The Smashing Pumpkins - Three Tune Tuesday - Song Recommendations Week 19 ๐Ÿ—ฃ๐ŸŽถ

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This week's band of choice is The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed in 1988 by frontman Billy Corgan, The Smashing Pumpkins had lots of hits in the 1990s and it was in 1995 that they released my favourite Smashing Pumpkins album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The album includes an eclectic mix of styles, and also showcases the talents of bassist D'arcy Wretzky and second guitarist James Iha more than previous albums.

It's an iconic album, that's for sure and it actually debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first week sales of close to 250,000 copies. By the end of 1996 it had sold over 10 million copies, now that's impressive, that would be 2 copies for every man, woman and child on the island of Ireland! It received much critical acclaim and seemed to cross over the devide between good music and pop music. This was good music and it was insanely popular. These two traits are often mutually exclusive.

I could easily pick my top three songs from that album alone such was it's prowess and how well it's stood the test of time, but I'll try to be more balanced if I can.

So, here we go, Three Tuesday is primed and ready to go. For those unfamiliar with TTT or Three Tune Tuesday....

The jist is as follows

Every Tuesday I'm going to share 3 songs which I like to listen to and I invite your feedback in the comments below. Or why not have a blast of your own Three Tune Tuesday and mention me in the post and I'll come and find the post and hopefully upvote it. It'll be a sweet way for us all to discover new music.

Here are the week eighteen recommendations for Three Tune Tuesday

** Drum roll please.....**

The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight Tonight

Of all the songs by Billy and the gang, this is the one which is most engraved into my mind - the song, the video, the whole thing. It just works. It really works. If you are blessed with youth and somehow don't know these guys, then take some time to listen to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. If you don't like it, listen again. Rinse and repeat. You'll get there. They don't make em like this anymore.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Today

This one is from their 1993 smash album Siamese Dream. Siamese Dream's songs don't blend into each other like Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, but some transitions do exist; each stands out in a quality sequence, coming together to form their best concept album from their back catalogue. Here are the lyrics to Today:

Lyrics

Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't live for tomorrow
Tomorrow's much too long
I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out
I wanted more
Than life could ever grant me
Bored by the chore
Of saving face
Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't wait for tomorrow
I might not have that long
I'll tear my heart out
Before I get out
Pink ribbon scars
That never forget
I tried so hard
To cleanse these regrets
My angel wings
Were bruised and restrained
My belly stings
Today is
Today is
Today is
The greatest day
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you
Today is the greatest
Today is the greatest day
Today is the greatest day
That I have ever really known

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mayonnaise

Another one from Siamese Dream here, it would be difficult not to make room for this classic, which I can imagine would be thumping live. Written by James Iha and Billy Corgan and recorded some time in 1993, this one wasn't even released as a single. Did you ever have a fridge door that made a funny noise or a door that squeeked weirdly when you opened it? Well Corgan can go one better. The whistling sound (feedback) heard in this song, allegedly came from a cheap guitar he bought, which, whenever he stopped playing, created the whistling sound. This funky sound was then incorporated into the song - genius!!

Guitarist Iha stated that he "...came up with those chords and did a demo of it, it was an instrumental demo of the song. I played it for Billy and he liked it... We worked on the arrangement together."

Nice work lads, ye nailed it. Top marks from me gentlemen.

That's it for another week. Those are your three songs for week eighteen. Let me know what you think - good, bad or indifferent? Did you like them all or just one or two? What's your favourite song by The Smashing Pumpkins?

Also, as I said before, I love getting good steers for new tunes, so please tell me about the latest and greatest or obscure oldie brilliance below and I'll be sure to check em out.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

Peace Out

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7 comments
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I tend to agree! One of my favourite pairings in music is mayonaise followed by spaceboy, absolutely epic tracks

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Ohhh nice pairing right there ๐Ÿ‘Œ

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Wow I love smashing pumpkins, not listened to them in quite a while though. So thanks for the reminder. I went to see them in Dublin, one of the last concerts they done, it was when that girl got crushed. x

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Ya, you know something, I hadn't listened to them in ages and Tonight Tonight came on a playlist I had on, and I went back to listen to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

That story is bitter sweet, great to see them live, but so sad about the crush. Was that at the point depot?

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Yeah it was, over 25 years ago now I guess, wow how time flights xx

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25 years!! Jeepers... hard to believe that 1996 was 25 years ago!! Time is flying

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I know it's crazy, I still feel like I am in my twenties lol xxxx

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