Smashing Pumpkins were one of the fiercest live bands to emerge in a decade full of fierce live bands. At their best, the Chicago quartet sounded like they were harnessing chaos, where careening alt-rock explosions met virtuoso playing and snarling cool.
But from the off, there was always another side to the Pumpkins. It had been hinted at on their 1991 debut Gish, which closed with a hypnotic, acoustic lullaby Daydream. They melded the two sides of their sound even more dextrously on monster follow-up Siamese Dream, which darted from ferocious, pummelling psychedelic rock such as Geek USA and Quiet to dreamy, space-cadet ballads like Sweet Sweet and Luna, with some songs pulling in both directions – is the masterful Mayonaise a rock banger or an epic ballad? (it’s both).
