Adore in last place? No way. It is a fantastic album with great songwriting and very memorable, distinct, interesting songs. For being a softer album, it is arguably the most emotionally intense, as Billy Corgan was dealing with the death of his mother, a divorce, and his best friend (drummer Jimmy Chamberlain) being distanced due to serious drug problems. Adore and Machina were the last two SP albums that truly had a textured, crafted, well-developed sound to the songs. Everything afterward has a sort of underdeveloped sound, worsened by the vocals being too loud in the mix and too dry.
Yeah, Siamese Dream for sure, Melloncollie had a few great songs but also a lot of that string sound mess I am not a particular fan of. The production of Siamese Dream is just divine, the most incredible guitar sound ever, so chunky and razorsharp at the same time. Gish is a masterpiece too. I found most of their later material forgettable but if you make two Masteralbums thats excusable:).
1.Siamese Dream 2.Mellon Collie 3.Gish 4.Adore 5.Machina1 6.Machina2 7.Atum 8.Oceania 9.Monuments 10.Shiny 11.Zeitgeist 12.Cyr If I included Pisces I’d put it after Gish and Aeroplane after Pisces❤
That's downright cringe making Adore last To Sheila Perfect Ava Adore Crestfallen For Martha Behold the Nightmare Applez n orangez Shame Once upon a time Even has Once in a while as a beside Plus others Just insane
Yeah. Even though i think Adore is way overrated nowadays, its not even close to being as bad as the last few records Corgan has made. It has a lot of soul, which is the minimum requirement for a good Pumpkins record, or just a good album in general.
Mellon Collie takes it for me as well. Such an incredible album. Every song is magic. No filler. Siamese dream has 13 amazing songs. Mellon collie has 28 amazing songs. No contest.
Sort of my logic too. But also just the explosion of the band and the excitement behind it was huge. It’s left a bigger impact on me than any of their other albums.
You can’t argue with the top spot, but Adore for me is at least in their top five of albums. Beautiful songs, touching sentiments, lush melodies and layered soundscapes. An entertaining trip through their extensive catalogue indeed 😊
Yeah Adore is one that has been clicked for me. But as I said in the video, I know lots of people love it. One day maybe I too will hear the magic and wonder why it took so long!
Adore definitely in my top 3, I think owning the CD really helped me fall in love with the album. So much more experimental sounds compared to what they were doing before
@@finncallahan8994no yeah, not gonna lie, im younger yet my dad is really into them so I started getting into them in February completely, I knew of their music since 2019 though, anyways I have to say, mellon collie is my favorite, and not gonna lie for the tracks that I adore (no pun intended) I might like adore more than Siamese. Like Ava adore has a great like sound to it that makes it feel like almost like it’d be a chill yet evil villains theme for example lmao, and perfect obviously is great it’s more upbeat than most on the album, and I get if people think the other tracks don’t have the same feel, but like Pug is a lot like Ava to me, and don’t even get me started on tear and shame those are great for if you just feel down and feel like sitting in a dark room thinking about life and shit, appels and oranjes, Daphne descends, For Martha is great for what it is and who it’s about, and a few more great tracks that I might like more than Siamese.
Yeah there are a lot of people that love it. It just never worked for me. And I’ve tried over the use to see if it would finally click but has yet to do so.
After sampling some of the new album, Autum, I ended up ordering it. Very impressed. I was a bit closed minded about this release, but WOW, it's a good one.
I'm loving Atum right now. It has songs in every style the Pumpkins have done. Favourite song for me is In Lieu Of Failure which immediately grabbed me.
Siemese dream is an amazing album but Mellon collies's scope, range, songwriting, heaviness is incomparable. It's a masterpiece, but hey it's my favourite album of all time so I'm biased
We always see the same 2 albums in the top spots but it’s great to see a run through with more variety for the rest of them. I never would have put Adore last place but thinking about it, it’s probably the album I reach for the least!
Adore was tough to take right after MCIS… then all the box set b sides from aeroplane. You felt like the pumpkins dropped off a cliff. And billy said himself it was career suicide. But the man is a artist first and we all know doesn’t repeat or replicate. Listening to adore now you really hold it close to your heart. Beautifully written .. composed. Some of the electronics now are super dated but the songs are really good. Too shelia … behold the nightmare … perfect .. shame, tear … just to name a few. I get why you would place it last but it’s far ahead of shiney, Ziet, Oceania, cyr, monuments imo
Great vid. I don’t own any Pumpkin albums and will probably pick up some of these now. Never been a big fan of Billy’s voice but remember loving the sound of Butterfly Wings when it came out.
The Pumpkins' albums are all so different I have multiple "number ones" 1. Siamese Dream - meticulous production, every song flows perfectly to the next and the initial build-up of Cherub Rock is the best opening of any album in alternative rock. 1. Mellon Collie - This is the first time James and Darcy really get to shine, Billy played all the guitar and bass on Gish and almost all of it on Siamese Dream. This album has the highest highs and the lowest lows. "XYU" is brutal and "By Starlight" is gorgeous. 1. Adore - a masterpiece of songwriting. Their darkest album. Anyone who has been a fan of the Pumpkins knows Jimmy Chamberlin has no equal when it comes to his drumming. This is the best they could have done without him in the band. I think the songs "To Shiela" and "For Martha" (Billy's mother who died from cancer when he wrote this album) exhibit Billy's best ever songwriting. 1. Machina 2 - I know this is a companion to Machina 1 but I see it as the yin to Siamese Dream's yang. It's not carefully layered and lush like Siamese Dream, it's like a raw, exposed nerve. It's not an easy listen but it's worth it because it just hits so hard. 1. Gish - my favorite Pumpkins album to just chill out to. Back in the good old days this was what I put on when tripping on acid. 1. Machina 1 - Jimmy's triumphant return. I loved Adore but I don't think Billy could have made a follow up to that. This one might be more of a 1.5 but the good songs are just so good they more than make up for the ones I didn't like as much. The rest for me are a mixed bag. I honestly have not listened to anything from 2018- present enough to give them a fair assessment, but when I have listened I just feel like something is not there but I just can't figure out what it is. I can't really decide if it's something technical like the production, or if it's something more intangible, sort of like the rat in the cage just got fat and tired was like "I guess the cage isn't so bad after all, at least I am safe in here and I'm being fed!"
Production has felt more thin and vocal-centric since the reunion. Is that a product of the times? I loved the big wall of sound, with vocals sitting in the mix and then occasionally popping out.
Adore is easily in the top 3. A completely misunderstood album. Excellent compositions, melody songwriting that has aged so incredibly well. By far way better than most albums you put above it.
It’s heavily bootlegged. Check with places that you know carry bootlegs. I would expect that Billy will be doing a 25th anniversary for Machina in 2025 and that will include Machina II.
I have to say that your breakdown of their albums is fair. I think that when it comes to which album is their number one it is going to come down to how those albums personally connect with the listener. Siamese Dream is flawless and magical. It captures the heart of the 90's so well. Then comes along the gigantic sounding Mellon Collie, which although had a great many flaws, was so jam packed with brave and bold songwriting that it literally bitched slapped the innocence out of the band and showed us the true ferocity of Billy Corgan's songwriting.
Hey Brendon! I recently found your channel and love it. Great content. Have you ever done a movie soundtrack ranking? There's some great ones out there like Lost Boys, Singles, Monsters Ball, Judgement Night to name a few.
I’m not big into soundtracks and only have around 20 or so. There are some good ones. But if I was going to do a ranking I’d want to do it based on genre or era and something like Best Soundtracks Of The 80’s. But I don’t have enough for such a ranking. Maybe somewhere down the road.
Thank you for the ranking . WPC is an interesting individual and under the Pumpkins name has put out an interesting collection of albums. Mellon Collie etc…. drew me in. I really liked Zeitgeist.
A band ripe for rediscovery. Have all the early albums haven’t listened to them for years. Need to dive back in. Might even spring for the new one. Cheers from The Captain
Great takes Brendon! Id probably reverse the top two rankings but otherwise our rankings are pretty much the same. WHERE did you get that awesome machina 2 bootleg! That’s easily the nicest one Ive seen! Loving your channel man! Found it because of your ATUM review.
I first heard Smashing Pumpkins when I was working at Blockbuster Music. The Melancholy album was played constantly, but my favorite still will always be Siamese Dream. Totally rocking album and yes, the guitar sound is over the top.
Thanks Brendon I was a big fan of SP back in the day and was inspired to go back and relisten to those albums I loved all those years ago. I have to say I have not listened to the Pumpkins for over 15 years as I had been sidetracked into an other music journey. I'm a bit disappointed to say that my socks were not as knocked off as I had expected. Their best albums are still pretty powerful, but they contained more filler than I remembered. Some quite a lot in fact. On the other hand I also listened to their newer stuff that had been panned by many to find some are really underrated. To your point -some of those new songs rank right up with the best of the classic stuff. My favourite of the new batch even squeaked into my top 5 (Silvery sometimes- one that didn't leave much of an impression on you) FYI my ranking would be: 1 Melon Collie 2 Siamese Dream 3 Machina 1 4 Oceania 5 Atrum (Act III by far the weakest) 6 Adore 7 Machina II 8 Shiney 9 Gish (This was a MAJOR disappointment- it has not held up at all) 10 Monument 11.Zeitgeist 12.Cyr Must look into the others.
Great! I almost asked you to do that yesterday after watching your review of their latest album. I only have a few of their albums (the 2 first ones and then some mid 2000's) and was hoping to learn a bit more about the others. Thanx! Cheers.
Although it's not an album or even on an official album, "Gossamer" should fit in there somewhere. What a riff! It's almost long enough to qualify as an album...
1. Siamese Dream 2. Mellon Collie 3. Adore 4. Machina I 5. Gish Two of my top five favorite songs of all-time from the SPs come from Adore, so I have to put it way higher than you. The second half of the album really suffers, though. So I'd say it has some really fantastic highs and pretty painful lows. I'd also say the same for Machina I and II, though. Hell, even say that applies to Mellon Collie. Siamese Dream is by far the most consistent, so I think it's pretty easily the best.
All-time great band, for sure. Think they kinda get overlooked sometimes because they experimented with so many different sounds rather than just sticking to a signature formula.
1-- Mellon Collie 2--Adore 3--Siamese Dream 4--Machina 5--Cyr 6--Oceania 7--Aghori Mori Mei 8--Gish 9--Atum 10--Zeitgeist 11-- Monuments to an elegy 12-- Shiney oh so bright The Aeroplane Flies High Adore bsides Pisces Iscriot and Machina II all would be near the middle..
Mellon Collie is great, but Siamese Dream is greater. Mellon Collie would have been better with one album and B sides. Siamese Dream is all bangers. Mellon Collie has a few songs that aren't really album worthy. IMO. If you really like them that's cool.
Like you I’m a fan of single albums more than double albums. Would have been interesting if Mellon Collie had been a single album. It would probably be thought of even better for me.
For me, Gish is number one. Nostalgia, the drum production does it for me. The vibe of the album is just amazing. The energy, the range of emotion, and the flow of the album, each song bleeding into the next, is perfection. It's not as "hitty" as SD or MCATIS and i think that's part of its charm. 10/10 for me.
love the pumpkins, pretty much agree on ranking (except Adore a bit higher), also have the Zwan album, and the Corgan solo Future embrace which are ok albums.
It’s an official album, it was just released unconventionally. But it was presented to the record label and then uploaded by fans at Billy’s direction. It was meant as an F-you from the band as they broke up right after and since they owed an album to the label they delivered it but uploaded it to the internet so that the label couldn’t profit from it. Talk about a slap in the face to the label. Anyways it’s an official album so it makes the ranking. Pisces on the other hand is a compilation and not an album of new material so that’s why I didn’t include it.
Its funny , luv to hear poeples lists..I luv SP...ive heard all their albums, crazy how my favs are so different from this gents...my top 7 are 1 Adore 2 Oceania 3 Machina 4 Siamese Dream 5 Meloncollie 6 Atum 7 Zeitgeist
Smashing Pumpkins is one of the best bands in the world... I totally agree with your list and analysis with very clear criteria and without hate... the only position I would change would be Monuments for Adore
More in terms of my personal opinion than objective standards: 1. MACHINA 1+2 (I count them as one) 2. Mellon Collie 3. Oceania 4. Adore 5. Gish 6. Siamese Dream 7. ATUM 8. Monuments to an Elegy 9. Zeitgeist 10. Shiny and Oh So Bright 11. Teargarden 12. Cyr
I love the Pumpkins but I’m a bigger fan of their older material. I feel like Zeitgeist was their last great album. I tried to get into the newer material but it just wasn’t clicking with me, except for Oceania and some of the tracks that were released digitally as part of what was supposed to be Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. I may just have to give them some spins again in the near future. Siamese Dream is my absolute favorite Pumpkins album. It’s what got me into the band. Great ranking, though.
To me, there are essentially two bands. There’s the 1988 - 2000 Pumpkins. Then there’s the 2007 - Present Pumpkins. I love the first band, but I just can’t get into much of the latter, especially with all the synth-pop stuff. And with the latter, there’s also the shift in Billy’s approach to lyrics and vocals, which I just don’t like and it largely impacts my lesser view of the reincarnated version of the Pumpkins.
@Brendon Snyder understood. I have a real sentimental attachment to that album though...same with Nirvana Insesticide...I forget that they're not proper albums.
I loved adore. Loved all the original pumpkins albums but as i got older i only revisted adore and machina - felt like i'd grown out of the rest; they were the soundtrack to my teenage years. All the new stuff has been atrocious and I just don't follow the band anymore. Zeitgeist had some awesome rock tunes that were fun but ultimately quick to forget.
Yes even though I typically only review physical product, in this case I am making an exception and will review the digital release of the new album Aghori Mhori Mei. It will post Sunday 8/4
Gish and SD are kind of one big album for me, they would be #1 and #2. I’d eliminate one or two songs (I’ve never sat thru Geek USA) and they would be perfect 10. I’d put Adore higher.
The correct order is: 1- Melon Collie 2- Siamese Dream 3- Gish 4- Pisces 5- Adore 6- Machina I 7- Monuments 8- Teargarden 9- Zeitgeist 10- Machina 2 11- Oceania 12- Shiny 13- Cyr 14- Atum Really 7 through 11 are all pretty close, as they're all great albums and I could go either way on them. Shiny was OK but felt like a b-side effort. Cyr and Atum aren't my things.
I just seen them for the first time two nights ago 9-10-24 @ Snowden Amphitheater in Southaven, MS... awesome show loved the new guitarist Kiki Wong... James is totally awesome and now that they have a super sexy girl playing guitar with them as well.... great show.. wasn't long enough and there was no encore... with 15 minutes still available supposed to have ended at 10:30pm not 10:15pm 😢
@@melprophet1936 I've always been fond of the Gish and Siamese era b-sides (my first SP releases were the Lull EP and Gish CD singles). Starla and Obscured are great, Frail & Bedazzled, Hello Kitty Kat, etc.
@@kitoyobeni1 Lull was the first SP music I ever heard as well. I remember getting it on cassette at a Tower Records giveaway. It was a freebie so I grabbed it without knowing who they were or even having a cassette player. Loved it immediately. --- Do you have the Pisces Iscariot deluxe CD? I never knew about that until recently...was wondering if its' worth getting?
CYR would be last on my list and Shiny & Oh So Bright would be 11 for me. I like 3 songs on it, but the rest sort of loses my interest. Adore hold some nostalgia for me, but I think it comes in at 10 for me. Monuments would be 9 and the rest I’d have to think about. That said ATUM has grown on me quite a bit. I also love the 10 extra songs that were released w/ the boxset.
Just found my CD of Zeitgeist, cool thing to own since Billy will not allow it on streaming platforms. I don't like the new stuff very much, he puts his vocals too loud in the mix. Cheers and keep on rockin!
Siamese Dream, Pisces Iscariot and Gish imo are their best albums. Mellon collie I didn't love. Adore was well it was different but It didn't win me over. To the point where I stopped buying their albums. However I loved ZWAN it's a shame nothing came of that band. But I did really enjoy OCEANA that one surprised me. So I guess I need to catch up.
Haven't watched yet but SIamese Dream is 100% number one with GIsh actually 2 and Mellon Collie 3 and PIsces 4 Adore 5 and anything after I dont' listen to anyway.
Siamese Dream will always be my favorite! I absolutely love the Butch Vig production. Obviously, he produced the masterpiece- Nevermind by Nirvana. These two albums have that same sound. ..I was 13 in 1993 and I remember thinking that it was such a stupid band name! ..Then I saw their music video for "Rocket" and fell in love! ..Then I bought the album and loved it even more! ..One of those rare cases where you can listen to an album 'front to back' and love it as a whole- Without all the gimicky "concept album" B.S.. It was also the first CD's I ever purchased. At that point there was Pisces Iscariot out- So I bought both! ..My cassette of Nevermind was so over played and warped! Even though you can simply skip songs on a CD- It was an album you didn't have to skip any of them! Sadly, I had to stop listening to their new stuff. ..I really liked Zwan! ..I wish he could do a follow up record. Either way, I wish they would record with Butch Vig again. And/or Flood. ..Billy Corgan is such a prolific song writer- He could write a hit song! He's just too self-indulgent and gets 'lost in the weeds', so to speak. ..Zeitgeist was the last time I purchased an SP album. Personally, I only consider the first 4. ..Maybe 5 records to be authentic Smashing Pumpkins. The rest is just bloat. ..I'd almost consider them to be 'solo projects'.
I’m surprised at 13 you didn’t absolutely like the name Smashing Pumpkins. If you don’t know, Google the slang term Smashing Pumpkins and perhaps it will change your opinion of the name. 😂
Adore in last place? No way. It is a fantastic album with great songwriting and very memorable, distinct, interesting songs. For being a softer album, it is arguably the most emotionally intense, as Billy Corgan was dealing with the death of his mother, a divorce, and his best friend (drummer Jimmy Chamberlain) being distanced due to serious drug problems.
Adore and Machina were the last two SP albums that truly had a textured, crafted, well-developed sound to the songs. Everything afterward has a sort of underdeveloped sound, worsened by the vocals being too loud in the mix and too dry.
I totally disagree as well but props to him for breaking the conventional wisdom. Love seeing MACHINA II up there.
Indeed
I do miss those lush, warm, wet walls of sound
@@EasilySuedewet???
@@mikeisagodd2121 hell yeah;)
It's always gonna be Siamese Dream for me. That densely layered almost shoegazey guitar sound just can't be beaten
It was a toss up for me. I could have gone either way.
Same for me. That album is perfect from start to finish, one of my all time faves.
Yeah, Siamese Dream for sure, Melloncollie had a few great songs but also a lot of that string sound mess I am not a particular fan of. The production of Siamese Dream is just divine, the most incredible guitar sound ever, so chunky and razorsharp at the same time. Gish is a masterpiece too. I found most of their later material forgettable but if you make two Masteralbums thats excusable:).
That Atum album isn't too bad I must say, some interesting songs on there!
I'm sorry bro adore has my heart but Siamese dream is a very close second
1.Siamese Dream
2.Mellon Collie
3.Gish
4.Adore
5.Machina1
6.Machina2
7.Atum
8.Oceania
9.Monuments
10.Shiny
11.Zeitgeist
12.Cyr
If I included Pisces I’d put it after Gish and Aeroplane after Pisces❤
I'd include Pisces, but also Mary Star of the Sea, Future Embrace, Ogilala etc... it's all SP since SP is only BC ;)
Zeit 9, Monuments 10, CYR 11, Shinny 12.
1. Machina
2. Siamese Dream
3. Oceania
4. Mary Star of the Sea
5. Gish
6. Zeitgeist
7. Adore
8. CYR
9. Monuments
10. Shiny
11. Atum
12. Aghori
Adore at last is crazy to me. But i guess we all like different stuff from the pumpkins
Same
Na, that's crazy.
That's downright cringe making Adore last
To Sheila
Perfect
Ava Adore
Crestfallen
For Martha
Behold the Nightmare
Applez n orangez
Shame
Once upon a time
Even has Once in a while as a beside
Plus others
Just insane
Yeah. Even though i think Adore is way overrated nowadays, its not even close to being as bad as the last few records Corgan has made. It has a lot of soul, which is the minimum requirement for a good Pumpkins record, or just a good album in general.
Mellon Collie takes it for me as well. Such an incredible album. Every song is magic. No filler. Siamese dream has 13 amazing songs. Mellon collie has 28 amazing songs. No contest.
Sort of my logic too. But also just the explosion of the band and the excitement behind it was huge. It’s left a bigger impact on me than any of their other albums.
You can’t argue with the top spot, but Adore for me is at least in their top five of albums. Beautiful songs, touching sentiments, lush melodies and layered soundscapes. An entertaining trip through their extensive catalogue indeed 😊
Yeah Adore is one that has been clicked for me. But as I said in the video, I know lots of people love it. One day maybe I too will hear the magic and wonder why it took so long!
Adore definitely in my top 3, I think owning the CD really helped me fall in love with the album. So much more experimental sounds compared to what they were doing before
@@finncallahan8994no yeah, not gonna lie, im younger yet my dad is really into them so I started getting into them in February completely, I knew of their music since 2019 though, anyways I have to say, mellon collie is my favorite, and not gonna lie for the tracks that I adore (no pun intended) I might like adore more than Siamese. Like Ava adore has a great like sound to it that makes it feel like almost like it’d be a chill yet evil villains theme for example lmao, and perfect obviously is great it’s more upbeat than most on the album, and I get if people think the other tracks don’t have the same feel, but like Pug is a lot like Ava to me, and don’t even get me started on tear and shame those are great for if you just feel down and feel like sitting in a dark room thinking about life and shit, appels and oranjes, Daphne descends, For Martha is great for what it is and who it’s about, and a few more great tracks that I might like more than Siamese.
Oh my gosh I sent an essay
Adore is one of the most emotional album they've done.
Yeah there are a lot of people that love it. It just never worked for me. And I’ve tried over the use to see if it would finally click but has yet to do so.
@@BrendonSnydereveryone is different. It’s one of my faves. Probably too 4 ish.
After sampling some of the new album, Autum, I ended up ordering it. Very impressed. I was a bit closed minded about this release, but WOW, it's a good one.
The singles didn’t initially speak to me but once I heard the whole album I liked it so much more.
Siamese Dream is a great rock album..
Mellon Collie is ART.
Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and an honourable mention for Pisces Iscariot are the ONLY Smashing Pumpkins albums, afaic.
I'm loving Atum right now. It has songs in every style the Pumpkins have done. Favourite song for me is In Lieu Of Failure which immediately grabbed me.
I love that about the album too.
Machina sound to that track I’ve found … they way it kicks off loud right at ya
@@wozja The opening riff on Empires reminds me of Priest's Painkiller.
Siemese dream is an amazing album but Mellon collies's scope, range, songwriting, heaviness is incomparable. It's a masterpiece, but hey it's my favourite album of all time so I'm biased
Mine:
1. Siamese Dream
2. Mellon Collie
3. Gish
4. Adore
5. Oceania
6. Monuments
7. Shiny
8. Machina pt. II
9. Machina
10. Zeitgeist
11. Cyr
12. Atum
We always see the same 2 albums in the top spots but it’s great to see a run through with more variety for the rest of them. I never would have put Adore last place but thinking about it, it’s probably the album I reach for the least!
Adore was tough to take right after MCIS… then all the box set b sides from aeroplane. You felt like the pumpkins dropped off a cliff. And billy said himself it was career suicide. But the man is a artist first and we all know doesn’t repeat or replicate. Listening to adore now you really hold it close to your heart. Beautifully written .. composed. Some of the electronics now are super dated but the songs are really good. Too shelia … behold the nightmare … perfect .. shame, tear … just to name a few. I get why you would place it last but it’s far ahead of shiney, Ziet, Oceania, cyr, monuments imo
The Celestials is my favourite SP song! Great to hear you say that you also like it. The outro is so good. His guitar playing is really tasteful.
It’s beautiful!
CDs rule, brother!!! Love your channel
Thanks! 🙏
Great vid. I don’t own any Pumpkin albums and will probably pick up some of these now. Never been a big fan of Billy’s voice but remember loving the sound of Butterfly Wings when it came out.
The Pumpkins' albums are all so different I have multiple "number ones"
1. Siamese Dream - meticulous production, every song flows perfectly to the next and the initial build-up of Cherub Rock is the best opening of any album in alternative rock.
1. Mellon Collie - This is the first time James and Darcy really get to shine, Billy played all the guitar and bass on Gish and almost all of it on Siamese Dream. This album has the highest highs and the lowest lows. "XYU" is brutal and "By Starlight" is gorgeous.
1. Adore - a masterpiece of songwriting. Their darkest album. Anyone who has been a fan of the Pumpkins knows Jimmy Chamberlin has no equal when it comes to his drumming. This is the best they could have done without him in the band. I think the songs "To Shiela" and "For Martha" (Billy's mother who died from cancer when he wrote this album) exhibit Billy's best ever songwriting.
1. Machina 2 - I know this is a companion to Machina 1 but I see it as the yin to Siamese Dream's yang. It's not carefully layered and lush like Siamese Dream, it's like a raw, exposed nerve. It's not an easy listen but it's worth it because it just hits so hard.
1. Gish - my favorite Pumpkins album to just chill out to. Back in the good old days this was what I put on when tripping on acid.
1. Machina 1 - Jimmy's triumphant return. I loved Adore but I don't think Billy could have made a follow up to that. This one might be more of a 1.5 but the good songs are just so good they more than make up for the ones I didn't like as much.
The rest for me are a mixed bag. I honestly have not listened to anything from 2018- present enough to give them a fair assessment, but when I have listened I just feel like something is not there but I just can't figure out what it is. I can't really decide if it's something technical like the production, or if it's something more intangible, sort of like the rat in the cage just got fat and tired was like "I guess the cage isn't so bad after all, at least I am safe in here and I'm being fed!"
Production has felt more thin and vocal-centric since the reunion. Is that a product of the times? I loved the big wall of sound, with vocals sitting in the mix and then occasionally popping out.
Adore is easily in the top 3. A completely misunderstood album. Excellent compositions, melody songwriting that has aged so incredibly well. By far way better than most albums you put above it.
Sorry, I don’t hear any of that in the album. I guess it’s so misunderstood that those things just don’t come through. 🤷♂️
Disagree, Adore is a complete bore.
@@SonicVisionXPug? Appels and oranjes? Ava adore? Some songs are a bit iffy but for the ones that are good are amazing
@@thelaughtergeeks7989 It sounds like a mid tempo goth album. Never liked it. Still don't. Bores me silly.
Atum is really good, makes me fall in love with the band again... good review ! Now I want Machina 2 so bad but don't know where to find it !
It’s heavily bootlegged. Check with places that you know carry bootlegs. I would expect that Billy will be doing a 25th anniversary for Machina in 2025 and that will include Machina II.
@@BrendonSnyder that make sense thanks!
I have to say that your breakdown of their albums is fair. I think that when it comes to which album is their number one it is going to come down to how those albums personally connect with the listener. Siamese Dream is flawless and magical. It captures the heart of the 90's so well. Then comes along the gigantic sounding Mellon Collie, which although had a great many flaws, was so jam packed with brave and bold songwriting that it literally bitched slapped the innocence out of the band and showed us the true ferocity of Billy Corgan's songwriting.
1. Mellon Collie
2. Siamese Dream
3. Adore
4. Pisces
- (Aeroplane box set)
5. Gish
6. Machina
7. Oceania
- (Zwan)
8. Machina 2
9. Atum
10. Shiny
11. Monuments
12. Cyr
13. Zeitgeist
🤘🏼🎧
I left compilations out since they’re generally not all recorded at the same time like Pisces, as opposed to new studio albums.
Hey Brendon! I recently found your channel and love it. Great content. Have you ever done a movie soundtrack ranking? There's some great ones out there like Lost Boys, Singles, Monsters Ball, Judgement Night to name a few.
I’m not big into soundtracks and only have around 20 or so. There are some good ones. But if I was going to do a ranking I’d want to do it based on genre or era and something like Best Soundtracks Of The 80’s. But I don’t have enough for such a ranking. Maybe somewhere down the road.
Gotcha! Thanks for the response
Adore lover here 😂 SP are one of my favorite bands and although we disagree with a fair amount of picks it's nice hearing your perspective : )
Thanks! It’s always nice when we can both be fans yet have different opinions. That’s what makes the music world go around.
@@BrendonSnyder amen
Thank you for the ranking . WPC is an interesting individual and under the Pumpkins name has put out an interesting collection of albums. Mellon Collie etc…. drew me in. I really liked Zeitgeist.
He certainly is the creative force. He’s such a talented musician no matter what his music comes out under. But I like The Pumpkins sound the best.
I agree. I like the Pumpkins especially with the James and Jimmy back.
A band ripe for rediscovery. Have all the early albums haven’t listened to them for years. Need to dive back in. Might even spring for the new one. Cheers from The Captain
Enjoy the rediscovery!
Seeing Adore at #12 was all I needed to see. Yikes. Top tier SP album.
I’m glad you enjoyed its placement! 😂
Same - it makes no sense. Was hard to watch the rest of the video
Nice ranking Brendon! I think I’ll dig Gish out today. Forgot about that one, but remember it’s a good one.
Great takes Brendon! Id probably reverse the top two rankings but otherwise our rankings are pretty much the same.
WHERE did you get that awesome machina 2 bootleg! That’s easily the nicest one Ive seen!
Loving your channel man! Found it because of your ATUM review.
I first heard Smashing Pumpkins when I was working at Blockbuster Music. The Melancholy album was played constantly, but my favorite still will always be Siamese Dream. Totally rocking album and yes, the guitar sound is over the top.
Amazing band. I love the Smashing Pumpkins
Cool! So do I 👍
Thanks Brendon
I was a big fan of SP back in the day and was inspired to go back and relisten to those albums I loved all those years ago. I have to say I have not listened to the Pumpkins for over 15 years as I had been sidetracked into an other music journey. I'm a bit disappointed to say that my socks were not as knocked off as I had expected. Their best albums are still pretty powerful, but they contained more filler than I remembered. Some quite a lot in fact.
On the other hand I also listened to their newer stuff that had been panned by many to find some are really underrated. To your point -some of those new songs rank right up with the best of the classic stuff. My favourite of the new batch even squeaked into my top 5 (Silvery sometimes- one that didn't leave much of an impression on you)
FYI my ranking would be:
1 Melon Collie
2 Siamese Dream
3 Machina 1
4 Oceania
5 Atrum (Act III by far the weakest)
6 Adore
7 Machina II
8 Shiney
9 Gish (This was a MAJOR disappointment- it has not held up at all)
10 Monument
11.Zeitgeist
12.Cyr
Must look into the others.
Great! I almost asked you to do that yesterday after watching your review of their latest album. I only have a few of their albums (the 2 first ones and then some mid 2000's) and was hoping to learn a bit more about the others. Thanx!
Cheers.
Although it's not an album or even on an official album, "Gossamer" should fit in there somewhere. What a riff! It's almost long enough to qualify as an album...
Great idea for a video and a lot of fun. I hope to see you do this with more bands! Thanks!
1. Siamese Dream
2. Mellon Collie
3. Adore
4. Machina I
5. Gish
Two of my top five favorite songs of all-time from the SPs come from Adore, so I have to put it way higher than you. The second half of the album really suffers, though. So I'd say it has some really fantastic highs and pretty painful lows. I'd also say the same for Machina I and II, though. Hell, even say that applies to Mellon Collie. Siamese Dream is by far the most consistent, so I think it's pretty easily the best.
Pretty much agree with all of this except for Cyr. I really enjoyed that one.
I don’t dislike Cyr. I like it for what it is. I just found a lot of it to sound the same which is nice if I’m in the mood for that 80’s synth vibe.
All-time great band, for sure. Think they kinda get overlooked sometimes because they experimented with so many different sounds rather than just sticking to a signature formula.
Back in the 90’s I would chosen Mellon Collie over Siamese Dream, but now I adore (no pun intended) SD just a bit more.
Both are great albums!
Great video Brendon! The Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band.
Adore 12th? Comeon its brilliant. Each to their own though.
Yeah just not my cup of tea. The band changed its sound a little too much for me at the time. But for what it is, I can see why people love it.
1-- Mellon Collie
2--Adore
3--Siamese Dream
4--Machina
5--Cyr
6--Oceania
7--Aghori Mori Mei
8--Gish
9--Atum
10--Zeitgeist
11-- Monuments to an elegy
12-- Shiney oh so bright
The Aeroplane Flies High
Adore bsides
Pisces Iscriot and Machina II all would be near the middle..
Great video Brendon. Gish and Zeitgeist are some of my favourites, but just can't get into Cyr
Where would you rank Pisces Iscariot if you where to include it?
It’s really good, it might go in at #3
1. Mellon Collie
2. Siamese dream
3. Adore
4. Gish
5. Oceania
6. Zeitgeist
7. Machina
8. Machina II
9. Monuments to an elegy
10. ATUM
11. Ahgori Mhori Mei
12. Shiny and oh so bright
13. CYR
I found the CD set for Mellon Collie at a thrift store when I was a kid and it blew me away.
Mellon Collie is great, but Siamese Dream is greater. Mellon Collie would have been better with one album and B sides. Siamese Dream is all bangers. Mellon Collie has a few songs that aren't really album worthy. IMO. If you really like them that's cool.
Like you I’m a fan of single albums more than double albums. Would have been interesting if Mellon Collie had been a single album. It would probably be thought of even better for me.
For me, Gish is number one. Nostalgia, the drum production does it for me. The vibe of the album is just amazing. The energy, the range of emotion, and the flow of the album, each song bleeding into the next, is perfection. It's not as "hitty" as SD or MCATIS and i think that's part of its charm. 10/10 for me.
Siamese dream is one of my favorite albums of the 90s. Easily my favorite Smashing pumpkins album.
love the pumpkins, pretty much agree on ranking (except Adore a bit higher), also have the Zwan album, and the Corgan solo Future embrace which are ok albums.
Funny how a non official album is one of their best, I would put Pisces Iscariot at #3
It’s an official album, it was just released unconventionally. But it was presented to the record label and then uploaded by fans at Billy’s direction. It was meant as an F-you from the band as they broke up right after and since they owed an album to the label they delivered it but uploaded it to the internet so that the label couldn’t profit from it. Talk about a slap in the face to the label. Anyways it’s an official album so it makes the ranking. Pisces on the other hand is a compilation and not an album of new material so that’s why I didn’t include it.
@@BrendonSnyder oh when i said non oficial i was talking about Pisces, i can listen to that cd over and over.
Adore is an amazing album. I would rank it much higher! It’s probably my favorite.
I’ve heard this from a lot of people. There certainly seems to be lots of fans for it.
Its funny , luv to hear poeples lists..I luv SP...ive heard all their albums, crazy how my favs are so different from this gents...my top 7 are 1 Adore 2 Oceania 3 Machina 4 Siamese Dream 5 Meloncollie 6 Atum 7 Zeitgeist
Brendon, 2 questions for yo...Who are your top 20 artists/bands and have you ever heard of the Chameleons UK
1. Siamese Dream
2. Machina
3. Mellon Collie
4. Adore
5. Zeitgeist
6. Gish
7. Monuments To An Elegy
8. Shiny Oh So Bright
9. Cyr
10. Atum
11. Oceania
Smashing Pumpkins is one of the best bands in the world... I totally agree with your list and analysis with very clear criteria and without hate... the only position I would change would be Monuments for Adore
I love everything they did through Adore, but then it's all downhill..
For me they were just getting started.
More in terms of my personal opinion than objective standards:
1. MACHINA 1+2 (I count them as one)
2. Mellon Collie
3. Oceania
4. Adore
5. Gish
6. Siamese Dream
7. ATUM
8. Monuments to an Elegy
9. Zeitgeist
10. Shiny and Oh So Bright
11. Teargarden
12. Cyr
I love the Pumpkins but I’m a bigger fan of their older material. I feel like Zeitgeist was their last great album. I tried to get into the newer material but it just wasn’t clicking with me, except for Oceania and some of the tracks that were released digitally as part of what was supposed to be Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. I may just have to give them some spins again in the near future. Siamese Dream is my absolute favorite Pumpkins album. It’s what got me into the band. Great ranking, though.
1. gish 2. siamese dream 3. Mellon Collie 4. Machina 5. Oceania 6. Zeitgeist 7. Adore 8. Monuments 9-12. Haven't heard
To me, there are essentially two bands. There’s the 1988 - 2000 Pumpkins. Then there’s the 2007 - Present Pumpkins. I love the first band, but I just can’t get into much of the latter, especially with all the synth-pop stuff. And with the latter, there’s also the shift in Billy’s approach to lyrics and vocals, which I just don’t like and it largely impacts my lesser view of the reincarnated version of the Pumpkins.
Моя любимая группа. Я собрал в коллекцию альбомы с 1991 по 2000 год. Некоторые CD 🇺🇸 или Japan🇯🇵.
Great list. Thank you so much. Pisces Iscariot?
It’s a comp so that’s why I didn’t include it.
@Brendon Snyder understood. I have a real sentimental attachment to that album though...same with Nirvana Insesticide...I forget that they're not proper albums.
Im a HUGE .....GISH fan probably listen to that more than them all
Personally i love adore but good video!
Good review with a glaring title error you said twice.
It’s “MONUMENTS To an Elegy” not MOMENTS.
I loved adore. Loved all the original pumpkins albums but as i got older i only revisted adore and machina - felt like i'd grown out of the rest; they were the soundtrack to my teenage years. All the new stuff has been atrocious and I just don't follow the band anymore. Zeitgeist had some awesome rock tunes that were fun but ultimately quick to forget.
You doing a review of new album????
Yes even though I typically only review physical product, in this case I am making an exception and will review the digital release of the new album Aghori Mhori Mei. It will post Sunday 8/4
@@BrendonSnyder nice
Gish and SD are kind of one big album for me, they would be #1 and #2. I’d eliminate one or two songs (I’ve never sat thru Geek USA) and they would be perfect 10. I’d put Adore higher.
yup #1 and #2 for me too. Mellon Collie is where they lost the plot IMO, save for 1979.
The correct order is:
1- Melon Collie
2- Siamese Dream
3- Gish
4- Pisces
5- Adore
6- Machina I
7- Monuments
8- Teargarden
9- Zeitgeist
10- Machina 2
11- Oceania
12- Shiny
13- Cyr
14- Atum
Really 7 through 11 are all pretty close, as they're all great albums and I could go either way on them. Shiny was OK but felt like a b-side effort. Cyr and Atum aren't my things.
What makes your order “correct” and mine not?! 😂😂😂😂 Aren’t they both just opinions?
@@BrendonSnyder Science man. Science.
Mellon Collie is a masterpiece.
👍
I just seen them for the first time two nights ago 9-10-24 @ Snowden Amphitheater in Southaven, MS... awesome show loved the new guitarist Kiki Wong... James is totally awesome and now that they have a super sexy girl playing guitar with them as well.... great show.. wasn't long enough and there was no encore... with 15 minutes still available supposed to have ended at 10:30pm not 10:15pm 😢
Great video! Let's not forget Pisces Iscariot. I know it is billed more as a compilation but it plays nice.
Yeah I left it out because it’s a collection of b-sides and rarities but you’re right it’s a great album.
@@BrendonSnyder Judas-O (the second disc included with the Greatest Hits) could be included as well as a similar product.
Yep. Pisces Iscariot is the Smashing Pumpkins album I've played more than any other over the years.
@@melprophet1936 I've always been fond of the Gish and Siamese era b-sides (my first SP releases were the Lull EP and Gish CD singles). Starla and Obscured are great, Frail & Bedazzled, Hello Kitty Kat, etc.
@@kitoyobeni1 Lull was the first SP music I ever heard as well. I remember getting it on cassette at a Tower Records giveaway. It was a freebie so I grabbed it without knowing who they were or even having a cassette player. Loved it immediately. --- Do you have the Pisces Iscariot deluxe CD? I never knew about that until recently...was wondering if its' worth getting?
CYR would be last on my list and Shiny & Oh So Bright would be 11 for me. I like 3 songs on it, but the rest sort of loses my interest. Adore hold some nostalgia for me, but I think it comes in at 10 for me. Monuments would be 9 and the rest I’d have to think about. That said ATUM has grown on me quite a bit. I also love the 10 extra songs that were released w/ the boxset.
Just found my CD of Zeitgeist, cool thing to own since Billy will not allow it on streaming platforms. I don't like the new stuff very much, he puts his vocals too loud in the mix. Cheers and keep on rockin!
Placing adore last is insane
Siamese Dream, Pisces Iscariot and Gish imo are their best albums. Mellon collie I didn't love. Adore was well it was different but It didn't win me over. To the point where I stopped buying their albums. However I loved ZWAN it's a shame nothing came of that band. But I did really enjoy OCEANA that one surprised me. So I guess I need to catch up.
i was gonna subscribe until i saw you put adore at 12😂
Is that Siamese dream a box set or a deluxe digi pack?
Deluxe Edition Boxset
That's Monuments to an Elegy.
It sure is! 👍
Adore ranked as their "worst" album....? Compared to the dog that they've released recently??????
You know it!
Брэндон, что думаете о Collective Soul?
I do like Collective Soul.
@@BrendonSnyder Я сегодня получил посылку CD Collective Soul - 1995. Atlantic Records. Made in Germany🇩🇪
I've heard 4 Pumpkins albums but I can only take Corgan's voice in very small doses.
Haha…😂
cant wait for the quadruple album
The boxset reissues that come with multiple discs of bonus material have shown these albums could all have been double, triple, or quadruple albums. 👍
@@BrendonSnyder wish I could put my hands on some in the future
Zwan is good too, and Piscis Iscariot.
you mean 'Monuments' to an Elegy?
Yes 👍
Haven't watched yet but SIamese Dream is 100% number one with GIsh actually 2 and Mellon Collie 3 and PIsces 4 Adore 5 and anything after I dont' listen to anyway.
👍
Siamese Dream will always be my favorite! I absolutely love the Butch Vig production. Obviously, he produced the masterpiece- Nevermind by Nirvana. These two albums have that same sound.
..I was 13 in 1993 and I remember thinking that it was such a stupid band name! ..Then I saw their music video for "Rocket" and fell in love! ..Then I bought the album and loved it even more! ..One of those rare cases where you can listen to an album 'front to back' and love it as a whole- Without all the gimicky "concept album" B.S..
It was also the first CD's I ever purchased. At that point there was Pisces Iscariot out- So I bought both! ..My cassette of Nevermind was so over played and warped! Even though you can simply skip songs on a CD- It was an album you didn't have to skip any of them!
Sadly, I had to stop listening to their new stuff. ..I really liked Zwan! ..I wish he could do a follow up record.
Either way, I wish they would record with Butch Vig again. And/or Flood. ..Billy Corgan is such a prolific song writer- He could write a hit song! He's just too self-indulgent and gets 'lost in the weeds', so to speak. ..Zeitgeist was the last time I purchased an SP album.
Personally, I only consider the first 4. ..Maybe 5 records to be authentic Smashing Pumpkins. The rest is just bloat. ..I'd almost consider them to be 'solo projects'.
I’m surprised at 13 you didn’t absolutely like the name Smashing Pumpkins. If you don’t know, Google the slang term Smashing Pumpkins and perhaps it will change your opinion of the name. 😂
I will be so pissed if they just play ATUM in their 2024 tour 😂
MONUMENTS to an elegy
👍
Hi! Do you like cds???
I am fairly certain he sleeps with them 😂😂😂.
😎👍
Putting Adore @ 12th is illegal in most states
Adore is good but not what we wanted at the time. Shiny is good. Monuments is the worst.
Seeing adore in last place makes me want to quit watching this . There most underrated album
mellon collie for me as well
"Monuments to an Elegy", not "Moments"
Oh wow. You lost me with Adore in last place.
Cool! 👍
I still watched the full video and I agree with most of your rankings of their albums though. I dig your channel man. I watch your videos very often.
I always thought Oceania was pretty good.
Zeitgeist and Oceania deserve more love!