Soma – man, this is some heavy shit. Quick historical reference, Soma is a drug reference from Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. It was a wonder drug that kept everyone complacent. This song is hypnotic, to say the least. Uniquely, this song is about sadness and loss. Billy said at one point in the song there are 24 guitars playing simultaneously. It should be noted he played all the instruments on the albums, with the exception of drums. You could think of the other Smashing Pumpkins as his back up for touring, basically.
Right in the middle of the song (at 3:30 specifically), as it gently sneaks off a cliff Ka-fucking-boom! Holy shit, now there is this ranging monster of (you guessed it) sadness that is pile driving everyone in its path.
Geek USA – an extremely articulate piece of thrash. As Billy put it once live, “we used this song as the audition for Jimmy’s replacement. No one could play it, so we had to bring him back”. Seriously, listen to the drums on this track. I mean, what the fuck is that? It’s sick. He is the best drummer of his era without peer, except the amazing Danny Carey from Tool. Everyone else is a pussy.
Mayonaise – Here we come to my favorite Pumpkin song of the album. It’s not a ballad, though it plays one on TV. It is sweeping like a landscape, and powerful like a typhoon. Pretty from a great distance, but murderous in its intent when it finally gets to the shore. *** sidebar here - was that just some great writing? Or was that overstated Thomas Kinkaid type bullshit? Tell me true, I can take it! The song also contains one of my absolute favorite moments in recorded history for suspended tension. It’s too tough to explain, but I’ll tell you the other is in Crosby, Still, & Nash’s ‘Southern Cross’. The band changes it up and goes for a light touch on this one, and takes the lyrics in a, um, well, err… depressing and lonely route.
Spaceboy – this is a strange piece. It is about Billy’s brother Jesse who has some kind of learning disability. As I understand it, Billy pretty much raised him during this whole weird ‘then who are my parents’ phase… which is probably still happening in his subconscious to this day. This song has some beautiful acoustic work.
Article comments
1 - Harald
I saw the Smashing Pumpkins in '92, on our local Metropolis festival. They all wore dresses. Only when James Iha said something did we realise he was a guy :)
2 - visualsimplicity
Am I taking crazy pills here or are those lyrics you linked for "Disarm" not the lyrics for "Disarm?"
3 - Tom Johnson
He is the best drummer of his era without peer, except the amazing Danny Carey from Tool. Everyone else is a pussy.
I would REALLY love to see people stop using aggrandizations like this. It's just stupid and fanboyish. Jimmy Chamberlain, as well as Danny Carey, is a killer drummer, but there's a TON of other equally skilled drummers (and better - look to jazz for the best drummers.) Here's a hint: there is no one "best" anything in the world. Anyone claiming one particular person is the best is suffering from hero-worship, unless he is somehow the only person in the entire world to engage in that behavior. All critics, and everyone in general, would do themselves a favor if we stopped saying and believing crap like this.
Anyways, yes, Siamese Dream is a great album.
4 - Mark Saleski
yea, 'best' is a pretty meaningless description. because everybody's looking for something different.
heck, i saw Pat Metheny play with Roy Haynes once...Haynes did a 'drum' solo using nothing but sticks and his hi-hat...and it was friggin' amazing.
but: i'm certain that others would have found it boring, 'lame', whatever.
5 - Lono
Though you may be taking crazy pills, those are absolutey NOT the lyrics to Disarm. Caught me doing a rush job. What is interesting is those lyrics look hauntingly familiar (and hauntingly bad).
6 - Eric Olsen
Chamberlain really IS one of the great rock drummers, though a total unreliable flake in the real world: Keith Moon anyone?
7 - particleman
Siamese Dream has been getting heavy rotation on my stereo as well. It's great at work too. I put on the headphones and go to town.
8 - visualsimplicity
Don't rush into what you're saying this time around either Lono. The so-called "Disarm" lyrics may not be lyrics of the song "Disarm," but are indeed Smashing Pumpkins' lyrics. They belong to "Daphne Descends" off of the Adore album.
9 - Bob A. Booey
I remember being a freshman in high school in Chicago and seeing the Pumpkins play Today on Saturday Night Live. That was when alternative rock was still edgy and dangerous and cool.
I mean, you know they had to be a great band if they seemed edgy on Saturday Night Live, of all places. They rocked the show and it reminds me of those early Nirvana appearances on MTV playing live in dresses with every other word bleeped.
"Today" was just the right mix of the grunge, hard guitars and the uplifting lyrics and it made Chicago seem like the coolest place in the world at the time. Everyone talked about it being the "next Seattle," although that never really happened. Everyone had a story about their older brother or sister growing up and meeting Billy, whom I've met a couple of times since. But it was different then: they were on their way to becoming the biggest band in America for a short while and represented the indie smart kids' triumph over commercial radio. That kind of vibe continued through Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, which was kind of the other bookend for my high school years, along with the Cobain suicide maybe a year or two earlier. I'm not really sure how the Pumpkins dropped off the cultural radar after that. Someone smarter than I should write that story.
10 - Lono
as an end note, I did finally get to meet Billy. I shook his hand and said thank you for Siamese Dream, it changed my life.
So, I'm all better now.
11 - Matt
D'arcy used a pick.