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Welcome to SPCodex
The Smashing Pumpkins wiki
Help us build the world's largest knowledge base for The Smashing Pumpkins and related acts!
We currently have 4,333 articles, detailing 1,323 songs across 150 albums, 85 studio sessions and 2,178 live shows.
Album of the week
Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins was considered "one of the most anticipated albums of 1998". Recording proved to be a challenge as the band struggled with both personal and interpersonal problems and the departure of Jimmy Chamberlin. While the resulting electronic sound divided some fans, it gained an immense cult following and was praised by critics. Adore went Platinum in the US and 2× Platinum in Canada. It was the band's third straight album to be nominated for a Grammy, peaking at #1 in five countries and #2 on the Billboard 200. A remastered and expanded version of the album was released in September 2014.
Song of the day
"A Song for a Son" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins from the Songs for a Sailor segment of Teargarden. Billy Corgan consciously set the song in 1975, the year he started listening heavily to rock music, attributing the extended guitar solo to Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, UFO, and Rainbow. Producer Kerry Brown wrote:
| “ | Billy broke out the Farfisa today and we ran it through a 'secret weapon' It won't be such a secret on Tuesday when I showcase it and its history in the Tech Tuesday blog ... but for those of you curious as to what it could be... *Hint*(Pink Floyd) used one of these devices on some of their recordings. | ” |
The "secret weapon" was a Binson Echorec.
Did you know...
- ...that Matt Sweeney's (of Zwan) former band Skunk helped inspire the composition that became "Frail and Bedazzled"?
- ...that the original idea for the "Cherub Rock" music video was for the band to play for "metal kids", with angels swinging from ropes, and Billy Corgan dressed as Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th?
- ...that the cost of recording Siamese Dream was $250,000 over budget? Virgin Records grew impatient with the costs and being behind schedule, but the band refused to cut corners if it meant they had to compromise the sound.
- ...that the In Ashes animated series was named after Sumerian Records CEO, Ash Avildsen? The joke was that by signing with Sumerian Records, The Smashing Pumpkins and Sumerian are "going to go up in flames … and end up in ashes."
- ...that the Pumpkins' July 17, 1998 performance was a free show that drew upwards of 125,000 fans, and that the mayor declared July 17 "Smashing Pumpkins Day"?
In the news
May 6, 2024
- Madame ZuZu's announces the next archival release, a 2 LP set consisting of SP on the Radio 1988-89 / Starchildren Live 8.18.90. Release date is May 11 at 12 PM CST exclusively through madamezuzus.com.
April 27, 2024
April 26, 2024
- Kiki Wong is confirmed as the new guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins.
April 24, 2024
- The NWA announces that Billy Corgan's new 8-episode unscripted series, Billy Corgan's Adventures in Carnyland will debut on The CW on May 14.
Today in history
Charts
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #10 on the US Alternative Albums (Billboard) chart
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #111 on the US Billboard 200 chart
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #15 on the US Rock (Billboard) chart
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #16 on the US Independent Albums (Billboard) chart
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #7 on the US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) chart
- 2023: ATUM peaked at #8 on the US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) chart
Live shows
- 1996: (The Smashing Pumpkins) Hordern Pavilion; Sydney, NSW, AU
- 1998: (The Smashing Pumpkins) RTVE Studios; Madrid, ES
- 2000: (The Smashing Pumpkins) Open Air Theatre; San Diego, CA, US
- 2005: (Jimmy Chamberlin Complex) Launchpad; Albuquerque, NM, US – Sean Woolstenhulme's final show.
- 2022: (The Smashing Pumpkins) Champions Square; New Orleans, LA, US
More fan sites
- SPFC (Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative) – One of the oldest and most comprehensive databases. Much of the data on SPCodex was imported from SPFC.
- SP Freaks – The de facto official museum for The Smashing Pumpkins.
- SPLRA (Smashing Pumpkins Live Recording Association) – A wiki dedicated to documenting live performances.
- The Smashing Pumpkast – A bi-weekly Smashing Pumpkins podcast hosted by Frank Garcia-Hejl and Pat O'Brien.
- SPFam – Facebook-based mental health and wellness peer support group.
- Landslide Omnipedia – Unique encyclopedic content and host for Act IV.
- Netphoria – A very active discussion forum for all things Smashing Pumpkins.