Just when mastering The Smashing Pumpkins' two-hour, 28-track 1995 epic "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" seemed almost possible, the band decides to throw another mammoth batch of new material into record stores.
Just in time for the Christmas shopping frenzy comes "The Aeroplane Flies High," (HHH, Virgin) a five-CD box set of The Smashing Pumpkins' five "Mellon Collie" singles, with a bunch of extra b-sides and new material for a total of 33 songs, cutely corresponding with the release of the band's latest single, "Thirty-Three."
With CDs for each single, "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "1979," "Zero," "Tonight, Tonight" and "Thirty-Three," the collection offers a bit more than the average b-sides collection. First, some of the b-sides in the box weren't available on the original release of the singles, domestic or import. The box, which is a funky black and white carrying case also includes a 44-page booklet with the writings and ramblings from band members, and also contains "never before seen" photos of the band. The strange thing is that fired drummer Jimmy Chamberlain appears numerous times throughout the book, raising the question of whether it's because he recorded the material or because the band is considering hiring him back.
Regardless, "The Aeroplane Flies High" is a collection of both good tracks and trash. The entire collection could have been condensed into a potent single CD, featuring only the better tracks, like the band's previous b-sides collection, "Pisces Iscariot." But here, fans get just what they want: lots and lots of Pumpkins material.
The majority of the box set is a collection of themes and extremes. "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" has seven tracks, only two of which appeared on the original release of the single, the title track and guitarist James Iha's "... Said Sadly." While head Pumpkin Bill Corgan doesn't let Iha sing on the regular releases, he lets him sing some of the outtakes and b-sides - an example of how the band looks at this release as a collection of songs that weren't good enough to go on "Mellon Collie."
The five new songs on "Bullet" are all in the new wave vein with synthesizers and an early '80s sound. Covers of the Cars' "You're All I've Got Tonight," Alice Cooper's "Clones (We're All)" and Missing Persons' "Destination Unknown" are fun little ditties. Bassist D'arcy sings a dreamy rendition of Blondie's "Dreaming," and Iha takes on an empty version of the Cure's "A Night Like This."
"1979" includes a total of six tracks with Iha singing lead on a couple, helping to make it the weakest of the five discs. "Ugly" is a bland track, with Corgan singing over a light guitar line with a little drum machine action. "The Boy" is a faster and better Iha, while "Cherry" is another slow and uneventful Corgan until the juicer chorus kicks in. "Believe" is an acoustic Iha with strings, with an interesting yet typical Pumpkins sound with weak vocals. "Set the Ray to Jerry" is a little more interesting, with more synthesizer and a good drum beat.
The "Zero" single appears here the same way it was released domestically with a total of seven tracks. The entire disc seems like a dumping ground for some of the band's noisier material. "God" and "Marquis in Spades" are rough, grisly tracks, while the instrumental "Tribute to Johnny" sounds like a good jam session and is a nice addition to the disc. The single finishes out with the 23-minute "Pastichio Medley," a long, pieced-together instrumental noise fest.
"Tonight, Tonight" is the sweetest of the collection, making up for "Zero"'s harshness with its mostly acoustic feel. The sugary "Meladori Magpie" captures the sensitive Pumpkins at their best. The others are light and nice-sounding, mainly because they seem like Corgan singing and playing acoustic guitar on early demos. "Medellia of the Grey Skies," "Jupiter's Lament" and "Blank" all capture the raw demo feel, but the tracks are still enjoyable, as is the "Tonight Reprise," a "Tonight, Tonight" demo-quality track.
The most recent single, "Thirty-Three" rounds out the collection, being one of the strongest and most well-rounded of the set. "The Last Song" is a typical slow and sweet Pumpkins tune, while the eight-and-a-half-minute "The Aeroplane Flies High" is a loud, rough ride with strange dialog samples mixed throughout. "Transformer" is a strong rocker, while "The Bells" is another Iha, but a sweet one at that. The traditional "My Blue Heaven" closes the single with Corgan singing over piano and cello.
While there is some good material in "The Aeroplane Flies High," the truth remains that this is a collection of leftover tracks that didn't stand up to the 28 songs on the sometimes overwhelming but superb "Mellon Collie." For big fans of the band however, "Aeroplane" is another huge dose of material to help quench those Pumpkins cravings until Billy & Co. come up with another new Smashing Pumpkins record sometime far down the line.
The Smashing Pumpkins around the release of "Mellon Collie" last year.