The emergeance of real rock

The Smashing Pumpkins began in 1988. Over two years they recorded several demos to get noticed in their home of Chicago, IL. In 1991 they released "Gish," which was to epitomize alternative rock in all of it's glory.

(Note: they re-released a "remastered" version in 1994... that's pretty much all you'll find in record stores now, unless you buy it used.)

Gish was a fantastic alternative rock album. They had the drive, they had the beat, they had the force, they had everything. No question about it, The Smashing Pumpkins were on top. This is get-down-to-your-roots-down-and-dirty grunge rock, folks. In their next album, Siamese Dream, they did a bit of this but mostly transitioned to more classic rock, with their Gish flavor still lingering. Siamese Dream was an amazing, awe-inspiring album, but Gish is where it all started.

Curiously, only two of the pre-recorded demos that SP had made in 1988 and 1989 made it to Gish: I believe they were "Rhinocerous" and "Siva." This CD had it going on anyway, though. The guitar riffs and drum beats were incredible, and the bass guitar held it steady. I ate up the incredible way that Billy and James seemed to take in their guitars as extensions of their own bodies, and the way that Jimmy Chamberlain attacked the drums was jaw-dropping. THIS was true rock. From the haunting feel of "Rhinocerous" to the deep attacking of the guitar notes in "I Am One," The Smashing Pumpkins made themselves heard. My only "complaint" per se is that D'arcy had her bass almost drowned in the fury of the guitars and drums. It was present, but not extremely noticeable all the time. The curious ending to the CD was the song "Daydream," sung by bassist D'arcy Wretzky, with a light classical acoustic guitar being strummed pleasantly in the background to later be accompanied by cellos and violins. It was quite the pleasant song. However, a few seconds after the song ends, another version (on the same track) starts up with the same melody but with an electric guitar that seemed to mock the previous song, with Billy singing "I'm going craaazy" to the same mellow beat as the last. It was pleasant to know that the band had a sense of humor, but I don't think that that was necessary.

All in all, this is the essense of rock. If you don't have this album and are an SP fan, you are a disgrace. Get it. Now.