Smashing Pumpkins - The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples

Artist: Smashing Pumpkins
Title: The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples
Label: Virgin Records Us
UPC: 724381131626
Price: $18.98

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Smashing Pumpkins - The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples Track Listing

1 - Siva
2 - Rhinoceros
3 - Drown
4 - Cherub Rock
5 - Today
6 - Disarm
7 - Landslide - Smashing Pumpkins, Nicks, Stevie
8 - Bullet with Butterfly Wings
9 - 1979
10 - Zero
11 - Tonight, Tonight
12 - Eye
13 - Ava Adore
14 - Perfect
15 - The Everlasting Gaze
16 - Stand Inside Your Love
17 - Real Love [#]

About Smashing Pumpkins - The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples

The Smashing Pumpkins' greatest-hits album, Rotten Apples, traces the band's evolution (or devolution, depending on your feelings about the band's radical sonic shift in the mid-'90s) from its early days to its status among the kings of alt rock. For fans of the Pumpkins' beginnings as a tripped-out indie/art rock act, Apples opens with some of the band's strongest material. "Siva" and "Rhinoceros" (from Gish, the Pumpkin's first--and arguably best--album) seamlessly mixed dream pop with noisy goth-rock as prime examples of the Pumpkins' early '90s sound. Apples also showcases three stellar tracks ("Cherub Rock," "Today," and "Disarm") from Siamese Dream, the Pumpkins' breakout album. This disc makes the band's mid-'90s directional swing obvious, though, starting with "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," the aggressive alt rock/alt metal concoction released on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Fans of songs like "Zero," "Tonight, Tonight," and "The Everlasting Gaze" will be happy to know that pretty much every cage-rattling hit made it to this disc, along with the previously unreleased dream pop track "Real Love" and an untitled new track (that sounds a lot like the Siamese Dream-era Pumpkins) to round out the mix. --Jennifer Maerz

Smashing Pumpkins - The Smashing Pumpkins - Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples Reviews

Average Rating: 4.5

Rating: 3
I opted to seek out the double-disc version of this, The Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits, after only finding the edited, single-disc version at my local retailer. As far as I can tell, I made the right decision, but . . .

First, I'm not a huge Pumpkins fan - which should be obvious, since I bought a hits package as opposed to buying all the original albums. I like enough of their output to put out the (ridiculously low price of) $4.00-and-change for the used copy I found searching the amazon marketplace. Four bucks for a pristine 2-CD set from one of the 90's biggest bands? Hard to pass up.

Well, I'm not sure I like the Pumpkins any more now than I did before blowing my four dollars. It's a good set, the best tracks of which are found on the second disc. Disc two is filled with "rarities & B-sides", a concept the Pumpkins had explored before on the "Pisces Iscariot" release. Even so, I'm glad I didn't shell out any more for this set than I did. Not all of the 90's bands have aged so well and, if anything, I confirmed with my purchase of the Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits what I generally felt about the Pumpkins all along: They were a good band with some good songs that dramatically benefitted from the times. Being able to piggy-back your way to major success by latching on to the alternative/grunge movement served the Pumpkins well, but they were probably the least alternative or grunge of the bunch.

Bottom line: If you like the Smashing Pumpkins - just not enough to purchase the entire catalogue - and you can find a deal like the one I found (and you probably can), then the double-disc Greatest Hits is the way to go. Personally, I believe their true "greatest hits" is probably the slightly bloated "Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness" release (which I own), but I think you might be hard-pressed to find it in good shape for four bucks.

Rating: 5
This album is a culmination of all things good of Smashing Pumpkins. All these tunes are a transition of the evolution of Smashing Pumpkins distinctive musical tone, mood and style. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: 5
i got this quick & it didn't take long too find it either on amazon..thank you

Rating: 3
The Smashing Pumpkins' collection of greatest hits is a mixed bag of some of their coolest songs and some disappointing ones.

As one might imagine, the beginning of the "Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples" has most of their best songs. Corgan and the other members were on a roll ever since their first album, releasing a mix of slow, epic ballads and blazing fast drum-based songs. Even though I still cringe listening to the subpar lyrics of "Rhinoceros," the smashing guitar chords and the wavering tenor of Corgan sound incredible.

Their streak continued with the songs from their famous "Siamese Dream" album, in which Corgan expanded the bands sound with orchestral arrangements in songs such as "Disarm." They became known as a progressive hard rock band, and with Corgan's imagination for string arrangements, abrasive guitar chords and fantasy lyrics, they could never go wrong.

Their sound went through a variety of changes after Jimmy Chamberlain was taken off the band for drug addiction. Corgan started experimenting more with electronic drum machines, producing unique songs such as the gem "Eye," from the little known Lost Highway soundtrack. An even more memorable fourth album featured some of their most notable fantasy electro-pop songs, such as "Ava Adore" and "Perfect."

Jimmy Chamberlain came back, probably because the band wasn't as awesome without his speedy drum rolls and cymbal smashing. The awesome song "The Everlasting Gaze" from the "Batman & Robin" soundtrack was an excellent guitar grinding slam-fest. However, by the time their fifth album came out, Corgan lost his ability to write engaging hooks and melodies for his songs, making for some of the dull ballads at the end of "Greatest Hits - Rotten Apples."

This greatest hits collection is missing some of the Smashing Pumpkins best songs from the albums "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness." However, it makes up for its flaws with their two rare singles from film soundtracks, "Eye" and "The Everlasting Gaze." So although this could have featured more songs, at least we can be greatful that the Pumpkins finally included these two songs in a collection.

Rating: 5
Hmm, that title sounds strange. Anyway, this was the first Smashing Pumpkins album I listened to, and while I liked many of the songs right away, there were also many that got better with time. I overplayed the album because I loved it so much and then I started to yearn for more - which got me into some of their other albums. Wonderful. Give it at least a few listens before you decide if you like it or not, though.