MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream

Following the release of their debut album Gish and the EP Lull in 1991, the Smashing Pumpkins had toured extensively before finally returning home to Chicago to commence work on their follow-up. Expectations were high; the release of their first album had been eclipsed by the phenomenal success of Nirvana‘s breakthrough Nevermind, both of which had been produced by Butch Vig, yet the Smashing Pumpkins had still gained considerable acclaim through their live performances. Having recorded four new tracks at Soundworks with Catherine drummer Kerry Brown for the major label re-release of the single I Am One, as well as touring in support of Guns N’ Roses (then riding high on the success of their double album Use Your Illusion), the band were both physically and emotionally exhausted and in need of rest.

To make matters worse, each member was facing their own personal issues; frontman Billy Corgan was under the pressure of writing a make-or-break album and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin considered leaving due to a growing drug dependency, while tensions rose between guitarist James Iha and bassist D’arcy Wretzky after the collapse of their relationship. And with no time to take a hiatus in order to put their lives in order, the Smashing Pumpkins were forced to commence work on album number two. Retreating into a rehearsal room in late 1992, the band worked on new material that soon began to take shape as rough demos. They soon reconvened with Vig, who in the eighteen months since the release of Gish had worked with Sonic Youth, L7 and Chainsaw Kittens. After considering Toronto, Canada, as a base of operations, the band finally settled on Triclops Studio in Atlanta, Georgia. The process would prove difficult, having to work for twelve-to-fourteen hours a day from December through to March, leaving the members feeling drained and claustrophobic.

What made matters worse was that the record label had high expectations for the album, which in some ways they hoped would rival the success of Nevermind. Corgan had been held up in the press with the same kind of prestige as Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain and his songs, while sometimes cryptic, often contained lyrics that their young fans could relate to. Further complications arose when Corgan felt that his bandmates were not on the same page, ultimately resulting in him often working in the studio by himself. Thus, eleven of the thirteen songs that would eventually be included on what would become Siamese Dream were credited solely to Corgan, with only two co-written by Iha. As he feared that his band was slowly coming apart, Corgan focused on the album and recorded most of the guitar parts himself, while feeling that Iha, Wretzky and Chamberlin were not pulling their own weight.

In comparison to Gish, the production on Siamese Dream would be more polished, and while their first record had included a cello, viola and violin, the string accompaniment would be more prominent the second time around. Among the musicians who would contribute to the album were Mike Mills from R.E.M., Eric Remschneider (who would later work with Iha, Filter and Veruca Salt) and David Ragsdale (who also contributed to Queensrÿche‘s 1997 album Hear in the Now Frontier). Vig was assisted in the studio by Mark Richardson, co-founder of the studio and former collaborator of such artists as Kool and the Gang, who acted as the engineer for the Siamese Dreams sessions.

Three tracks that would be recorded during this time but would fail to be included on the album were Frail and Bedazzled, Whir and Spaced, all of which were later included on the compilation Pisces Iscariot. With the sessions finally coming to an end after four long months, the band moved west to Canoga Park, Los Angeles, to complete the mixing of the album at Rumbo Recorders with noted English producer Alan Moulder, who had worked with the likes of The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. But even as Siamese Dreams neared the end of its production, the fact that Nirvana had also been hard at work on their highly anticipated follow-up to Nevermind placed further pressure on the album. The subsequent exposure that Nirvana had given to Seattle’s grunge scene had resulted in several local bands, including Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, enjoying mainstream success, while prior to the recording of Siamese Dream the Smashing Pumpkins had found themselves on the soundtrack to Singles, Cameron Crowe’s love letter to the scene that had also included contributions from Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone.

With the album finally completed, Corgan and the label began to debate which song should be the lead single. At his insistence, Cherub Rock was released in the summer of 1993 but failed to perform as well as expected. Siamese Dream made its debut on July 27th and, on the first week of release, made its way into the US top ten. The album would gain considerable acclaim and would bring the band to the attention of mainstream audiences, while Nirvana‘s In Utero had caused confusion among both critics and fans (although it would later be heralded as a misunderstood classic). The second single released from Siamese Dream would be Today, the label’s first choice, which soon gained major airplay on MTV and became the band’s biggest hit to date. Despite having been written during a time when Corgan felt tired and depressed, the song was an upbeat pop song that boasted the ironic line, “Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known.” The band worked with French photographer and filmmaker Stéphane Sednaoui (who had also shot promos for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna) in Los Angeles on the video, which featured Corgan riding around the desert in an ice cream van, picking up each band member along the way.

The third single released from the album, an acoustic balled entitled Disarm, brought the band further acclaim and was later included on the compilation Rocks Off, which also included songs from Soundgarden, Faith No More and Sonic Youth. The Smashing Pumpkins travelled to England to perform an electric version of the song on the cult youth show The Word, where Cobain had once famously declared that his wife (and Hole singer) Courtney Love was “the best fuck in the world.” Although the fourth and final single from Siamese Dream, Rocket, failed to perform as well (despite being accompanied by a colourful and bizarre video from husband and wife duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, later known for their Academy Award-winning feature Little Miss Sunshine), the Smashing Pumpkins‘ had finally delivered an album that matched their live persona and demonstrate Corgan’s remarkable writing talents.