“Once we blew apart in 1996, we were never quite the same”: Smashing Pumpkins announce 30th anniversary edition of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness

News
By ( Louder ) published

The Chicago rockers’ masterpiece double album will come with an additional disc of previously-unreleased live recordings unearthed by Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan in 1995
(Image credit: Mick Hutson/Redferns)

Smashing Pumpkins have announced details of a special 30th anniversary edition of their sprawling 1996 double album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. Their third and most successful record, Mellon Collie… turns 30 later this month and new super deluxe 6LP and 4CD editions of the album will be released on November 21.

The attraction for Pumpkins diehards who might already own the extensive reissue of Mellon Collie… that the band issued in 2012 and again in 2022 is a collection of previously-unreleased live recordings taken from the group’s 1996 Infinite Sadness tour.

“Unearthing these live recordings from the original lineup’s true, last large-scale tour was a labour of love,” frontman Billy Corgan said, “and for me certainly a bittersweet as once we blew apart in 1996, we were never quite the same: be it emotionally, or spiritually. Thankfully, I can say this as the band is now enjoying our greatest public success since that time, and one can hear in these tapes the raw power that such nascent faith afforded us, then, and the will and wisdom to persevere that followed.”

The live cuts are taken from various shows across the US in 1996 and also amongst the Mellon Collie… cuts also include performances of Siamese Dream’s Geek U.S.A and Rocket alongside Siva, from their debut Gish.

Listen to the scintillating take of Geek U.S.A. below:

Geek USA (Live In San Diego, 1/30/96) - YouTube Geek USA (Live In San Diego, 1/30/96) - YouTube
Watch On
Niall Doherty
Niall Doherty

Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, Champions Journal, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleague Ted Kessler. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he's interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Radiohead, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.