Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness (Alternative Album)

I took a couple months off between SP releases but I now present an alternative version of their most successful and some might say, overblown album. Well, in their first phase anyway.

Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness was a true double album for the CD age with around a hours worth of music on each disc. There was so much music that the limited edition vinyl release of this album back in 1995 were a triple set. I was quite surprised see this get a vinyl release back int he day as I was relying informed by my friends that vinyl was dead. Needless to say, the LP was a sound investment if I was ever tempted to sell it.

Anyway, Corgan brought so many songs to the sessions that a box set of the singles was released which contained around 30 fully recorded songs, very few of which was filler.  He was most defiantly on a hot streak here.

New co-producers in the form of Alan Moulder and Flood came on board and new working practises were adopted. The included working more together as a band by rehearsing together before they went into the studio. Time was set aside for jamming as well as James Iha and D’arcy Wretazky given more of an opportunity to contribute musically to the album. This was also the first album where Iha was given some space to include a couple of his songs he written by himself instead of in collaboration with Corgan. More would be included on the singles as B-Sides. The album was a massive seller, shipping over 5 million unites in the USA alone. It did beg the question though, where could the band go next?

This reconstruction of ‘Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness’ does not quite follow the original vinyl because some of the sides would be too long for the record to sound any good due to the grooves being too close together. Looking at vinyl double albums in my collection, most run between 70 and 90 odd minutes, but this one went on for a mind blowing 121 (CD & cassette) and 128 minutes (for the original 1995 vinyl release). It fully utilised the time afforded with a CD. With traditional vinyl, that would a be triple and so it proved with the 1995 vinyl release doing just that. The band included two bonus tracks not included on the CD version to make up the time as well.

I do have one question about this LP and it is, was this the only triple album of new music released in the 1990s? I would love someone to confirm that. The only other triples vinyls I can think of from the decade were The Beatles ‘Anthology’ LPs’.

Side A

1. Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness – Home Piano Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Tonight, Tonight – Band Version, No Strings (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Thirty-Three – Badlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. In The Arms Of Sleep – Early Love Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Take Me Down – Instrumental Mix (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)

Side B

1. Jellybelly – Instrumental Pit Mix 3 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Bodies – Live In Philadelphia 1996 – The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe
3. To Forgive – Sadlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Here Is No Why – Pumpkinland Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Porcelina Of The Vast Ocean – Live Studio Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side C

1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings – Sadlands Demo (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Thru The Eyes Of Ruby – Acoustic Version (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Muzzle – Live At Rockpalast 1996 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Galapogos – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
5. Tales Of A Scorched Earth – Instrumental Pit Mix 3 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side D

1. 1979 – Acoustic Mix (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
2. Beautiful – Loop Version (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Cupid De Locke – BT 2012 Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. By Starlight – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
5. We Only Come Out At Night – Live Roskide Festival 1997 – (Exit Mellon Collie – Bootleg)

Side E

1. Where Boys Fear To Tread – Live Cleveland 1996 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Zero – Synth Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
3. Fuck you (An Ode To No One) – Production Master Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Love – Flood Rough Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. X.Y.U. – Take 11 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)

Side F

1. Stumbleine – Live Chicago 1995 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
2. Lily (My One & Only) – Double Door Rehearsal (The Aeroplane Flies High Deluxe)
3. Tonight, Tonight – String Mix (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
4. Goodnight – Basic Vocal Rough (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)
5. Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness – Nighttime Version 1 (Mellon Collie & Infinite Sadness Deluxe)