the old bands know how to have fun
today's great piece of news: smashing pumpkins are reuniting. zwan never did it for me, and i didn't bother to check out corgan's solo effort (anyone got it? is it any good?), but i was really starting to enjoy how well the band was evolving, between adore and machina... so i'm excited to hear what they're going to do now - those guys always really seemed to write well together, cohesively, and it showed in their music.
worst live show ever, though, IMHO - saw 'em right after mellon collie came out and they were trying to do the jam band thing at their concert. it didn't work.
today's sort-of-good-maybe piece of news: lost's jj abrams is going to do the next star trek movie. they've been talking about a starfleet academy idea for a while, either with a totally new crew, or to showcase kirk & spock as cadets, going on zany, youthful, college-age adventures. yeah, i've never been too excited about it - i'd rather have a new cast on a new ship then rehash crap like that in a dumb and dumberer-esque fashion. the flipside - i love lost, even though it treats me like a kitten, endlessly dangling a string in front of me, assuming i won't ever get sick of it and walk away.
i guess i can't complain if they're actually making it, instead of just pretending the franchise doesn't exist any more.
Don't get me wrong...I love Smashing Pumpkins...but Billy Corgan was SP. Jimmy Chamberlain is a good drummer, but I'm not convinced that Corgan needs the other members to make good music. He is a great guitarist and song writer and the reunification of SP may just be irrelevant. I couldn't get through the first two tracks of his solo album but I thought Zwan was alright (not SP though). I'm thinking that SP's sound was perfect in its own context and time frame. Siamese Dream will always be one of the best rock records ever made, but do we really need SP again. I think they were in decline, and unless Corgan stops writing crap music, it doesn't matter who else joins or rejoins him.
Justin...what is your favorite SP song? I'm going with Mayonaise. Isn't it amazing how such loud and grinding guitars could totally relax you and almost put you to sleep? I might have to listen to SP tonight on the way to Indy.
it used to be Rocket, until Mellon Collie came out, and then it was An Ode To No One... and then Adore came out and it was Daphne Descends...
those guys really did get better with age. i don't know of many other artists that continued to consistently improve on - and simultaneously remain true to - their original material as they got older.
Corgan's solo album was pretty good, in my opinion. nothing amazing, but fun. and yes, Corgan is the Pumpkins. as long as he's got Chamberlin, it doesn't matter who else is in the line-up.