Search - Smashing Pumpkins :: Earphoria

(3.5 stars) NOT for the uninitiated

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 01/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most people probably have never even heard of this album, unless they're huge Smashing Pumpkins fans. But here's what goes down: it began life as an oft-bootlegged collection of live recordings. By 2002, though, someone finally decided to officially release these recordings, with a few b-sides that missed Pisces Iscariot and some random outtakes tacked on, even though at this point most fans already owned a bootlegged copy. As for the music... on a whole I like it, but two of these songs are awful. I never thought I'd say I hated "Disarm", but this version is ugly, all feedback and power chords and squeals. It's remade as heavy metal nonsense, and it was one of the most beautiful songs ever! Billy? Never do that again. Please. "Why Am I So Tired" is even worse, because it's a fifteen-minute instrumental where absolutely nothing happens. Blah. And I do like parts of "I Am One". I just wish he hadn't gone off on one of those "`I Am One' rants". "Pulseczar" is the sound of Billy torturing his guitar, and I don't like that. Now, for what I like. There's a lot from Siamese Dream here, and while a lot of those performances are a lot like the originals, that doesn't matter because they're well done. Besides, the original versions of all the songs on Siamese Dream, bar "Sweet Sweet", rule. "Soma" has some weird synthesizer sound in it for whatever reason, but other than that there's no difference between it and the original; "Quiet" and "Geek U.S.A." still beat you over the head with their RAWWWK awesomeness; "Today" is also pretty similar, though the audience sings a lot of the lyrics. On the other hand, "Cherub Rock" is redone as an acoustic shuffle, and it's amazing. Total change of pace, but I like changes of pace - if they're good changes, and this sure was. It really brings out the melody. Another little magic change of pace is on "Silverf***", which has a little vocal bit from "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and a weird instrumental section added on, which brings the length up to thirteen minutes. It's pretty cool. Better than "Why Am I So Tired", at any rate. "Mayonaise" is here, too! And it's acoustic! With bongos! I like it! Then again, I just love "Mayonaise" in general. You could make a country-thrash version of that song, and it would still be one of my favorites of all-time. I don't know where "Slunk" came from - it's almost punk-rock, not something the Pumpkins are known for - but I like it. It's fun. So that's that, then. You only really need this if you're a Pumpkins fanboy like me, but if you are, enjoy! Watch out, though, because some of it's crap."