Oh So Mellon Collie!

Originally released in 1995, this massive double-album set literally launched the Smashing Pumpkins into the great halls of rock and roll. This reissues comes in multiple formats, including 4 LP vinyl collection, a box set featuring five CDs and a DVD (including alternate takes, lost songs, and a full live show from the era), and a standard reissue double disc that revisits this staple of nineties rock music (which is what is reviewed here). This is the most recent offering in a revisiting of the band’s legendary catalog.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness isn’t quite The Wall or the White album, but it’s very possibly the closest we will ever come to an album like that again. With very little “filler,” this expansive album holds as strong today as it did when it took the world by storm in 1995. I’m actually surprised and impressed by this because, due to its overexposure, this isn’t the Pumpkins album I come back to when I need a fix.

This remastered version has a bit brighter sound overall. The most noticeable change for me is that the guitars just seem sharper all around. Whether acoustic or electric, each note sort of hangs there with a clarity that you don’t get with the original. It almost feels less grungy in a way. The songs that benefit the most are the epics like “Thirty-Three,” “Tonight, Tonight,” and “Beautiful,” not to mention the crystal clear sound of the fan favorite “We Only Come Out at Night.” The rockers get a little pick me up as well, but not quite as much as the crescendo songs. “Zero” and “Ode to No One” are like buzzsaws of angst. Heck, even “1979” and “Stumbleine” have settled in nicely overtime, despite being the album’s weakest tracks by far.

The best part here for me are the liner notes. Written by mainman Billy Corgan, they tell the story of a completely dysfunctional band that become functional for one shining moment and produced an album that has very few peers. The notes for each song bring a whole new twist into the tale of the Pumpkins of long ago and subtly explains why all good things must end someday. These liner notes are easily worth the complete price of admission in my book.

Overall, this was and is the Pumpkins at their very best. It’s crazy to think about this album creeping up on its twentieth anniversary but it’s powerful nature is confirmed by this revisiting. If Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness were released today, it would still rise to the top of the pack and the newfound clarity of sound will surely please the band’s rabid fanbase.

On a final note, spending so much time with this album again has forced me to look at how similar it is in many ways (particularly in spirit and grandeur) to the band’s latest offering Oceania. If you have been away from the band for awhile but love this album then I would highly suggest checking out Oceania as soon as possible.