Limited double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Digitally remastered edition of this 1998 album from the Alt-Rock superstars. ADORE, the follow up to the band's mega-successful 1995 double album MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS, offered a new entrance to the band's career as Corgan experimented with and without the band.
In the wake of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin's departure, the Pumpkins have taken a giant step away from the grunge-flavored, turbo-powered alt-rock anthems that made them famous. On ADORE, Billy Corgan and company opt instead for a more scaled-down approach that relies heavily on acoustic instruments and ballads of love and longing. Corgan may still be expressing angst here, but he does it in an understated, romantic way, addressing matters of the heart with subtlety and maturity on tunes like "Shame" and "To Sheila."
Don't take all this acoustic-based balladry (a path also explored by James Iha on his solo debut) as a sign that the band is out of touch with contemporary production trends, though. Bon Harris of Nitzer Ebb is on hand to add a sprinkling of electronica to the proceedings via his programming talents. His contributions, like much of ADORE itself, remains modestly unobtrusive, providing just the right underpinning for some of the tunes. As the album ends with a solo piano instrumental, we're reminded that Smashing Pumpkins are a band who refuse to ossify, constantly changing and evolving. ADORE is just one more leg of their continuing journey.
Smashing Pumpkins: Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'Arcy.
Additional personnel: Brad Wood (vocals, organ); Bon Harris (vocals, programming); Dennis Flemion, Jimmy Flemion (vocals); Joey Waronker, Matt Cameron, Matt Walker (drums).
Engineers include: Brad Wood, Bjorn Thorsrud, Howard C. Willing.
ADORE was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance.
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Rock, Alternative
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Track List:
1 To Sheila
2 Ava Adore
3 Perfect
4 Daphne Descends
5 Once Upon a Time
6 Tear
7 Crestfallen
8 Appels + Oranjes
9 Pug
10 The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete
11 Annie-Dog
12 Shame
13 Behold! the Night Mare
14 For Martha
15 Blank Page
16 17
