Siamese Dream

This album is in a league of its own.

I bought this album around three years ago, after only hearing two songs by the band. The Smashing Pumpkins are now my favourite band, and Siamese Dream is my favourite album.

I listen to this album at least once a month, and it's a wonder I haven't needed to replace it yet! I won't go in-depth on every song; but I will say that this album would be a worthwhile addition to your CD collection, wherever your taste in music lies.

This album displays the perfect blend of soaring guitars and clean vocals. All the layers upon layers adds a certain quality to this album. You KNOW it wasn't recorded in a fortnight in some pokey studio in the middle of nowhere. This album has been carefully tweaked and re-tweaked into the masterpiece it has become. This is something very few bands since the demise of the Pumpkins have been concerned about.

One of the things I love most about this album is the constant see-sawing of emotions, ranging from moody, to quiet, to uplifting and bitter.

Stand-out tracks are the classics 'Today', 'Cherub rock', and 'Disarm'. Personal favourites of mine are 'Quiet', 'Hummer', 'Rocket', and 'Geek U.S.A.'.

This album really made an impact on me. Apart from introducing me to a whole new kind of music, it also gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed to learn guitar. Whatever mood I'm in, this album has seen me through it.

Buy this CD now, you won't regret it!!!


Dreamy, Melodic & Summery   March 17, 2006
mell_2
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Although Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness was more ambitious and diverse, Siamese Dream is arguably the best album in the Smashing Pumpkins catalog. In 1993, the Smashing Pumpkins were probably one of the most original bands of the alternative scene. With incredible soundscapes of guitar distortion, Billy Corgan's impassioned and ethereal vocals, and Jimmy Chamberlain's excellent drumming, these guys had a sound that was nothing like any alternative band of the time. Only My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (released in 1991) with its similar guitar-dominated sound could be considered as an influence, but Siamese Dream has its own distinct impact. My, what a sound. Billy Corgan sounds better here than any other Pumpkins album--on later albums he sounded whiny; here he sounds obscure yet not overly shrill. The guitar playing is incredible (listen to the outro of Rocket) and the music grabs you by the collar and takes you in with its sweeping power. Cherub Rock, with its slowly building opening leading to a bombastic arena rocker, is the perfect start to this album. After that, the double hit of Quiet and Today provides immense satisfaction. After Hummer and Rocket pass by leaving their audio imprint on you, the mood takes a sudden turn with the orchestral and haunting ballad Disarm which leads into the soft rock of Soma. The white-hot rage of Geek USA quickly rips through your ears before yielding to two more wonderful ballads--Mayonaise and Spaceboy. After that, the loud and powerful Silverf--k takes over. Finally, the album ends on a whisper with Sweet Sweet and Luna. You won't be tempted to skip through a single track. Although future efforts were more ambitious, the Smashing Pumpkins never made an album this flawless again. You can't lose by adding this one to your collection. ..By the way, there's nothing really "explicit" about the lyrics. Even Silverf--k contains no profanity, except for the barely audible interludes.


A musical milestone   March 14, 2006
David Johnson (Buenos Aires)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is for me one of rock music´s defining records that helped re-draw the boundaries of alternative rock in the nineties. The thing is that nobody has come up with anything like it since. The guitars they used on this are still smouldering away somewhere.
The opening drum beat on "Cherub Rock," sounds like something you might here from a majorette, a bit of bass and then the rip into the multi-layered metal sound that is the signature of this album.
One of the anomalies is that for me the strongest tracks on the album are the ones they never even released as singles. It really is that strong. For example, I love the uplifting riff on,"hummer," and sprawling manic guitar finish to the masterpiece,"Soma."
In between you have sandwiched the beautifully melodic,"today," and the inventive,"rocket," with it´s great use of the melatron. The only track I´m not such a fan of has to be,"disarm," it bought the group a lot of commercial success but I find it rather clichéd.
"Geek USA," is another abrasive slice of 100 miles an hour rock and then you have another classic, the bare, passsionate lyric of,"Mayonaisse."
The production is amazing and the guitars so multi-layered it still sounds like it was finished off last night.
When I originally bought this I listened to nothing else for about six months and I find I´m still playing it on a regular basis now.
The album that throws down the gauntlet to all other alternative rock bands.


Awe-inspiring CD that is simply worth the listen   June 3, 2000
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

From quiet,transcending beginnings to crashing guitars, this album showpieces fantastic musical ability and inspiring lyrics that come from the heart.Featuring some of the best songs the Pumpkins have done, I love this album. Maybe at first you won't like it, but soon you'll find you can't stop listening to it.It will grow on you. It makes you think, it makes you wanna rock, its got to be one of the best albums of the 90's.Mayonaise is such a divine song, the acoustic version on Vieuphoria is a must listen.'Today' is such a great song too,often credited with being their first big hit which put them on toop of the rock mountain. Songs like 'Disarm' and 'Spaceboy' come from the heart and showcase Billy Corgan's magical song writing. If there's one Pumpkins album you buy then maybe it should be Siamese Dream.If its two then definitely get Mellon Collie.


Just Awesome   November 29, 2006
Neil R. Clark
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

If you don't have this album, then let me give you some advice: don't go a minute longer without it in your life. I'm not going to hold back here, because Siamese Dream doesn't deserve anything less than the most outrageous, over-stated accolades to be bestowed upon its god-like charms.

Indeed, when the guitar and drum intro comes tumbling out of your speakers, it's as if god himself, unshaven and flannel shirted, has invaded your stereo to tell you that, when he invented guitar music, this is what he envisaged. Then the riff of Cherub Rock breaks out, and your journey has begun.

Siamese Dream is the embodiment of a great guitar album. It's riff-tastic in parts, intricate in others. It's got your anthemic rockers, yes. But if you want a slower number - it's got plenty of them apples too. Most importantly, though, Siamese Dream is a rock album. And like all great rock albums (this one, of course, being the greatest), it holds together to be one continuous, flowing work. While every tune on it is a peach, the album as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

It's too difficult to pick stand-out tracks here, because not a chorus, verse, riff, intro, outro or drumbeat is wasted - it's just all perfect.

Incase you hadn't noticed, I'm completely in love with this record, and would strongly encourage you to take my advice and give it a listen.

We salute you, Billy Corgan.