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Archive-name: music/smashing-pumpkins-faq/part2
Posting-Frequency: monthly (17th) Version: 4.6 URL: http://www.ualberta.ca/~michaelh/FAQ.txt See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
2. -Songs/Albums-
2.1 Short discography
Gish (1991) - single for "I Am One", 'Lull' EP for "Rhinoceros"
Peel Sessions (1992) - Siva (different version), Girl Named Sandoz,
Smiley
Siamese Dream (1993) - singles for "Cherub Rock", "Today", "Disarm" and
"Rocket"
Pisces Iscariot (1994) - B-sides from previous singles, some unreleased
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) - singles for "Bullet with
Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", "Tonight, Tonight", and
"Thirty-Three"
The Aeroplane Flies High (1996) - all MCIS singles & B-sides, plus 5
covers
Adore (1998) - includes singles "Ava Adore", "Perfect".
Several soundtracks & compilation CDs also have unique tracks. For more
info, check out the complete discography, maintained by Dave Asselin at:
http://www.xero.com/sp/spdiscog.txt
OR, the visually-stimulating discography by Steve Hemming at
http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/discography/disco.html
2.2 Finding lyrics
At this time, there is no completely comprehensive (and original) lyrics
site. Two original-work sites are currently in progress, so this will be
updated when they are completed. At the moment, the best source is
Siva:
http://blamo.simplenet.com/sp/
2.3 Guitar/bass tablature
Guitar tablature can be found at various SP web sites. The site with the
most tablature I'm aware of is at Pumpkin Soup:
http://www.starla.org/pumpkinsoup/
More guitar tablature can be found at OLGA (the OnLine Guitar Archive)
and its mirrors: http://www.olga.net/
2.3b Piano score
Piano scores of songs like "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness",
"Thru The Eyes of Ruby", "Farewell & Goodnight", "For Martha", and
"Once In A While" can be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/5295/
2.4 Cover songs
Songs that have been covered by SP and which appear on official releases
are as follows:
Song Title: Original Artist: Where Found:
Clones (We're All) Alice Cooper TAFH box set
Dancing in the Moonlight Thin Lizzy Disarm single (Heart)
Destination Unknown Missing Person TAFH box set
Dreamin' Blondie TAFH box set
Girl Named Sandoz The Animals Peel Sessions, PI
Jackie Blue Ozark Mtn Daredevils K-Tel compilation
Landslide Fleetwood Mac PI, Disarm (Heart)
My Blue Heaven Whiting/Donaldson 33 single, TAFH box set
Never Let Me Down Again Depeche Mode Rocket single
A Night Like This The Cure TAFH box set
Rudolph the Red-Nosed (traditional) Kevin & Bean comp. tape
Reindeer
Sad Peter Pan Vic Chestnutt Sweet Relief II comp.
Terrapin Syd Barrett I Am One 10" vinyl
You're All I've Got The Cars TAFH box set
Tonight
Transmission [Joy Division], Boys Don't Cry [The Cure], Godzilla [Blue
Oyster Cult], Out of Focus [Blue Cheer], and a bit of Sunshine of Your
Love [Cream] can be found on CD bootlegs, as well as Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer. Performances of "Auf Wiedersehen", "Baby Loves to
Rock" and "If You Want My Love" with Cheap Trick are also available on
the numerous CD boots from 10/23/95, the pre-MCIS release concert.
When the band opened for KISS on Halloween 1998, they were dressed as
the Beatles, and opened their set with a cover of the Beatles' "Money,
(That's What I Want)".
2.5 Unreleased songs
Recent songs that have not been released, and perhaps never will be,
include Let Me Give the World to You, Blissed & Gone [aka "17", aka
"Need"...], Methusela, Speed, Towers of Rabble, and Wishing You Were.
2.5b 'Mashed Potatoes' box set
During the past year, the 'Mashed Potatoes' box set has been one of the
discussed topics on the newsgroup. The 'Mashed Potatoes' box set is a
set of CDs that Billy gave to a select group of people in 1994 (or
there-about), and is said to contain live and unreleased songs from
1990 to 1992 or so. Very little, other than what is mentioned here, is
actually known about the set, regardless of what you may hear. So, in
short, asking about the box set will probably just get you killfiled or
flamed, both of which you probably don't want.
Please don't email me, asking for information on the set, as I have no
information other than what is here. Thank you.
2.6 Where to find given songs
Check the bootlists at either Jackboot (http://www.starla.org/jackboot/)
or the bootleg discography, and they'll tell you every CD-boot release
you can find something on, except where there are no recordings of the
song.
2.7 Short guide to radio songs
The following is a short guide to songs you're likely to hear on the
radio, so if you don't know a song by name, this should help you out:
1979 - played semi-often. Drum loop with live drums, clean guitars.
"Shakedown, 1979..." Found on MCIS & single.
Ava Adore - heavy, distorted drum loop (electronic-style drums). "You'll
always be my whore". Played heavily before and after release of 'Adore'.
Bullet with Butterfly Wings - played often in 95-6. Distorted. "Despite
all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage." Found on MCIS &
single.
Cherub Rock - played often during SD era. Opens with drum roll. "Let me
out, let me out..." Found on Siamese Dream & single.
Destination Unknown - very synthy Missing Persons cover found in TAFH.
Disarm - played often a few years ago, still played occasionally.
Acoustic guitar, timpani, cello and bells. "Disarm you with a smile..."
"I used to be a little boy" etc. Found on Siamese Dream & single.
Drown - played occasionally. Long, spacey. "No matter where you are, I
can still hear you when you drown..." Unedited version includes a long
feedback solo at the end. Found on Singles soundtrack.
The End Is The Beginning Is The End - song from Batman and Robin
soundtrack, released for radio play. Heavy distorted guitars, some
synth, electronic drums.
Eye - played occaisionally. Drum kit, synth. "Turn to the gates of
Heaven, to myself be damned..." Found on Lost Highway soundtrack.
Frail & Bedazzled - used to be played often, still airs occasionally.
Heavy I/IV guitar riff, one verse drops to vocals-only. Found on PI.
Landslide - solo acoustic Fleetwood Mac cover. "And I saw my reflection
in a snow covered hill..." Found on Pisces Iscariot & Disarm Heart
single.
Muzzle - played semi-often. Distorted guitars, fairly heavy. Drums cut
out & enter loudly back in several times. Starts off "I fear that I am
ordinary just like everyone." Found on MCIS (-no- CDS single).
Never Let Me Down Again - played occasionally. Clean guitar, mellow
cover of Depeche Mode song: "I'm taking a ride with my best friend" etc.
Found on Rocket CDS or 7" (hard to find).
Perfect - second single from 'Adore'. Light, poppy song. "Perfect, I
promise we'll be perfect...". Played often. Video is the "continuation"
of the 1979 video.
Rocket - played often during SD era. Layered distorted guitars. "I
shall be free..." Found on Siamese dream & single.
Thirty-Three - played semi-often. Acoustic guitar & piano, no drums.
"And you - can make it last, forever you." Found on MCIS & single.
Today - played often during SD era. Alternating clean/distorted.
"To-day is the greatest..." etc. Found on Siamese Dream & single.
Tonight, Tonight - played semi-often. Strings, clean guitar. Found on
MCIS & single.
You're All I've Got Tonight - Cars cover. Verses are mostly drums.
Found in TAFH box set.
Zero - played semi-often. Distortion/harmonics. Found on MCIS & single.
2.8 Songs sung by other members
Billy doesn't sing -every- song... Those featuring James on lead vocals
are (these do not include James' solo album "Let It Come Down", 1998) :
Believe, The Bells, Blew Away, The Boy, Farewell & Goodnight (1st verse,
w/ Billy), A Night Like This, ...Said Sadly (w/ guest Nina Gordon of
Veruca Salt), Take Me Down, and Terrapin.
Of course, he's also sung a few songs live (Boys Don't Cry, Country Girl,
I Feel You, Kooks, Germans in Leather Pants etc.)
D'Arcy sings on Daydream (Gish), Dreamin' (TAFH box set), and in the
second verse of Farewell and Goodnight (MCIS), as well as backup on many
other songs. She's also featured in Catherine's "Four Leaf Clover" and
"Punch Me Out", and on a few Fulflej songs.
Jimmy Chamberlin, the band's former drummer, sings along with D'Arcy in
the second verse of Farewell and Goodnight.
2.9 "Secret" messages/sounds
Sometimes you can hear weird noises that probably shouldn't be there, or
people talking in the studio. Sometimes they're obvious, sometimes you
have to strain to hear them with headphones on.
NOTE: This isn't meant to be a complete listing of every time you hear a
strange noise, but it's a list of the most interesting and notable noises
& extra words you can find.
Many more can be found at Pumpkin World's secret sounds page:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/2204/secrets.html
Bodies
words spoken in background of second "Love is suicide" chorus- destroy /
despise / distrust / disobey / destroy / distrust / disloyal / disarm /
destroy / despise / dissect / deny / destroy / despise / distrust
Bury Me
song opens with James saying something (most plausible ideas are "Boys,
let's do it" and "Poised like an angel")
Cherry
studio talk at beginning: "Listen- wanna just start it?" "Ready, Flood?"
"Yeah." "1, 2, 3, 4..."
Dancing in the Moonlight
Billy talks at the end about choking in the middle of the song
Daydream
click of bow hitting cello at 1:10.5, jingly noises around 1:20-21
Galapogos
incomprehensible muttering from 3:16-27
Glynis
opens with synthesized "Hello", allegedly from a Red Red Meat song
Hello Kitty Kat
ends with Billy saying "Song's over"
Honey Spider I
Billy laughs at end & says "Aha! That's everything..."
La Dolly Vita
strange, cartoonish "Ooh!" noise at 3:33; cuckoo at 3:44
Marquis in Spades
studio talk at beginning: "Rolling..." "I was just on another planet for
a sec." "Run it back, Mole" (amp on) "Fucker."
Quiet
strange, very quiet (ha ha) voices at the end of the song. Try it with
headphones.
Silverfuck
ends with BC saying "Alright, this take, don't give a fuck" & playing a
few notes
Siva (Peel Session)
at 4:09, D'Arcy says she stepped on something; BC counts to 4 for re-
entry
Soma
ends with TV evangelist clip: "and you need to resist the devil so that
he will flee"
Soothe
"you can hear the 7am buses slithering by" at 2:18-21 (PI liner notes)
Spaceboy
ends with TV talk show clip: "Now it's, uh, kind of strange, and, uh,
kinda hard for me to talk about, but I thought maybe you could help- um,
when we start getting physical, rather than having intercourse, he ends
up just masturbating himself, and I end up feeling very alienated and
unsatisfied, and it's really come between us-". Some versions include
the clip as the beginning of the Silverfuck track.
Starla
"listen for the police car go by" at 5:27-30 (PI liner notes)
Transformer
starts with 4 drum clicks & Billy saying "Hit it"
Where Boys Fear to Tread
DOOM explosion mentioned in liner notes: 1:20, 1:55, 2:29, 3:01, 3:44
2.10 Song/album meanings
Discussing the meaning of songs is sometimes an interesting topic, but
the band seem to shy away from explaining them outright. On 120 Minutes,
November '91, Billy and D'Arcy said the following:
BC: Um, my songs are really personal... and... you, it's like I'd have
to tell everyone the story that goes behind every song, and I just...
it's kinda- it seems silly to me that I'd have to say "Well one day I
was walking down the street, see, and..." [shrug] it doesn't- it
wouldn't make any difference. I- and I don't- I mean, that's one of
my problems with the video medium, is- is having to attach symbolism
and specifics to songs because I think in some ways it's the
ambiguousness of things that makes people find something in their
own... life.
D: I sometimes think that... people get more out of a song (BC nods) if
they don't know exactly what it's about- you can, you can listen more
to the music, and that's mostly what we're about is music & emotions
come from that.
BC: Freedom. Freedom of thought. I mean, we're not here to preach or tell
you what to think, you know, if-
D: We're here to say 'think for yourself,' you know...
2.11 Vieuphoria/Earphoria - extra/unreleased songs
Vieuphoria contains several songs unavailable elsewhere, which are as
follows:
Bugg Superstar - techno song playing while James talks about his dog
(repeats "Bugg, Superstar...").
Pulseczar - distorted guitar chords, no drums, weird visual effects.
Starts with "I hear you calling from the sky"
Sinfony - 53 second EBow-driven guitar piece at beginning of tape
Why Am I So Tired? - instrumental played over ending credits
Note that the long jam at the end of Silverfuck also appears as a riff
called "Jackboot" in Pastichio Medley, but is not usually considered a
completed song.
2.12 Differences between releases
Most releases have several versions available. Special versions,
usually imports from central Europe or Japan, sometimes contain extra
tracks not found on the other releases. Check it out before buying to
avoid having to buy several versions of the same single to get all the
songs. :-)
For more details, consult either discography:
Visual Discography, found at
http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/discography/disco.html
Text-version, found at http://www.xero.com/sp/spdiscog.txt
2.12a Gish - original/remastered
The original release of Gish was on Caroline Records, has the cover image
on the CD, and was released in 1991. The rerelease was on Virgin, has no
picture on the CD (just the writing), and was "remastered." It's hard to
tell by listening, although the bass was supposedly brought out a bit...
2.12b Siamese Dream - clean/explicit version, import
Certain versions of Siamese Dream have the titles listed on the back,
while others don't. This is the "clean version", assumed to be produced
for large chain stores, due to the title "silverfuck". Aside from the
back cover, there is no difference.
There are also differences in the inserts- after the initial pressing,
someone decided to save money by taking all the photographs, which were
on their own page in the first pressing, and combining them all onto 2
pages, turning the booklet into a foldout, and rendering the handwritten
lyrics quite small and difficult to read. Canadian editions of Siamese
Dream are ALL the full insert - with pages for every song. The
repressing included an address for fan club info and lyrics-
unbeknownst to the 'fan club' person (read 'mail reader') for some time-
resulting in many returned letters, until every- thing was finally
explained...
The Japanese import version contains a bonus track, labelled "Hikari
Express". This is simply "Pissant", which can be found on Pisces
Iscariot.
2.12c Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 3LP
Mellon Collie was released on vinyl in March of 1996. This came out on 3
12" vinyls. Here is an explanation of the availability of this, as found
in the text discography:
"The 3LP version of MCIS was originally solicited in February of 1996 as
a limited-to-5000, numbered edition. When it was finally released in
April, it was allegedly limited to 15,000. Since that time, numbers above
18,000 have been confirmed, leaving open the question of how many copies
were actually pressed."
Most recently, Mark Andrew Hamilton has reported that Virgin Records has
re-issued the set, and has it listed as "In-stock" in their catalogues.
More will be posted here as it comes available.
2.12d Adore - Japanese version
The Japanese version of Adore includes a bonus track, "Once in a While",
which is also found on the US and UK versions of the Ava Adore single.
2.12e Ava Adore - 7" vinyl
The UK Ava Adore 7" was supposed to be limited to 5000 copies. But,
as with the Mellon Collie 3-LP, many more (up to 3000 more, I think)
appeared.
2.12f Earphoria - promo/bootleg
The promo for Vieuphoria, entitled "Earphoria", exists as a promo (rare)
and as various bootlegged/copied versions. The promo CD is light blue
with pink SP-hearts, and includes a picture of James and Bugg on the back
of the liner. The bootlegged versions are usually cheap copies- image
quality on the liner is obviously inferior, some versions are missing the
picture of James & Bugg, and some of the CDs are simply black hearts on
blank CDs. Some versions also mess up the tracks by combining French
Movie Theme and Pissant onto one track, and splitting Silverfuck into two
tracks. The biggest apparent difference, though, is price- the promo
will usually cost significantly more, if you can find it anywhere.
Also note that there's a bootleg CD entitled "Billy Don't Be a Hero" that
is, essentially, a copy of Earphoria.
2.12g Import/domestic singles
Differences in singles are quite common- generally US and UK singles are
limited to two or three B-sides, for chart/ratings purposes- including
more songs would change their status from 'single' to 'EP', which would
mean they couldn't be counted in certain charts. Usually, where
different versions of a single exist, the US version will simply omit
certain B- sides, UK releases will be split into two parts, and Japanese
or central European releases (Germany, Holland, etc.) will include all
tracks.
CD singles for I Am One, Cherub Rock, Rocket, Bullet with Butterfly
Wings, and Zero either exist only in one form (from one country), or have
the same number of tracks on each release (except that the box set
release of BwBW also includes 5 cover songs).
Disarm is in two parts from the UK, labelled "Heart" and "Smile".
Tonight, Tonight, Thirty-Three, and Perfect, as well as having 2-part
UK singles, also have a US counterpart with omitted B-sides.
1979, Tonight, Tonight, and Perfect have central-Europe releases with all
B-sides included. 1979 and Perfect also have US releases with omitted
B-sides.
Today and Tonight, Tonight also have Japanese import versions: Today
features Hello Kitty Kat, Obscured, French Movie Theme, and Apathy's Last
Kiss (only otherwise available on the Today 7"). Tonight, Tonight has
the same tracks as the central-Europe release (i.e. all 6 B-sides).
For detailed information on singles and the different versions, consult
either discography.
2.12h Vinyl - variant B-sides
The B-sides (and C-sides, where they exist) of vinyl releases often
differ from those of cassette and CD/CDS releases. Following is a list
of songs that can only be found on vinyl (excluding unofficial/bootleg
releases):
Daughter - Reflex magazine 7" flexi-disc (good luck)
Bullet Train to Osaka - I Am One 10"
Honey Spider I - Tristessa 12"
Honey Spider II - Pisces Iscariot bonus 7"
Infinite Sadness - MCIS triple vinyl (3x12")
My Dahlia - Light Into Dark compilation 12"
Not Worth Asking - I Am One 7", Pisces Iscariot bonus 7"
Purr Snickety - Cherub Rock 7" (also in Siamese Singles box set)
Siamese Dream - Disarm 7" (also in Siamese Singles box set)
Sun - Light Into Dark compilation 12"
Terrapin [Syd Barrett] - I Am One 10"
The original 7" version of I Am One can be found on the Absolute Middle
of Nowhere #17 compilation CD, and the Today 7" b-side "Apathy's Last
Kiss" can be found on the Japanese Today import CDS.
2.13 Common/recurring lyrics
Billy has been known to use a few words or phrases several times, so to
keep people from constantly re-'discovering' them :-) here's a list:
june: 1979, Bye June, Mayonaise, Rhinoceros, Tales of a Scorched
Earth, Where Boys Fear to Tread
my one and only: By Starlight, Lily, XYU, Zero
On Q101 radio (Chicago), 10/95, someone actually asked about this- the
reply was that he simply did that to see if people would notice. A more
likely explanation is simply that he likes those words, and/or they rhyme
well...
2.14 Photos/Cover art
Since some people wonder where all those pictures come from in all the
releases, here's a brief synopsis:
SD insert - random pictures found by the graphic artist, not related to
the band (same goes for Cherub Rock cover)
Today cover - D'Arcy's sisters
Pisces Iscariot cover (CD) - of continuous debate. Some say it's James,
Courtney Love said it's her with a cherry in her mouth, Billy said
it's his now-ex wife, Chris, although he may have been referring to
the necklace picture on the inside liner
Bullet with Butterfly Wings insert - from an advertisement in the 1800s
for some sort of youth potion called, "Brittle's Blood Bitters".
Zero insert - a Giorgio Armani model (NOT Yelena Yemchuk, the
photographer)
Thirty-Three - cover painting=Rasputin, insert=Lenin
Adore cover - Amy Wesson
Adore insert- the pictures on the inside of the CD liner were taken while
the band was on tour in Poland during the Mellon Collie tour, it is
assumed
Ava Adore cover - Amy Wesson also.
Perfect single covers - unknown (so far)
2.15 mp3s
Recently, this has been one of the most commonly asked questions.
"What are mp3s?"
mp3s are a type of sound file that combines high sound quality with
relatively low (compared to .wav files) file size. The average 4
minute song in mp3 format is approximately 4 to 5 megabytes in size,
or about 1 megabyte for every minute of high quality sound. The same
song in wav format is about 50 megabytes, even at the same sampling
rate.
"I want some!"
"Hey, this is great!", you must be thinking. "These should be
everywhere! Free mp3s for everyone!". 'Fraid not, kiddos. While
there have been large archives in the past (Smashing Pumpkins Audio
Archive had over 600 at it's peak), they cost a lot to maintain, as
large amounts of filespace are needed to host these songs. The RIAA
also has a problem with these mp3 sites because they feel that with
easy access to such high quality songs for free, people will stop
buying CDs. Many mp3 sites are shut down for this reason.
"Can I set up a site?"
Since the downfall of the indisputable King of mp3 sites in November
of 1997 (the Smashing Pumkpins Audio Archive), many FTP sites and
various internet sites have tried to take its place, but most have
been unable to keep up with the demand for live (and occasionally,
studio album) mp3s, and have shut down within a month or two, whether
it be due to lack of server space, or the RIAA shutting them down.
If you watch the newsgroups, (alt.music.smash-pumpkins or
alt.binaries.smash-pumpkins), new mp3 sites will pop up, then quite
often disappear. Keep your eyes open, as a permanent site may one
day be revived.
However, in the meantime, there are alternatives. RealAudio is a
very cheap alternative, albeit quite a quality difference. For more
information on RealAudio, visit the website at http://www.real.com.
Smashing Pumpkins RealAudio songs are available at:
http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net
The SPLRA sometimes posts recent concerts in mp3 or RealAudio for
download, so check their website too: http://www.starla.org/splra.
3. -Band Info-
3.1 Origin of name
Most answers to this question are only semi-serious, as they've heard it
way too often. The March '93 fan club newsletter gave the following
story:
"Gene Simmons came to us in a dream and said: 'Joe Strummer is a pumpkin,
drunken and smashed.'"
On Vieuphoria, they simply said "It's a joke." However, the most serious
answer comes from an interview with D'Arcy by the Washington Post
(11/19/93):
"The name of the band is a stupid name, a dumb bad joke and a bad idea,
OK?" she says. "Billy named the band before there even was a band. He was
like, 'I'm gonna have a band and it's gonna be called this.' 'Smashing'
is not a verb, it's an adjective. It's not like we like to smash pumpkins
or anything. And we are not amused by pumpkin jokes anymore."
So, there you have it. "Smashing" is an adjective, not a verb (think
British here if you're still having trouble). :-)
3.2 First appearance
Billy and James first appeared in a Polish bar called Track in 1988.
Their first radio broadcast was on WNUR in Evanston that year. (Info
from the March '93 fan club newsletter). The first gig as a complete
band was on 07.09.88 (July 9, 1988) at Chicago 21. This show did not
include Jimmy, as he had not yet been hired. It consisted of James,
D'arcy, and of course, Billy.
3.3 Short Bios
Since everyone MUST know their birthdays, here they are:
Billy Corgan: March 17, 1967
D'Arcy: May 1, 1968
James Iha: March 26, 1968
Jimmy Chamberlin (former drummer): June 10, 1964
For people obsessed with looking through old high school yearbooks: Billy
went to Glenbard North in Carol Stream, IL, James went to Elk Grove
Village HS, IL, and D'Arcy went to L.C. Mohr in South Haven, MI.
3.4 Recording sessions
As you may have heard, most of the recording for Siamese Dream was done
by Billy (drums excluded). His reasoning: "I was obsessed to meet a
standard that was beyond our capability. I was more concerned about
technical efficiency than heart." The MCIS sessions were "a joy,
compared to the tense Siamese Dream recording," and all members worked
collectively.
For information pertaining to when and where particular songs and
albums were recorded, consult the Recording Sessions, by Jesse
Miller (only the mirrors could be located at time of release):
http://www.netphoria.org/recording/recording.html
http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/recording.html
3.5 Is Billy left-handed or right-handed?
Billy is left-handed. He writes with his left hand. However, he
plays the guitar as if he was right-handed. This is because he felt
that it was silly to have his weak hand doing the tough fret-work.
Another reason is that when Billy and his father went to buy a
guitar, Billy asked which was more common. He went with a
right-handed guitar.
3.6 Equipment
I'm not an equipment expert (I don't even have an electric guitar), so I
can't provide detailed lists of everything you'll need to perfectly
imitate that pumpkin sound.
The SP Guitar and Amp Settings Archive has lots of great info,
at: http://www.smashing-pumpkins.org/forever/
The intro articles at the beginning of the tablature books for SD, MCIS
and Adore are also of interest.
3.6a Special effects
One of the cool effects I -can- explain is the 'reverse echo' used on the
"bang bang" part of Silverfuck, as well as other songs. The track is
recorded, then flipped backwards, and echo/reverb is added. It's then
flipped back to forwards, so the effect is that of echoing -into- the
note. Pretty cool, eh? :-) This is also heavily used by the Cure (see
"End" from Wish).
3.6b EBow
An EBow (electronic/electromagnetic bow) is a small, hand-held magnetic
device that causes guitar strings to vibrate continuously, resulting in a
long, sustained tone. These are used most notably on Sinfony, Soma, &
Drown. James uses EBows a lot live, on songs like Shame, & Porcelina.
There's even a web site for EBows at http://www.ebow.com.
3.7 Personal info for the prying fan
I'm not about to invade their privacy, but here's what they (apparently)
don't mind letting us know via press, etc.:
D'Arcy was involved with James for a while in the early days of the band.
She is now married to Kerry Brown, drummer of Catherine.
Billy is separated from former wife Chris, and is dating photographer/
director Yelena Yemchuk.
3.9 Silly rumors (Small Wonder, Sea Monkeys, etc.)
Every once in a while, someone will resurrect a really stupid rumor (see
"Troll" under 1.5). No, Billy was not in the TV show "Small Wonder" (the
character of Jamie Lawson was played by Jerry Supiran, if you must know),
and who cares if Marilyn Manson supposedly had him snort Sea Monkeys
(Manson even admitted later that that was a joke)? Such rumors aren't
even worth bringing up (so please don't).
3.10 SP Fan Club
The "fan club" started when the Siamese Dream liner notes included the
words "smashing pumpkins fan club information" next to their PO box
address (which was different on both releases of Gish). Since then,
there have been a few newsletters & t-shirt order forms, but the one
person running it (Laura Ann) is a bit more enthusiastic than the rest of
the band, who hasn't been giving her stuff to send out. For now, Laura
serves mainly to read their mail, attempt to answer basic questions, and
sell T-shirts. Until further notice, however, it may be wise to hold off
on "joining," since the $3 "membership" fee isn't really going anywhere.
But if you don't mind sending money to someone to send off to an
accountant somewhere or if you just feel like sending mail, the address
is:
SPFC, PO Box 578010, Chicago, IL 60657.
3.11 Contacting the band
Send all meaningful mail to the address listed above. Try to hold back
on short, meaningless messages like "You rule!", as they've already
gotten tons of those already. Do NOT send mail to (or visit) their
homes, and do not ask for their home addresses. Have some respect for
their privacy.
As for email, there's no such address. If the band had a publicly-
available email address, it would be instantly flooded, requiring a large
staff to read it all. If any members were to have email addresses, they
would be for personal/business reasons, so keep that in mind before
asking for them.
|--[mike*hamilton]--(michaelh@ualberta.ca)--|
|--please stop loving me, please stop loving me, I am none of these things--|
|--[smashing*pumpkins*faq]--(http://www.ualberta.ca/~michaelh/FAQ.txt)--|
|--[lifepoint*mp3*files]--(http://members.tripod.com/PegRecs/index.html--|
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