Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
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Free Music Notes for Gish
Free Music Review: "All that you suffer is all that you are..."
Hit: 5 Stars
If I had reviewed this album a few months ago I probably would've given it a 4-star rating, but this album continues to grow on me. Each time I listen to it, I come closer to understanding how some call this their favorite Pumpkins album. This album is more 'grunge' than their others, with some hard rockers like I am One, Siva, Bury Me and Tristessa, but it includes many mellow, beautiful tracks as well, like Rhinoceros, Crush, Suffer and Daydream.. then some gradually build and alternate between hard and soft, like Window Paine and Snail. All songs are incredible, but I prefer the mellower ones; in my opinion, the Pumpkins harder stuff is better on Siamese Dream than on here. I recommend this album to anyone, especially if you prefer Siamese Dream to their later works.Free Music Review: Mellowest CD ever.
Hit: 5 Stars
To keep things short, this CD is ridiculously good. It's a CD that is half loud, distorted, grunge-type music, and half clean, relaxing stuff. Awesome. One of those CD's where you can just lay down and listen to it and not get bored. Buy it.Free Music Review: Wonderful start for what would be a legendary band
Hit: 5 Stars
And I don't view that as any kind of a hyperbole. No matter how you put it, the Pumpkins stand out on their own. Once I was listening to some of the songs on the first Pumpkins show, and it seems like by the time that they released this that they were just releasing amazing stuff. As for the thing about them being the best Chicago band since Ministry, I almost completely agree. And while I love that band, I happen to think that these guys put Al Jourgensen to shame. That says a lot, doesn't it? Well, for one thing, that's just my opinion.
A good thing about noting with this album is that most people seem to think that the band had two great recordings, "Siamese Dream" and "MCIS". Those are exceptional records that are actually a little bit better, but to me, not by much. If you like the hard-rock side of the Pumpkins than these three are a very good first buy ("Adore" if you like the more full-blown goth). This album has the psychedelia, metal, goth, and lots of other elements. After releasing singles from Limited Potential and Sub Pop, where do they go next? Instead of going for major label immediately, they went on Caroline. Also, if you found the lyrics on later works to be too self-obsessed (I really didn't), this is better for you because there aren't too many major themes on "Gish". It's a lot more of a humble record than it seems.
It is also clear that you hear the sound of an actual band on this album that you don't hear quite as much on future SP albums. "I Am One" even has a bass solo from D'arcy! That song shows where the band was at this point and it was really a good sign of how they could jam out. If anyone wants to prove someone that all of the band members were really talented musically, this would be the track to do that with. The punch continues with "Siva", which has amazing guitar work of Billy and James. I like it when the song gets more clean and "dreamy" as well. It's like a taste of more greatness that was to come.
Bass still shines in some of these songs that come later, too. A great example of this is "Rhinoceros", a good mix of new wave and hard rock that was kind of what the Pumpkins were. Once again, the guitar solo is amazing. Billy and James are such overlooked guitarists; nothing they do ever sucks. The vocals have some of my favorite melodies on Pumpkins tracks, as well. I like the way it fades out in the last thirty or so seconds, also.
Other highlights appear. The ones that don't stand out as much are actually great but in the company that they are in get overshadowed, unfortunately. "Crush" is notable for its interesting playing and one interesting thing of note is that the percussive sound in the guitar solo is actually Billy's jewelry. I am glad that "Suffer" got re-tooled for the trip-hop world, and this is one of two moments where the gothic side of the Pumpkins really shines. You should also check out the great music ability that is shown on "Window Paine".
In competition with the excellence of the first three tracks is probably "Daydream", where D'arcy shines on vocals, and there is some string in it. It's kind of like Cocteau Twins with less shoegaze, but don't worry because that sound is prevalent in most early Pumpkins work. It is backed by an alright hidden track, a performance of "I'm Going Crazy". A softer track and the only one on here where Billy spits out the f-bomb, it is nice to hear although it is not as great as the ten that are heard on here.
And while it could be argued that this could be classified as grunge, the Pumpkins have always had more of a variety in their music than their contemporaries. It is not as boundary-pushing as "MCIS", as layered as "Siamese" or lush like "Adore" but it still sounds out. And "Machina" unfortunately doesn't have the competition that the other four records do (it's not bad, but it's spotty). While not my favorite debut record of all time (that nod goes to "Visual Audio Sensory Theater" by Vast), I still think this is something of exceptional quality. Very few records today even come close to matching this album.
Free Music Review: Creative Debut
Hit: 4 Stars
I really hate to be hard on this album in comparison to the Pumpkins' later works, but it has some of their best songs included on the album. From hard rock songs with amazing lead work, such as Tristessa or I Am One, to mellower rhythm based ones, such as Rhinoceros, Crush, and Window Paine. Corgan's vocals are amazingly dynamic and the guitarwork is masterful, even the bass, which is always punctual. The problem I have with this album is with some of the other songs, such as Daydream and Suffer. They're not bad songs, but they seem out of place in comparison to the beautiful melodies on the other tracks. Buy if you like the Pumpkins or grunge/alt rock in general.Free Music Review: Corgan debuts in grand style
Hit: 5 Stars
'Gish' kind of gets overlooked because of the insanely huge album that would follow it, but this is every bit as good as 'Siamese Dream.' It's mainly heavy rock, although in more of a psychedelic vein than anything else the Pumpkins have out. "I am One," "Siva," and "Tristessa" are delicious Pumpkins heavy-rock, though they're more jam-oriented than later outings. "Rhinoceros" is a lethargically paced ballad that explodes into insane guitar soloing at the end. "Window Paine" splits the difference between the two, beginning as the slowest song on 'Gish' and ending with 30 seconds of feedback noise. "Suffer" makes the Gothic heart of the Pumpkins just a bit clearer, with haunting guitars and a mysterious flute solo. "Crush" and "Daydream" are the album's two acoustic numbers, though done very differently. Despite the endless shrieking lead breaks, this is a very laid-back set, more candles-and-incense than anything. This is nowhere near the wall of sound that burst onto MTV two years later with "Cherub Rock." If you're OK with that, buy this right off.