Siamese Dream

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
An introductory drum roll drops out and is replaced by a single suspended electric guitar, which is then paralleled by a snare, filled in with the bass, and--crash!--"Cherub Rock," the opening track, is enveloped in an explosion of metal guitar. So the journey begins. This album is pre-experimentation vintage Pumpkins. Produced by Butch Vig (Garbage, Sonic Youth, Nirvana's Nevermind), Siamese Dream is first about guitars. Lots and lots of guitars. A very close second is Jimmy Chamberlain's unquestionably excellent power drumming. Throughout each song, Billy Corgan delivers angsty lyrics in his signature breathy whine. "Disarm" is a nice intermission halfway though the album. As the title of the song suggests, it throws the listener into a different mood with its full string arrangements and radiant orchestral chimes. But then it is back to the aural masochism--a pain that rarely sounds so sweet. --Beth Bessmer

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-08 rating:
A good producer is key
Is there any question that pretty much any album Butch Vig got his hands on in the early 90's was a major success? I used to attribute the success of this album, along with others, to the bands that played the music. But really, it would seem it was Butch Vig's involvement that really produced the popular sound of early 90's alternative rock. The heavy use of the Big Muff and other vintage 70's effects such as the Mu-Tron Bi-Phase...all of this contributed to some hugely successful albums. As soon as the Smashing Pumpkins changed producers, their popularity diminished, and their sound changed. This album really represents great studio work, and an understanding of what simply sounds good. Vintage analog effects will always surpass modern digital equivalents.

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review by: fairytales&dreams date: 2008-10-04 rating:
Simply beautiful
This album is simply beautiful. IMO, Smashing Pumpkins is one of the great bands that came out of the 90s and honestly, no band today can compare to what Smashing Pumpkins was able to do. Their music is so distinctive and unique that you know when it's a Smashing Pumpkins song you're listening to.

Some of the songs on this album: Disarm, Today, Rocket, Cherub Rock, and Mayonaise. Frankly, the entire album is awesome, you can't go wrong buying this album as all the songs are incredible. I'll just give a few thoughts of a few of the songs I mentioned.

I think Disarm has a pensive and somber tone, with the strings giving an almost bittersweet sound, and of course Billy Corgan's unmistakable voice that just makes the song perfect.

Rocket has a weird, odd rhythm to it, seems appropriate to the song, flying free. It sounds out there and surreal, but in a good way.LOL. I love the guitar riffs that accompany this song.

Today seems to strike a very nostalgic chord, a lot of yearning and wistful. Again, Billy Corgan's singing voice really captures this feeling quite well.

Cherub Rock is loud and will blow you away with its catchy guitar riffs.

Mayonaise is my favorite song on the entire album. I can listen to this song over and over again without getting bored of it. The beginning guitar solo is haunting, exquisite, and so mesmerizing. It's about a 45 second guitar solo and I think it's the best part. The best part because it sets up the mood of the song so well, of an almost dreamy contemplation tinged with melancholiness.

I highly recommend this album, heck you can't go wrong with Smashing Pumpkins, also check out their other albums, in particular Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

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review by: Rudy's Reviews date: 2008-09-10 rating:
good but overall leaves a bad taste
this is the 1st album i heard from these guys. Well, actually the song Today. i didn't like the video nor the song. same thing with disarm. but i really liked cherub rock and rocket was good too. later i heard mayonaise and liked it.

same thing with mellon collie. i heard 1979 and loved it. i heard the rest and couldnt get through it.

Well 10 years later i decide to listen to their whole catalog in itunes.

um, gish is a terrific album. i like the slow trippy stuff. siamese dream however aside form some good tracks i still dont like. something about the sound of the guitars and the melodies... sounds fake or trendy.
mellon collie however took me by surprise. it shows the band really matured and made a whole 2cd set that is ALL good.

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review by: Adrenaline date: 2008-08-24 rating:
"The killer in me is the killer in you."
It's good to hear some more music from the early 90's that was able to escape grunge's tentacles. There are a few elements in there that make it comparable to that genre, but it's really closer to alternative rock that got more popular later on. I feel like the album might be a little longer than it needs to, and some of the songs are a little similar, but nothing in particular felt like it needed to be changed or cut. A lot of the songs sounded similar to stuff that came out later, which points to it being pretty influential to modern rock. A song like "Today" for example, sounds like something I've heard fifty times before, but might be the first time it was made. Sort of like Nevermind, I respect it more than I liked it, but I did like it it more than that.

I knew "Cherub Rock" already from a couple music games last year, and it's more enjoyable when you're not playing a plastic instrument and screwing up more than you think you should be. "Disarm" is another single I've heard before, and sets itself apart from the other tracks with lots of strings and bells creating the atmosphere instead of guitar. It's followed and complemented well by "Soma", which is a soft, acoustic song that slowly builds to a nice release. "Silverf##k" isn't a bad song, but I feel like it hurts the flow of the rest of the record. It's quite long and sort of progressive, and while no element is bad, it just bores me a bit before the last couple tracks pull it back in another stylistic switch. Few moments on the album truly grabbed me, but it was solidly written and performed rock throughout.


review by: date: 2008-08-21 rating:
One of the best!!!!!!!
This CD is a classic, to quote the salesperson that sold it to me "this CD is beautiful".

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