Billy Corgan

List: Most Annoying Voices

I was having a conversation with a couple friends the other day. We were discussing a few bands and the thing that kept coming up was the voice of the vocalist. As we were chatting a list was starting to be made and why not make this a fun collaborative list! This list doesn’t necessarily mean they are terrible just that their voices aren’t easy to listen to (high pitched, nasally, obnoxious, etc). So, here we go…

Geddy Lee- Rush
Tom DeLonge- Blink 182/Angels and Airwaves
Perry Farrell- Jane’s Addiction/Porno For Pyros
Claudio Sanchez- Coheed and Cambria
Scott Stapp- Creed
Myles Kennedy- Alter Bridge/Slash
Daron Malakian- System Of A Down/Scars On Broadway
Justin Hawkins- The Darkness
King Diamond- Mercyful Fate/King Diamond
Gerard Way- My Chemical Romance
Davey Havok- AFI/Blaqq Audio
Steven Tyler- Aerosmith
Chris Carraba- Dashboard Confessional
Bert McKracken- The Used
Adam Lazzara- Taking Back Sunday
Brian Molko- Placebo
Billy Corgan- The Smashing Pumpkins
Chino Moreno- Deftones
Joey Belladona- Anthrax
Dani Filth- Cradle Of Filth
Ben Gibbard- Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal Service
Sully Erna- Godsmack
Chad Gray- Mudvayne/Hellyeah
Anders Frieden- In Flames
Chester Bennington- Linkin Park
Cedric Bixler Zavala- At The Drive In/The Mars Volta
Maria Brink- In This Moment
Dave Mustaine- Megadeth
Vince Neil- Motley Crue (anything post 1991)
Tim Armstrong- Rancid/The Transplants
Anthony Green- Saosin/Circa Survive
Brian Aubert- Silversun Pickups
Bjork
Jewel
Joni Mitchell
Joan Baez
Bob Dylan

Best Guitar Solos: The Smashing Pumpkins- Cherub Rock
Smashing Pumpkins recreate 'Siamese Dream' album cover with original models | EW.com

Billy Corgan is truly one of the best songwriters of all time (you can argue with me if you want but, you will lose). One thing I do want to point out is what an underrated guitar player he is. In the past few years I’ve done a huge deep dive into every Smashing Pumpkins album and b-side and it’s astounding that he’s never been truly recognized for his playing. From Gish all the way to CYR, there’s a choice solo on each album and then some. One of the ones I’ve always loved is the solo on “Cherub Rock” from Siamese Dream. It’s a simple solo but it is so perfect with the song. The guitar tone and the effects on the song is another bit that makes it great. Interestingly, “Cherub Rock” was one of the last songs written for Siamese Dream. The prominent effect part of the solo was by recorded to two different tapes which were then run simultaneously, with the speed of one tape slightly altered. It’s such a fitting part of the song and live, it’s even better! Take moment and appreciate this great song and tremendous playing!

The Smashing Pumpkins- Cherub Rock:


The Smashing Pumpkins- Cherub Rock (Live/1993):

Deep Cuts: The Smashing Pumpkins- X.Y.U.
Album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (Remastered), The Smashing Pumpkins | Qobuz: download and streaming in high quality

The Smashing Pumpkins have a plethora of deep cuts that could fill one hell of a playlist. The deep cuts alone from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness could make an album of their own. I love going back to MCIS and delving into particular songs even more than before. This morning I remembered a certain riff to a Pumpkins song and it took me back to when I bought this album and all the feels I got when I reached this song on the record. The song I’m referring to is “X.Y.U.” from the Twilight To Starlight portion of MCIS. I’ve loved this song from the day I heard it. This is one of the heaviest songs on the album. The song was recorded in one take, live for the record with drum and vocal overdubs added later. The title means “Ex, Why You?”, but is also a play on the spelling of Russian obscene word “хуй” (pronounced “hu:i”) that is translated as “penis”. “X.Y.U.” is a song that was developed in a similar jam fashion to “Silverfuck” as it evolved as a song over the years. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing this song live a couple of times over the years and it’s always a highlight and never disappoints. So, take about 7 minutes out of your day and delve into this superb deep cut from The Smashing Pumpkins.


The Smashing Pumpkins- X.Y.U.:

X.Y.U. (Live 1996):

Cover Song: The Smashing Pumpkins (David Essex)- Rock On
Rock On (David Essex) (live) - The Smashing Pumpkins - YouTube

The Smashing Pumpkins have a very interesting and awesome history with cover songs. Through all my years of listening to them, I’ve noticed that when they do a cover, it’s usually done in a manner that is tasteful, creative and a little different. I’m quite fond of their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down.” So much so that it’s in my top 10 favorite covers. One of the cover songs that SP has done over the years that always was a fun one to delve into was their take on the David Essex classic “Rock On.” The Smashing Pumpkins version is a bit more experimental and artsy but, still retains the impact of the original with a new spin. If you haven’t heard this before, I’m interested to get your take on it.


The Smashing Pumpkins- Rock On:

David Essex- Rock On:

B-Sides: The Smashing Pumpkins- Ugly
The Smashing Pumpkins – Ugly Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

It’s truly amazing how many great songs The Smashing Pumpkins have that are B-Sides. During the Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness era, not only did they write 28 songs for the alvum but also a whole plethora more which wound up being the box set, The Aeroplane Flies High. One of my favorite songs in the set comes from the “1979” single. That song is “Ugly” and it’s one hell of a great song. One of those B-Sides that you hear and right off the bat think, why wasn’t this on the album?! One day, I’d love for Billy Corgan to put together a whole album of Mellon Collie songs and Aeroplan songs into a full album and see what that sounds like.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Ugly:

2020 End Of The Year Lists: Best Vocalist
audioeclectica-radio-logo

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2020 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Vocalists The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!


01) Greg Puciato- Greg Puciato/Killer Be Killed
02) Billy Corgan- The Smashing Pumpkins
03) Lance Black- In Parallel
04) Philip H. Anselmo- En Minor
05) EL-P & Killer Mike- Run The Jewels
06) Kadeem France & Erik Bickerstaffe- Loathe
07) Jacob Bannon- Umbra Vitae
08) Gavin Rossdale- Bush
09) Chelsea Wolfe- Mrs. Piss
10) Anthony Paganelli, Lance Jackman, Jess Gowrie & Lennon Hudson- Horseneck

2020 End Of The Year Lists: Best Producer/Mixer
audioeclectica-radio-logo

Next up on Audioeclectica.com’s 2020 End Of The Year Lists, the Top 10 Producers/Mixers. The stipulation is that, an album/EP had to have been released this year.

Vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

01) Nick Rowe/Steve Evetts- Greg Puciato: Child Soldier; Creator Of God
02) Billy Corgan- The Smashing Pumpkins: Cyr
03) Mark Nash/Ken Andrews- In Parallel: Fashioner
04) Terry Date- Deftones: Ohms
05) Will Yip- Nothing: The Great Dismal
06) EL-P- Run The Jewels: RTJ IV
07) Josh Wilbur- Killer Be Killed: Reluctant Hero, Trivium: What The Dead Men Say
08) Loathe- Loathe: I Let It In and It Took Everything
09) Shooter Jennings- Marilyn Manson: We Are Chaos
10) Brian McTernan- Be Well: The Weight and The Cost

Cover Song: The Smashing Pumpkins (Joy Division)- Tranmission
The Smashing Pumpkins - Transmission (CD) | Discogs

One thing I genuinely enjoy about cover songs is when bands really make an effort to make it their own. Whether it’s changing up the vibe or arrangements, the new interpretation often times can take the song to new heights. A great example of this is The Smashing Pumpkins version of Joy Division’s “Transmission.” The Pumpkins take on it is spacey, borderline psychedelic and even transcendent at times. It’s different enough yet still pays homage in a very distinct way.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Transmission (from Adore Deluxe Set):

The Smashing Pumpkins- Transmission Live 98:


The Smashing Pumpkins w/Davey Havok and Peter Hook- Transmission Live 2018:

Deep Cuts: The Smashing Pumpkins- United States
Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist - Amazon.com Music

The times we are living in at the moment are pretty interesting. It’s a series of uncertainties and possibilities that could go one way or another. One thing that I’ve found to be very captivating is that so many things from the past have come back full circle or have been sort of prophesied. Which brings me to today’s song. Back in 2007, The Smashing Pumpkins reformed with Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin to make an album that really saw ahead into the future. The album is Zeitgeist and when you sit and listen and follow along to the words, you start to see so many things mentioned in those songs coming to life today. One song in particular, “United States” is so perfect for right now. It’s really interesting to listen to this album in the world today and see how it all came true.

The Smashing Pumpkins- United States:


https://youtube.com/watch?v=FspnTZTa-5I

Great Music Videos: The Smashing Pumpkins- Tonight, Tonight

The Smashing Pumpkins double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness celebrates it’s 25 birthday this year (actually October 24th is the official date). This album, was a huge game changer and has gone on to influence and inspire countless bands and artists throughout the years. I still remember buying the album when it came out, and the countless hours I’d sit in my room and listen to it. One of the memorable moments I have about this album is when I first saw the video for “Tonight, Tonight.” I was absolutely blown away by how visceral the video was along with how interesting it was. The video was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who would go on to make other pretty awesome videos for Korn and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to name a couple). The video won multiple MTV Video Music Awards as well as being a Grammy nominated clip. Another interesting tidbit about the video is that it stars Tom Kenny and Jill Talley who you might recognize from their work on Spongebob Squarepants and Mr. Show. This video is one of the all time greats and it deserves to get its acclaim and be celebrated along with the masterpiece of the album it belongs to.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Tonight, Tonight: