Siamese Dream (Fruit Bats cover)

Siamese Dream is a tribute album by fellow Chicago band Fruit Bats of The Smashing Pumpkins' sophomore studio album, Siamese Dream. Most songs offer a slower, more gentle indie-rock rendition of the original, while some such as "Disarm" and "Mayonaise" have subtle electronic elements to them. Fruit Bats' Eric D. Johnson played all the instruments on the record.

In 1993, I was the prime age to be swept up in alternative radio. But truth be told, while I loved Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction, in my heart I was still secretly wearing a hole in my cassette copy of Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits 1974-78. Somehow, Smashing Pumpkins spoke to all sides of me—angsty on the surface but really filled with a kind of Midwest mysticism that spoke directly to my 17-year-old-kid-from-Illinois brain. It’s also the first tape I ever listened to while driving a long distance alone. I’m pretty sure my version of this album is based on subconscious memories of that drive. I played all the instruments on this. And no, of course I’m not going to be able to recreate Billy Corgan’s crushing, epic guitar tone. Nor could I dream of touching Jimmy Chamberlin’s floaty (yet ever-shredding) drumming. This version is all about hazy memories for me, and how Corgan’s brilliant pop hooks can travel through time and exist in any possible instrumental configuration.