Why the New Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Album Sucks...

This thing was doomed from the start. The words "MySpace" and "Smashing Pumpkins tribute" alone are a dead giveaway. The CD's only redeeming quality is that it's free with the July issue of Spin. Well, that and some of the covers are so bad they could provide a few laughs, I guess. I'm an admitted Pumpkins fanatic, but tribute albums are generally shitty. I cannot think of a single tribute album in existence that is worth the price of admission. What's worse this time out is the fact that the Pumpkins have such a unique sound-- due in no small part to Billy's signature nasally whine-- and a good portion of their material is essentially worshipped by their dedicated fanbase. Oh, and then there are the bands featured here-- a hodge-podge of the offensively bad (so tempted to name names), the utterly vanilla (ditto), and the unknown. Ben Kweller and the more tolerable of the two Blink 182 splinter groups also contribute. While it's hard to pick a favorite cover, it's even more difficult to determine who massacres their tune the worst.

Let's start with the best: Kweller's laid-back, stripped-down rendition of "Today" is about what you would expect. He's smart enough to resist any temptation to radically reconstruct or go at it recklessly and the tune is all the better for it. It's essentially harmless, but like everything else here, is completely unnecessary. The New Amsterdams' version of "33" is basically okay, but dude painfully over-emotes and takes too many liberties with the vocal melody in a few spots. However, the original is such a beautiful song that one would really have set out to destroy it to make a solo acoustic and vocal cover utterly unlistenable. +44 tackle Gish opener "I am One" and cover it nearly note-for-note, but it will never sound anything other than silly hearing Mark Hoppus singing a Pumpkins song. In fact, Hoppus somehow manages to make the song sound more like 311 than the Pumpkins.

The rest of the bunch are complete stinkers. Oh, where to begin? How 'bout with the very worst? Ironically, Young Love (whoever that is) manage to strip "1979" of every bit of its youthful spirit, turning it into a bland piano and vocal number that could serve as the background music at an Oprah's Book Club meeting. Josh Groban is pissed, dude. The Academy Is... take the epic "Mayonnaise" and render it completely flat and borderline monotonous. This track is among the top-tier anthems of the 90's and if you choose to undertake the endeavor of covering it, you need to bring a hell of a lot more than this to the table. The rest fare slightly better, but you probably won't make it through them once without skipping to the next track. Since I couldn't locate The Bravery's cover on the internet, I cannot say how that one stacks up. But, considering it's The Bravery, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

So, I get the point-- the Pumpkins have a new album coming out and they were a highly influential and well-loved band. It's an undeniably nice gesture to honor the band with something like this, but if the product is ever going to see the light of day you should take more pride in the material than what is presented here. Even with a better group of bands or better performances, it is highly doubtful the results would have been much different. The Pumpkins were completely unique and sound like no one else, even to this day. Sure, they had their influences, but they are in a elite group of bands. They are the rare example of a group that have great songs and are instantly recognizable and unmistakable despite mostly using the common instrumentation of rock music (drums, guitar, bass, and vocals). With the infinite number of bands out there and how it sometimes feels like everything has been done a thousand times before, this feat is becoming increasingly more difficult. Upon tackling the source material of a group like this, the results will inevitably be poor.


Stream:


You can listen to the individual tracks by clicking on the Pumpkins' top friends on MySpace. (click at your own risk!)


As a bonus, here's a video of the reunited Pumpkins playing a new song, "Starz", live in Germany on June 2, 2007:

Smashing Pumpkins - "Tarantula"

As anyone who really cares already knows, the Smashing Pumpkins will return with their first album of new material in nearly seven years upon the July 10th release of Zeitgeist. The band's line-up has been a topic of much speculation and as of this writing, the only two members confirmed for the upcoming reunion are head Pumpkin Billy Corgan and his steadfast drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. However, we do know that former Pumpkins guitarist James Iha did not participate in the reunion album nor will he involved with the upcoming tour. While Iha's presence would have made this reunion feel more like the Pumpkins, his absence will not likely affect the sound of the band to a large degree. Let's be honest-- aside from helping define the band's look and feel, Iha's most memorable contributions to the band were his co-writing credit on Siamese Dream standout and 90s anthem "Mayonnaise", his tune "Blew Away" from Pisces Iscariot, and perhaps the most memorably, his donning a dress and playing a disenchanted, androgenous hitchhiker in the "Today" video. The Pumpkins were always primarily Billy and Jimmy and despite the fact we'd all love to see all four original members (although I doubt few swear allegiance to D'Arcy Wretzky on the level many do Iha) involved in the reunion, the creative forces behind the band are on-board and ready to go. Let's see how they fared on the first single from the upcoming album shall we?

On Friday, the first single from Zeitgeist, "Tarantula", was played on the radio in its entirety for the first time and was leaked onto the internet shortly thereafter. Corganites and casual fans the world over let out a collective sigh of relief upon hearing the tune and realizing that is was actually good. I, for one, was incredibly anxious to hear the new tune as it potentially could offer significant insight into the sound of the upcoming album. Any reunion album brings with it the possibility of tarnishing a band's reputation, not to mention the overall strength of their discography.

"Tarantula" is a (mostly) no-frills rock song with heavily distorted guitars and pounding drums. The guitar sound is ripping and there are a few sweet solos scattered throughout. Billy still sounds like Billy and Jimmy's drumming is powerful and showcases his characteristic virtuosity. Whoever is filling in for James and D'Arcy do their part to keep the tune propelling forward. The verses have a more straight ahead rock feel and the choruses veer into more pop/rock terrain. About 3/4 of the way through, there is a brief bridge which is quieter and more contemplative than the rest of the tune. In other words, this has the feel of a classic Pumpkins rock song.

The Pumpkins were my favorite band in high school and Mellon Collie was released on my 15th birthday. I learned every Siamese Dream song on guitar and saw them live about 10 times. Obviously, this band is very special to me. While Billy let many of us down with his ill-fated Zwan project and an utterly forgettable solo album, I have high hopes for this upcoming album. There is no way that Zeitgeist will be another Siamese Dream or even Mellon Collie, but judging by this first single, it has the potential to be a fine addition to their catalog. If nothing else, Pumpkins fans can look forward to hearing all of their classic tunes live once again when the band heads out on tour.


Stream the tune:


If you are seeking a MP3, the song is available for download on iTunes starting today or try here.