Nearly 30 years on, this song still gets me every time. That feedback in the pauses, created organically each time they stopped playing this crappy, broken guitar they were using, is pure genius.
Absolutely man. To this day Siamese Dream is still my fav SP album. It's so damn perfect beginning to end. And Mayonnaise has always been one of my favorites. It's placed so perfectly in the track listing. Right after Geek USA, and directly before the much more toned down Spaceboy, leading into my favorite heavy hitting track, Silverfuck. I feel like that's something that's missing today, is enjoying albums as a whole. And this whole album is fantastic.
This is basically their definitive song. And that feedback, from James Iha, is the reason I’ve wanted a vintage Teisco Sharkfin (the blue one!!!) ever since I became a guitar player!
This, to me, is their best song. It has all you want in a song. You go from calm simple guitar to chaotic, distorted guitar, but, like you noted, when the vocals come in, they don’t match the loud, distorted guitar. The vocals stay soft and almost fragile, which creates an interesting contrast with the guitar. That’s why, I think that this song takes time to grow on people. But when you hear it enough, you realize how really good the song is. It deserves far more acclaim than it gets. Thanks for bringing notice to it, by giving this reaction.
This is my favorite SP song by far (and I love a lot of their other songs). You described it better than I could, but this song just comes together and WORKS for me! It hits me harder every time I hear it!
Mayonaise is my favorite SP song. Soma, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Muzzle, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, etc. are all up there too. I love all SP from Gish-Machina II and some of the newer stuff. I like Zwan and Billy's solo stuff too.
There is a version with only acoustic guitars that uses the same vocal track. You can hear that there's a Flanger layered over Billy's vocals. That gives it the dreamy quality.
This is without a doubt not just one of the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest sngs (honestly, I don't think they ever topped it, even Zero and Bullet with Butterfly Wings don't hit me the same way as Mayonaise does), but it's in my opinion one of the best songs of that 90s era rock. I place this on the same pedastal as "Yellow Ledbetter", "Serve the Servants", "Paranoid Android", "Burden in My Hand", "Lightning Crashes", and "Nutshell" from that era. All standout songs for me from that early 90s grunge / progressive rock era.
My favorite song by them. The writing, the emotions it brings out, the tones, the progressions, the melodies in the guitars and Billy's voice, the massive wall of sound. It's about as perfect as a song can get.
I didn't grow up with their music and only knew the popular tracks like Disarm and Tonight Tonight etc. I don't know what radio/list I was on on Spotify yesterday, but it brought up Mayonnaise. God damn this song hits the feels hard. I wish I had heard it long ago, and I can't imagine what it's like for people who have known it and listened throughout their lives.
30 years ago as a Freshman in Highschool while Grunge was breaking the 80s version of Rock I was familiar with, I bought this album on cassette for a friend and we listened to it together driving around in this old 70s beater on a summer day through the park! Changed my life then and there.
Been a huge fan since Gish. I bought this album the day it came out. Went straight home, smoked a fat bowl and laid down on my bed. It blew my head off. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The production. The songs. The drumming of course. After it was over I was speechless. I'll never forget that hot Summer afternoon high as Hell in my dark cool bedroom. lol All their albums are very different animals, but Gish is still my favorite. : )
Great story. I did the same thing with OK computer with my friends. We got the CD the day it came out. Went into my friends basement. Smoked a bowl, turned the lights out and put on OK Computer. Totally blew my mind. Pumpkins and Radiohead were all I listened to for a while. Can’t think of modern bands who are the level those two got to.
@@lemurdream first time I saw Radiohead they were playing Paranoid Android live on TV. My 1st thought was this is Pink Floyd level. Got the album quickly after.
@@johndef5075 I just tweeted about Paranoid Android. Probably one of the greatest songs of all time. I just watched some musician on RUclips go through the 4 sections of that song for every instrument. So good. I’ll never forget when that album came out. My god. I was fucking floored. Just listened to the whole thing for the 1000th time earlier today haha! And no joke, I listened to Siamese Dream last week because I was gonna post about either Mayonnaise or Soma. Such a fantastic album. I can’t believe it’s been almost 30 years! Jesus
OK, "Disarm" and "Today" (from the same album) are perfect but "Mayonaise" is the secret weapon of "Siamese Dream" (and of Smashing Pumpkings, to a larger extent)
And as the secret weapon, of all the good to great songs on Siamese Dream, I thing it is the best (And, actually, the best in their entire catalogue.).
Jimmy is such an underrated drummer. I say this as a guitarist who probably misses the finer points of comparing drummers. But he's always in the right spot for Pumpkins music...at least to my untrained ear. Just don't hear him getting the credit (I think) he deserves.
In Modern drummer magazine out of 100 drummers. Living or dead mind you.. he was voted 5..... NUMBER 5 !!!!! Out of all the GREAT drummers of music in the last 70 years! To me that's saying something.
Smashing Pumpkins are hands down my all-time favorite band…that said, I’d love to hear your reaction to Silversun Pickups (namely “Lazy Eye”), another great band that gives many Pumpkin fans familiar vibes.
I love Silversun Pickups but they have so many songs that are much better than Lazy Eye, and Lazy Eye is a good song. Surrounded(or Spiraling), Three Seed, Checkered Floor, Catch and Release, just to name a few
@@iaminyourwalls4553 there’s phaser in there too. I know that Corgan and Vig ran a number of tracks through a Mutron Biphase too. But most of it is subtle.
this song gets me emotional every time. I love how it’s a ballad yet has the wall of distortion and feedback from the guitars. such an amazing combination
These guys set there own unique sound at the time when alternative rock and roll was stepping into the forefront pretty much putting hair bands out is business so to speak … to add that these guys are extremely talented musicians.
This song will be played at my funeral. Some of the lyrics don't quite fit, but others are spot on. The emotions on display by just the guitar work could be the reason alone.
Siamese Dream had so much more replay than so many other "best ever" 90s albums. I can not put on Nevermind for example and enjoy it the way I can Siamese Dream, even though it was my Bible when it came out.
Still here, love this song. I didn't like Smashing Pumpkins when I first heard them, I found Billy's vocals grating, then I got outvoted and had to learn the bassline for 'Quiet'. Changed my perception of the band and Siamese Dream turned out to be one of the rare albums for me that has no skippable track.
The first few times I heard his voice I wasn’t a big fan either. I’m not sure when it was, but the switch flipped & I completely got it. I’ve loved them ever since (probably around ‘93-‘94).
It starts off so delicately, there`s so much been said through the guitars, then it drops with a wall of pure sonic eargasm! What a track from in my humble opinion, one of the best albums of the 1990`s!
It's been nearly a year since my mate passed away.......this was the last song played at his funeral, FOREVER in our Hearts Jamie Cook ,1 OF New Zealands Best🛹🙏🇳🇿❤️🍻
This is such a brilliant album, mixed by Butch Vig and Alan Moulder who had such a great touch with making vocals feel like part of the song (as opposed to above the song). True genius
There are so many wonderful deep cuts of the Pumpkins, and this is definitely one of them! Loved the breakdown! "Galapagos" is another favorite off of Mellon Collie. Their hits are good, but some of the subtler songs on the albums are even better!
There’s one I love called an airplane flys something something… can’t remember now but it’s so good… I remember seeing a live Version from some French festival maybe 97/98
Fool enough to almost be it Cool enough to not quite see it Doomed Pick your pockets full of sorrow Run away with me tomorrow June Try, ease the pain Somehow we'll feel the same Well, no one knows Where our secrets go I send a heart to all my dearies When your life is so, so dreary Dream I'm rumored to the straight and narrow While the harlots of my perils Scream And I fail But when I can, I will Try to understand That when I can, I will Mother weep the years I'm missing All our time can't be given Back Shut my mouth and strike the demons Cursed you and your reasons Out of hand and out of season Out of love and out of feeling So bad When I can, I will Words defy the plan When I can, I will Fool enough to almost be it Cool enough to not quite see it Old enough to always feel this Always old, I'll always feel this No more promise no more sorrow No longer will I follow Can anybody hear me I just want to be me When I can, I will Try to understand That when I can, I will
The Smashing Pumpkins have been my favorite band for almost 30 years. This song has always been in my top 10 favorites. I'm glad you finally got around to listening to it.
My favorite SP song. I remember sitting in my room as a teenager listening to this. So long ago. I got to see them live in the late nineties and they performed “Rock on” by David Essex
Butch Vig is one of the best. I love the ending of this song when he holds that note for what feels forever. My favorite is Geek USA on this album. Best guitar solo ever.
@@aaronl4242 I did a tutorial on the Geek U.S.A. double solo since I couldn't find the right version online, there's only wrong tabs and videos around: ruclips.net/video/Ue1okvqWl88/видео.html
I used to put Geek USA on repeat for hours lol now it's one of those songs that had its time in my life but I enjoy the other tracks that maybe I didn't put much emphasis on back in the 90s as a teen. Mayo is one of those, it's incredible.
Bodies is an amazing song. I still get chills after all these years, even just remembering the opening riff. The first five songs on that album, from Where boys fear to tread to Thirty-three and 1979, are just masterfull.
Billy’s voice is at his best on this song. When he sings delicately it’s my favorite singing style of his. You hear a lot of it on Gish which is probably why it’s still my favorite album with SD a close second of course.
Trivia: the feedback sound on the guitar in the chorus at the "pause/break" was because one of their guitars during recording had some sort of malfunction that if it wasn't being strummed or picked it would just give off feedback, so they stuck with it and didn't fix it, letting it come through in this song. One of their best, no doubt. 🤙💙🤘
One of my favorite SP tracks. I saw them close out the Minneapolis stop of the Lalapalooza 94 tour. Playing this song as the sun was setting and it felt “right”. Beautiful.
4:10 Siamese Dream had one of the best mixing of Corgan's voice. Butch Vig took out the harshness, added some phasing and mixed it in low, an MBV showgaze way of mixing vocals with fuzz guitars. I think it was also a conscious decision to sing softer to get that whispery quality, again another shoegaze influence that can't be easily replicated live. Later SP albums started to mix the vocals more dry and front to different effect, the nasal quality become more grating and less silky.
That light phasing during the chorus is such an inspired touch I'm surprised that it isn't mentioned more often in "rock historian" conversations. No one else would have thought of it and no one would have missed it if it wasn't added, but after hearing it it's impossible to imagine the song without it.
MCIS was recorded pretty much live to tape by Flood, as he's more of a "feel" producer than Vig, who is meticulous. As a result, it doesn't have the intricate, layered smooth feel of Siamese Dream, which is particularly noticeable on the vocals. So Billy's voice is much more dry and brittle and kind of hidden more in the often dense instrumentation. I think both approaches work pretty well, though no doubt Vig's approach is more demanding and not as much fun, from the musician's perspective. Recording Siamese Dream wore the band out and caused a lot of problems internally. They all have said they enjoyed recording MCIS (which is almost twice as long a record) far more than SD. I don't think the way Billy's vocals were recorded from MCIS onward were a problem as such, as original SP mixed them well. From the time of the reunion (Zeitgeist) the vocals have been mixed far too prominently, and it's a problem as Billy is just not a great singer.
Siamese Dream is my favourite alternative rock album of the 90's. It is peak Pumpkins. It is the perfect album, a 10/10. The distortion, the harmonics, Jimmy's mind-blowing drumming (rock mixed with jazz precision & those chops & flams & a super precise hi-hat time keeping left foot). Jimmy Chamberlin is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If you've heard his JC Complex albums, you'll know how amazing he is at jazz too. Life Begins Again is also a fantastic rock album. I'm a huge JC fan & he is criminally underrated, but can play rings around every drummer of that era, or any era.
Fun fact @key of Geebz - that guitar squeak was due to Billy picking up a thrift shop guitar that would constantly squeak/squeal when not being played, he thought it was cool and utilized that "defect" in a fun way. Also this song will always remind me of middle school, it was in an 8th grade class where I had an amazing teacher that really opened my eyes up to music. Every week a kid would bring in a song and we would listen to it and break down the lyrical meaning. This is the song I chose as a 13 year old super into Smashing Pumpkins. - Also i'm still here. Much love dude.
The thing is he used that "defection" in the guitar perfectly. He could have easily got carried away and used too much, but typical corgan used it to perfection
Aw man I wish I had a teacher like that! I hung out with a band all throughout high school who really opened my eyes to so much great music. So at least I had that. The Beatles, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Bowie, AIC, QOTSA, Stone Temple Pilots, etc. Cause before that i was listening to rubbish! Haha! I’ll never forget listening to the Abbey Road medley for the first time. I was like, Mean Mr Mustard what?! Never heard anything like it😍
youre very lucky! that tour is going to be so strong. i have not seen the Pumpkins live since 2015. but i did seem them 3 times on the Mellon Collie tour. of the 50+ shows ive seen over my lifetime, those shows, and, seeing them at Lollapalooza in 94 were my absolute favorite. that show changed my life.
I love this song. It was one of the songs I used to learn drumming interdependence between my high hat foot and my bass drum foot. It seems simple now. But at the time it scrambled my brain.
Yeah I tried to learn the main beat in this song when I was in high school, but carrying the beat with the left foot like that felt so weird. It sounds simple, but it is definitely not common, and of my two arms and two legs, my left leg was typically the most "behind" in rhythmic ability.
one subtle nuance i've always appreciated about billy's lead work and it never really gets mentioned, but his use of reverse bending here and there i think really adds a nice layer to his voicing. also, he tends not to just widdle away above the 12th, but billy will solo in lower registers and i think it adds a nice balance/movement to his leadwork.
The lyrics aren't usually what i find most interesting about SP, but where he says "try to understand when i can, I will" hits hard. Also, it's well know that Billy played all the bass on this album.
@@smprather That's not true tbh, she actually worked on the album in the studio, but due to the way Vig recorded Siamese Dream it required a lot of multi tracking and he was meticulous for the pieces being flawlessly played. James and D'arcy weren't able to do this as efficiently as Billy - who is a technically superior player - so he ended up recording all the bass and almost all of the guitar parts, for reasons of studio time and money. This caused a lot of resentment in the band and they never worked this way again - or with Vig, incidentally.
this is one of their finest songs they have ever done. just like a few songs where James contributed, it is a testament to just how talented they were. somehow it releases a nostalgic vibe for just about anyone. its a favorote and classic from siamese dream, i dont know anyone or have ever read a comment online saying anything negative about the song. brilliant compositions.
I love this song as a whole, but the dual guitar intro is what gets me in a better state of mind every time. I always seem to imagine myself just enjoying some peaceful time in a setting like out in the woods or by the lake, or maybe driving through some beautiful setting at sunset or night time.
i love how you stopped it and had so much to say. you're a true mentor, repping your truths. one of the greatest most concise music reaction vids of ALL-TIME right here 💯 🔥
Here's the thing: Even my kids love this song. About as much as I do, but for me when this song, and S.Dream, album hit...I was a Freshman in college, meeting lots of new ppl. Met my future wife, and the music kept me going through many difficult times...being broke, getting through college, losing friends, driving around in my shit car, with a barely workable car radio. In fact, I hadn't listened to this song in years, then I found it on my old ipod, back in 2015 or so...I was at the darkest time in my life back then. This song and John Candy saved me. I just watched his movies and played music, with this song on repeat. Thank you for posting this vid!
Man this album was (still is!) sooooooo damn good. That space fuzz distortion with all the dynamic changes in each song (chef's kiss). Easily one of my favorite albums of all time & this coming from a metalhead.
this is the song off siamese dream that every fan only loved after a month or so of listening to album. was good to begin with, then morphs into a favorite of all time.
Nearly 30 years on, this song still gets me every time. That feedback in the pauses, created organically each time they stopped playing this crappy, broken guitar they were using, is pure genius.
Love.
The nostalgia. It takes me back every time.
Absolutely man. To this day Siamese Dream is still my fav SP album. It's so damn perfect beginning to end. And Mayonnaise has always been one of my favorites. It's placed so perfectly in the track listing. Right after Geek USA, and directly before the much more toned down Spaceboy, leading into my favorite heavy hitting track, Silverfuck. I feel like that's something that's missing today, is enjoying albums as a whole. And this whole album is fantastic.
Check out calm
This is basically their definitive song. And that feedback, from James Iha, is the reason I’ve wanted a vintage Teisco Sharkfin (the blue one!!!) ever since I became a guitar player!
Smashing Pumpkins were the sound of my teenage years!
They were my absolute favorite band in high school; still love the old albums
Me too man. What a beautiful time that was.
This, to me, is their best song. It has all you want in a song. You go from calm simple guitar to chaotic, distorted guitar, but, like you noted, when the vocals come in, they don’t match the loud, distorted guitar. The vocals stay soft and almost fragile, which creates an interesting contrast with the guitar. That’s why, I think that this song takes time to grow on people. But when you hear it enough, you realize how really good the song is. It deserves far more acclaim than it gets. Thanks for bringing notice to it, by giving this reaction.
This is my favorite SP song by far (and I love a lot of their other songs). You described it better than I could, but this song just comes together and WORKS for me! It hits me harder every time I hear it!
I've loved this song from the first listen. Once I heard Disarm back when Siamese Dream came out, I was an instant Pumpkins fan.
Mayonaise is my favorite SP song. Soma, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Muzzle, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, etc. are all up there too. I love all SP from Gish-Machina II and some of the newer stuff. I like Zwan and Billy's solo stuff too.
There is a version with only acoustic guitars that uses the same vocal track. You can hear that there's a Flanger layered over Billy's vocals. That gives it the dreamy quality.
Also my fav SP song without any hesitation….
I think Mayonaise is a perfect song, and it's great to hear someone talking about it with such accuracy. Butch Vig did an amazing job :)
This is without a doubt not just one of the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest sngs (honestly, I don't think they ever topped it, even Zero and Bullet with Butterfly Wings don't hit me the same way as Mayonaise does), but it's in my opinion one of the best songs of that 90s era rock. I place this on the same pedastal as "Yellow Ledbetter", "Serve the Servants", "Paranoid Android", "Burden in My Hand", "Lightning Crashes", and "Nutshell" from that era. All standout songs for me from that early 90s grunge / progressive rock era.
Lightning crashes - lol, no
@@TheMillieSmalls haters gonna hate
My favorite song by them. The writing, the emotions it brings out, the tones, the progressions, the melodies in the guitars and Billy's voice, the massive wall of sound. It's about as perfect as a song can get.
yep.
Word
Agreed.
Same
I didn't grow up with their music and only knew the popular tracks like Disarm and Tonight Tonight etc. I don't know what radio/list I was on on Spotify yesterday, but it brought up Mayonnaise. God damn this song hits the feels hard. I wish I had heard it long ago, and I can't imagine what it's like for people who have known it and listened throughout their lives.
30 years ago as a Freshman in Highschool while Grunge was breaking the 80s version of Rock I was familiar with, I bought this album on cassette for a friend and we listened to it together driving around in this old 70s beater on a summer day through the park! Changed my life then and there.
Yes sir, I feel the same way. Graduated 92, all those groups Pumpkins, U2, Alice in Chains, STP so many greats bands in our time
@@chathamj73Exactly! Graduated in 94 and took these guys to war with me over many deployments. They kept me human.
Been a huge fan since Gish. I bought this album the day it came out. Went straight home, smoked a fat bowl and laid down on my bed. It blew my head off. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The production. The songs. The drumming of course. After it was over I was speechless. I'll never forget that hot Summer afternoon high as Hell in my dark cool bedroom. lol
All their albums are very different animals, but Gish is still my favorite. : )
I fucking love that story
Great story. I did the same thing with OK computer with my friends. We got the CD the day it came out. Went into my friends basement. Smoked a bowl, turned the lights out and put on OK Computer. Totally blew my mind. Pumpkins and Radiohead were all I listened to for a while. Can’t think of modern bands who are the level those two got to.
@@judsonwright Hell yeah. OK Computer was definitely a mind melter.
@@lemurdream first time I saw Radiohead they were playing Paranoid Android live on TV. My 1st thought was this is Pink Floyd level. Got the album quickly after.
@@johndef5075 I just tweeted about Paranoid Android. Probably one of the greatest songs of all time. I just watched some musician on RUclips go through the 4 sections of that song for every instrument. So good. I’ll never forget when that album came out. My god. I was fucking floored. Just listened to the whole thing for the 1000th time earlier today haha! And no joke, I listened to Siamese Dream last week because I was gonna post about either Mayonnaise or Soma. Such a fantastic album. I can’t believe it’s been almost 30 years! Jesus
You can really hear the My Bloody Valentine influence on this one.
for sure, i was thinking the same thing when i first heard this track.
En las guitarras.. es muy genial
OK, "Disarm" and "Today" (from the same album) are perfect but "Mayonaise" is the secret weapon of "Siamese Dream" (and of Smashing Pumpkings, to a larger extent)
One of the best albums of all time quiet and Luna are soooo good but definitely love the whole album through beginning to end
And as the secret weapon, of all the good to great songs on Siamese Dream, I thing it is the best (And, actually, the best in their entire catalogue.).
I would say mayonaise is less secret weapon its more hidden than secret. HUMMER however HUMMER is the secret banger of this album
And "Soma"
@@northernelitegoaltending I used to rank Mayonaise the best of the bunch, but Soma creeped back to the top IMO
This is one of those songs that immediately takes me back to the 90s.
Speaking of memory triggers, I always hear the intro riff of Space Boy in my head after Mayonaise's outro fades out.
Space Boy is probably my favorite song on this album. Its all amazing. It's like picking your favorite chocolate chip out of a chocolate chip cookie.
@@TheRealLetharos "Feel it...break your bones, Mister Jones...."
Jimmy is such an underrated drummer. I say this as a guitarist who probably misses the finer points of comparing drummers. But he's always in the right spot for Pumpkins music...at least to my untrained ear. Just don't hear him getting the credit (I think) he deserves.
One of the all time best. Check out his first solo record “Life Begins Again”. Its kind of jazz fusion mixed with alt rock, and its amazing.
Definitely not underrated. Anyone who knows, knows Jimmy. And Billy knew he was the key to the pumpkins.
In Modern drummer magazine out of 100 drummers. Living or dead mind you.. he was voted 5..... NUMBER 5 !!!!! Out of all the GREAT drummers of music in the last 70 years! To me that's saying something.
There is no one like Jimmy on the snare drum
My fave JC performance is ‘Thru the eyes of Ruby’. The drums are allowed to dominate there & gives that track life.
I've always thought if nostalgia was a song, this would be it. It pulls at my heart strings every time I hear it and takes me right back
100% love the Siamese Dream album. Huge staple in my soundtrack of life. 90s rock at its finest.
This is one of my favorite smashing pumpkins song… best album ever!!!
Smashing Pumpkins are hands down my all-time favorite band…that said, I’d love to hear your reaction to Silversun Pickups (namely “Lazy Eye”), another great band that gives many Pumpkin fans familiar vibes.
Great song!
One of my favourite songs.
They have so many songs to choose from. I’d love to see Panic Switch too
Love silversun pickups. Have seen them three times live they are fantastic
I love Silversun Pickups but they have so many songs that are much better than Lazy Eye, and Lazy Eye is a good song. Surrounded(or Spiraling), Three Seed, Checkered Floor, Catch and Release, just to name a few
The chords are so pretty.
My favourite SP song. That clean intro with a slight phaser, the wall of sound created by the OpAmp Bigmuff.... just divine!
That intro (as well as most of the clean parts on Siamese Dream) was a flanger. Billy mainly used phaser in his solos
@@iaminyourwalls4553 there’s phaser in there too. I know that Corgan and Vig ran a number of tracks through a Mutron Biphase too. But most of it is subtle.
Yep, It cannot be stated enough!!! That wall of sound that only tube, effort, effect, and heart ( and audio engineers) can bring to fruition!!!
Was it not a tremolo pedal. Swear I either read or heard him say it was a tremolo on that intro. Could be wrong though.
this song gets me emotional every time. I love how it’s a ballad yet has the wall of distortion and feedback from the guitars. such an amazing combination
I don't care who you are, this song is a masterpiece, it's the perfect song, perfect mix, perfect 👌
These guys set there own unique sound at the time when alternative rock and roll was stepping into the forefront pretty much putting hair bands out is business so to speak … to add that these guys are extremely talented musicians.
This song will be played at my funeral. Some of the lyrics don't quite fit, but others are spot on. The emotions on display by just the guitar work could be the reason alone.
This whole album is fantastic. In my top 10 of 90s albums.
Siamese Dream had so much more replay than so many other "best ever" 90s albums. I can not put on Nevermind for example and enjoy it the way I can Siamese Dream, even though it was my Bible when it came out.
i always loved this song because of the guitar feedback that is actually part of the song rather than being a unwanted noise
The most 90's song and album. This takes me right back to driving around the middle of nowhere in a truck with broken AC. Brilliant song.
Still here, love this song. I didn't like Smashing Pumpkins when I first heard them, I found Billy's vocals grating, then I got outvoted and had to learn the bassline for 'Quiet'. Changed my perception of the band and Siamese Dream turned out to be one of the rare albums for me that has no skippable track.
The first few times I heard his voice I wasn’t a big fan either. I’m not sure when it was, but the switch flipped & I completely got it. I’ve loved them ever since (probably around ‘93-‘94).
Loved this song from the moment i first heard it nearly 30 years ago. Pure 90s nostalgia.
It starts off so delicately, there`s so much been said through the guitars, then it drops with a wall of pure sonic eargasm!
What a track from in my humble opinion, one of the best albums of the 1990`s!
It's always been my favourite SP song. Turns out that I'm not alone. James came up with such a cool chord progression, and Billy filled in the blanks.
It's been nearly a year since my mate passed away.......this was the last song played at his funeral, FOREVER in our Hearts Jamie Cook ,1 OF New Zealands Best🛹🙏🇳🇿❤️🍻
This is such a brilliant album, mixed by Butch Vig and Alan Moulder who had such a great touch with making vocals feel like part of the song (as opposed to above the song). True genius
Smashing Pumpkins was the greatest thing that came out of the 90’s…
There are so many wonderful deep cuts of the Pumpkins, and this is definitely one of them! Loved the breakdown! "Galapagos" is another favorite off of Mellon Collie. Their hits are good, but some of the subtler songs on the albums are even better!
MC is their best album
There’s one I love called an airplane flys something something… can’t remember now but it’s so good… I remember seeing a live Version from some French festival maybe 97/98
@@SnapMeBollix69 aeroplane flies high turns left looks right! Such a heavy song!
Fool enough to almost be it
Cool enough to not quite see it
Doomed
Pick your pockets full of sorrow
Run away with me tomorrow
June
Try, ease the pain
Somehow we'll feel the same
Well, no one knows
Where our secrets go
I send a heart to all my dearies
When your life is so, so dreary
Dream
I'm rumored to the straight and narrow
While the harlots of my perils
Scream
And I fail
But when I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will
Mother weep the years I'm missing
All our time can't be given
Back
Shut my mouth and strike the demons
Cursed you and your reasons
Out of hand and out of season
Out of love and out of feeling
So bad
When I can, I will
Words defy the plan
When I can, I will
Fool enough to almost be it
Cool enough to not quite see it
Old enough to always feel this
Always old, I'll always feel this
No more promise no more sorrow
No longer will I follow
Can anybody hear me
I just want to be me
When I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will
The Smashing Pumpkins have been my favorite band for almost 30 years. This song has always been in my top 10 favorites. I'm glad you finally got around to listening to it.
Thanks for covering this. I know alot of their other stuff gets far more attention, but this is my favorite Pumpkins song by far.
My favorite SP song. I remember sitting in my room as a teenager listening to this. So long ago. I got to see them live in the late nineties and they performed “Rock on” by David Essex
Love that you broke this one down man. It gets my heart every time I hear this song
Almost always cry to this one. No one knows, where our secrets go.
Shoegaze Dream. This was the Pumpkins prime. Their first two albums are legendary.
Butch Vig is one of the best. I love the ending of this song when he holds that note for what feels forever.
My favorite is Geek USA on this album. Best guitar solo ever.
Soma solo is my fav
@@aaronl4242 Soma solo is the most intense in music history
@@guitaristssuck8979 oh mate, there is a cover on RUclips of that solo. The guy just goes off! Agree, absolutely love the solo
@@aaronl4242 I did a tutorial on the Geek U.S.A. double solo since I couldn't find the right version online, there's only wrong tabs and videos around:
ruclips.net/video/Ue1okvqWl88/видео.html
I used to put Geek USA on repeat for hours lol now it's one of those songs that had its time in my life but I enjoy the other tracks that maybe I didn't put much emphasis on back in the 90s as a teen. Mayo is one of those, it's incredible.
This and Soma are just amazing. Top 10 album for me. Love it ❤️
Soma is the centerpiece to the classic album. To me anyways
Soma is my second favorite SP after Thru the eyes of ruby
one of my favorite things about the smashing pumpkins is how fun it is to play their songs on guitar or drums.
Siamese dream was one of the first albums I bought growing up. Every track is flawless. I highly suggest listening to the album sometime
The Smashing Pumpkins song "Bodies" is my personal favorite.
Top comment for me right here
Bodies is an amazing song. I still get chills after all these years, even just remembering the opening riff. The first five songs on that album, from Where boys fear to tread to Thirty-three and 1979, are just masterfull.
@@dirtyhistorian agreed.
Right up at the top for sure.
Classic Jimmy track, that one. Really driving beat with kit obliterating fills.
Billy’s voice is at his best on this song. When he sings delicately it’s my favorite singing style of his.
You hear a lot of it on Gish which is probably why it’s still my favorite album with SD a close second of course.
For me, the hook of this song is the death wail coming from Billy's guitar.
This song is one of my favorites Pumpkins' songs ♥
I wish I could go back and hear this for the first time again. I envy you.
Same... but the very first time I heard it it was on Vieuphoria, I was watching that VHS before getting Siamese Dream...
100%
The bass guitar portion is always quite fantastical. Thank you Billy!
Trivia: the feedback sound on the guitar in the chorus at the "pause/break" was because one of their guitars during recording had some sort of malfunction that if it wasn't being strummed or picked it would just give off feedback, so they stuck with it and didn't fix it, letting it come through in this song. One of their best, no doubt. 🤙💙🤘
True this. It was an old cheap guitar Billy had bought years before for $65.
@@wangalive it was like a thrift store find iirc.
im guessing this was more of a gain thing from the pedal sounds like a big muff
@@frankymcdonald7176 high-gain single coil magic 😊🤘
Yup. He still owns the guitar iirc, or at least he did as recently as a few years back.
My favorite SP album. Nothing starts an album off kicking ass better than 'Cherub Rock'.
One of my favorite SP tracks. I saw them close out the Minneapolis stop of the Lalapalooza 94 tour. Playing this song as the sun was setting and it felt “right”. Beautiful.
4:10 Siamese Dream had one of the best mixing of Corgan's voice. Butch Vig took out the harshness, added some phasing and mixed it in low, an MBV showgaze way of mixing vocals with fuzz guitars. I think it was also a conscious decision to sing softer to get that whispery quality, again another shoegaze influence that can't be easily replicated live. Later SP albums started to mix the vocals more dry and front to different effect, the nasal quality become more grating and less silky.
That light phasing during the chorus is such an inspired touch I'm surprised that it isn't mentioned more often in "rock historian" conversations. No one else would have thought of it and no one would have missed it if it wasn't added, but after hearing it it's impossible to imagine the song without it.
MCIS was recorded pretty much live to tape by Flood, as he's more of a "feel" producer than Vig, who is meticulous. As a result, it doesn't have the intricate, layered smooth feel of Siamese Dream, which is particularly noticeable on the vocals. So Billy's voice is much more dry and brittle and kind of hidden more in the often dense instrumentation. I think both approaches work pretty well, though no doubt Vig's approach is more demanding and not as much fun, from the musician's perspective. Recording Siamese Dream wore the band out and caused a lot of problems internally. They all have said they enjoyed recording MCIS (which is almost twice as long a record) far more than SD. I don't think the way Billy's vocals were recorded from MCIS onward were a problem as such, as original SP mixed them well. From the time of the reunion (Zeitgeist) the vocals have been mixed far too prominently, and it's a problem as Billy is just not a great singer.
Sad, beautiful, melancholy, powerful song. On my forever playlist
I was so grateful that this album was my introduction to the band, when it came out. This album has a very special place in my heart.
Siamese Dream is my favourite alternative rock album of the 90's. It is peak Pumpkins. It is the perfect album, a 10/10. The distortion, the harmonics, Jimmy's mind-blowing drumming (rock mixed with jazz precision & those chops & flams & a super precise hi-hat time keeping left foot).
Jimmy Chamberlin is one of the greatest drummers of all time. If you've heard his JC Complex albums, you'll know how amazing he is at jazz too. Life Begins Again is also a fantastic rock album.
I'm a huge JC fan & he is criminally underrated, but can play rings around every drummer of that era, or any era.
Yeah man, credit to Butch Vig for the production. He, too, was (is) a genius. Watch the Rick Beato interview with him.
Fun fact @key of Geebz - that guitar squeak was due to Billy picking up a thrift shop guitar that would constantly squeak/squeal when not being played, he thought it was cool and utilized that "defect" in a fun way.
Also this song will always remind me of middle school, it was in an 8th grade class where I had an amazing teacher that really opened my eyes up to music. Every week a kid would bring in a song and we would listen to it and break down the lyrical meaning. This is the song I chose as a 13 year old super into Smashing Pumpkins. - Also i'm still here. Much love dude.
I had a teacher who did this as well. Illinois by chance?
Fantastic story, thanks for sharing
@@Firsttube11 No, this was in San Diego (poway to be exact)
The thing is he used that "defection" in the guitar perfectly. He could have easily got carried away and used too much, but typical corgan used it to perfection
Aw man I wish I had a teacher like that! I hung out with a band all throughout high school who really opened my eyes to so much great music. So at least I had that. The Beatles, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Bowie, AIC, QOTSA, Stone Temple Pilots, etc. Cause before that i was listening to rubbish! Haha! I’ll never forget listening to the Abbey Road medley for the first time. I was like, Mean Mr Mustard what?! Never heard anything like it😍
I’m seeing them live in 3 months and I’m so excited! Them and janes addiction!
Me too in Seattle
You are in for a treat!
@@jpvisuals726 I’m seeing them in the twin cities.
@@johndef5075 I know right! That’s what people have been telling me
youre very lucky!
that tour is going to be so strong. i have not seen the Pumpkins live since 2015. but i did seem them 3 times on the Mellon Collie tour. of the 50+ shows ive seen over my lifetime, those shows, and, seeing them at Lollapalooza in 94 were my absolute favorite. that show changed my life.
I love this song. It was one of the songs I used to learn drumming interdependence between my high hat foot and my bass drum foot. It seems simple now. But at the time it scrambled my brain.
Yeah I tried to learn the main beat in this song when I was in high school, but carrying the beat with the left foot like that felt so weird. It sounds simple, but it is definitely not common, and of my two arms and two legs, my left leg was typically the most "behind" in rhythmic ability.
Same haha
i see smashing pumpkins, i click
one subtle nuance i've always appreciated about billy's lead work and it never really gets mentioned, but his use of reverse bending here and there i think really adds a nice layer to his voicing. also, he tends not to just widdle away above the 12th, but billy will solo in lower registers and i think it adds a nice balance/movement to his leadwork.
The solo in this song is really something else. You're totally right that moving through the scale voicings makes it absolutely soar.
I’m not a guitar player but I’ve always loved how melodic and musical his solos are.
Billy played all guitars AND the bass on the record, as well. D'Arcy & James just couldn't get it right.
takes me back to being 13 with my walkman on at the bus stop. so good.
The lyrics aren't usually what i find most interesting about SP, but where he says "try to understand when i can, I will" hits hard. Also, it's well know that Billy played all the bass on this album.
Darcy just kinda hung out with the band.
@@smprather That's not true tbh, she actually worked on the album in the studio, but due to the way Vig recorded Siamese Dream it required a lot of multi tracking and he was meticulous for the pieces being flawlessly played. James and D'arcy weren't able to do this as efficiently as Billy - who is a technically superior player - so he ended up recording all the bass and almost all of the guitar parts, for reasons of studio time and money. This caused a lot of resentment in the band and they never worked this way again - or with Vig, incidentally.
this is one of their finest songs they have ever done.
just like a few songs where James contributed, it is a testament to just how talented they were. somehow it releases a nostalgic vibe for just about anyone. its a favorote and classic from siamese dream, i dont know anyone or have ever read a comment online saying anything negative about the song. brilliant compositions.
The nostalgia, the feels, takes me back. Their song from Mellon collie "here is no why" still one of my favorites.
This and Soma have always been my favorite SP songs ❤ Bless the algorithm and thank you for your excellent insight!
very interesting tunings going on
I love this song as a whole, but the dual guitar intro is what gets me in a better state of mind every time. I always seem to imagine myself just enjoying some peaceful time in a setting like out in the woods or by the lake, or maybe driving through some beautiful setting at sunset or night time.
Please Geebz! I know i already asked you 1000 times ^^ but please do another Dance Gavin Dance reaction xD
I'm still here. Great dissection of probably my favorite song off of that album, these guys just had such a way of being unique and timeless
Please do "Obscured"! It's my favorite Pumpkin's song!
Love it. Try out Hummer from the same album, I know you'd dig it. Soma is their best, if you ask me.
Yeah, I like Hummer. Listening through Siamese Dream, it is another song that caught my attention.
Hummer is so much fun to play.
One of their best songs. No question!
this may be their best song ..great choice "Can anybody hear me, I just want to be me ......When I can, I will."
Considering how much Geebz actually knows about music production, engineering, mixing, composition, etc… His reaction to this is just awesome.
One of the best albums of all time.
I played this in the car recently when I was with my daughters and it was great hearing my 10 year old singing the melody after it was finished.
i love how you stopped it and had so much to say. you're a true mentor, repping your truths. one of the greatest most concise music reaction vids of ALL-TIME right here 💯
🔥
Great reaction, great song, fantastic album. I wish upon a star that you would do Hummer from this album. The last third of that track is euphoric.
THIS.
Here's the thing: Even my kids love this song. About as much as I do, but for me when this song, and S.Dream, album hit...I was a Freshman in college, meeting lots of new ppl. Met my future wife, and the music kept me going through many difficult times...being broke, getting through college, losing friends, driving around in my shit car, with a barely workable car radio. In fact, I hadn't listened to this song in years, then I found it on my old ipod, back in 2015 or so...I was at the darkest time in my life back then. This song and John Candy saved me. I just watched his movies and played music, with this song on repeat. Thank you for posting this vid!
Man this album was (still is!) sooooooo damn good. That space fuzz distortion with all the dynamic changes in each song (chef's kiss). Easily one of my favorite albums of all time & this coming from a metalhead.
It makes sense that a metal head would like SP because they were metal heads themselves!
Siamese Dream is such a incredible album. I feel lucky to have been a punk teen when it came out.
How many changes was there in Geerk USA?
This song is the lullaby of my teen years!
'Sculpting a Space' best description of mix/mastering, so true. So difficult to do it right.
I'm still here! (also, James Iha is a wizard😁)
I love you, Geebz. Going back over some of your older videos, and man, I really love this shit.
this is the song off siamese dream that every fan only loved after a month or so of listening to album. was good to begin with, then morphs into a favorite of all time.
For me it became one of my favourite pumpkins song since the very first time I listened to it
There isn’t a bad track on this album. It’s probably my favorite album from that decade.
One of the great songs, this song to me sums up late october/early november...that's my Pumpkins time of the year, every year.
That cozy purr guitar tone is an Op-amp Big Muff. It’s all over Siamese Dream.
This song is amazing, those two guitar parts are unreal.
I love the snarling guitar wall of sound - it reminds me of My Bloody Valentine and an aspect I love about shoegaze.
Alright, Geebz, you’ve *got* to do Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, or Thru the Eyes of Ruby, both by the Smashing Pumpkins!
I would also recommend “Thru the eyes of Ruby” It’s an epic masterpiece.
Butch Vig is low key responsible for a lot of my teenage years...
Sublime...
And crunchy too.
I'm STILL here, my man! Love your vids. Smashing Pumpkins! Love em.
still get chills when i listen to this