The Aeroplane Flies High
The Aeroplane Flies High is a five-disc box set released by The Smashing Pumpkins in 1996. It contains expanded versions of the five singles from their album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and also included a 44-page booklet with pictures and writings by the band's lead singer Billy Corgan, as well as lyrics. It was packaged in a retro carrying case that resembled old 45 RPM vinyl boxes. A limited edition release, the box set reached number 42 on the Billboard charts, and sold 300,000 units (1.5 million discs in all), generating a platinum disc for the band. Originally intended to be limited to 200,000 copies, Virgin Records produced more after the original run sold out due to overwhelming and unexpected demand.[1] The album was remastered in 2013 under the supervision of frontman Billy Corgan and reissued on vinyl and as a CD/DVD box set.[2]
The Aeroplane Flies High | ||||
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Box set by | ||||
Released | November 26, 1996 | |||
Studio sessions | ||||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 138:53 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Billy Corgan, James Iha, Flood, Alan Moulder, D'arcy Wretzky, Kerry Brown | |||
The Smashing Pumpkins chronology | ||||
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Alternate cover | ||||
2013 reissue cover | ||||
“ | If you were to listen all the way through Mellon Collie, and listen all through the B-sides, and then read the booklet, look at the pictures, it does kind of accurately sum up our last two years. The mayhem, the madness, the sadness, and the happiness … and the boredom | ” |
— Billy Corgan, Week in Rock interview, 1996 |
ReceptionEdit
According to Tom Moon, writing for Rolling Stone, "Aeroplane is the Pumpkins’ Anthology 1, a cutting-room-floor companion piece to Mellon Collie that provides insight into Corgan’s extraordinary creative outbursts. He has said that Mellon Collie was a transforming experience for the band, and Aeroplane shows how much the Pumpkins are still willing to take chances. And here’s the scary part: There is no filler here. These supposedly second-string tracks are keepers. Aeroplane has its indulgent moments; the very exercise of anthologizing this material is megalomaniacal. But the ballads are as gorgeous as anything Corgan has ever written. The box also has small, ruminative pieces that are jarringly thoughtful and blasts of guitar riffage straight outta the corporate-rock ’70s."[3]
Deluxe releaseEdit
In 2013, the Smashing Pumpkins issued a 6-disc deluxe version of The Aeroplane Flies High, which Spotify classified under the band's "compilations" section.[4] According to Ian Cohen, writing for Pitchfork, "[t]he Aeroplane Flies High is not a beloved obscurity, nor is it a canonical album celebrating a milestone anniversary. It’s not even an album: it’s a widely available, 16-year old collection of B-sides from a double album. Granted, the Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was more judiciously edited than the title would lead you to believe. It was a 28-song double album all the same, and now Aeroplane nearly quadruples in size with 90 additional tracks on top of its original 33, with a bonus DVD to boot."[5]
Track listingEdit
All tracks are written by Billy Corgan, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" | 4:16 | |
2. | "...Said Sadly" | James Iha | 3:09 |
3. | "You're All I've Got Tonight" | Ric Ocasek | 3:10 |
4. | "Clones (We're All)" | David Carron | 2:43 |
5. | "A Night Like This" | Robert Smith | 3:36 |
6. | "Destination Unknown" | Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, Warren Cuccurullo | 4:14 |
7. | "Dreaming" | Debbie Harry, Chris Stein | 5:11 |
Total length: | 26:41 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "1979" | 4:28 | |
2. | "Ugly" | 2:52 | |
3. | "The Boy" | James Iha | 3:04 |
4. | "Cherry" | 4:02 | |
5. | "Believe" | James Iha | 3:15 |
6. | "Set The Ray To Jerry" | 4:10 | |
Total length: | 21:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Zero" | 2:39 | |
2. | "God" | 3:09 | |
3. | "Mouths of Babes" | 3:46 | |
4. | "Tribute to Johnny" | Billy Corgan, James Iha | 2:34 |
5. | "Marquis in Spades" | 3:17 | |
6. | "Pennies" | 2:28 | |
7. | "Pastichio Medley" (mislabeled as 25:59 on disc) | Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin | 23:00 |
Total length: | 40:55 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Tonight, Tonight" | 4:15 |
2. | "Meladori Magpie" | 2:41 |
3. | "Rotten Apples" | 3:02 |
4. | "Jupiter's Lament" | 2:30 |
5. | "Medellia of the Gray Skies" | 3:11 |
6. | "Blank" | 2:54 |
7. | "Tonite Reprise" | 2:40 |
Total length: | 21:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Thirty-Three" | 4:10 | |
2. | "The Last Song" | 3:55 | |
3. | "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" | 8:31 | |
4. | "Transformer" | 3:25 | |
5. | "The Bells" | James Iha | 2:17 |
6. | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson, George A. Whiting | 3:20 |
Total length: | 25:52 |
2013 CD/DVD reissueEdit
As part of EMI Music's extensive reissue campaign, a special edition of the album was released on July 26, 2013. The 6-CD set consists of the five original EPs, each now with added bonus tracks, as well as an additional CD of live material. The discs feature 90 tracks in total. The package also includes a DVD consisting of a live show in Belfort, France from July 4, 1997. The set was also released on vinyl as a 5-LP box set.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" | 4:16 | |
2. | "...Said Sadly" | James Iha | 3:09 |
3. | "You're All I've Got Tonight" | Ric Ocasek | 3:10 |
4. | "Clones (We're All)" | David Carron | 2:43 |
5. | "A Night Like This" | Robert Smith | 3:36 |
6. | "Destination Unknown" | Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, Warren Cuccurullo | 4:14 |
7. | "Dreaming" | Debbie Harry, Chris Stein | 5:11 |
8. | "Movers and Shakirs" (Gravity Studios demo) | 2:41 | |
9. | "Germans in Leather Pants" (Gravity Studios demo) | 2:58 | |
10. | "Millieu" (Gravity Studios demo) | 1:37 | |
11. | "Jackboot" (Gravity Studios demo) | 5:08 | |
12. | "A/Ab/E/B/F#" (Gravity Studios demo) | 2:47 | |
13. | "Rings" (Gravity Studios demo) | 4:00 | |
14. | "Ugly" (Gravity Studios demo) | 3:06 | |
15. | "Blaster Caster" (Gravity Studios demo) | 1:07 | |
16. | "Little Ditty" (Gravity Studios demo) | 0:45 | |
17. | "Verily I Say" (Gravity Studios demo) | 0:51 | |
18. | "New Waver" (Gravity Studios demo) | 2:56 | |
19. | "The Groover" (Gravity Studios demo) | James Iha | 5:17 |
20. | "Ravi Revi Roo" (Gravity Studios demo) | 3:23 | |
21. | "On The Loose" (Gravity Studios demo) | 1:27 | |
22. | "Slurry" (Gravity Studios demo) | 4:40 | |
Total length: | 69:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "1979" | 4:28 | |
2. | "Ugly" | 2:52 | |
3. | "The Boy" | James Iha | 3:04 |
4. | "Cherry" | 4:02 | |
5. | "Believe" | James Iha | 3:15 |
6. | "Set The Ray To Jerry" | 4:10 | |
7. | "Tonight, Tonight" (Acoustic version/instrumental rough) | 4:15 | |
8. | "Jupiter's Lament" (Billy solo) | 2:50 | |
9. | "Zero" (8-track demo) | 3:18 | |
10. | "Marquis in Spades" (8-track demo) | 2:55 | |
11. | "Have Love Will Travel" (8-track demo) | 4:20 | |
12. | "Infinite Sadness" (Siamese Dream outtake) | 3:48 | |
13. | "1979" (Acoustic) | 4:15 | |
14. | "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" (Acoustic snippet) | 1:03 | |
15. | "Take Me Down" (Instrumental) | James Iha | 2:50 |
16. | "Star Song" (DAT mix/Vocal rough) | James Iha | 5:42 |
Total length: | 57:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Zero" | 2:39 | |
2. | "God" | 3:09 | |
3. | "Mouths of Babes" | 3:46 | |
4. | "Tribute to Johnny" | Billy Corgan, James Iha | 2:34 |
5. | "Marquis in Spades" | 3:17 | |
6. | "Pennies" | 2:28 | |
7. | "Pastichio Medley" | Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin | 23:00 |
8. | "By Starlight" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 4:04 | |
9. | "Set The Ray To Jerry" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 4:17 | |
10. | "Mouths of Babes" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:25 | |
11. | "Cupid de Locke" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 2:59 | |
12. | "Galapogos" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 4:36 | |
13. | "To Forgive" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 4:00 | |
14. | "Lily (My One and Only)" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:21 | |
15. | "Here Is No Why" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:49 | |
Total length: | 71:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Tonight, Tonight" | 4:15 | |
2. | "Meladori Magpie" | 2:41 | |
3. | "Rotten Apples" | 3:02 | |
4. | "Jupiter's Lament" | 2:30 | |
5. | "Medellia of the Gray Skies" | 3:11 | |
6. | "Blank" | 2:54 | |
7. | "Tonite Reprise" | 2:40 | |
8. | "Stumbleine" (Live; 21 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:07 | |
9. | "Ugly" (Live; ]27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 2:47 | |
10. | "Meladori Magpie" (Live; 28 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 2:53 | |
11. | "God" (Live; 21 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:10 | |
12. | "Love" (Live; 28 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:53 | |
13. | "Pissant" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 3:32 | |
14. | "Hello Kitty Kat" (Live; 27 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | 5:02 | |
15. | "Special Winner's Song" (improv; Live, 28 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy Wretzky, Jimmy Chamberlin | 4:28 |
16. | "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" (Live; 28 February 1995, Chicago, IL, USA) | Willie Dixon | 4:33 |
Total length: | 54:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Thirty-Three" | 4:10 | |
2. | "The Last Song" | 3:55 | |
3. | "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" | 8:31 | |
4. | "Transformer" | 3:25 | |
5. | "The Bells" | James Iha | 2:17 |
6. | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson, George A. Whiting | 3:20 |
7. | "Silverfuck" (Live; 10 July 1996, Landover, MD, USA) | 34:48 | |
Total length: | 60:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Where Boys Fear to Tread" (Live; 3 July 1996, Cleveland, OH, USA) | 4:41 |
2. | "Zero" (Live; 7 February 1996, San Francisco, CA, USA) | 2:42 |
3. | "Fuck You" (Live; 10 April 1996, Stockholm, Sweden) | 4:23 |
4. | "X.Y.U." (Live; 3 February 1996, Los Angeles, CA, USA) | 7:38 |
5. | "To Forgive" (Live; 6 January 1996, Washington DC, USA) | 4:06 |
6. | "Thirty-Three" (Live; 11 January 1996, New York City, NY, USA) | 4:04 |
7. | "Tonight, Tonight" (Live; 11 January 1996, New York City, NY, USA) | 4:27 |
8. | "Lily (My One and Only)" (Live; 5 January 1996, Washington DC, USA) | 3:31 |
9. | "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" (Live; 3 July 1996, Cleveland, OH, USA; mislabeled as "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans/Beautiful/Drown") | 12:33 |
9a. | "Beautiful" | |
9b. | "Rocket" | |
10. | "Jellybelly" (Live; 6 April 1996, Ghent, Belgium) | 3:51 |
11. | "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" (Live; 3 February 1996, Los Angeles, CA, USA) | 4:16 |
12. | "By Starlight" (Live; 2 July 1996, Buffalo, NY, USA) | 5:11 |
13. | "Bodies" (Live; 5 July 1996, Philadelphia, PA, USA) | 3:58 |
14. | "Silverfuck" (Live; 9 April 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark) | 13:54 |
Total length: | 79:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Glimpses" | Jimmy Page, Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Chris Dreja | 4:52 |
2. | "Where Boys Fear to Tread" | 3:40 | |
3. | "Eye" | 4:48 | |
4. | "Tonight, Tonight" | 4:10 | |
5. | "Transformer" | 4:08 | |
6. | "Thru the Eyes of Ruby" | 7:56 | |
7. | "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" | 5:20 | |
8. | "By Starlight" | 4:05 | |
9. | "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" | 5:20 | |
10. | "Muzzle" | 4:01 | |
11. | "1979" | 4:34 | |
12. | "X.Y.U." | 10:10 | |
13. | "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" | 12:14 | |
14. | "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)" | 10:30 | |
Total length: | 85:48 |
Release historyEdit
Released | Label | Catalog ID | Format | Country | External sites | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 26, 1996 | Virgin | 7243 8 38564 2 8 | 5CD | US | Discogs | MusicBrainz | [1][2][3][4][5] |
November 25, 1996 | Virgin | SP BOX 2 • 7243 8 38564 2 8 | 5CD | UK & Europe | Discogs | [1][2][3][4][5] | |
July 23, 2013 | Virgin • UMe | B0018550-01 | 5LP | US | Discogs | [6][7][8][9][10] | |
July 23, 2013 | Virgin • UMe | B0018549-00 | 6CD • DVD | US | Discogs | MusicBrainz | [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] |
July 23, 2013 | EMI | Digital | Worldwide | [6][7][8][9][10][11] |
More releases: Discogs • MusicBrainz
PersonnelEdit
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Billy Corgan – vocals, guitar, piano, production, liner notes, mixing, illustrations
- James Iha – guitar; vocals on "...Said Sadly", "A Night Like This", "The Boy", "Believe", and "The Bells"; production; engineering; mixing
- D'arcy Wretzky – bass guitar, vocals on "Dreaming" and "The Bells", production, engineering, mixing
- Jimmy Chamberlin – drums
- Additional musicians
- Keith Brown – piano
- William Corgan Sr. – guitar solo on "The Last Song"
- Dennis Flemion – instruments on "Medellia of the Gray Skies"
- Jimmy Flemion – instruments on "Medellia of the Gray Skies"
- Nina Gordon – vocals on "...Said Sadly"
- Chris Martin – piano
- Eric Remschneider – cello on "The Bells"
- Adam Schlesinger – piano on "The Bells"
- Production
- Andy Chase – engineer
- John Craig – illustrations
- Pual Eledge – photography
- Flood – production, engineering, mixing
- Jeff Lane – mixing
- Tommy Lipnick – engineering
- Jeff Moleski – engineering, mixing
- Tommy Moleski – engineering
- Alan Moulder – production, mixing
- J. Nicholas – mixing, mixing assistant
- Frank Olinsky – art direction, design
- Neil Perry – mixing
- Claudine Pontier – engineering
- Russ Spice – engineering
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Martin White – engineering
- Yelena Yemchuk – photography, "Zero" cover art
Chart positionsEdit
Chart (1996) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[6] | 42 |
UK Albums (OCC)[7] | 160 |
CertificationsEdit
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ MTV News staff (1996). "Pumpkins' "Collectors" Set Has Mass Appeal". MTV.com. Archived from the original (http) on May 9, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
- ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins' 'Aeroplane Flies High' Nears Infinity With 104-Track Reissue". Spin.com. June 5, 2013.
- ↑ "The Aeroplane Flies High". Rolling Stone. December 12, 1996. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ↑ "Spotify - The Smashing Pumpkins". Spotify. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins - The Aeroplane Flies High". Pitchfork. July 19, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ↑ "The Smashing Pumpkins Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Chart Log UK". Zobbel. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Smashing Pumpkins – The Aeroplane Flies High". RIAA. 1997-01-27. Retrieved November 15, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- Albums
- The Smashing Pumpkins albums
- Box sets
- The Smashing Pumpkins box sets
- Albums produced by Billy Corgan
- Albums produced by James Iha
- Albums produced by Flood
- Albums produced by Alan Moulder
- Albums produced by D'arcy Wretzky
- Albums produced by Kerry Brown
- Billboard 200 albums
- United Kingdom (OCC) albums
- United States (RIAA) certifications
- Virgin Records albums