Rotten Apples

For the song, see Rotten Apples (song).

Rotten Apples
Compilation album by The Smashing Pumpkins
Released	November 20, 2001 (CD) August 9, 2024 (LP)
Recorded	1991–2000
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	73:51 (US) 75:54 (International)
Label	Virgin
Producer	Billy Corgan, Ted de Bono, Flood, James Iha, Alan Moulder, Bjorn Thorsrud, Butch Vig, Howard Willing, Brad Wood
The Smashing Pumpkins chronology
Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88 (2000) Rotten Apples (2001) Earphoria (2002)
Singles from Rotten Apples The Smashing Pumpkins: Greatest Hits
"Untitled" Released: 2001

Rotten Apples (The Smashing Pumpkins – Greatest Hits as titled on the album's cover) is a greatest hits compilation album by The Smashing Pumpkins. It was released in November 2001, and in limited quantities with a bonus disc of B-sides and outtakes titled Judas O. The album's concluding track, "Untitled", was the Pumpkins' final recording before their breakup. Completed in the days leading up to the band's farewell concert at the Metro in Chicago, it was also released as a single. Another notable track is "Real Love"; while previously released on Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music, this was taken from the factory master tapes and, as a result, lacks the pops and clicks inherent in all copies of Machina II (which is vinyl sourced).

The title of the album is the namesake of a B-side that was released on the "Tonight, Tonight" single. Peaking at number 31 in the US, the album sold 77,000 units in its first week of being released.

In 2024, following decades of bootlegs in heavy circulation, the compilation finally received an official vinyl release. The Madame ZuZu's edition is pressed on 180 gram "pearl platinum" colored vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
NME
Drowned in Sound

According to Dan Tallis, writing for BBC, this album was "[a] rare pleasure these days, a collection of tracks that span a band's career that can actually justify the Greatest Hits title." NME gave the compilation 4 out of 5 stars, declaring it "defies normal Greatest Hits logic to actually sound like a proper, coherent album."

Cover photo

The cover photo was taken by Lisa Johnson in 1991. In an interview with Alternative Press, she recounted:

“ The funniest story about [this photo] is when we were doing it, I don’t think they knew the sign was there. At the end of the shoot, I was like, “And look, the ‘End’ sign so when you guys break up and get back together after 20 years, you can use this picture for your album cover!” Billy [Corgan] and I laughed hysterically. We thought it was funny. James [Iha] and D’arcy [Wretzky] didn’t think it was as funny, but Billy and Jimmy [Chamberlin] were laughing. True story. So when it was time for that Greatest Hits record, Billy called me up and was like, “We’ve got to get that photo and it’s got to be the cover,” and I was like, “Okay.” I love that photo. It really captures that early time. They were still in a van. It was a very—you could feel that energy. Something was going to happen. ” — Lisa Johnson, Alternative Press

Johnson has also worked with bands such as Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine and Reel Big Fish.

Track listing

There exists two versions of Rotten Apples; one is exclusive to North America and includes the song "Landslide", which is replaced by "Try, Try, Try" in the international version.

All tracks are written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.

North American version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"Siva"		Gish (1991)	4:21
2.	"Rhinoceros"		Gish	5:53
3.	"Drown"		Singles (1992)	4:30
4.	"Cherub Rock"		Siamese Dream (1993)	4:59
5.	"Today"		Siamese Dream	3:22
6.	"Disarm"		Siamese Dream	3:18
7.	"Landslide"	Stevie Nicks	Pisces Iscariot (1994)	3:06
8.	"Bullet with Butterfly Wings"		Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)	4:18
9.	"1979"		Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness	4:23
10.	"Zero"		Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness	2:41
11.	"Tonight, Tonight"		Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness	4:15
12.	"Eye"		Lost Highway soundtrack (1997)	4:54
13.	"Ava Adore"		Adore (1998)	4:21
14.	"Perfect"		Adore	3:22
15.	"The Everlasting Gaze"		Machina/The Machines of God (2000)	4:02
16.	"Stand Inside Your Love"		Machina/The Machines of God	4:13
17.	"Real Love"		Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music (2000)	4:10
18.	"Untitled"		Rotten Apples (2001)	3:51
Total length:				73:51

Notes

• "Rhinoceros" is misprinted as "Rhinocerous" on the back cover and the disc. Also, the version on the compilation is the version off the Lull EP where the last 30 seconds of the original recording (some guitar noise) is cut off.
• The last half of "Drown" is also cut, getting rid of the extended guitar solo.

International version

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Siva"	4:21
2.	"Rhinoceros"	5:54
3.	"Drown"	4:30
4.	"Cherub Rock"	4:58
5.	"Today"	3:22
6.	"Disarm"	3:17
7.	"Bullet with Butterfly Wings"	4:17
8.	"1979"	4:24
9.	"Zero"	2:40
10.	"Tonight, Tonight"	4:16
11.	"Eye"	4:54
12.	"Ava Adore"	4:20
13.	"Perfect"	3:23
14.	"The Everlasting Gaze"	4:02
15.	"Stand Inside Your Love"	4:13
16.	"Try, Try, Try" (Machina/The Machines of God)	5:09
17.	"Real Love"	4:10
18.	"Untitled"	3:53
Total length:		76:10

Personnel

The Smashing Pumpkins

• Jimmy Chamberlin – drums (except "Eye", "Ava Adore" and "Perfect")
• Billy Corgan – vocals, guitar, programming, mixing, production, art direction, bass on "Untitled"
• James Iha – guitar
• D'arcy Wretzky – bass guitar (except "Untitled")

Additional musicians

• Matt Walker – drums on "Ava Adore"
• Joey Waronker – drums on "Perfect"

Technical staff

• Ted de Bono – production on "Landslide"
• Bon Harris – additional programming on "Ava Adore" and "Perfect"
• Butch Vig – production on "Siva", "Rhinoceros", "Drown", "Cherub Rock", "Today", and "Disarm"
• Flood – production and mixing on "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", "Tonight, Tonight", "Perfect", "The Everlasting Gaze", "Stand Inside Your Love", "Real Love", "Untitled", and "Try, Try, Try"; additional production and mixing on "Ava Adore" and "Perfect"
• Roger Lian – digital editing
• Alan Moulder – production and mixing on "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", and "Tonight, Tonight"; mixing on "The Everlasting Gaze", "Stand Inside Your Love" and "Real Love"
• Jennifer Quinn-Richardson – production coordination
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Brad Wood – additional production on "Ava Adore"

Art

• Danny Clinch – photography
• Lynne Fischer – photography
• Lisa Johnson – photography, cover photo
• David LaChapelle – photography
• Michael Lavine – photography
• Melodie McDaniel – photography
• Greg Sylvester – art direction
• Yelena Yemchuk – photography

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	37
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	5
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	28
Italian Albums (FIMI)	15
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	11
Scottish Albums (OCC)	24
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	31
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade)	40
UK Albums (OCC)	28
US Billboard 200	31
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)	31

Chart (2024)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	12
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)	6
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)	11
US Alternative Albums (Billboard)	16
US Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)	30
US Catalog Albums (Billboard)	46

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	99
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)	125

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Gold	35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)	Platinum	100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Platinum	15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)	Gold	500,000^
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Judas O

Judas O
The cover of Rotten Apples, which Judas O was packaged with.
Compilation album by The Smashing Pumpkins
Released	November 20, 2001
Recorded	1995–2000
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	70:12
Label	Virgin
Producer	Kerry Brown, Billy Corgan, Ted de Bono, Flood, James Iha, Alan Moulder, Bjorn Thorsrud, Butch Vig, Howard Willing, Brad Wood

Judas O (also known as Judas Ø) is a collection of B-sides and rarities by The Smashing Pumpkins. Initially released as free downloadable tracks by the band, it was ultimately packaged as a bonus disc in a limited-edition printing of the greatest hits collection Rotten Apples. The songs are largely from the Mellon Collie, Adore, and Machina recording sessions, and some tracks can be found on The Aeroplane Flies High, and Machina II. Judas Ø is considered to be the sister album to Pisces Iscariot, a collection of B-sides and rarities from the Gish and Siamese Dream era.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Previous releases	Length
1.	"Lucky 13"		Machina II	3:09
2.	"The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" (Edited version)		B-side from the "Thirty-Three" single	7:53
3.	"Because You Are" (Adore outtake)			3:46
4.	"Slow Dawn"		Machina II	3:12
5.	"Believe"	James Iha	B-side from the "1979" single	3:12
6.	"My Mistake" (Adore demo)			4:00
7.	"Marquis in Spades"		B-side from the "Zero" single	3:12
8.	"Here's to the Atom Bomb"		B-side from the "Try, Try, Try" single	4:26
9.	"Sparrow" (Adore demo)			2:56
10.	"Waiting" (Adore outtake)		Machina promo	3:48
11.	"Saturnine" (Adore outtake)		Alt. version available on Machina II as "Satur9"	3:49
12.	"Rock On" (live recording; often played during The Sacred and Profane tour)	David Essex		6:06
13.	"Set the Ray to Jerry"		B-side from the "1979" single	4:09
14.	"Winterlong" (MACHINA demo)			4:59
15.	"Soot and Stars" (MACHINA demo)			6:39
16.	"Blissed and Gone" (Adore outtake)		Still Becoming Apart	4:46
Total length:				70:12

Notes

• "Rock On" contains re-sung elements from "And the Cradle Will Rock..." (E. Van Halen / A. Van Halen / M. Anthony / D. Roth) and "Everybody Wants Some!!" (E. Van Halen / A. Van Halen / M. Anthony / D. Roth)

Personnel

The Smashing Pumpkins

• Melissa Auf der Maur – bass guitar on "Rock On"
• Billy Corgan – vocals, guitar, piano, producer, art direction
• Jimmy Chamberlin – drums
• James Iha – guitar, vocals, producer on "Believe"
• D'arcy Wretzky – bass guitar

Additional musicians

• Matt Cameron – drums on "Because You Are"
• Bon Harris – additional squeaks and plonks on "Saturnine"
• Rick Nielsen – additional guitar on "Blissed and Gone"
• Matt Walker – drums on "My Mistake"

Production

• Kerry Brown – production on "Believe"
• Danny Clinch – photography
• Eric Ferris — executive producer
• Lynne Fischer – photography
• Flood – production on "Lucky 13", "Here's to the Atom Bomb", and "Set the Ray to Jerry"
• Lisa Johnson – photography, cover photo
• David LaChapelle – photography
• Michael Lavine – photography
• Roger Lian — digital editing
• Melodie McDaniel – photography
• Jennifer Quinn – production manager
• Greg Sylvester – art direction
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Yelena Yemchuk – photography

Releases history

Released	Label	Catalog ID	Format	Country	External sites
November 16, 2001	Virgin	VJCP-68343-44	2×CD	Japan	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[2][3]
November 19, 2001	Virgin • Hut Recordings	7243 8 11557 2 1 • CDHUTD70	2×CD	Europe	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[2][3]
November 20, 2001	Virgin	7243 8 11318 2 4	2×CD	US	Discogs	MusicBrainz	[1][3]
August 9, 2024	Virgin • Capitol • UMe	602465608175	2×LP	US	Discogs		[1]

More releases: Discogs • MusicBrainz