James Iha's board as of a couple days ago. (Tinted Windows)

[bainelaker]

Originally Posted by laa0815

Hey, I'm sure he's a nice guy... But it's weird to see James Iha in a Power Pop band with him - although... why not? Sometimes unexpected combinations are winners. In this case... I think it failed. But - who cares?

haha, yeah, I agree on the failure part. Well, at least he tried SOMETHING. Hey, maybe he can join the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex!

[Concretebadger]

Originally Posted by bainelaker

haha, yeah, I agree on the failure part. Well, at least he tried SOMETHING. Hey, maybe he can join the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex!

[+1] I'd like to see that happen so much. Apart from one solo album and a film soundtrack he's done depressingly little. A Perfect Circle were cool though.

[mmasonmusic]

Originally Posted by guitargeek

Weezer used PODS for one of their tours.

Plus let us not forget, live is a much different thing than the studio.

[mmasonmusic]

Originally Posted by bainelaker

haha, yeah, I agree on the failure part. Well, at least he tried SOMETHING. Hey, maybe he can join the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex!

Don't hate me fellow Pumpkins fans, but... I'd say that about almost everything that everything the band has done together or seperate after 1997 (with maybe the exception of a few Zwan songs) have been failures. Although, I kind of dig the new Pumpkins songs.

[Me on crack]

Originally Posted by mmasonmusic

Don't hate me fellow Pumpkins fans, but... I'd say that about almost everything that everything the band has done together or seperate after 1997 (with maybe the exception of a few Zwan songs) have been failures. Although, I kind of dig the new Pumpkins songs.

Gotta disagree, i find Adore as a peak in Corgan's composition, some might not like it but i think sometimes you pay more atenttion to the production than the songs. With that said, Machina is so complex and oscure, I love it.

Zwan..... well just the drums and writing make them great songs, the solos were great too.

Zeitgeist, the problem was it sounded so dated, the sound of an era. Even Corgan said "dont expect a siamese dream just like that after years of inactivity"

Future Embrace..... still too soon to say anything.

But have u heard the new 2 songs of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope? One is a freaking masterpiece and the other a very nice pop rock zwan style song.

[asatbluesboy]

I like Machina better than Adore. I don't like Zeitgeist but it does sound like the Pumpkins. Mellon Collie is near perfect, but I think there are some songs that could/should be out of it. Siamese Dream is wonderful (all that Big Muff goodness), and Gish is great as well. The Future Embrace is a failure (even with Bob Smith) and Swan was cute.

[Me on crack]

Originally Posted by asatbluesboy

I like Machina better than Adore. I don't like Zeitgeist but it does sound like the Pumpkins. Mellon Collie is near perfect, but I think there are some songs that could/should be out of it. Siamese Dream is wonderful (all that Big Muff goodness), and Gish is great as well. The Future Embrace is a failure (even with Bob Smith) and Swan was cute.

Really? what songs do u think should been out of MCIS? IMO "starz", "7 shades" and "bleeding the orchid" could be easily on mellon collie, "thats the way" and "bring the light" on a zwan record LOL

i dont see The Future Embrace as a failure, i see it as a desperate attempt from a man to sound different no matter what. lets face it, at least in studio, Corgan IS smashing pumpkins, so a solo record would totally sound like a SP one, he said he tried to sound different so ppl wouldnt say it was a SP record. and u know? i heard that in the album, so deliberattly different. it was like, "ok i got this songs that were gonna be on next SP album, mmmmm lets do them electro style and i'll do everything the other way i used to".

[Concretebadger]

I thought Adore was really underrated actually. A bit overlong and a departure from the expansive guitar-driven approach but even so, it's a wonderfully atmospheric record...one that I can appreciate as a listener rather than a musician perhaps.

Machina didn't do much for me...I can't put my finger on it but there's this digital, clinical coating to the instruments and vocals that's offputting. The best analogy I can give is it's as though it's wrapped in shrink-wrap: Siamese Dream and MCIS were overproduced (which is a good thing in both cases IMO) but Machina and Zeitgeist felt overprocessed and hard to connect with.

I thought Zwan was an opportunity for Corgan to portray himself as more than just the Pumpkins frontman - I guess the same can be said about TheFutureEmbrace, which isn't *bad* but not one I listen to often.

James came across as a permanent session musician but I understand he contributed to the arrangements in MCIS, and co-wrote bits of Siamese Dream too. I don't have my CD booklet to hand right now but I think he contributed to Soma and the intro to Mayonaise (one of my fave songs EVAR) with that weird open E flat tuning he came up with. Note to self: buy Let It Come Down sometime.

[l2yz]

Originally Posted by Concretebadger

I thought Adore was really underrated actually. A bit overlong and a departure from the expansive guitar-driven approach but even so, it's a wonderfully atmospheric record...one that I can appreciate as a listener rather than a musician perhaps.

Machina didn't do much for me...I can't put my finger on it but there's this digital, clinical coating to the instruments and vocals that's offputting. The best analogy I can give is it's as though it's wrapped in shrink-wrap: Siamese Dream and MCIS were overproduced (which is a good thing in both cases IMO) but Machina and Zeitgeist felt overprocessed and hard to connect with.

I thought Zwan was an opportunity for Corgan to portray himself as more than just the Pumpkins frontman - I guess the same can be said about TheFutureEmbrace, which isn't *bad* but not one I listen to often.

James came across as a permanent session musician but I understand he contributed to the arrangements in MCIS, and co-wrote bits of Siamese Dream too. I don't have my CD booklet to hand right now but I think he contributed to Soma and the intro to Mayonaise (one of my fave songs EVAR) with that weird open E flat tuning he came up with. Note to self: buy Let It Come Down sometime.

mayonnaise is indeed one of the best pumpkins, no, best songs ever.

[asatbluesboy]

Originally Posted by Me on crack

Really? what songs do u think should been out of MCIS?

"We Only Come Out at Night" is the first one that comes to mind. "Lily", "In the Arms of Sleep" and some others are cute but quite redundant, and "Stumbleine" could have easily been a B-side to a single. I find it wonderful to have all these tracks available, but I don't see them precisely fitting in the album.

IMO "starz", "7 shades" and "bleeding the orchid" could be easily on mellon collie, "thats the way" and "bring the light" on a zwan record LOL.

lol
Exactly! Had "Starz", "7 Shades" and "Bleeding the Orchid" been on MCIS, though, they would have sounded infinitely better--as in things-other-than-Billy's-voice-are-discernible better.

i dont see The Future Embrace as a failure, i see it as a desperate attempt from a man to sound different no matter what. lets face it, at least in studio, Corgan IS smashing pumpkins, so a solo record would totally sound like a SP one, he said he tried to sound different so ppl wouldnt say it was a SP record. and u know? i heard that in the album, so deliberattly different. it was like, "ok i got this songs that were gonna be on next SP album, mmmmm lets do them electro style and i'll do everything the other way i used to".

That's exactly my point. It's a desperately deliberate attempt to sound different, so it ends up sounding forcedly non-Pumpkins. The Pumpkins IS Corgan because Corgan has it in him, so his doing anything other will sound forced anyways.

[Welladjusted]

Originally Posted by mmasonmusic

Plus let us not forget, live is a much different thing than the studio.

Indeed. Trent Reznor owns gobs of boutique and vintage pedals but his touring rig (for the fragile tour, at least) was just a POD direct because it was consistent and reliable.

[Me on crack]

Originally Posted by asatbluesboy

"We Only Come Out at Night" "Lily", "In the Arms of Sleep" "Stumbleine"

What?? those are like my favorites LOL

seriously, in the arms of sleep is a soooo beautiful song

IMO "tales of a scorched earth" & "take me down" could be more elegible to being out of it.

[asatbluesboy]

Well, I guess it shows you're a girl...
"In the Arms of Sleep" is indeed cute, but I don't see it as such a relevant song albumwise.

I'd drop "Take me Down" as well, though it's quite hard to come across Iha singing, so it wins a weirdness vote. And I'd put either "Tales of a Scorched Earth" or "XYU" on the album, but not both.

[l2yz]

a couple years ago i used to think that MCIS was maybe 75% genius, and 25% trash, but i listened to it again last week, and maybe only lily and we only come out at night are questionable to me now. such silly songs lol. man didnt know there were pumpkin fans on GG

[Me on crack]

Originally Posted by l2yz

a couple years ago i used to think that MCIS was maybe 75% genius, and 25% trash, but i listened to it again last week, and maybe only lily and we only come out at night are questionable to me now. such silly songs lol. man didnt know there were pumpkin fans on GG

LOL the biggest fan in the whole damn pumpkin universe is replying you