http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/TheSmashingPumpkins

The current lineup. note From L to R: Jimmy Chamberlin, Billy Corgan, James Iha, Jeff Schroeder

The "classic" lineup. note From L to R: Corgan, D'arcy Wretzky, Iha, Chamberlin

Homer Simpson: My kids love you, and thanks to your gloomy music they've finally stopped dreaming of a future I can't possibly provide.

Billy Corgan: Well, we try to make a difference. The Simpsons , " Homerpalooza My kids love you, and thanks to your gloomy music they've finally stopped dreaming of a future I can't possibly provide.Well, we try to make a difference.

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Formed in 1988, The Smashing Pumpkins are an alternative rock band (with strong Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly leanings) from the Windy City consisting of singer/songwriter/dictator Billy Corgan. Okay, that's not true, there are usually three or four other band members, but Corgan's the songwriter, lead vocalist and the only member who's been present throughout the band's entire lifespan, so we'll start from there.

The band is known for a number of things: angsty lyrics, heavy guitars, dense production, epic scope (perhaps best displayed by the music video for Tonight, Tonight ), and Corgan's nasal singing voice. While their "sound" began life as hard/alternative rock with experimental elements, they've also worked with grunge, folk, electronica, shoegaze, and gothic styles.

The band's original lineup (Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, drummer Jimmy Chamberlinnote who joined the band after Cabaret Metro owner Joe Shanahan told Corgan that he would only book the band if they got a drummer instead of using a drum machine) released three albums, two of which were the results of strain due to Corgan's obsessive perfectionism and Chamberlin's drug addiction, among other issues. After the death of session keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, and the firing and re-hiring of Chamberlin (now drug-free) alongside the quitting of Wretzky, the band produced one more album (well, technically two) before announcing they would break up at the end of 2000.

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In 2005, Corgan released his first solo album, The Future Embrace, subsequently upstaging himself by, on the very same day, announcing that he was reforming the Smashing Pumpkins alongside Chamberlin with new members. They released one album (Zeitgeist) before Chamberlin amicably departed, at which point the band focused on a planned 44-song Concept Album named Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, to be released song by song for free on their website . While 12 of the 44 (including vinyl bonus tracks) saw release, and their next two albums were reportedly parts of the project, TBK as a whole has since been scrapped.

In early 2018, Iha and Chamberlin officially rejoined the bandnote Wretzky was reportedly given the chance to rejoin by Corgan. According to her, Corgan rescinded the offer later. According to Corgan, she turned down the offer., with guitarist Jeff Schroeder (who initially joined the band after their mid-2000s reunion) completing the quartet. They released a new album in November of that year.

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Studio album discography:

Gish (1991) - the debut album, occasionally overlooked.

Siamese Dream (1993) - the mainstream breakthrough, mainly because of "Today" and "Disarm". The two were remastered and reissued in 2011. Each had a bonus CD and a bonus DVD.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) - the epic double album. Remastered and reissued in 2012, with three bonus CD's and a bonus DVD.

Adore (1998) - the folk / electronica album. Remastered and reissued in 2014, with five bonus CD's and a bonus DVD.

Machina / The Machines of God (2000) - the attempted comeback. A remastered reissue was originally scheduled for 2015 but has been subject to developmental delays and/or schedule lapses, evidently due to issues with litigious record companies. It is intended to include all of the material from Machina II (sequenced to fit Corgan's original concept of a double album, before executive interference set in) as well as additional bonus material, presumably around the size of the Adore reissue.

Machina II / The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000) - not a commercial release and, for that matter, was not intended to be; Corgan wanted Virgin Records to make the album free to anyone who had bought Machina I. When they declined, he just gave it to everyone.

Zeitgeist (2007) - the first post-reunion album.

Teargarden by Kaleidyscope - A scrapped 44-song Concept Album. Oceania (2012) - the first standalone TBK-associated album. Monuments to an Elegy (2014) - the second and final standalone TBK-associated album.

Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. (2018) - the first album following Iha and Chamberlin's rejoining.

There's also a bunch of EP's and compilations like:

Lull (1991) - first EP. In Billy's words: the EP was really supposed to be a single but they tricked me.

Pisces Iscariot (1994) - compilation of BSides, demos and outtakes from the 'Gish' and 'Siamese Dream' era. Remastered and reissued in 2012, with a bonus CD, a bonus DVD, a bonus cassette, and (in some versions) a bonus 7" single.

Vieuphoria (1994) - a video compilation of various live performances, mostly from the Siamese Dream tour, plus comedy bits (usually centered on friends The Frogs), interviews, and other features. It was reissued on DVD in 2002 with several extras, including a complete interview and some additional performance footage from 1994 that Corgan had found before the release date. Similarly, its soundtrack was initially released as a promo CD in 1994, titled Earphoria, and then officially released in 2002. Earphoria retains a segment where the band jokingly played part of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" during a medley of "Silverfuck" and "Jackboot", whereas the Vieuphoria footage had to edit that part out due to licensing costs.

The Aeroplane Flies High (1996) - box set including all the singles and B-sides from the Mellon Collie era. Remastered and reissued in 2013, with a substantial amount of bonus material on each CD as well as one additional bonus CD and a bonus DVD.

Judas ∅ (2001) - more B-sides and rarities; released as a limited-edition bonus disc with the Greatest Hits Album Rotten Apples.

Rarities and B-Sides (2005) - Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Gathering just about every B-side and rarity for a total of 114 tracks. (It's not entirely complete; a few tracks had to be left off because of licensing issues. Many of these were included on the recent deluxe reissues of the albums, however).

"Despite all my tropes I am still just a rat in a cage":

"Let's all go out and buy fur coats!"