Gish (Deluxe Edition) [Original recording remastered]

Gish is one of those rare, amazing debuts from a band. One of a few landmark grunge albums to be released in 1991, this one has the least coverage. Released a month before Nirvana's Nevermind, this is the last grunge album to be released when grunge was still an underground phenomenon. And what a great disc to end the period with.

Musically, this is where the roots of everything SP would cover lie. From hard rocking "Siva", to dreamy acoustic guitars (the underated "Crush"). And the melodic mid-tempo numbers "Snail". Though all the songs are of very good quality, these three are the standouts, along with (of course) "Rhinoceros". Also good is the psychedelic "Window Paine" and the nice ender "Daydream" sung by D'Arcy.

Lyrically, Corgan is taking his babysteps here. Though some of Corgan's catchiest lyrics are found on here. Please don't tell me that after listening to Rhinoceros, you haven't found yourself singing "and she knows, she knows, she knows." to yourself!

This album is not Smashing Pumpkins' best, but it is an amazing debut without a doubt. This is for sure one of the best grunge albums of the time. It might take some time to get into this album, but once you get hooked on one song, without a doubt you'll get hooked by the rest.

They're better known for the sprawling double-disc "Mellon Collie And the Infinite Sadness," but the Smashing Pumpkins first leaped onto the scene with "Gish." It's not as epic as some of their later material, but still a vibrant, musically-polished album, and one that has the flavor of experience on the first time around.

Kicking off with the undulating riffs of the excellent "I Am One," the Pumpkins slip effortlessly between multilayered hard rock (the mind-blowing "Siva," the magnificent bass-sputtering "Tristessa," the panoramic "Snail") and haunting ballads ("Rhinoceros," the vaguely psychedelic "Crush," the sweeping "Suffer") before wrapping up with the eerie "Daydream."

It's a rare band whose music can still be so relevant so long after it first came out -- let alone still being a voice for the disillusioned. Originally released in 1991, "Gish" definitely established the Smashing Pumpkins as a musical force of genuine artistry, talented songwriting and musical integrity. It's hard enough to find one of those, let alone three.

The grinding, kinetic guitars and bass in the harder songs form a wall of solid sound, except in "Siva" -- there, the sound keeps dying away to complete silence, before reviving with a swirling roar when you least expect it. At the same time, Corgan tones down the guitars to a gentle acoustic strum in the more balladic songs. Jimmy Chamberlin's lightning-fast drumming is an excellent accompaniment, as is D'Arcy's bass.

As a songwriter, few rockers can parallel Billy Corgan; his songwriting has the quality of poetry set to rock, which aren't things you generally see together. Corgan's high, reedy voice is interwoven well into the music, giving his poetic lyrics a certain heartfelt quality. And bassist D'Arcy gets to shine with her low, sweet voice in "Daydream."

"Gish" is recognizably the Pumpkins, at the roughest stage of their musical development -- but with edge, the musical force and the beauty that just needed refinement.

Received my order with the recently reissued 180 gm version of Gish. At first, I thought the reissued colour obtuse, but upon second thought, it's a good way of distinguishing the original from the reissue. The artwork is very nice, the gate-fold extremely heavy and well done. They even go the extra mile and include a poly lined inner sleeve along with the original inner artwork that is not replicated on a single sheet like most reissues, but is actually capable of storing the disc which shows that they are putting in quite the bit of effort to deliver this version of the album. The copy I received did have one minor quality control issue to note. I first opened the disc and thought the Side B label was bubbled up and in a horrible state. As I placed the record on the spindle, I noticed it started to come off altogether. As I peered under, I noticed there were in fact two labels applied, and the first was still perfectly in tact, so I could remove the second. Nothing serious, just something to note. Sonically, it presents a very wide soundstage that has been well mastered for the vinyl, and I would believe it is from the original analogue tapes, and does not have its origins from a digitally compressed version like some of the European/Japanese reissues that have flooded the markets lately. I now no longer have to search for a decent used copy of the original, since this one does the album justice. Unless you are stuck for wanting the original artwork, then this should be perfect for you.