Disco de The Smashing Pumpkins: “Zeitgeist”

This new silver limited edition of Zeitgeist (Best Buy exclusive released 10/30/07) includes three songs that are not on the original release:

"Death From Above" (4:06) (track 08) (also available on the Best Buy version, Japanese version, German version, Amazon.de version, and a B-side of "Tarantula"). It is a softer, driving song that is a great mix of keyboards, guitar, and drums. This song is certainly a welcome missing treat from the original Zeitgeist.

"Stellar" (6:24) (track 12) (also available on the iTunes version, and a B-side on "That's the Way (My Love Is)"). It is a beautiful slower song.

"Ma Belle" (4:08) (track 13) (Previously Unreleased) is also slow, but it builds at about the halfway point.

All three songs are more than welcome. They are all recorded by Terry Date and Bjorn Thorsrud. They are all performed by Jimmy Chamberlin (Drums) and Billy Corgan (All the rest). "Death From Above" and "Stellar" are produced by BC/JC (Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin). "Ma Belle" is produced by BC/JC and Terry Date.

So this Silver version is still missing the known Zeitgeist recording session songs "Zeitgeist","Gossamer", "Superchrist", and "Signal to Noise" ... but, of course, then it would have to be two CDs because this version is 67 minutes and 6 seconds long ("Gossamer" alone is rumored to be 15 - 35 minutes long).

The DVD has a 20 minute documentary called "Inside the Zeitgeist". Picture Format 4 X 3. It is in NTSC All Region format according the back of the disc. The back also says Linear PCM (Linear pulse code modulation).

There is no booklet with this release. It is a cardboard gatefold cover with plastic inserts that hold the 2 discs. The silver cover is very cool, but it ruins the double meaning of having a red ocean around the statue of liberty (is it blood, a sunset, or a sunrise?).

So, can you live without the bonus tracks? Not if you are a Billy or Pumpkins fan. If you are a casual fan and already own Zeitgeist Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Green, etc... then, eh, maybe not...but if you collect all of the colors, you can make an Andy Warhol-esque collage. If you don't own this album yet, and you have been thinking about it... GO GET THIS VERSION! It may still be available at Best Buy, but more then likely it sold out very fast.

Full Track listing:

1. "Doomsday Clock" - 3:44

2. "7 Shades of Black" - 3:17

3. "Bleeding the Orchid" - 4:03

4. "That's the Way (My Love Is)" - 3:48

5. "Tarantula" - 3:51

6. "Starz" - 3:43

7. "United States" - 9:53

8. "Death From Above" - 4:06

9. "Bring the Light" - 3:40

10. "(Come On) Let's Go!" - 3:19

11. "Neverlost" - 4:20

12. "Stellar" - 6:22

13. "Ma Belle" - 4:08

14. "For God and Country" - 4:24

15. "Pomp and Circumstances" - 4:21

Their third start as a band (second without their bassist and this time with Chamberlin and Corgan only), the Smashing Pumpkings are half of what Siamese Dream used to be: innovative. This time like Siamese, Billy plays all the instruments with the exception of Jimmy on Drums. The most radio friendly songs include Tarantula, (Come On) Let's Go!, and Bring the Light. Here you will find songs in contrast to The Future Embrace and a mixture of Zwan's Mary Star of the Sea and Machina. The lyrics are political like "the're bound to kill us" from Doomsday Clock and "revolution!" from the song United States. The multiple-page book shows images of Paris Hilton (Starz), the U.S. podium, death, and children. The booklet also includes the lyrics to all songs and images of the two remaining Pumpkins. All photos were taken by Billy Corgan using multiple images to show what politicians are doing to America or in some cases facism. The music is lyrical and fueled by guitars and drums. One of the songs, Bleeding the Orchid, shows a sensitive side to what Corgan is trying to achieve with this reunion.

The Smashing Pumpkins are back. The legendary rock band, which blossomed like a dark rose in the musical wasteland of the 1990s.

Okay, only frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have returned from the original lineup, and the absences can be detected. But their return album "Zeitgeist" is still worthy of epic praise -- dark, passionate hard-rock, written with a darkly poetic sweep.

The drums smash, the bass roars like unleashed tornado. "Is everyone afraid?/Is everyone ashamed?/They're running towards their holes to find out/Apocalyptic thieves/Are lost amongst our dead," Corgan drawls, telling us a story of gas masks, Kafka and fear.

It's followed with the roiling rocker "7 Shades of Black," with the level of depression you'd expect ("And without peer/And without fear/I'm without anyone at all!"). Then it pours into a series of blazing hard-rockers -- soaring grimy epics, buzzing and cascading bass rockers, a stripped-down melodic tune, and the soaringly exquisite "Pomp and Circumstances," which is only marred by Corgan singing "la la la la..."

"Zeitgeist" probably won't be gently compared to the Pumpkins' earlier classics, especially since it doesn't have James Iha and D'arcy Wretzy from the original lineup -- valuable talents both. But taken on its own virtues, it's brilliant hard-rock -- epic, dark, and with moments of sheer poetry woven into the stormy music.

If I had a main complaint, it would be that the softer songs are rare here, and that the bass doesn't have that epic quality in some of the songs. But Corgan is blazingly passionate in his playing, layering and building a storm of driving guitar and fuzzy bass. He pushes on the fiery melodies of each song, with Chamberlin smashing the drums beside him. These guys sound kinetic.

And Corgan's nasal voice sneers and drawls through the harder songs, but he can also sound wistful and tender, like when he sings, "that's the way my love is." And he pours plenty of passion into his songs, which seem to balance out between the happy and sad -- on one side, a crumbling, bitter apocalypse, and on the other, "no shadows follow me unsung."

Some of his songs aren't up to par lyrically, like "God and Country." But Corgan spins his weird poetry in other songs, like the the ethereal "Pomp and Circumstance": "Torn, broken and frayed/Oh don't we face/War, sunshine and grace/Oh won't you stay/For a while/We can fail in style..."

The Pumpkins aren't quite all they once were here, but Corgan and Chamberlin are enough to make "Zeitgeist" a brilliant hard-rock album with some vintage flourishes. Just take it for itself, and let it grow on you.

The Smashing Pumpkins are back. The legendary rock band, which blossomed like a dark rose in the musical wasteland of the 1990s.

Okay, only frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have returned from the original lineup, and the absences can be detected. But their return album "Zeitgeist" is still worthy of epic praise -- dark, passionate hard-rock, written with a darkly poetic sweep. Too bad the extra material isn't so good.

The drums smash, the bass roars like unleashed tornado. "Is everyone afraid?/Is everyone ashamed?/They're running towards their holes to find out/Apocalyptic thieves/Are lost amongst our dead," Corgan drawls, telling us a story of gas masks, Kafka and fear.

It's followed with the roiling rocker "7 Shades of Black," with the level of depression you'd expect ("And without peer/And without fear/I'm without anyone at all!"). Then it pours into a series of blazing hard-rockers -- soaring grimy epics, buzzing and cascading bass rockers, a stripped-down melodic tune, and the soaringly exquisite "Pomp and Circumstances," which is only marred by Corgan singing "la la la la..."

"Zeitgeist" probably won't be gently compared to the Pumpkins' earlier classics, especially since it doesn't have James Iha and D'arcy Wretzy from the original lineup -- valuable talents both. But taken on its own virtues, it's brilliant hard-rock -- epic, dark, and with moments of sheer poetry woven into the stormy music.

If I had a main complaint, it would be that the softer songs are rare here, and that the bass doesn't have that epic quality in some of the songs. But Corgan is blazingly passionate in his playing, layering and building a storm of driving guitar and fuzzy bass. He pushes on the fiery melodies of each song, with Chamberlin smashing the drums beside him. These guys sound kinetic.

And Corgan's nasal voice sneers and drawls through the harder songs, but he can also sound wistful and tender, like when he sings, "that's the way my love is." And he pours plenty of passion into his songs, which seem to balance out between the happy and sad -- on one side, a crumbling, bitter apocalypse, and on the other, "no shadows follow me unsung."

Some of his songs aren't up to par lyrically, like "God and Country." But Corgan spins his weird poetry in other songs, like the the ethereal "Pomp and Circumstance": "Torn, broken and frayed/Oh don't we face/War, sunshine and grace/Oh won't you stay/For a while/We can fail in style..."

The special edition of "Zeitgeist" also comes with a eightyish-page booklet, but to be perfectly honest, the booklet is kind of pointless. It's primarily filled with arty photographs -- Paris Hilton in front of a burgeoning nuclear explosion, a grim reaper on the presidential podium, a Roman soldier, coffins, and quite a few others. They're interesting photos, but not really worth exerting yourself for, and they don't reveal much about the album itself.

The Pumpkins aren't quite all they once were here, but Corgan and Chamberlin are enough to make "Zeitgeist" a brilliant hard-rock album with some vintage flourishes. Just take it for itself, with no comparisons.

The pros:

This a really, really good album. It's the best Pumpkins album since Mellon Collie, and its reminiscent of the earlier pre-Adore Pumpkins records. Billy Corgan's guitar playing is the strongest its ever been. He's obviously a real musician that isn't comfortable if he doesn't improve his skill level over time. (Sadly, most of today's pop "musicians" do a disservice to those of us who really do care about the craft.) This is lightyears ahead of the majority of the tripe on the market today, and its a welcome refresher for a child of the nineties who grew up in the days when MTV wasn't saturated with rap and dance "music." Sonic landscapes remind me of my youth and a better time for music. Thanks, Billy

Cons

It is reminiscent of but no where near equal to Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie. I'd tie it with Gish and maybe, the outtakes CD. But there is still something missing. Even though Billy is band leader, and his descision to go along without Darcy Wretzsky and James Iha is perfectly understandable; I feel the album is hurt by their loss.

To conclude, if you liked the Pumpkins in the 90s, you'll like them now so pick it up. Just don't expect the glory days to return anytime soon. What this album does tell us is that we can expect the Pumpkins to continue turning out quality material in a sea of mediocrity. And for that I am thankful.