I remember hearing Disarm when it first was released, but that's about it. Never really hearing any of their other tunes on the radio, I thought maybe they were a one hit wonder (for this album anyway), and never went out and bought it. Almost a decade and a half later, I've heard quite a few tunes from the Pumpkins and thought maybe I should have this one in my collection if not for just Disarm alone, and upon buying it I realized that I've heard Mayonaise and Today and I also liked them. I listened to Siamese Dream and found out I should have bought this album a long time ago. I totally respect what Smashing Pumpkins did in a time when grunge was hogging up the airwaves. Billy Corgan has a voice that would've fit in perfectly had they decided to go the grunge way just to make some bucks. Instead they did something that was a little ahead of their time. They decided to be creative and didn't dominate the airwaves, which is our loss and not theirs. Since then, they've created a lot of radio friendly (not that most of the stuff on Siamese Dream isn't radio friendly, it just wasn't played much) music to bring in a larger group of fans that had just been casual Pumpkins fans before. I'm not trying to knock grunge. Grunge is an important part of music, but record companies seem to just go with what's cool at the time. That's why so many 80's bands struggled, even though there were some cool albums out there, it's just that no one was listening to them (Great White's Psycho City being a glaring one). Regardless, Smashing Pumpkins survived and eventually had a larger fan base. I bought Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness when it came out because I liked the tune Bullet With Butterfly Wings. There were some other good songs on that double album, but I think Siamese Dream is a far better album. If you take the best 13 songs off of Melon Collie, they don't measure up to this album. Disarm is the most well known one on this album, but the whole thing is good. Disarm's success might have actually hurt album sales, because that song isn't a true picture of what the Smashing Pumpkins really are. Bullet With Butterfly Wings doesn't show it either. Nothing that they do really defines them, because they're so creative. Cherub Rock actually reminds me of the band Screaming Trees. If you remember the movie and soundtrack "Singles", they did the song I Nearly Lost You (or at least I think that's the name of the song). I don't believe I've heard another Screaming Trees song so that may not be their true band sound (maybe I'll have to check them out too, just out of curiosity). Anyway, enough about Screaming Trees. Cherub Rock rocks. As does Quiet. Today is kind of in between, it rocks and then it slows down to Disarm's pace. That one I'd heard before and didn't realize it was one this album. Hummer has kind of a strange beginning then goes into a cool slower rocker. Silverf@#k is a cool song. I don't really have a favorite as far as Siamese Dream goes. They are all listenable songs and none stand out that much, which I think is a good quality of a good album. Unfortunately, that is also a quality of bad album, but that is not the case here. Disarm I guess stands out a little, but if I had never heard that song before, that song wouldn't stick out really at all, which isn't a knock on that song (I actually really like that song). It's me giving props to the Pumpkins for making a very creative enjoyable album.Read full review
I like the Smashing Pumpkins....they always had a unique sound and style that was all their own! Deemed an "alternative" band, this CD is heavy on the guitar sound, with experiments in rhythm and the distinctive voice that is Billy Corgan! Released in 1993 this CD really is a treat and it stood apart from the other major releases of the time which were embedded in the grunge era! It opens with Cherub rock with its in your face guitar rifts and drum beats, paired with Corgans whispy almost etherial voice that works so well on the track and gives it such a unique style. Quiet also has similar qualities with more drum emphasis then we are treated to a change of direction with the wonderful 'Today' a staple of many rock radio stations around the States for its immense listenability. Hummer has a cool, almost lazy rift which kicks up at the chorus and Disarm explodes with acoustic sound coupled with the serene nature of the violin! Soma slows it right down especially with its mellow intro, and spaceboy again treats us to a wealth of sound. Luna is the perfect end to an album that opens with a bang, taking us to the end of a complete course of the Pumpkins!! Their best album by far!!Read full review
This is one of the best albums of the 90's. Most people tend towards "Mellon Collie" for their thoughts on Smashing Pumpkins, since it has their most famous tracks. But "Siamese Dream" is the album that really put them out there, with tracks like "Today," "Cherub Rock," "Mayonnaise," etc. It's also an evidently personal album, with "Spaceboy" in particular being very soft-spoken, and demonstrating a rare talent for instrumentation in the rock scene at the time. It's just too good of an album to pass up. If you have any interest in 90's grunge, and you've already exhausted your copy of "Nevermind," it's definitely worth a listen.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A beautiful album filled with every emotion imaginable and the mastery unlike any other musical artist at that time. This one stands by itself as a time capsule of 90's Alternative Rock.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This CD is pretty much a classic by now but I it is still an awesome CD! Except for one or two songs this whole CD is filled with the best songs that you could listen to over and over again. True, you could download these songs of the internet for free but it would take you a while to get all the songs in a high quality copy so why not buy this CD for a couple bucks instead? The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the ground breaking groups when alternative music hit the scene. This CD has great harmony in it's songs and the bass sounds great on a decent system.
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on CDs