Smashing Pumpkins Albums Ranked From Worst to Best...including ATUM

We're back baby! Today we're ranking the studio albums of The Smashing Pumpkins, including their latest, triple album, ATUM. Will their classic 90's era reign supreme or can the underdog 21st century albums make a run at anyone's top? Find out now....
Let us know what you think of our lists as well as how you rank the albums.
Thanks for watching!
Coming soon: Hall & Oates, 1963 Deep Dive, Sigur Rós
#smashingpumpkins #atum #albumsranked #worsttobest
~~~
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[@mrjones6118]

Every person here lost all respect for you when you said you would cut thru the eyes of ruby. Blasphemy...

[@rippedjack1]

100%. That was my favorite track on the entire album.

[@illicitleafcombuster]

Everyone loves that song but to me it’s a worse version of Porcelina

[@007ohboy]

Wrap me up in always... Drag me in with maybes... Come on, dude! That's pure poetry! How do you cut Thru the Eyes of Ruby? The heck?!

[@jakehixon4073]

Ok thanks for that. You saved me a long watch. Was about to watch the whole video but if one of them said that about one of my favourite pumpkins songs of all time - yeah I’m out 😂

[@xavierrenegade]

1. Mellon Collie 2. Siamese Dream 3. Adore 4. Gish

[@victorcruz8420]

#1 Machina #2 Mellon Collie #3 Siamese Dream #4 Machina II #5 Adore

[@Vanessa.P]

The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the first rock bands I really loved as a kid (and the first one that felt like my own band). I was a preteen in the mid 90s when Mellon Collie came out and I was all about them for awhile. Then by the time Adore came around I loved the singles but never ended up getting the album at the time. Then after that it seemed like everything I heard about their albums was negative and so I just stuck with the older stuff I already loved. That was a mistake. Going through their discography for this dive was quite a revelation, I found so much to really enjoy and love. I'm still trying to finalize a song list because there are so many great songs. I regret not checking out those later albums until now but glad I finally have. It seems I may still be under appreciating Oceania, I'll have to give that one a revisit. 12) Monuments to an Elegy - 3 (6.3) 11) Shiny and Oh So Bright - 3.5 (6.7) 10) Cyr - 3.5 (6.7) 9) Machina II - 3.5 (7.0) 8) Oceania - 3.5 (7.3) 7) ATUM - 3.5 (7.5) 6) Gish - 4 (8.0) 5) Zeitgeist - 4 (8.1) 4) Machina - 4 (8.1) 3) Adore - 4 (8.2) 2) Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 4.5 (9.2) 1) Siamese Dream - 5 (9.5)

[@nicktendo69lmao99]

So excited to watch this video! Smashing Pumpkins are one of my Top 5 bands of all time!

[@adamp2029]

“Mayonnaise soaked in fuzz” I found that in my fridge once.

[@flyonthewall8290]

It’s called an insane amount of mold 😅

[@lueyteledeluxe7457]

Ooof! 😖 Sweet, clever answer, brotha - albeit more than a little... _nauseating!!_ 🤢

[@fourseasons4105]

1. Mellon Collie 2. Siamese dream 3. Adore 4. Gish 5. Oceania 6. Zeitgeist 7. Machina 8. Mountains to an elegy 9. ATUM 10. Machina II 11. Cyr 12. Shiny and oh so bright

[@JWBDWP2]

Lemme go ahead and drop that like button just fo the appreciation y’all FINALLY did pumpkins 🤙

[@mariusjohansen8243]

Pleasantly surprised by your high placements of Oceania - it’s a great record. A bit disappointed by the low placements of Machina, it’s even better imo. My list: 1. MCIS 5/5 2. Siamese Dream 5/5 3. Machina 1&2 4,5/5 4. Adore 4,5/5 5. Oceania 4/5 6. Zeitgeist 4/5 7. Gish 4/5 8. CYR 3,5/5 9. ATUM 3/5 10. Monuments to an Elegy 2,5/5 11. Shiny and Oh So Bright 2,5/5

[@179rich]

Oceania a "great" record, yet you only gave it a "very good" rating.

[@jameshoffman7217]

Thanks guys you made my summer. This is my fav band of the 90s and one my my favs of all time.

[@sensorian1709]

The irony embedded in the singing on Today and the gorgeous Soma with it's building intensity made me an instant fan. They were at the zenith of the alt rock mountain at the time of Bullet with Butterfly Wings - I remember seeing the video for that song back in the day and thinking they were at that moment pretty much the hottest band in the world and could do no wrong. I, like many others I'm sure, hung on with a sense of diminishing returns through Adore and Machina and then moved on. Billy is a great front man and guitarist. Thank you for covering.

[@AndI0td763]

Awesome video guys. My favorite for sure is Siamese Dream. This is the one album of theirs that I have a very strong connection to. It’s big and epic and perfect. Favorite song on it is Hummer.

[@wesleyorser4451]

Bold predictions for Hall & Oates week: 1. Kramzer will put the Christmas album at his #1 spot. 2. Jason will say “You Make my Dreams” is one of their worst songs. 3. Joe will reveal Daryl Hall is his uncle. 4. Jason will reveal John Oates is his father.

[@commandoape]

John oates is his mum

[@AdamTBramwell]

Landed here via the Smashing Pumpkins reddit - so, yeah - that says a lot about how much I love SP. They're my band. Great list. I'm now off to delve into your guys' other videos for bands I'm less versed in, as I really found your analysis without the cloud of nostalgia refreshing. While it's impossible for me to remotely consider putting Shiny, Cyr or Atum above Machina or Machina 2, the fact that Zeitgeist and Oceania trump some of the old albums is a very interesting take, and one that I really appreciated hearing the take from guys who don't have the nostalgia fog.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@adamhasideas6813]

I've never listened to a Smashing Pumpkins album, but I'll give this video a watch because you three know how to break down an album and make it interesting. Good to see you guys back!!!!!

[@user-ht5ei8gi1m]

Amazing list. Mellon Collie was one of my favorite albums for a very long time. Bought that and Pisces Iscariot and was hooked. Kinda lost it around Oceania, but I’ve come back and seen how good the later stuff is.

[@user-ht5ei8gi1m]

@@ghost_malliked Perfect and Ava Adore, but I kinda just stopped buying cds in like 00-01. Idk tho.

[@hazydavo]

Great work once again guys!👌👌👌 Was not ever really into the SPs but after watching this and Rick Beato’s recent (great) interview with Billy I REALLY need to explore their work!!

[@animalwillopus79]

1. Siamese - 5/5 2. MCIS - 5/5 3. Gish - 4.5/5 4. Adore - 4/5 5. Machina - 4/5 6. Zeitgeist - 3.5/5 7. Machina 2 - 3/5 8. Oceania - 3/5 9. Shiny - 3/5 10. Monuments - 2.5/5 11. Cyr - 2/5 12. ATUM - 2/5 Pisces - 5/5 Zwan - 4.5/5 Aeroplane - 4/5 Judas - 3.5/5 Teargarden - 3.5/5

[@conorfurlong]

Adore, last. Gish, second last. Insane. INSANE.

[@joemelograno7403]

Great list guys! Mellon Collie is probably my favorite album of all time. Nostalgia likely paints this, as this was my first album I received. I listened to this beast incessantly but like Joe said, it is even better than you remember it. Insane diversity from the relentless heaviness of Jellybelly to the heavenly harps of Cupid de Locke. My ranking 1. Mellon Collie-5/5 2. Siamese Dream-4.5/5 3. Adore-4.5/5 4. Machina 1-4/5 5. Machina 2- 4/5 6. Atum- 4/5 7. Oceania-4/5 8. Gish-3.5/5 9. Monuments-3.5/5 10. Zeitgeist-3/5 11. CYR-3/5 12. Shiny-2.5/5

[@davidcjupp]

Instant subscribe. What a cracking video. Love a lot of the discussion here. Adore being bottom is just mental but apart from that really interesting points. Well done guys,

[@pete3105]

Thank you for getting me into Smashing Pumpkins! I knew a couple of their big hits, but never bothered to listen to much more than that, but I've been going through their albums now and it's awesome! Probably never would have done it without your channel. Great insights from you guys about the albums which made the listening experience more interesting as well!

[@jamesegan2742]

Great to have you guys back with a terrific overview of a modern classic band! We missed you guys, and missed these high quality reviews/ insights! Hope cadence gets back to normal. Pretty cool group, always interesting voice/point of view from Billy C, and some killer riffs. Best and cheers, JPE

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

Only young people who talk about rock - pop music in whole internet . Adore them , all three lads 🙂

[@ExcellentChalsTransit]

I would rank them Siamese Dream (9/10) Mellon Collie (8.5/10) Adore (7.75/10) Gish (7.5/10) Atum (6.5/10) Oceania (6.25/10) Machina (6.25/10) Monuments to an Elegy (6/10) Cyr (6/10) Zeitgeist (5.75/10) Shiny and Oh So Bright (5.25/10) Machina II (5/10)

[@reteipdevries]

Glad you 3 are such great fans. That voice from outer space. Totally love it!

[@farbrorwilly]

I'm a huge Pumpkins fan so I've been anticipating this, and you did not disappoint, good reviews and Pumpkins appreciation aplenty (apart from the preposterous Joe/Adore anomaly of course 😂). Thanks for an excellent episode.

[@xanApfel]

I desperately need a queens of the Stone Age one Loll. I feel like between the 3 of you guys the difference in ratings and overall debate would be perfect 👍 SO glad u guys did smashing pumpkins:)

[@keithhanisek2465]

Queens rule

[@AndI0td763]

I like QOTSA a lot. I’ve heard Kram doesn’t like them?

[@Maanebaronen]

01 Siamese Dream 02 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 03 Gish 04 Adore 05 Machina/The Machines of God 06 Zeitgeist 07 Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music 08 Oceania 09 Monuments to an Elegy 10 Cyr 11 Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts 12 Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.

[@michaelwandell2533]

That's absolutely correctly but ifd put Atum in front of Oceania.

[@lexotansteele2755]

Solid list. I don't get how anyone could put any of the nu-Pumpkins albums above Adore or Gish.

[@jupitermadcat]

I’m so glad you did the smashing pumpkins list. definitely one my all-time favorite bands easily. I finally saw them last weekend for the first time one of best shows I’ve ever seen. I took my 15-year-old daughter her first concert and she was blown away. I love every single one of their albums. There is nothing below 3.5 stars in my opinion. 1. Mellon collie. 2. Siamese dream 3. Zeitgeist. 4. Gish 5. Oceana. 6. Machina I 7.Monument. 8.Adore 9.Machina II 10.Atum 11. Shiny and all so bright 12.Cyr

[@claytonkelley4921]

Mellon Collie (1995) -5 stars (10) Siamese Dream (1993)- 5 stars (10) Zeitgeist (2007) - 4.5 stars (9) Adore (1998) 4.5 stars (8.9) Oceania (2012) 4.5 stars (8.7) Gish (1991) - 4 stars (8.3) Machina II/ The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000) - 4 stars (8) Monuments to An Elegy (2014) 4 stars (8) Machina/The Machines of God (2000) - 3.5 stars (7.7.) Shiney and Oh So Bright (2018) 3 stars Atum (2023) 2.5 stars (5.8) Cyr (2020) - 2 stars (4.5)

[@thenewholistic]

Appreciate your work on this post, but cmon, you're generous with Zeitgeist over Adore and Monuments over Machina 😂 from what perspective could this be coming from? (You started being a fan AFTER 2000...?

[@claytonkelley4921]

@@thenewholistic well I was born in 95 :D so yeah

[@claytonkelley4921]

@@saraorsara2835 👋 hey hey, I totally agree. Love this era of music

[@garrettredd2541]

I've been watching this channel for quite a long time now, I love taking the (usually) weekly music journey with you all. This is the episode I've honestly been waiting for since the beginning. The discography with my all time favorite album "Siamese Dream". It is the album i connect with in a way that i connect with no other. I remember the day i bought it - i remember how i felt the first time i heard it on my headphones that night, and i get that same feeling listening to it now. I know every lyric, and note, and constantly anticipate its twists and turns and oddities with every listen. The Fuzz guitar, the dreamy guitar, the clean guitar, the distorted guitar - its a guitar album to beat most all guitar albums. But the next layer to this album is the lyrics/vocal delivery - there's something to it. It has a way of sounding so personal, and direct. It is a complete experience - and it just keeps on giving. Some may just consider it a strong 90's album, but i consider it a example of a perfect album - the songs, the delivery, the imagery, the recording, the production - its a masterclass of doing it 100% right in my book.

[@michael7054]

Great video! Kramzer having Adore at number #2 makes me want to go back and have a listen to it sometime.

[@Luca-vg1wp]

Thank you very much for this!!

[@sonicyouth29]

I almost cried when Jason talked about Mellon Collie.... i mean what an album.

[@CoolcatzCorner]

Great timing because I just recently did a Pumpkins deep dive

[@paulayers1111]

Love the classic Zeppelin shirt Joe! Congrats on your new daughter 😁

[@chris6731]

Nothing would ever beat Siamese Dream for me but I found so much great stuff revisiting them this time. Gish and Oceania especially surprised me in how well they held up! Great work.

[@dominiccoppola2305]

Thanks for finally covering SP! I know it would be quite a feat to get through but man I would love to see you guys go through the Prince catalog

[@mccarney4207]

Dang! I didn’t think Gish would rank so low. I haven’t delved into everything Smashing Pumpkins but in a weird way Gish is sometimes my favorite Pumpkins record. It’s just so shoegaze and what Jason said about merging 80s alternative with 70s arena rock is incredible. I would even say the fact that Gish was a stepping stone for Siamese Dream even improves the experience for me. Siamese Dream is definitively my number 1 but some days Gish leads me astray in the best of ways

[@michaelwills1926]

@@ghost_mallabsolutely right

[@PolarWolf8]

1. Mellon Collie 4.5 2. Siamese Dream 4.5 3. Adore 4 4. Gish 3.5 5. Machina 3.5 6. Oceania 3 Mellon Collie was the first Pumpkins album I had and listened to it almost daily for a long time. It is a special album for me. I haven't really listened to their newer albums (after Oceania) apart from a few songs. But I think I will now, after watching this video. I'll probably even revisit Zeitgeist that I was very disappointed with when it was released.

[@anthonysablan8650]

Lit some candles and drew a nice bath for this ep and then Joe’s first take made me spit out all my wine cooler on myself

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I do not adore anything about it. - Joe

[@Chaz4543]

Dont know what country youre from but I havent heard the term "wine cooler" used in a long long time. Are those like those Seagram Escapes type of drinks ? I guess those would be the modern or current version of a wine cooler.

[@rgwebb5165]

Kramzer mentioned how their music can make you feel drunk. There is a disorientating aspect to their sound which sets them apart from their peers. When the guys made their best grunge bands video, there were four bands they put above Pumpkins. I suppose the argument can be made the Pumpkins are less grunge than the others because they expanded outside of that label. But the grunge era Pumpkins, which encompasses their output up to Mellon Collie, is as good l, if not better, than Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, or Alice in Chains. Amazing guitar rock with an emotional depth the other bands don't possess

[@dagreatstoney.5869]

Great stuff lads👍

[@kingprune]

Kramzer is so right about Bodies. Another great video, love these lists. Been a viewer since near the beginning and still waiting on my Prince list ;-)

[@MegaDave8520]

12 Atum - 2 stars 11 Cyr - 2 stars 10 Shiny and Oh So Bright - 2.5 stars 9 Monuments to an Elegy - 3 stars 8.Oceania - 3.5 stars 7 Machina II - 3.5 stars 6 Machina - 3.5 stars 5 Adore - 4 stars 4 Zeitgeist - 4 stars 3 Gish - 4 stars 2.Siamese Dream - 5 stars 1 Mellon Collie - 5 stars

[@leafsfan1728]

Gish at #11 is ridiculous. lol

[@Torthrodhel]

Personally love Corgan's vocals on Zeitgeist, thought the much smoother singing style really suited that album (much as the much rougher singing style really suited Melon Collie).

[@magicjackm]

Jeeeesus, some of these rankings hurt! I thought Joe's Adore at 12 was rough but then Jason comes in with an 11 ranking for Machina II and then Kramzer comes in with a #11 Gish??? I don't even know what to think anymore, I need a beer

[@Chaz4543]

I still think Gish at 11 is more contrarian pick than Adore at 12.

[@magicjackm]

@@Chaz4543 They're definitely pretty head to head - in all honesty I was listing these as they happened the Adore thing was just my first taste of the madness, lol

[@suartgilmour4540]

Sorry Joe, but as a Pumpkins fan for 30 years I adore Adore and would rank it as no. 3 only bettered by Siamese and Mellon Collie. Interesting video but, thanks! Impressed you included Machina 2, i wasn't expecting that. I missed Zeitgeist, so will have to check out that one. Probably made a mistake by believing the critics at the time. I know you guys don't include compilations, but maybe you could have at least mentioned Pisces Iscariot and the Aeroplane Flies High Box set, as they are pretty much essential listening for Pumpkins fans. Stuart

[@PostPhysical]

Gish at 11😮 kramzer ! I thought you said you’re a pumpkins fan lol

[@lubilou64]

Heeeeey!!! Welcome back guys, missed you. Not a huge fan of Smashing Pumpkins so will just kick back and watch the fall out with a cup of tea and a bowl of granola (it's breakfast time here!) 😂 Cheers!

[@davidbrett8525]

Great reviews guys - I didn’t listen to any albums after machina - just the singles and the Zwan album but will definitely go back to them. I listened to zeitgeist and Oceania after watching I am with Joe on Siamese dream - but I have both Siamese and melon color at 5 stars The most controversial thing about the reviews was not Joe putting adore at the bottom (even though this was pretty controversial) it was Kramser saying he would take through the eyes of ruby off melon collie! One of my favourite songs on the album

[@pearljamrules27]

Wow, Adore at #12 right off the bat... What a way to begin.

[@curly_wyn]

Yep, noice lol

[@spencerdobkin9479]

Adore is my third favorite album of all time behind Pet Sounds and Blonde on Blonde.

[@crypticcynic7827]

I also dig Corgan's voice because he doesn't sound like a human. I can easily imagine his voice belonging to some kind of lovesick fantasy monster which adds to the immersion. Plus it's versatile, it cuts through the distortion of the rock cuts and it sells the other more softer styles.

[@faceloveme]

I adore ADORE album.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I abhor it

[@TheOldMadeira]

Such a good video. Thanks guys and listen to the whole thing here’s my ranking and I’m gonna leave off some albums because I haven’t really listened to them in depth, but here it goes Number one Siamese dream Number two melancholy Number three Oceania Number four Atum Number five Machina I Number six adore Number seven monuments Number eight CYR

[@Vanessa.P]

Thirty-Three is absolutely underrated. I loved it when it was a single and always ever since. It's still exhilarating to hear it even now, made a point of playing it twice in my car only yesterday haha.

[@Chaz4543]

The local active rock station in Boston at the time didnt play Thirty-Three when it was a single because it was too soft. They played Here is No Why instead. They did that with a few other huge 90s alternative bands when they released softer singles. Yeah it was lame but it was a active rock/mainstream rock station and not a alternative station so they must have had permission to do that.

[@RealJeffTidwell]

@@Chaz4543Referring to… WAAF? WBCN? Providence’s 94.1 WHJY?

[@Chaz4543]

@@RealJeffTidwell AAF. BCN was the alternative rock station. They played some of the same bands/music but they played mostly different ones.

[@christophmathis]

Excellent job on the Pumpkins! Would love to hear your ranked lists for Slowdive, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Nine Inch Nails. I’m sure it’s irritating to have these “requests,” but just thought I’d put it out there.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

Gish - love Butch Vig production . Gish was like "training " for Nirvana "Nevermind "

[@melonfarmers1]

Kramzer wanting to throw out Thru the eyes of ruby is....horrible

[@bobschoenenberger2858]

Completely agree!

[@BL-mf3jp]

1. Mellon Collie - A 2. Siamese Dream - B+ 3. Zeitgeist - B 4. Adore - B 5. Gish - B-

[@bengalgangster]

here we go with a bakers dozen 13 cyr 2.0 + 12 monuments to an elegy 2.5 11 ocenia 3.0- 10 adore3.0- 9 atum [ a rock opera in 3 parts] 3.0+ 8shiny and o so bright 3.0+ 7 machina [the machines of god] 3.5- 6zeitgeist 3.5 + 5 pisces escariot 3.5 4 machina ii [the friends and enemies of modern music] 3.5 3 mellon collie and infinite sadness 4.5- 2 siamese dreams 4.5 1 gish 4.5 1 and 2 are so close and i thought siamese may have passed gish , but gish was my fav forever , so i kept it another thought, jimmy chamberlin is a amazing drummer [wow] fun listo and looking forward to songs video cheers!! 🐯🐯

[@davidellis5141]

I had the same first 3 .. hard to pick another above them. Going to drive to Denver to see Yankees on Sunday ..wanted to go to whole series but all hotels are booked Friday & Saturday for miles as Taylor is in town for 2 shows.

[@bengalgangster]

@@davidellis5141 oh wow nice, have a good time, that darn taylor, you know im not yankee fan, but would have been interesting to see judge in that stadium , lol

[@davidellis5141]

@@bengalgangster Judge is on IR with a broken toe. Due back in a week.

[@bengalgangster]

@@davidellis5141 yah i know , thats why i said would have been ,

[@davidellis5141]

@bengalgangster Sorry 😬 .. It's 105 .. Brain 🧠 is malfunctioning 👍

[@houseofclouse1509]

Great video guys, awesome to see a Pumpkins ranking, definitely an interesting band with some amazing albums. Funny to see a video where both Kram and Joe had horrendous placements of Gish by Kram and Adore by Joe, but Jason surprisingly wasn’t controversial at all like he normally is. Zeitgeist is criminally underrated, I love that album because it’s a return to straightforward catchy heavy rock. ATUM should have been a double album, if it was it would easily move up to 7th on my list. My ranking below. ALBUM RANKING: 1. Siamese Dream (1993) - ★★★★★ 2. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) - ★★★★★ 3. Gish (1991) - ★★★★½ 4. Adore (1998) - ★★★★½ 5. Zeitgeist (2007) - ★★★★ 6. Oceania (2012) - ★★★★ 7. MACHINA (2000) - ★★★½ 8. MACHINA II (2000) - ★★★½ 9. Monuments to an Elegy (2014) - ★★★½ 10. Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. (2018) - ★★★½ 11. ATUM (2023) - ★★★½ 12. CYR (2020) - ★★★ RATING SCALE: ★★★★★ - Masterpiece ★★★★½ - Excellent ★★★★ - Great ★★★½ - Very Good ★★★ - Good ★★½ - Okay ★★ - Bad ★½ - Very Bad ★ - Awful ½ - Terrible

[@Fatherjohn76]

I’m here to defend Machina. It’s overlong but the crunchy death-gaze vibe suits them and some of the melodies are sublime. Granted not top tier Pumpkins but I think it’s too ragged on. I’d place it fourth

[@SonicJaneStooge]

Great video again guys. Any chance of a Duran Duran one soon?

[@179rich]

Sounds like Kramzer's number 1 should have been Adore. It sounds like he went with his brain when he should have gone with his heart.

[@garrettredd2541]

Seeing as though it was Joe's last place pick, it would have made for a very interesting range

[@lesliesimpson3528]

Atum isn't a weird spelling of autumn. Atum is an ancient Egyptian god.

[@andresav1073]

My. Rank: 1 MCIS 2 SD 3 Gish 4 Adore 5 Machina I 6 ATUM 7 Oceania 8 Machina II 9 Zeitgeist 10 Shiny and Oh So B 11 CYR 12 Monuments to an Elegy

[@ttmilbr]

1. Mellon Collie - 5* 2. Siamese Dream - 4.5* 3. Gish - 4* 4. Machina - 4* 5. Zeitgeist - 4* 6. Oceania - 3* 7. Adore - 3* This is where the bottom drops out 8. Monuments to an Elergy - 2* 9. Shiny and Oh So Bright - 2* 10. Cyr - 1.5* 11. Atum - 1.5*

[@brogancosta895]

That dude on the bottom is INSANE. Adore is one of the greatest records ever!

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Please get help

[@Chaz4543]

The greatest records ever are tight albums. A overly long and bloated 16 track album where most of the songs are forgettable isnt one of the greatest records ever.

[@hillelfield4695]

Anyone else find it difficult to get through Mellon Collie? It feels like there's this sagging darkness throughout the record that makes it a bit of a slog to get through...but the standout tracks are undeniably incredible

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I feel that way about Adore. - Joe

[@179rich]

@@TastesLikeMusic Yeah, I imagine that's a perfect description of how you feel about Adore lol definitely seems much more fitting for that album than Mellon Collie.

[@AndI0td763]

I agree with you guys on Zeitgeist, very underappreciated.

[@adambosse]

mellon collie and the infinite friggin sadness

[@alexpaley4158]

Sounds like I should check out Oceania - the Pumpkins had kind of fallen off my radar in this era (post-Zeitgeist), probably because I knew that JC wasn't playing with Billy. Maybe i missed a hidden gem? Thanks for this - it's what these kinds of videos are good for.

[@PACHAZO13]

Hey, thanks for finally releasing this listography from my favorite band! Although I was surprised by some of the picks, I love how honest and varied your opinions are. That's what makes this such a great channel! Siamese Dream is a masterpiece. Not a weak track on there. It came out when I was in high school and will always be my favorite album. I enjoy all their 90's material though, even Adore, ha! I want to give a special shoutout to Pisces Iscariot, which is one of their best albums. I know you didn't include it because it's a b-sides album. Lastly, James did co-write several of the tracks in the early days, including Mayonaise, so he was involved more than you think. Thanks for all your insights and the overall positive assessment of the band. You guys rock!

[@davidcjupp]

Billy did a really good job in the awkward post Zwan years of convincing people he wrote everything. He clearly didn’t, you can hear Iha parts all over Melon Collie and Adore. You can seem him recording in the studio in readily available videos. He has a very distinctive ear for texture and melody, because you can hear it on APC as well. The number of Corgan nuthuggers on these comments is embarrassing. When Billy and Jimmy started Zwan, which was amazing, you could hear the lack of beauty in the songs. They were more straightforward texturally, Same applied to Billy’s solo stuff. Still good, but missing something. Then when Jimmy left, look what happened to Oceania and Monuments. Zero iconic drum moments. The Pumpkins is Billy and Jimmy at a minimum and ideally James too.

[@CoolcatzCorner]

Would you guys ever considering a NIN ranking? I think it would be fascinating to hear your thoughts because I know I have some hot takes!

[@painless465]

Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie are enough Pumpkins for me, but would have both around 4 stars. Corgans voice grates after a while.

[@independenceltd.]

a short while

[@raithrover1976]

Agree with your comment, although i rate Adore as a pretty solid album. Yes, Corgan's vocal whine isn't my cup of tea either but do check out his live acoustic version of Tonight Tonight. His vocal seems to work really well when it's just him and his acoustic guitar.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

@@raithrover1976 Yea , his voice sometimes jump on nerves .

[@painless465]

@@raithrover1976 corgans voice isn’t the only reason. I’m pretty old , Siamese Dream came out when I was almost 30. The later bands in my life I pick out a couple of the best albums and move on. I didn’t grow with these the way I did with every Zeppelin or Stones or Neil young or Bowie album when they were coming out.

[@davidellis5141]

Gold 🏅- Siamese Dream .. Silver 🥈- Gish .. Bronze 🥉- Mellon Collie ..

[@deanashtonsfoot]

I know it's not a proper studio album, but I'd be interested to hear where you'd rank Pisces Iscariot compared to the main list of albums?

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Somewhere in the middle. - Joe

[@LanceB1960]

My first thought when the video started was that Joe got a mohawk haircut. Entertaining video, guys!

[@179rich]

Jason seems to have a rule that says Atum must be heard all at once.

[@alb8390]

Listening to you guys rank the pumpkins, especially you Joe makes me want to listen to our lady peace ;)

[@TastesLikeMusic]

I do love some OLP. - Joe

[@gilbert2303]

can you guys do a top 10 fav 90s rock albums?

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Someday

[@curly_wyn]

1. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) = 4.5/5 stars 2. Siamese Dream (1993) = 4/5 stars 3. Gish (1991) = 2.5/5 stars 4. MACHINA/The Machines of God (2000) = 2.5/5 stars 5. MACHINA II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000) = 2.5/5 stars 6. Oceania (2012) = 2.5/5 stars 7. Adore (1998) = 2/5 stars 8. Zeitgeist (2007) = 2/5 stars 9. Monuments to an Elegy (2014) = 1.5/5 stars 10. Shiny and Oh So Bright (2018) = 1.5/5 stars 11. CYR (2020) = 1/5 stars 12. ATUM (2023) = 0.5/5 stars Yeah, they made like two great albums in their career…aaaaand then they made a lot of decent to mediocre to poor albums and from 2014 onwards they got worse and worse and worse! And yes, CYR is pronounced like “SEAR”. :)

[@thenewholistic]

Not sure what aesthetics you win with but this post is a BAD look... 😂 Gtfo

[@curly_wyn]

@@thenewholisticIt’s true. Their newer albums are relatively terrible.

[@chessandearl]

I'm going to agree as well, two great records and the rest is pretty unmemorable, at least to my ears.

[@TheAlibabatree]

Gish, Siamese, Mellon Collie, Machina, and Oceania are all great, and at LEAST 4/5. Adore and Zeitgeist are very good. But yeah, everything from 2014 onward has been pretty bad.

[@gagemartin7207]

Yeah Siamese dream and Gish are their best I like Mellon collie but it didn’t need to be a double album everything else isn’t great

[@mikeshannon9834]

Thru the Eyes of Ruby is the best SP song of all time and SP is my favorite band. Siamese Dream is a 5 star record.

[@joemelograno7403]

Agreed…Thru the Eyes of Ruby is phenomenal

[@ImNobody487]

Oh boy, right as I did my own Smashing Pumpkings discog listen.

[@nikkilev78]

Got into Smashing Pumpkins when Gish came out. A friend had it on cassette tape and blew my mind with it. Pumpkins were really important for me throughout the 90s and then I immediately stopped... which is my story with a lot of 90s bands! I do like all 4 of the 90s albums quite a bit. My top 4 (because I'm not familiar enough with the rest to rank): 1. Siamese Dream - After falling in love with Gish, it was really satisfying and epic in general to watch that star rise, and to hear those guitars thicken. This album is a masterpiece and one of my favorite all time guitar sounds... and a formative emotional musical touchstone. 2. Gish - We California teens loved the GROOVE at the turn of the decade. I got way into Gish when it was pretty new and loved the loud soft dynamics and the jammy guitars. I was very much into groovy hard rock psychedelia which was a cornerstone of pre grunge alternative (at least, if you lived in California I guess), and Gish was a perfect example of it. I probably give this the two spot out of nostalgia, but it still does it for me. 3. Mellon Collie - Ehhh... so here is the thing, I couldn't buy everything I wanted as a teenage music lover. I had to make hard decisions. What I'm trying to say ashamedly is that I didn't like 1979 or Tonight, so didn't buy the album. I was a slave to radio and MTV for hearing music and those two songs in heavy rotation did not make me want to listen to more of their music. I did like Bullet and Butterfly Wings and Zero well enough but... All 4 songs were so different from what came before that I didn't feel the need to follow them were they were going. Since then, I've totally listened to the whole thing a few times and obviously see that I was wrong and that its great. I'm sure its better than Gish but... I've listened to Gish more, so there it is.

[@STONESGAM]

Big Pumpkins fan here and have been waiting for this video but most say I am very surprised by the pics here. I don't understand and wasn't expecting all of the love for Zeitgeist and Oceania. I also thought Machina 1 was ranked much lower than expected. Siamese Dream is a five star record any day of the week. What more do you want? Ha

[@joachimb5721]

Huh? Kramzer has Machina I on #7. That was very generous, I think, for a forgettable album like this. The only thing that comes to my mind when thinking of it is the line „radio… radio…. Play my favorite song…“.

[@whitelikejesus]

Normally on Kramzer's side. But Gish so low, and what's next? Adore higher than Gish? Machina II? I just can't. I can't condone these opinions, and I can't vouch for you as a good person anymore. :) And yes, I was given this opportunity. I was walking home carrying my groceries and whistling innocently, when suddenly a hooligan approached me brandishing a knife. He said, "Do you watch Tastes Like Music on youtube? Do you know Kramzer?" and I was like "Indeed I do!" And he was like, "I used to believe someting! I used to have a dream! And then the person I looked up to the most trampled all over that dream by ranking Machina II and Adore unnecessarily high on his Smashing Pumpkins list!" And I was like "Don't base your happiness on the opinions of Tastes Like Music! Remember, this is the the place where Jason said his least favorite song on REM's Automatic For The People was 'Drive'!" And he replied "You're right, that opinion was complete bullshit, and I am deciding to spare your life!" So the moral lesson we can all learn from this 100% true story is not that there's no accounting for taste, but that the album Gish by Smashing Pumpkins and the song Drive by REM are awesome.

[@musicaddict5076]

Once I saw one of you with Gish at 11/12 I couldn’t continue lol

[@spencerdobkin9479]

Massive SP fan here (second or third favorite band). Joe you broke my heart with the Adore ranking!...lol. It's one of my all time favorites. I stop counting it as Pumpkins really after Zeitgeist - which to me is the peak of Corgan's sound and songwriting ability. I do like Oceania and Monuments but after that I can't really listen to them. Shiny and oh so Bright is bad - massive disappointment...I stopped after that. 1. Adore - 5 stars 2. Siamese Dream - 5 stars 3. Mellon Collie - 5 stars 4. Machina/The Machine of Gods - 4.5 stars 5. Pisces Iscariot - 4.5 stars 6. Gish - 4 stars 7. Zeitgeist - 4 stars 8. Machina II - 3.5 stars 9. Monuments to an Elegy - 3.5 stars 10. Oceania - 3.5 stars 11. Shiny and oh so Bright - 2 stars

[@dumb-angel]

haha excusing atum explains why all the weezer trashing from you guys… i guess we don’t see that much eye to eye but it’s nice to have such lengthy music discussions

[@blakeplaster7139]

This is probably my favorite listography from you guys. My only complaint is how low Gish is ranked. It's my clear number 3. Rhinoceros, I am One, Siva, Crush and Daydream are all amazing!

[@andrewdyke5561]

Im a huge smashing pumpkins fan so excited to see how this goes

[@whatdothlife4660]

Not including Pisces Iscariot because it's not technically an album is a shame given it's better than half of their catalog.

[@TastesLikeMusic]

It was good. But I disagree. - Joe

[@cuteasxtreme]

Not sure I’m gonna watch this whole review cause I’m smelly and I gotta take a shower. Just glad none of you rated Cyr last that album is criminally underrated

[@danielmcglynn2547]

This was a really good discussion. What gets me is the diversity of opinions here. With the exception of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie which are generally loved almost anything goes for the rest. Ican see Joes point about Adore as back in the day when I was a big fan of the band (20 years ago !!!) Adore was the beginning of the end back then. Its only been recently I have started to listen again to his works. But of all the comments made I really agree with Krams reason for disliking ATUM as it was too long. In fact that really is Billy Corgans greatest incapability. The inability to distinguish between a great tune that needs to be nurtured and a mediocre tune that should just be allowed to die and be buried. His recording history shows that. But anyhow I am pleAsed to see that they still can put out great tunes. Not with the consistency that made a great album as in the old days but there are still humdingers being produced. Some might disagree there (or to more accurate some will disagree) but I'm sure. As for my album rankings- beyond the first two its all subject to change- but here we go: Siamese Dream (1993)- 5 stars (9) Mellon Collie (1995) (8) Oceania (2012) (7) Machina/The Machines of God (2000) -(6.5) Shiney and Oh So Bright (2018) (6) Zeitgeist (2007) -(5.5) Adore (1998) -(5.5) Gish (1991) -(5) To think I used to love this....but I must be getting old Atum (2023) (4) Cyr (2020) - 4) Monuments to An Elegy (2014) (3.5) Machina II/ The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000) - (3)

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

I share your sense of whiplash regarding the oscillating quality of Corgan's songwriting. I think his inconsistencies are most evident on Mellon Collie, which is a frustratingly uneven album to my ears. I still gave it 4.5 stars because the best tunes are legit classics, but I could live without almost half the songs.

[@danielmcglynn2547]

@@AbbeyRoadkill1 I tend to agree- it was about this time we got all B sides and extras on top of a very long album. He could not help himself. He did not employ the razor much after that.

[@davidhumphrey7874]

The fact that you guys put one of my favorite Pumpkin albums (Oceania) in the top ten, makes me want to forget that one of you put Adore dead last. Lol

[@TastesLikeMusic]

Adore doesn’t even sound like Pumpkins. Whiny, electronic trash. 😅 - Joe

[@davidhumphrey7874]

@@TastesLikeMusic still you put Oceania in the top ten.... I'll let it slide...lol

[@Chaz4543]

@@TastesLikeMusic I wouldnt even call it whiny. Its just too long and boring. Ava Adore and Perfect unironically the only 2 singles are the best songs on it.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

1. Siamese Dream (1993) 5 2. Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness (1995) 4.5 3. Gish (1991) 4 4. Oceania (2012) 3.5 5. Adore (1998) 3 6. Monuments to an Elegy (2014) 3 7. Machina II (2000) 2.5 8. Shiny & Oh So Bright Vol. 1 (2018) 2.5 9. Zeitgeist (2007) 2 10. Machina (2000) 2 11. Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts (2023) 2 12. Cyr (2020) 1.5 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: 4.0 Gish (1991) 5.0 Siamese Dream (1993) 4.5 Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness (1995) 3.0 Adore (1998) 2.0 Machina (2000) 2.5 Machina II (2000) 2.0 Zeitgeist (2007) 3.5 Oceania (2012) 3.0 Monuments to an Elegy (2014) 2.5 Shiny & Oh So Bright Vol. 1 (2018) 1.5 Cyr (2020) 2.0 Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts (2023) Straight away I should say I'm not a big fan of Billy Corgan's thin, nasally voice. It's easily the weakest link in Smashing Pumpkins' sound and puts a slight damper on my overall enthusiasm for them. That said, Corgan deserves praise as a songwriter. He was influential in the way he stacked and weaved guitar parts like they were an orchestra. Gish was one of the opening salvos in a revolutionary year for music (1991). I love how it jumps back-and-forth between head-banging rock and dreamy psychedelia. The album's flagship song, "Rhinoceros," is still the best Pumpkins tune. In the wake of their later success at Virgin records, Gish became the biggest selling independent album of all time. 1993's Siamese Dream is the cornerstone of their alt-rock street cred. I'm not as fond of "Disarm" as I used to be ("The killer in me is the killer in you" isn't a good enough line to be repeated as many times as it is). However, the album still gets to 5 stars because of firecrackers like "Cherub Rock," "Mayonaise," "Soma," "Rocket," and "Hummer." A triple LP, Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness (1995) gave the band breakout commercial success behind hits like "1979" and "Tonight, Tonight." I view it much the same way I view The Clash's triple album, Sandinista! There are undeniable high points (e.g. "Thirty-Three," "Zero," "By Starlight," "Muzzle") just not quite enough of them to justify the extreme run time. (Also, fan favorites like "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans," "Thru the Eyes of Ruby," and "X.Y.U." don't do much for me.) Like Sandinista!, if it'd been cut down to a single disc containing only the best 13 or 14 songs, it'd be an easy 5 stars and probably my favorite album from the band. As soon as the Pumpkins reached the top of the music business, things started going sideways. First, their touring keyboardist, Jonathan Melvoin, died of a heroin overdose. Then they fired their drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin, for his own drug problems and replaced him with a drum machine. As a result, their next album (1998's Adore) lacks the usual toe-tapping Pumpkins energy. Corgan does his best to patch things up by summoning his love for gothy 1980s acts like The Cure and Depeche Mode, but not everything pans out. The two cuts I really connect with are the meditative pieces, "For Martha" and "To Sheila." (I also like "Ava Adore," "Tear," and "Daphne Decends.") The rest of the album does nothing for me. Chamberlin returns for Machina and Machina II (both 2000) and so does the band's appetite for rocking hard. However, the songs themselves are pretty forgettable, with only 4 exceptions- "Stand Inside Your Love," "Age of Innocence," "Real Love," and "In My Body." By this point, Billy Corgan had lost his knack for writing hits, and the band subsequently broke up. Corgan revived the Smashing Pumpkins name for 2007's Zeitgeist, although Chamberlin was the only original member he brought back (no James Iha or D'Arcy Wretzky). Chamberlin's drumming on Zeitgeist is great, but "United States" is the only song worth mentioning. It's debatable exactly when Smashing Pumpkins albums turned into Billy Corgan solo albums (or if they'd always been Corgan solo albums from the beginning). But from here on out, they feel very much like solo albums. Oceania (2012) and Monuments to an Elegy (2014) recollect the layered intricacy of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie. Neither get to 4 stars for me, but Oceania's neo-prog title track is the best Pumpkins tune since the 1990s. James Iha rejoined the band for 2018's Shiny & Oh So Bright Vol. 1, although you can hardly tell from the music. Their two most recent offerings- Cyr (2020) and Atum (2023)- explore the genre of synth-pop. Imo, it's not a good fit for Corgan's songwriting style (also, both albums suffer from being way too long). I think Smashing Pumpkins made a major contribution to the alternative rock boom of the early 1990s. But they started to fade after their 3rd album, which keeps them from being a serious candidate for my top 100 artists list. MY RATING SYSTEM: 5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs) 4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both) 4.0 = great (a clear majority is worth revisiting and it's one of the best things for this artist/style) 3.5 = seriously good (at least half is worth revisiting) 3.0 = nominally good (less than half is worth revisiting) 2.5 = fair (competent but uninspired, not worth revisiting) 2.0 = poor (difficult listen) 1.5 = awful (can't finish it) 1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse) ▪︎ "Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few duds if the rest of the songs are good enough. "Stratospheric highs" refer to albums that feature iconic songs or have an iconic sound. (Albums I consider to be "perfect" can also reach 5 stars, even without containing legendary songs or being highly influential.) ▪︎ I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible, I don't care to differentiate anymore. ▪︎ Anything I rate 3.5 stars or better is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.

[@179rich]

Well done, mate.

[@DarleneJones-lq4mj]

Infinite sadness,machina,monuments,Siamese dream my top four in that order.