May-September 2011 – Pumpkinland II

May-September 2011 – Pumpkinland II
Oceania whiteboard
Studio session of The Smashing Pumpkins
Artist	The Smashing Pumpkins
Album	Oceania
From	May 2011
To	September 2011
Location	Pumpkinland II
Producer(s)	Billy Corgan, Bjorn Thorsrud
Engineer(s)	Sam Wiewel, Ryan Grostefon

The May-September 2011 Pumpkinland II sessions were the proper recording sessions for the Oceania album. Inspired by the power of his new lineup of Jeff Schroeder, Nicole Fiorentino and Mike Byrne, Corgan wrote a new set of songs meant to be it's own entity, while still a part of the Teargarden by Kaleidyscope continuity – what Corgan called "an album within an album".

“ When the band lineup solidified, I thought, "This is a group again and not just some people I put together to play the songs". That was the genesis of thinking, "Okay, how do we move forward?" Especially if we're going to be an intact lineup for years to come—at least it feels that way—how do we focus ourselves? An album seemed to be the most obvious choice to explore the musicality that's in the band. Conversely, we were out as a team playing new and old music every night. There was less interest in the old music, and there wasn't enough interest in the new music. You reach a point where you're like, "Okay, we have to do something". The album seemed like the most holistic choice, if that makes sense. If we can do this well, something good should come of it. Everything else you can consider, you ask, "Is that worth putting a lot of energy into?" With the album, it's like, "Yeah, we can get into that". ” — Billy Corgan, Artist Direct, June 16, 2012

Tracks recorded

All recordings are unreleased.

• "The Celestials"
• "The Chimera"
• "Glissandra"
• "Inkless"
• "Inkless" (Original Mix)
• "My Love Is Winter"
• "Oceania"
• "One Diamond, One Heart"
• "Pale Horse"
• "Panopticon"
• "Pinwheels"
• "Quasar"
• "Violet Rays"
• "Wildflower"

Equipment

Guitars

"Kimberly Kay" resting on a chair with some stomp pedals on the floor

70's-era Stratocaster with DiMarzio pickups

Guitars used throughout Oceania vary song by song, the primary axe being recent-issue Fender Jaguars. On "Violet Rays", Corgan used a Reverend tuned to G. "Pinwheels" saw the use of a vintage Harmony with Alembic pickups. Other songs employed a mid-70's Stratocaster with DiMarzio pickups that he says is closest to his Gish-era Strat that was stolen in the '90s. On "Panopticon", Corgan used his Kimberly Bison guitar (nicknamed "Kimberly Kay"), which was also used on "Mayonaise" and "1979". Meanwhile "The Chimera" employed Corgan's famous Bat Strat.

An old Roland guitar synth pedal was used on "Glissandra", as well as a Boss pedal that acted like a whammy bar. "It’s one of my favorite sounds on the record", Corgan told MusicRadar.

Oceania is noted for its use of VamPower amplifier with a fuzz mod. On "Quasar", a Marshall Super Tremolo amp was used with four rhythm guitars, while other guitars went through a Reeves Custom Jimmy head.

Bass

Prior to these sessions, Fiorentino typically played a Fender Precision bass, but "fell in love" with Fender Jazz basses that Corgan had lying around in the studio. She has said she used a 1963 Jazz bass on about 75% of the record.

For amps, she used a Reeves 400, along with a Mesa Big Block Titan head and a Mesa 8x10 cab. For effects, she employed a Electro-Harmonix Neo-Clone chorus, a Electro-Harmonix Bass Microsynth, and a Subdecay Baby Quasar (which was in fact used on "Quasar").