Smashing Pumpkins - Adore (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

People Don't Know What They're Missing

noashtray | 06/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sad to hear the Pumpkins may break up at the end of the year, but they will never be forgotten because of works such as ADORE. Nobody bought this album and it seemed to signal the band's dominance was coming to an end. Although the horrible boy groups and unoriginal teen singers were partly to blame, the quality of the music certaintly isn't. This is diverse, melodic, and dark introspection that was appropriate during a time when the Pumpkins were dealing with death and a seperation from drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. Still, without his intense drums and the usual guitars and pounding bass, these songs have power and meaning. "Ava Adore" is a light rocker with clever lyrics, "Perfect" expands upon the genius of MELLON COLLIE's "1979," while "Daphne Descends" is a dreamy track containing some guitar-rock rarely heard elsewhere on ADORE. Some of the other enjoyable moments come from the 70's sounding "Tear," which sounds like Corgan is singing with Led Zeppelin behind him, and the light pop in "The Tale Of Dusty And Pistol Pete." Another interesting element is the use of piano in several songs and this is best seen in "For Martha," an appropriate ode to Corgan's late mother. In time, more people will discover the brillance of ADORE because this is definitely music that's just too good to go unnoticed forever."

The CD cover shows the overall theme of this great album

dr_raze | San Antonio, TX, USA | 12/05/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For some reason, a majority of the people don't know that Billy Corgan's mother, Martha, passed away somewhat recently. From that, I get the impressiont that this CD is full of mixed emotions that came about as a result of this tragic loss. For example, a lot of the songs range from a feeling of longing, helplessness, anger, and deep frustration, to a more forgiving sound. All the previous Pumpkins CDs I have are more in-your-face (Siamese Dream, MCIS) but Adore is my all-time favorite. From a music lover's perspective, the best part about this great CD is that it's not the same instruments or same style/rythm throughout the entire CD. Every song has a different sound, and in my humble opinion it's about time for the music industry to look for new, different and above all, ORIGINAL music. I'm finding that plenty of new artists are just using a style previous "greats" before them originated. (I'm not praising nor bashing them, but take for example, the new kids on the block...nsync...98degrees....back street boys...britney spears...cristina aguilera...all these teen idols produce the same thing....and it gets old FAST.) To be a great band, it is essential that you bring new ideas and concepts to make you stand out from every one else. It's only logical right? To me, The Smashing Pumpkins do it every time they release a new album. And without a doubt, Adore certainly meets this expectation. So if you're tired of the same ol same ol give this CD a try. The greatest thing about this band is that you grow to like and maybe appreciate their music. The more you listen the more you'll enjoy their originality. DEFINETLY check them out."

Will you "Adore"?

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 09/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Twilight fades/through blistered Avalon," is the ethereally dismal line that opens "Adore"'s first song, and sets the mood for the Smashing Pumpkins' quietest album, with the hard-rock guitars and percussion giving way to a gentler sound and some swippy electronica. It's not what you expect from the Pumpkins, but it's still enticing.

It opens with the lullaby-like "To Sheila," a shimmering little composition. Then Corgan stretches his music to include some symphonic, raw electronica in "Ava Adore," the fast "Appels + Oranjes," and the darkly shimmering "Daphne Descends." The saddening "Once Upon A Time" even sounds whimsical if you don't listen to the words, with that light melody and those bells.

Don't worry, the Pumpkins sound is retained in songs like the guitar-driven "Perfect," the hollow-sounding "Tear," and the balladic "Crestfallen." The second half sounds a little more acoustic and less electronic, with some lingering piano kicking off some of the songs. But lurking in the back is a hint of electronica that seeps in from time to time. One example is the haunting sounds at the back of "For Martha," a wrenching tribute to Corgan's late mother.

"Adore" is one of the most controversial Smashing Pumpkins albums -- rather than merely sticking to what he had already done, Corgan experimented with electronic music and melded it in. But the core of the music is the same -- pain and anger from the losses of life, the struggle with one's emotions, and finally letting go of that pain and anger.

Don't expect the Chemical Brothers in here -- Corgan's take on electronic music is dark, melancholy, almost gothic at times. Corgan's hard techno has its painful angles and corners, but in songs like "Crestfallen," he lets the smooth melody be carried off by sweeps of trip-hop. It adds a velvety sound to Corgan's already exceptional music.

It's saddening that the excellent Jimmy Chamberlin was not involved in "Adore," instead of the electric drumbeats. The guitar is still there, but it's a cloaked presence in most songs. Corgan's high voice is softened by the low-key songs he sings here. And his songwriting remains exceptional, vivid and emotional, like a poem set to music: "I can't go on, digging roses from you grave/to linger on, beyond the beyond/where the willows weep/ and whirlpools sleep, you'll find me..."

"Adore" is a dark, moody work that took quite some time to be fully appreciated by many fans. But despite its difference from other Pumpkins albums, it still strikes at the heart with its raw emotion. Rich and epic."

The Pumpkins at their best

Lauren | Duluth, GA USA | 06/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Smashing Pumpkins have always been a band that I've known of and been able to recognize on the radio (how could you not?) but I never truly "got into" them. However, after hearing "Thirty-three" (from "Mellon Collie") on the radio, I finally said, "Okay, I have to listen to these people." Over the past few days, I've listened to all of the Smashing Pumpkins' major studio releases. Based on my impression of them, I have to say "Adore" is my favorite. I don't understand why it was poorly received, both by fans and critics, when it came out. It shows a huge step both forward both musically (for the Pumpkins as a whole) and lyrically (for Billy Corgan). It shows far much more ambition than "Mellon Collie" -- ask yourself, how many alternative bands would attempt to make an album without a drummer? But they attempted and they pulled it off beautifully.The album opens with the absolutely gorgeous "To Sheila" -- I knew from the first notes that I was going to love the album. It's followed by the electronically-driven and -- dare I say -- catchy "Ava Adore." The two opening songs do what opening songs should do -- they set the tone for the album, as the rest of the album is full of electronics and beautiful piano-driven songs. Don't worry, the guitar isn't absent -- it's still there, it's just not the overpowering force it once was. It blends easily here. Beyond the opening tracks, some standouts are "Daphne Descends," "Annie-Dog," "Blank Page," and "For Martha," Billy Corgan's tearjerking tribute to his deceased mother."Adore" proves the musical genius of Billy Corgan. Only a genius could blend all of these noises and come up with the product that he came up with. As I said before, his lyrics also improve with this album -- it's almost as if he stops trying so hard and just lets it come out exactly how he's feeling it ("it" being his mother's death, his divorce, the reunion with his father, etc.). Perhaps that's why I love "Adore" so much -- it's a work of pure emotion, emotion conveyed so well through both the words and the instruments. Don't let yourself be fooled by fans and critics telling you the album isn't "hard" enough -- pick up "Adore," put aside all other influences, and just revel in its beauty."

Pumpkins keep their streak of winner albums

Zen Station | The Graceful Swans of Never | 08/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, you read right. Following "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", the Smashing Pumpkins had a lot of ups and downs. Following Jimmy Chamberlin's addiction which got him temporarily kicked out of the Pumpkins, they didn't know how they continue, but in the end did just that. It is true that Chamberlin does not appear on here and that he is an amazing drummer, but what's done here is what to accept. And it's really, really good. Did you like the two songs from "Batman & Robin" and "Eye" from "Lost Highway"? Well, then you will probably really like this album. It's not really as quiet as others would have you think.

And I think today that some of the people who originally loathed this album laugh now at their sentiments, because if you're not used to what's here, you're just going to have to wait to let it sink in. And it's 100% worth it. People who like music done by people who like doing music like the Smashing Pumpkins. And I think Billy's voice sounds great here.

It starts very nicely with the acoustic fingerpick "To Sheila", which also has this nice percussive atmosphere in the verses. The melody is just really, really good. The track is a little bit less than five minutes yet the point is well done. The bridge is just perfect (no pun intended). Then things go into an actual rocking track, "Ava Adore". Nice instrumentation, and the only song with an actual guitar solo here. More guitar was actually done live, but on here it just sounds really cool. The gothic influence is not only shown in the music video but on this album, partially with this particular song. It's still more of a heavy trip-hop track. It's a wonder it wasn't bigger than it was. Then you get things in the pop territory a la "1979" with "Perfect". However, this one's about ups and downs where the other one was just carefree and this one's also probably a lot more new wave. It is also a nice balance of electronica and rock, as is the next song, "Daphne Descends", which is notable for its bridge.

That's not even close to the end of the excitement on "Adore". You get a nice acoustic tribute to Billy's deceased grandma on "Once Upon a Time", which is more acoustic than many probably expected. Then comes in "Tear", which has orchestration via keyboards, done really well. The melody is great even though the programming is a bit hard to handle in the first couple listens, which is pretty much the meat and bones of the verses. But it gets better with time. I think it may be one of the greatest Pumpkins songs made, and that's saying a lot.

"Crestfallen" is a Depeche Mode type piano pop song, then it follows to the electronica of that band and New Order's style in "Appels + Oranjes". I think I read that the misspelling was so people wouldn't think it was a Pink Floyd cover. But it's the only song here that fully embraces the electronica, so if you're expecting that, just listen to this. I liked it so much it inspired the screen name I have on AOL. "Pug" is a really unique track, and I don't know anything else to say about that one.

Then comes a couple of stream-of-consciousness tracks of great Billy Corgan poetry; the former is a lesser track while the latter is a nice piano track which was unchanged from its demo. About the only problem on the album is that "Shame" is a bit long, but it's still a pretty good song. The guitar part is pretty repetitive though. You do get to hear some bass playing from D'arcy, though.

Then you get into a trilogy of pure greatness. "Behold! The Night Mare" has some distortion but in more of a nighttime/goth type of way. It is great for if you like goth. Also, a quite unique track on the album. It gets a bit interesting in its atmospheres and also when it just goes on the simple playing in the bridge. Following that is "For Martha" which is over eight minutes, a great tribute to Billy's mom. It's very peaceful in its piano and the chorus is just plain magical. This one is the length it is for a reason. Then it's the full-on piano ballad, "Blank Page". The piano could've maybe been written a little bit better, but it is still a pretty good song. I really like Billy's melody in this track. It may be hard to believe for some, but Billy's voice and the piano together sound really good.

It isn't just for "hardcore fans". While some may argue that I'm one, I didn't exactly say that "Machina" was pristine in quality. It's also for goths and people who would prefer the Pumpkins doing more "quiet" tracks. But it's really not that quiet, save for a few moments in the album. But it is unmistakably a Pumpkins record. Billy still has a lot of ambition and fuel in him on here. It also was a matured point from some of what was on the previous records. Play this album in the autumn and you'll feel like it's the soundtrack to that particular time."

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