The Smashing Pumpkins: Gish (35th anniversary edition, 180g) [VIRGIN]

Why you'll love it

This 35th anniversary edition is remastered on 180g vinyl with the original artwork and a printed inner sleeve. Gish went platinum in the US, one of the best-selling independent albums of its day, and Pitchfork named it one of the 25 best grunge albums of the 90s.

This edition

• 35th anniversary edition
• 180g vinyl
• Remastered
• Original artwork
• Printed inner sleeve
• Lyrics included

About the album

Twenty thousand dollars doesn't buy much studio time these days, but in 1990 it bought Billy Corgan four months at Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Vig was still a little-known producer used to fast, cheap indie sessions, and he later called the long schedule a godsend; Corgan wanted every sound to be amazing and was happy to keep going until it was. Caroline put the album out in May 1991.

Corgan was chasing a balance point between heavy riff rock in the Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin mould and the grace of UK bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees and My Bloody Valentine, with the Beatles somewhere in the middle. "Rhinoceros" is the blueprint, pretty and psychedelic until it flips into a ripping lead. "I Am One," co-written with James Iha, and "Siva" hit hard, "Crush" and "Snail" drift, and "Daydream" closes softly. Corgan and Vig shared the production credit.

Corgan called it a very spiritual album, an album about ascension. Vig's next big job that year was Nirvana's Nevermind. Some producers have a good year; he had a rather busy one.

Also at Kops: more The Smashing Pumpkins on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Virgin / Caroline, a reissue of the 1991 album.