This band, and also Billy Corgan as a whole has always been so difficult to figure out. From the inner turmoil, to the overdoses, to the complexities of Corgan himself as a person, he’s always been a person who clearly thinks highly of himself, but for a long time you couldn’t really tell. It wasn’t until things started leaking out in the public about how difficult he was to work with that the sheet was pulled. The change had occurred when the band had finally hit it big, but somehow it didn’t make the best less. The quality of the albums got better for a time being when, as amazing producer Butch Vig said “Billy figured out that he could write better songs than the rest of the band.” Indeed he can, but that only goes so far. If you don’t have the best players backing you, it doesn’t matter how great the album is. And as much as I love this band in the studio, they were always one of the worst live bands around. Just incredibly bad. But I digress.

The first time I was introduced to them was the album we’ll be discussing today, “Siamese Dream.” While giant amounts of success would come with the next, mega opus double album “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” for many Siamese was the record that made them known, and it still stands as one of the better alternative rock records of the 90’s. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy my review.

The album opens with the gentle drumming from Jimmy Chamberlin. The beat is immediately noticeable as the opening to “Cherub Rock.” Looking back, it does indeed set you up for the roller coaster of the album. While this band has never claimed to be shoe gaze in any way, the sheer force and thickness of the sound has always struck me as being somewhat inspired by the shoe gaze movement.

The second track, “Quiet” is anything but. It’s just as aggressive as the opener, but it’s more pronounced. I love the lyrical content in the album. The sadness felt throughout isn’t just an empty one, but you can relate to it completely. When Corgan howls “We are a fossil, relics of our time,” you get the impression that he’s trying to break free from his limitations, and doesn’t want to be known as something that became unimportant. Those emotions are felt all over the album. Looking back, and knowing the story behind the making of the album, it’s difficult not to understand where they were as a band. They had some initial success with “Gish” but the band’s already turmoil filled career was threatening to derail the progress. Chamberlin was a well-known addict, and while he’s a great drummer of the time, it can be difficult to keep everything afloat when you’re dealing with junkies.

The best song the band ever made, and still one of my favorite songs of all time “Today” comes next. From the first time I heard the song and saw the video I loved it. It wasn’t until years later when I understand the feeling behind the song that it made even more sense to me. It’s just a remarkable song.

So many of these songs are impressive though. “Rocket” makes you remember what it’s like to know anything is possible, while “Spaceboy” finds the band channeling their inner Bowie. With an album that’s so solid from start the finish, it’s not hard to see why they were the toast of Alternative Rock after the Nirvana era has ended. They weren’t grunge, but many of those same emotions bled through the various bands making the rounds during these years.

While it doesn’t happen at the end of the album, the emotional core of the album is found starting at song six, titled “Disarm.” This song has always been representative of my early adolescent depression. In hindsight, I was indeed tormented and unhappy with my life, but their was no valid reason. A teenager doesn’t grasp emotionally how bad life can and likely will get. This song was the representation of my anger at everyone around me, and I think in the long run, the sorrow behind the song did help me a lot.

The next song, “Soma” is the perfect complement to “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”which is found on Mellon Collie. The songs don’t deal with the same subjects, but what they do share is the structure and mood. This was the Pumpkins first attempt at having a truly epic song that very much has a beginning, a middle, and an end. While they indeed mastered it with Porcelina, Soma has the perfect structure. The song opens with swimming in a night sky bathed lake, and slowly submerges itself into the angry, darkened depths of the unknown body of water. The ending is just pure chaotic bliss with Corgan, Iha and Darcy all just owning their instruments, while Chamberlin absolutely kills the drums. This is the epic masterpiece of the album, and has so much depth and soul to it, sometimes it’s hard to even realize. With this song, they had a completed album on their hands. All the other songs are just an added bonus.

The next song is heavy, dark, and oddly psychedelic all at the same time. When I listen to “Geek U.S.A.” I just imagine low burning trippy lights going off all over every time I hear this song. It’s the perfect ending to this trilogy of songs. Disarm is all slow and powerful, while Soma has slow and powerful moments from start to finish, but the real prize is how the bring it full circle with this song. Starts off insane, then slows down, the finds a smooth but also heavy balance. The way this album is sequenced is fucking great. It’s hard to say how great the album would be had it been in a different order, but thankfully we don’t have to worry because it came out just right.

The album ends with the slow winding beauty of “Luna,” and even though it’s not the best song on the album, it’s placed in the right spot. While Corgan has always had a good set of pipes for screaming, he’s often overlooked in the department of slower, more heartfelt songs. This is one of the better ones for sure, and if you haven’t ever heard it, you should also check out their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” It’s one of the better covers I’ve ever heard.

This album though,will always be the best of their best to me. It’s a beautiful album full of difficult conversations, sadness, but also positivity in places you might not expect it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this. Thanks for reading.