though, unfortunately.
@@voteZDLR Popular music is a dead medium. Your online doctorate in the science of Hard work doesn't seem to have done much for you in terms of reading your first language. Enjoy your Beyonce Garth Brooks records, smarmy.
Yeah really. Bigsbys go out of tune when you use them as they are intended to be used. Doing what he is doing here, I can't imagine how out of tune he was. hehe. Oh well. He was having fun.
yeah a lot of people who weren't around back then have no idea how rare it was to have video cameras.. and to HEAR ABOUT bands.. and we had to go and BUY the records to hear them.. IF the record store had them.. and to even HEAR about a band was hard.. not much interesting stuff got played on the radio ironically now it's easier to get heard no one hears the stuff i write about life.. Doh!!! thanks for posting this
This is why he is such an awesome musician, not because he has amazing technical skill but because he has it and rarely chooses to use it. Good music is about moving people and not about showing off your technical ability.
It's like the difference between practicing scales and playing music. Nobody likes to hear scales but you have to play them to become a better musician
please tell that to people about my songs.. "Blaze" moves people when i play it live but i just can't figure out how to get people who LIKE my kind of heartfelt songs TO know about the fact they exist..argh!!!!
@wentzr 5 seconds after I posted it I realized it. I figured my punishment for being a dumbass would be to leave it up. To my disappointment I wasn't drawn and quartered. 😐😔😆
@@curtismason4733 Dude when you're that good you don't have to think about what you're playing that much. Eventually you get to that point as a musician if you practice enough.
Curtis Mason you will understand one day if you actually get good. almost every guitar player goes through a phase like this. trying to play the hardest sounding thing you can. its easier than it looks. just tapping and alternate picking
Mad skills to be 18, and could've been easily the lead in a thrash band had he continued burning up the fretboard like that. Aside from jumbling other people's styles like Eddie Van Halen into his mix, and/or Dave Mustaine... Billy showed he knew how to do it and could hang with the best. Personally, I admire the road he took, which was his own path. Expressive, personal and it all came together in notes and harmonies that just worked... he knew it, he felt it and that's what he wanted and that's what he delivered. Like 'em or not, the Pumpkins will always be a rock legend in music history that will be popular to listen to for decades to come.
watching billy's left hand, i can see a lot of the shapes he used in his early smashing pumpkins guitar solos. that little burst of speed right there at about 0:38 is pretty much the same thing he did in "rhinoceros" and "bury me"
I believe I understand the reference, and I assume it's not a compliment for anyone. All I can confim is that the guitar looks nice. When The Plague rehearsed in the large room before or after the pumpkin smashers at Overcash's studio, he certainly wasn't known as a great soloist or the best in that room, but it was the voice some thought was more annoying. However, some knew by his tenacity they were destined for fame, I just couldn't relate well. I guess it was all the punk, metal and thrash in Chicago that I thought was better at the time. Peace to the peaceful
I was 25 at the time and had an Army haircut! Never saw them! I live in the south suburbs of Chicago. Billy lives in Waukegan Il I believe. I have a friend who is a K9 officer in that town. I think Billy owns a Tea and Cigar shop there. Some of the band came from Joliet IL. Also heard they are kicking it around about getting things going again for a little while. They did not break up on bad terms I don't think. Saw it somewhere Billy said go out on top not in a fight like most groups!
Living in elk grove village, I thought I saw Billy C. solo on a pirate tv station one day after work, he was either in hi-school or just out but it was amazing too. I really didn't know he was that musically skilled , though I knew he was a decent singer/song writer. Very under-rated musician. Genius even in all avenues of the industry.
and eff the music industry for calling him a control freak and silencing him. theyre mad that he's not a sellout that lets producers bully him into making formulaic songs. but his independence creativity and authenticity has and will stick with me forever in my heart.
He learned to slow it down and play more soulful and expressive as time went on, while maintaining the speed lick. That's one of my goals, he is a true inspiration.
Aw man, that is awesome. In 1985 I was in third grade but was jamming out to Van Halen all the time. Found the Smashing Pumpkins around 1994. Thanks for posting this!
That's one of the most important things a musician can learn from Billy Corgan. IMO. Because yes, I think he's one of the most underrated guitar players of all time. The only time you really get an idea of what he can do is when he solos in Pumpkins songs, but even then he defers to what makes the song sound good, cause even this as an example it sounds cool and it's impressive for a second or two he can play that fast -- but it doesn't sound good. It certainly wouldn't fit into the dream-like ambience that defined Smashing Pumpkins as we knew them as they developed.
I think Kurt killed the metal-ness grunge had within just because he wasn’t really good at shredding. It sounded like an excuse though fast solos aren’t everything. Most grunge artists of that era have had their metal phase and Billy seems like one of them.
I started playing guitar almost 20 years ago, and I was kind of the same way...I just wanted to play fast. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But after a couple of years, I began to diversify my playing, and now, I enjoy playing many different styles - hard rock, metal, blues, punk, etc. It's all about diversifying and balance. There's nothing wrong with being able to shred really fast - but if it ends up being ALL you do (looking at you, Herman Li, lol) - it gets very tiresome, very quickly. That's why I've always liked players like John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, and John 5...they each can tear it up whenever they want, but they also know when and how to keep things more melodic and groovy where it's appropriate. That being said....DAMN, Billy! Lol
This is so funny to me. There’s a very similar video of me out there somewhere just going ham on the fretboard when I was about 14. In my hometown, people I’ve never met have brought that video up to me because it was used in a film by a friend who made small, local movies that everyone in town had seen. They’re always like “man, that video of you shredding was crazy!”. But when I look back at it, all I see is someone who thinks playing fast equates to playing well. 20+ years later and I no longer play the guitar like that in any way shape or form. I couldn’t play that fast even if I wanted to now. As you grow up, you realize that sounding good and serving the song is more important than serving your ego as a guitarist. And really, when you play a solo that sounds good or serves the song, you actually look and sound cooler anyway. I see a lot of that with Billy here. Young guy doesn’t realize yet that it’s about sounding good, not showing off how fast you can play. But man, he surely figured it out quick. In just a few years he’d be writing classics and laying down some of the tastiest guitar parts of his generation.
Holy fuck , 15 years back , first time im watching this, like how come i dont see cool shit like this, thanks brother hes killing it , fucking sweet !!!
Shows how much of an influence Eddie Van Halen was on Corgan. From the tremolo notes, tapping, harmonics, and dive-bombs its all EVH. Good example of how one can be influenced but later on turn that into his own unique sound.
No doubt, I think it's cool how Billy could play like this before SP and all, but it's a good thing he changed his music style the way he did. I'd much rather listen to the melodic rhythms and alternative sound that SP has then what Billy is playing in the video. It's good to be nimble on the fret board and be able to play fast but idk, shredding like this doesn't do much for me. Glad he chose to become an alternative song writer instead of playing like this. (My opinion)
Tomio2664 He doesn't shred, he throws all his talent into production. Which made Siamese Dream. Which still hasn't been topped, as far as sounds and soundscapes and layers.
Clearly he's getting ahead of himself in terms of what he can play smoothly at that speed here. Nevertheless, it's incredible. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that impressive that I've seen from a guitarist that age, and I have seen A LOT. Respect the fact that he didn't opt for a career as a show off guitarist, and had he done that, he would have been the best of the 90s. What he did is much more expressive and artistic, appealing to the fans but true to himself. His artistic genius shows up in so many ways, that people who actually listened to his music know about, that are way more captivating and beautiful than raw shredding.
man, so many people hating this, calling it unmusical and whatnot. maybe it is. who cares? it's just billy noodling around, which is what guitarists do anyway. it's not meant to be fucking fur elise or anything. and THANKFULLY billy went through the shred phase like he did because his love for shred metal not only gave him the monster chops he needed to be the lead guitarist of the smashing pumpkins but also influenced his composition and vision so SP could stand out among sludgy, verse-chorus-verse-chorus bands like nirvana, dinosaur jr, and candlebox. way too many faceless 90's bands trying to sound original by trying to play simple songs and ironically they became formulaic cash cows for record companies and mainstream media.
You make it sound like it's impossible for anyone to play "better" than this. While I have a tough time assigning the word "better" to musicianship, I have known many folk who could play circles around this. It reminds me of being a teenager in my basement :P Now don't get me wrong. Corgan's guitar work has touched me on levels that no one else has. (Soma solo, Hummer outro, Bury Me, Here Is No Why solo) but this is just a kid here, and there are millions capable of doing "better".
@@JoshLousk lol yall guys trippin... alot of professional guitarists could shred like this but chooses to play the music their band needs.. like John Frusciante for example could freakin shred like this but embraced the minimalistic style of playing.. this is just noodling.. Hendrix would play circles around Billy
@@NotAnAstronaut2k of course he would i think billy’s artistic use of the guitar on the records is awesome definitely nowhere near hendrix idk what i was on 2 years ago lol
I like to think, yeah we all can do it but should we?! I'm glad he knew that. I think of Billy as one of the better song writers of my generation. We drove up to Chicago to see these guys with pearl jam in '92 I think. One of the best things I've ever experienced!
I would just like to let people know, this is for fun. Keep it clean and constructive or you will be blocked from this channel. And if per chance, the anom guy is Bill, send me a private message, love to talk to you. Jim
+Jack Cross amen to that. i have an old black squier and a guitar techo put a tremolo and schaller springs. ..graphite lubricante and voila! plays even better than a lot of fender strats. saludos
![Smashing Pumpkins • “Ava Adore” • 1998 [Reelin' In The Years Archive]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j5LVWUneDt8/mqdefault.jpg)
For anyone who cares. I was there.
This solo was not planned or practiced. We showed up to jam and a friend had a camera. In 1985 we were in high school, and a camera was rare. We recorded a bunch of jams, and Bill did an improve solo. We mostly were just goofing around. I posted it because I knew I had something rare, and thought people would enjoy it. So enjoy! - Jim
Thanks for sharing, Jim!!
Jim Malone
Billy is a gem. Thank you for sharing. Met him in Portland in early 97 shortly before Bowie's 50th BDay. He was very kind to a star struck fan.
I wish he kept shredding in his music.
His playing is awesome!
Thanks for sharing Jim
Incredible story that had to be shared.
He used to be a little boy
uneedtherapy42 so old in his shame
A killer in me is a killer in you!
@@theguitarproject9833 i send the smile over tto you
herozero96 ooh the years burn
He used to be a little boy but
The world is a vampire sent to drain
So life's a bummer when you're a hummer
Would you bury me?
MULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS. just kidding, lol i love billy in anything!
Late, yes, but compliments on your awesome comment hahahahaha
Dude.
That's a song name.
The Everlasting Gaze I see you everywhere ;)
Yes!!!
Adayla Caldwell COMMENT OF THE MILLENIUM
In one of his Siamese Dream era Guitar Player mag interviews he said (paraphrasing) "he realized that soloing this way (like Yngwie) really only appeals to other guitar players, but soloing in the context of great songs appeals to everyone". That always stuck with me.
Thankfully he didn’t go in that direction.
I mean it's so true. Good songwriting can appeal to both sides. But most of the time technical guitar playing only appeals to other musicians (it's very rare for non musicians to care more about technical skill but there are some out there).
@@Orangetension Yeah, I agree completely. Siamese Dream has a few show offy parts but it's very minimal and pretty much the last record Billy ever did any "shreddy" type shit on. But I do think it's a great asset to have a high level of technical ability whether you actually use it or not. It opens up the doors of songwriting and let's you not be limited. Also, it helps you be able to play the more simple shit flawlessly. There are plenty of guitar players that cant play live nearly as well as on their albums.
@@Orangetension just think, had he chosen wrong (like most did) he could have been a casualty in the first wave of Grunge that destroyed hair metal...before he ever even got a start...
Bullet with the Butterfly Effect..
I remember that interview, but he sounds nothing like Malmsteen whatsoever here...or Randy. It's generic 80s wankery. He started focusing on what made him unique and what he was good at. - quirky catchy guitar lines and songs
Even in his early days he was incredibly skilled. I always liked the fact that Corgan was never show-offish on the records or even live. He had the skills but never relied on them in his playing. His solos on the Pumpkins records and more thought out and expressive, which I personally like more. But, this is some incredible stuff here (obviously very 80s Van Halen and thrash metal influenced)
exactly. he serves the music
BigBoss1292 it makes me reflect on the time when Billy Corgan introduced Van Halen at an award show and David Lee Roth disrespected him in front of the audience. I felt so horrible for him cuz those guys were his idols into do that to him like that on stage was so f***** up. You can tell they were an influence on him in this video.
@@nuke97 Do you think there is a video of that on RUclips?
I'm 50/50. He never shredded, but his solos on Siamese Dream were so bizarre and avant-garde that I knew he must have had some form of mastery. No one makes the solo on Cherub Rock without the capacity for understanding the intimacy of their music. It's too perfect to be a lucky coincidence from a mediocre guitarist.
James Iha and Kirk Hammet are two of the luckiest guys on earth. Their lead singer does it all, so they could just do the shows. Not that they did that, but they certainly had the option.
yeaaah the song always comes first!!! Shredding rules but has it's time and place
it's not the greatest solo he's ever played, but considering that he's 18 in the video - which means that at that point he had only been playing guitar for 3 years, it's absolutely astonishing how good he plays
It took me about 15 years to get that good.
I guess you just have to do a LOT of practise.
@@zombified3362 He practiced 5 hours a day every day, IIRC
@@user-ct1ns6zw4z how dyou know
@@halfmettal seems it was actually 4 hours a day ruclips.net/video/pYHo-9Fh5dk/видео.html
I can't do that. Growing a mullet requires too much dedication and focus.
His Dad was a modestly successful musician actually and first started off by discouraging Billy saying "he wouldn't have the discipline necessary to learn the guitar and he should probably just give up before beginning" this would've discouraged 99.99999% of people trying to get into music for the life of a rockstar like Billy did, but Billy I think actually was determined to learn just to spite his Dad. Eventually his Dad did begin steering him stylistically, specifically encouraging him to listen to John Beck and Jimi Hendrix and probably others, but yeah the main thing Billy improved his playing by doing was basically enslaving himself in his bedroom for at least 5 hours a day practicing nothing but warmups, technical exercises and scales. He worked HARD to become as good as he did, but there is no denying that he is also an extremely talented artist on top of all that, but the main thing is he was willing to work for it really, really hard and he did it, but not even his Dad was supportive until his son finally defied all odds and became a rockstar. He'll never see glory days like he had at their peak in the 90s ever again, though, unfortunately.
And retardation.
If you practice everyday, even you can grow a mullet.
@@voteZDLR Popular music is a dead medium. Your online doctorate in the science of Hard work doesn't seem to have done much for you in terms of reading your first language. Enjoy your Beyonce Garth Brooks records, smarmy.
Dive-bombing with a Bigsby. Absolute *MADLAD*
Got that right... damn
les paul+bigby+dive bombs=out of tune
Yeah really. Bigsbys go out of tune when you use them as they are intended to be used. Doing what he is doing here, I can't imagine how out of tune he was. hehe. Oh well. He was having fun.
I’ve got a Les Paul with a Bigsby and it won’t dive bomb even if I tried. I can’t figure out how he got it to go so low!
@@michaelr.4878 Tell me you don't know how to set up a guitar without telling me 😂
1985! We were screwing around for the camera. Back then a camera was a novelty. Just enjoy a rare video.
who are you? billys high school friend?
@@Cris18Martinez kinda friend that was left after u get famous
@John Smith life is hard for some people
Well put
yeah a lot of people who weren't around back then have no idea how rare it was to have video cameras.. and to HEAR ABOUT bands.. and we had to go and BUY the records to hear them.. IF the record store had them.. and to even HEAR about a band was hard.. not much interesting stuff got played on the radio
ironically now it's easier to get heard no one hears the stuff i write about life.. Doh!!!
thanks for posting this
Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Corgans' Eruption
more like wankfest 300 series on a budget
Who is Billy Corans?
@@leob4403 no bro. He just spelled corgan’s name wrong
@@12south31 some irish bloke.
@@12south31 4 years later I have returned to fix the comment. In doing so I have restored peace. Rest well.
This is why he is such an awesome musician, not because he has amazing technical skill but because he has it and rarely chooses to use it. Good music is about moving people and not about showing off your technical ability.
It's like the difference between practicing scales and playing music. Nobody likes to hear scales but you have to play them to become a better musician
Yep! Same thing with Prince.
But that solo was garbage? !!
please tell that to people about my songs.. "Blaze" moves people when i play it live but i just can't figure out how to get people who LIKE my kind of heartfelt songs TO know about the fact they exist..argh!!!!
@stuarthossack5351 Are you saying it is or asking? Do you know how to use a question mark?
"you guys are not ready for this, but your kids will love it" Billy McFly
Marty
@@tonyc3711🤦♂️
@wentzr 5 seconds after I posted it I realized it. I figured my punishment for being a dumbass would be to leave it up. To my disappointment I wasn't drawn and quartered. 😐😔😆
"It's your cousin Marvin Corgan! You know that sound you looking for? Well listen to this!"
“Guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it”
Totally thought the same :D
Guitar solos aren't good in songs -- this was impressive, but I'm glad he didn't do this in the Pumpkins.
Remember: NOBODY DANCES TO GUITAR SOLOS
“It’s your cousin, Marvin Berry.. you know that new sound you were looking for? Well, listen to this!”
@@MooyakThat was as corny as you are... very. 🤣🤣
Back to the future
All kids picking up guitars in the 80's aspired to mindlessly shred like this. I was one of them.
Mindless? That statement alone shows that YOU can't do it.
Curtis Mason lol
@@curtismason4733 Dude when you're that good you don't have to think about what you're playing that much. Eventually you get to that point as a musician if you practice enough.
Thanks Edward Van Halen! Thankfully WPC scaled it back a bit. We got the Soma solo and countless others out of the deal.
Curtis Mason you will understand one day if you actually get good. almost every guitar player goes through a phase like this. trying to play the hardest sounding thing you can. its easier than it looks. just tapping and alternate picking
Shakedown 1985
Cool kids never play in time
😂 idec
His jeans got some zipper blues
みんな最初はギターキッズだった。
デカい音を立てる喜び。どれだけ早く弾けるかの競争。そしてステージで演奏することの特別感。
Thank you for sharing your valuable footage. from Japan.
Mad skills to be 18, and could've been easily the lead in a thrash band had he continued burning up the fretboard like that. Aside from jumbling other people's styles like Eddie Van Halen into his mix, and/or Dave Mustaine... Billy showed he knew how to do it and could hang with the best. Personally, I admire the road he took, which was his own path. Expressive, personal and it all came together in notes and harmonies that just worked... he knew it, he felt it and that's what he wanted and that's what he delivered. Like 'em or not, the Pumpkins will always be a rock legend in music history that will be popular to listen to for decades to come.
which is an example we could all follow
solo or not, it still amazes me at how fast he can move his fingers
+Ezra Iero heee what...what do you mean exactly?
I know right. I bet his girlfriends have some stories. LOL
Retro Fan Lol... That escalated quickly
He practiced on his mother (Chicago Is Crazy)
@@RetroFan oof
watching billy's left hand, i can see a lot of the shapes he used in his early smashing pumpkins guitar solos. that little burst of speed right there at about 0:38 is pretty much the same thing he did in "rhinoceros" and "bury me"
this guy was a huge influence on Corey Feldman's guitar soloing
Idk, I think Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music was the sound Feldman was going for.
1000% 😂
I believe I understand the reference, and I assume it's not a compliment for anyone.
All I can confim is that the guitar looks nice.
When The Plague rehearsed in the large room before or after the pumpkin smashers at Overcash's studio, he certainly wasn't known as a great soloist or the best in that room, but it was the voice some thought was more annoying.
However, some knew by his tenacity they were destined for fame, I just couldn't relate well. I guess it was all the punk, metal and thrash in Chicago that I thought was better at the time.
Peace to the peaceful
Hahahaha
Zing!
The Guitar World magazine interview with EVH makes a lot more sense now.
That was the most precious thing I've ever seen. This week.
He was one of the few guitarists to bring technical guitar to dream pop/shoegaze terrains (Rhinoceros, Soma, Hummer, Geek USA, etc).
J Mascis.
I don't know if i would call him a shredder, but I agree that he's on a technical side of the slacker rock spectrum @@predeterminedmeat5024
I had the same haircut in 1985 but I was only 7 years old at the time. Rock N Roll will never die.
I was 25 at the time and had an Army haircut! Never saw them! I live in the south suburbs of Chicago. Billy lives in Waukegan Il I believe. I have a friend who is a K9 officer in that town. I think Billy owns a Tea and Cigar shop there. Some of the band came from Joliet IL. Also heard they are kicking it around about getting things going again for a little while. They did not break up on bad terms I don't think. Saw it somewhere Billy said go out on top not in a fight like most groups!
Living in elk grove village, I thought I saw Billy C. solo on a pirate tv station one day after work, he was either in hi-school or just out but it was amazing too. I really didn't know he was that musically skilled , though I knew he was a decent singer/song writer. Very under-rated musician. Genius even in all avenues of the industry.
How have I never seen this?!? Thanks so much for sharing, this is INCREDIBLE!
Dude is a true badass
and eff the music industry for calling him a control freak and silencing him. theyre mad that he's not a sellout that lets producers bully him into making formulaic songs. but his independence creativity and authenticity has and will stick with me forever in my heart.
He learned to slow it down and play more soulful and expressive as time went on, while maintaining the speed lick. That's one of my goals, he is a true inspiration.
He is such an awesome guitarist and writer thanks for posting never really saw much of his improv
wow billy is really the complete package. very talented
Aw man, that is awesome. In 1985 I was in third grade but was jamming out to Van Halen all the time. Found the Smashing Pumpkins around 1994. Thanks for posting this!
WHAT THE HELL BILLY
Wow, thanks for sharing Jim. Stuff like this is just amazing...seeing the big guys, before they were stars.
just noticed how big his hands are
big boy squeaky voice.
This is great, thanks for sharing it! Love seeing established guitar/songwriting stars in their more formative years.
Always knew Billy is a low key shredder.
listen to drown and geek usa machina 1+2 zeitgeist and like half of mcis he has solos in everything
He often plays solos at his gigs
Thank you for the time and effort of putting this on here. That's amazing.
I'm speechless!! Absolutely amazing. He is truly one of the most gifted writers and musicians of his time!!
I’m speechless too. BTW, what are you on and can I have some?
That ‘solo’ was utter nonsense.
The solo was GARBAGE.
I love this. It's so 1985. I would have been 12, and completely awestruck by his totally shredding guitar playing.
That's one of the most important things a musician can learn from Billy Corgan. IMO. Because yes, I think he's one of the most underrated guitar players of all time. The only time you really get an idea of what he can do is when he solos in Pumpkins songs, but even then he defers to what makes the song sound good, cause even this as an example it sounds cool and it's impressive for a second or two he can play that fast -- but it doesn't sound good. It certainly wouldn't fit into the dream-like ambience that defined Smashing Pumpkins as we knew them as they developed.
This is totally awesome Jim! We use to do this kind of thing too! It's really cool to see Bill so young! Those were the days! Thanx for sharing!
Damn Billy is a beast!!! Great writer and guitarist!!!
Billy Corgan ROCKS supreme..!!
So close to the band named Corgan Halen
That was the reference used for the Deep Fake. Look at his stance, lol.
Shredding like a metal guitar player!
I think Kurt killed the metal-ness grunge had within just because he wasn’t really good at shredding. It sounded like an excuse though fast solos aren’t everything. Most grunge artists of that era have had their metal phase and Billy seems like one of them.
Damn. Had no idea he was that good. Awesome to hear this. Love Pumpkins and Early VH.
4 hours every day for 4 years
Just a high school kid having fun, not a care not knowing what the future holds. Big EVH influence aswell by the sound of it.
By the hair also
I have always thought he was underrated but I never knew he was that fxxxing good.
He’s so good on guitar but many people don’t know how good. He should put this solo on an album.
0:14 Why does it feel like "When doves cry" is about to come on?
Yep! Another guitarist who could shred but very rarely did,playing to the song instead.
haha love it. great vintage video. ive always liked this guys musical style
Sounds similar to how Prince would get some 10 years later
I started playing guitar almost 20 years ago, and I was kind of the same way...I just wanted to play fast. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But after a couple of years, I began to diversify my playing, and now, I enjoy playing many different styles - hard rock, metal, blues, punk, etc. It's all about diversifying and balance. There's nothing wrong with being able to shred really fast - but if it ends up being ALL you do (looking at you, Herman Li, lol) - it gets very tiresome, very quickly. That's why I've always liked players like John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, and John 5...they each can tear it up whenever they want, but they also know when and how to keep things more melodic and groovy where it's appropriate. That being said....DAMN, Billy! Lol
Fuck Dragonforce seriously can't stand their bullshit "music"
This is so funny to me. There’s a very similar video of me out there somewhere just going ham on the fretboard when I was about 14. In my hometown, people I’ve never met have brought that video up to me because it was used in a film by a friend who made small, local movies that everyone in town had seen. They’re always like “man, that video of you shredding was crazy!”. But when I look back at it, all I see is someone who thinks playing fast equates to playing well. 20+ years later and I no longer play the guitar like that in any way shape or form. I couldn’t play that fast even if I wanted to now. As you grow up, you realize that sounding good and serving the song is more important than serving your ego as a guitarist. And really, when you play a solo that sounds good or serves the song, you actually look and sound cooler anyway. I see a lot of that with Billy here. Young guy doesn’t realize yet that it’s about sounding good, not showing off how fast you can play. But man, he surely figured it out quick. In just a few years he’d be writing classics and laying down some of the tastiest guitar parts of his generation.
glad he got all that outta his system
Billy is a Legend! What amazing video! He is a true Song writer and Guitar Legend. A great inspiration 🎸
Corey Feldman trained him well in the ways of the Shredder
Holy fuck , 15 years back , first time im watching this, like how come i dont see cool shit like this, thanks brother hes killing it , fucking sweet !!!
Shows how much of an influence Eddie Van Halen was on Corgan. From the tremolo notes, tapping, harmonics, and dive-bombs its all EVH. Good example of how one can be influenced but later on turn that into his own unique sound.
Same as Eddie Van Halen being influenced by Uli Jon Roth. Even Billy himself loves the old man, I believe they played live together couple of times.
Thank you sharing this time capsule!
No doubt, I think it's cool how Billy could play like this before SP and all, but it's a good thing he changed his music style the way he did. I'd much rather listen to the melodic rhythms and alternative sound that SP has then what Billy is playing in the video. It's good to be nimble on the fret board and be able to play fast but idk, shredding like this doesn't do much for me. Glad he chose to become an alternative song writer instead of playing like this. (My opinion)
TopazRocker Agreed.
Thank you Yngwie!
He's on a supersonic plane to nowhere, but it's still fun to listen to, for about a minute!
Billy Corgan has the ability to shred, but literally doesn't shred once during his fame... thats inspiring and shows it's irrelevant.
He shreds in soma and a couple times in gish
Tomio2664 He doesn't shred, he throws all his talent into production. Which made Siamese Dream. Which still hasn't been topped, as far as sounds and soundscapes and layers.
Audfile I agree but listen to soma or any of the solos on gish or an ode to no one
***** Billy shreds a lot. There's plenty of it in their first three albums. Haha.
Well, here's a dumb fuckin comment that 8 dumb fuckin people agreed with. I'm glad others have already addressed it with replies.
wow- so cool to see, hear and know about him
Clearly he's getting ahead of himself in terms of what he can play smoothly at that speed here. Nevertheless, it's incredible. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that impressive that I've seen from a guitarist that age, and I have seen A LOT. Respect the fact that he didn't opt for a career as a show off guitarist, and had he done that, he would have been the best of the 90s. What he did is much more expressive and artistic, appealing to the fans but true to himself. His artistic genius shows up in so many ways, that people who actually listened to his music know about, that are way more captivating and beautiful than raw shredding.
David Benes amen sir.
@@niklausvenzendt Dimebag Darryl was good at 18 ,and I consider the 2 of them the best of their era.
@@avid2112 true! Dimebag was incredible. RIP
That solo was bad,mate. Really bad.
this is actually insane. i watch this every couple years and go :0
Very Ed. I had no idea.
Sounds like Corey Feldman lol
Sorry, I just _had_ to like this...
That's insane...... thanks for sharing .. extraordinary.
Billy Corgan is the best guitar player to come out of the "grunge" scene.
Agreed.
jayofdajungle Well he wasn’t from Seattle, so he didn’t get the Pacific Ocean slowing down his hands.
What about Jerry Cantrell ??????
Mike McCreedy (Pearl Jam) owns Billy Corgan - sorry but Mike is way way way better - he can play just about anything
Kim Thayil!!!!
Amazing. Thanks for posting this.
so glad he later learned how to play with his sould rather than with his eyes
So much metal influence I his playing. You hear it everywhere.
man, so many people hating this, calling it unmusical and whatnot. maybe it is. who cares? it's just billy noodling around, which is what guitarists do anyway. it's not meant to be fucking fur elise or anything. and THANKFULLY billy went through the shred phase like he did because his love for shred metal not only gave him the monster chops he needed to be the lead guitarist of the smashing pumpkins but also influenced his composition and vision so SP could stand out among sludgy, verse-chorus-verse-chorus bands like nirvana, dinosaur jr, and candlebox. way too many faceless 90's bands trying to sound original by trying to play simple songs and ironically they became formulaic cash cows for record companies and mainstream media.
Haha, Have you heard a Dinosaur Jr song my friend? My god, they're guitarist is an elite soloist.
yep. i own "you're living all over me" and "without a sound". for what he does, J Mascis is awesome.
Hey, don't shit on Dinosaur Jr.
J Mascis is the Hendrix of Indie rock
Who is hating this? Everyone loves it.
this reminds me of that one video of jason becker trying out his marshall amp in 1986
He may be eternally cocky, but Billy Corgan is an absolute genius.
Never knew he can shred like that! Wow!
I never billy cowhand could shred this hard wtffffffffffff
***** yes lol
he's trolling
EXPAND DONG lmao hes saying that because Corgan has a port wine stain birthmark on his hand that looks similar to cow spots
@@zer8540 Nah he has vitiligo or something like that
You make it sound like it's impossible for anyone to play "better" than this. While I have a tough time assigning the word "better" to musicianship, I have known many folk who could play circles around this. It reminds me of being a teenager in my basement :P
Now don't get me wrong. Corgan's guitar work has touched me on levels that no one else has. (Soma solo, Hummer outro, Bury Me, Here Is No Why solo) but this is just a kid here, and there are millions capable of doing "better".
the fact he can shred that good and doesn't every song proves he's the greatest of all time
hendrix was absolutely positively better but i think billy corgan is right up there with him
Obviously you two have never touched a guitar and have NO clue what good guitar playing sounds like. 🤪
@@JoshLousk lol yall guys trippin... alot of professional guitarists could shred like this but chooses to play the music their band needs.. like John Frusciante for example could freakin shred like this but embraced the minimalistic style of playing.. this is just noodling.. Hendrix would play circles around Billy
@@NotAnAstronaut2k of course he would i think billy’s artistic use of the guitar on the records is awesome definitely nowhere near hendrix idk what i was on 2 years ago lol
What an awesome treat! Thanks, Jim!!
think about how young you were then. this thrash horse shit works. you are now/hencforth a world class genius!
Welllll… I think I speak for all of us when I say that it’s great that you got that out of your system.
WTF! Was that called, The Corey Feldman!? Jesus Christ!!!
LMAO!! It was one of the worst solos I've ever heard.
It WAS awful hahaha. Good thing he can write timeless masterpieces 😊
I always liked him in interviews but He won me over when I found out he liked Dokken & was a big fan of George Lynch back in the day. 🤘🏻
Van Wholen?
Jeremy Hoffman Billy Van Corgan 😝
still amazed...
that solo was almost as rad as that mullet.
Well as we can plainly see Billy was great from the beginning!!! Reminds me of Eruption! Keep on Rockin Billy!
Weezer lead singer used to play this style as well before actual weezer
There's no proof of this though
There’s plenty of proof. His own playing has lots of arpeggios lifted straight from metal and classical. He’s also talked about his early guitar days.
Yeah there’s a lot of singer-guitarists who play well on guitar.
I like to think, yeah we all can do it but should we?! I'm glad he knew that. I think of Billy as one of the better song writers of my generation. We drove up to Chicago to see these guys with pearl jam in '92 I think. One of the best things I've ever experienced!
I would just like to let people know, this is for fun. Keep it clean and constructive or you will be blocked from this channel. And if per chance, the anom guy is Bill, send me a private message, love to talk to you. Jim
i wish he still kept a handcuff on the headstock as his trademark
Whoa, I didn't know he was originally an evh disiple.
It came out great. I noticed the EVH inspiration
WTF, he's using a Bigsby like it's a Floyd Rose!
+HolyDiver1 if you've got a decent spring thats well lubricated bigsbys can be spot on and super versatile
+Jack Cross amen to that. i have an old black squier and a guitar techo put a tremolo and schaller springs. ..graphite lubricante and voila! plays even better than a lot of fender strats. saludos
dope, thanks for posting.
an incredible savant.