In the 1990s, the alternative rock and post-grunge band The Smashing Pumpkins were incredibly popular. Albums were sold in multi-million copies, and concerts were given with enviable regularity. But there was another side of the coin...
How was The Smashing Pumpkins created and who joined it?
Billy Corgan, after failing to form a gothic rock band, decided to move from St. Petersburg to Chicago. He got a job in a local store specializing in the sale of musical instruments and records.
As soon as the guy had a free minute, he thought over the concept of creating a new group and had already come up with the name The Smashing Pumpkins for it.
Once he met with guitarist James Iha, and on the basis of love in the group Cure, they struck up a strong friendship. They began to compose songs, and the first of them was presented in July 1988.
This was followed by an acquaintance with D'arcy Wretzky, who masterfully owned the bass guitar. The guys invited her to become part of the created team. After that, Jimmy Chamberlin, who is an experienced drummer, also joined the group.
In this composition, for the first time, the guys performed on October 5, 1988 at one of the largest concert venues in Chicago, Metro.
band music
The musicians recorded their debut album Gish only in 1991. The budget for this was limited, and amounted to only 20 thousand dollars. Despite this fact, the musicians managed to interest the Virgin Records studio, with which a full-fledged contract was concluded.
The producers arranged for the group to tour, during which they performed on the same stage with such celebrities as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns N' Roses.
But along with the success, there were difficulties. Wretzky suffered after separation from her lover, Chamberlin began to use drugs, and Corgan was depressed due to the fact that he could not come up with songs for the second album.
All this led to a change of scenery. The guys decided to go to Marietta to record their second album. There was another reason for this - to keep Chamberlin from drugs and terminate all his ties with drug dealers. And it gave results.
The group was able to pick up the pace and release two real hits - Today and Mayonaise. True, Chamberlin did not get rid of addiction and soon found new dealers.
In 1993, The Smashing Pumpkins released the long-awaited Siamese Dream album, which sold over 10 million copies. The listeners really liked the songs included in the album, but most of the colleagues spoke negatively about the disc.
This led to constant touring and the incredible popularity of the band. But a lot of money also appeared here, which is why Chamberlin began to use harder drugs.
In 1996, he and keyboardist Jonathan were found unconscious in a hotel room.
Unfortunately, the keyboardist died soon after, while Chamberlin was born under a lucky star but was fired just days after the incident.
In 1998, after the death of Corgan's mother and his divorce, the next album, Adore, was released, which became much darker than previous records.
It was for him that the group received many iconic awards and prizes. Despite the success achieved in May 2000, Corgan announced the termination of the existence of the musical group.
He could not give a clear reason, but many suggested that this decision was caused mainly by poor health. The final concert was held at the Metro club and lasted almost 5 hours.
Rise of the band from the ashes
Five years passed, and in 2005, Corgan gave an interview to the press, announcing that he planned to restore and renew The Smashing Pumpkins.
The line-up, in addition to Corgan, included Chamberlin, already familiar to everyone, as well as new members: guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bass guitarist Ginger Race and keyboardist Lisa Harriton.
The first Zeitgeist album was released just a month after the revival with a circulation of 150 copies. But here began disputes among fans. Some were very happy about the reunion, while others said that without James Iha, the team had lost its former enthusiasm.
However, to their joy, on his own birthday, James Iha nevertheless took the stage on March 26, 2016.
Then there were rumors about the reunion of the team in the original composition, but Wretzky ignored all the invitations of Corgan, and as a result, he began to cooperate with Iha and Chamberlin.
In September 2018, they released another album, Shiny and Oh So Bright, which, unfortunately, was no longer as successful as the records presented at the end of the XNUMXth century.
What is the group doing now?
The performers are currently collaborating with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Bird. This is a project created by Noel Gallagher, who previously represented the Oasis band. Together with the rockers, the AFI team also performs.
In this composition, the guys plan to tour not only in European countries, but are also going to visit Canada, America, even several African countries.
