"Zeitgeist" Discussion.

[ROC]

Smashing Pumpkins Name New Album, Add Dates

February 07, 2007 - Rock and Pop

by Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

The Smashing Pumpkins have christened their reunion album "Zeitgeist" and announced an unusual release date of July 7, a Saturday, for the project, which willl be issued by Reprise. The news was broken this morning to fans that had been added by the band as a "friend" on MySpace.com.

However, a Reprise spokesperson tells Billboard.biz the label has yet to settle on a specific release date for the album beyond "summer."

Frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin are the lone original members in this new incarnation of the group. The pair has been working in the studio with producers Roy Thomas Baker and Terry Date on the first album under the Pumpkins name since 2000's "MACHINA/The Machines of God."

After last week announcing its first live appearance of the summer would be at Germany's Rock am Ring festival in early June, the Pumpkins have also signed on for Austria's Nova Rock Festival on June 15 and Switzerland's Greenfield Festival two days later.

"For many years there were private laments about opportunities missed and hearts so broken, but no more ... we have turned the page and moved on, from places and faces, names and games," Corgan wrote last month on the band's MySpace site.

Edited July 2, 2007 by Mr. Vince McMahon

[Skummy]

Haha. Nicky Wire killed the new Smashing Pumpkins album >_>

I'm looking forward to this, hugely, I loved Billy Corgan's solo album. Hopefully it's going to be a repeat of that kind of quality and better, rather than Zwan mark 2. 2007 looks set to be a pretty damn good year, by my reckoning.

[zero]

So, cool that they've finally gotten to that. Though, what's with the 7/7/7 date? Do they think the new album will be godly?

It's because the music industry is finally hitting the jackpot.

Seriously, this is the first time I've been excited about music in forever. I'm curious who they're going to get to round out the group on tour, but as long as it's Billy and Jimmy, I'm more than optimistic.

[EndOfAnEra]

Eh, considering no one except the drummer who got kicked out for being a junkie came back, I'm not all that amped.

[Tarheels.]

As long as it has Billy fucking Corgan I'm game.

[zero]

Eh, considering no one except the drummer who got kicked out for being a junkie came back, I'm not all that amped.

Then you don't really know the Pumpkins. The Pumpkins were essentially two tag teams in one stable: Billy/Jimmy and D'arcy/James. While D'arcy and James are both amazingly talented musicians, Billy and Jimmy will get by just fine. Also, Jimmy cleaned himself up almost ten years ago, kinda low to be bringing that up.

[tristy]

Must be the year for shitty album titles, what with Nails' naming theirs "Year Zero".

[zero]

Must be the year for shitty album titles, what with Nails' naming theirs "Year Zero".

While it may be a bit pretentious, I think the title is perfectly fitting. Definitely not as cool as Mellon Collie, but I like it.

[Guest digrind]

I'm a bit of a Pumpkins fan (or was back in school) but I'm skeptical of this one. The last Pumpkins album was, let's face it, pretty much complete tripe, and I thought Corgan's solo album was much worse. Zwan put out one okay album but was around for, what, five minutes? I'm not worried much about Jimmy, I'm worried about the fact that nothing seems to sustain Billy's interest for longer than a week or two.

Still, if we see a return to some great vintage Pumpkins stuff--I'm talking Melon Collie/Siamese Dream era, back before they decided they wanted to be a shitty New Wave band--then I could get on board.

[zero]

digrind's harsh honesty makes my heart hurt.

Machina wasn't their best work, willing to let it slide because obviously the band was a complete wreck by that point. Zwan was interesting to say the least and it's obvious Billy knew the solo record sucked. Why else would he buy a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune the day before its release saying, "yeah I need to get the Pumpkins back together."

Call me the hopeful optimist for this record. Billy wouldn't be calling it Smashing Pumpkins if it was just Zwan Version 2.0 and if he wanted to do another solo record, he could. Billy's an insane egomaniac from time to time, but I have high hopes for this. I need to have high hopes for this because I need this record. I need Zeitgeist like a smack addict needs to find a usable vein. If this record isn't good, then my hopes for music are dead, I have nothing left. I'm going to turn into my dad and not listen to anything recorded past 1960... well, in my case 1998. I don't want to be that old guy that hates all new music, but I slowly find myself becoming it with each passing trend. The Pumpkins need to bring us back to spelling alternative with a capital A. I miss those days, I need them, music needs them.

[Guest digrind]

digrind's harsh honesty makes my heart hurt.

Machina wasn't their best work, willing to let it slide because obviously the band was a complete wreck by that point. Zwan was interesting to say the least and it's obvious Billy knew the solo record sucked. Why else would he buy a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune the day before its release saying, "yeah I need to get the Pumpkins back together."

Call me the hopeful optimist for this record. Billy wouldn't be calling it Smashing Pumpkins if it was just Zwan Version 2.0 and if he wanted to do another solo record, he could. Billy's an insane egomaniac from time to time, but I have high hopes for this. I need to have high hopes for this because I need this record. I need Zeitgeist like a smack addict needs to find a usable vein. If this record isn't good, then my hopes for music are dead, I have nothing left. I'm going to turn into my dad and not listen to anything recorded past 1960... well, in my case 1998. I don't want to be that old guy that hates all new music, but I slowly find myself becoming it with each passing trend. The Pumpkins need to bring us back to spelling alternative with a capital A. I miss those days, I need them, music needs them.

[David Hassellhoff]

Zeitgeist

[Skummy]

What have nazis got to do with the Zeitgeist? Just because it's a German-sounding word? It means "mood of the times".

[David Hassellhoff]

Yeah so says the Skummunist.

[zero]

Sorry for the bump, but here's the album cover, courtesy of SP's myspace:

[GoGo Yubari]

... does that look incredibly pretentious to anyone else or is it just me?

[Summers]

It's the Smashing Pumpkins, are you surprised?

[zero]

It's the Smashing Pumpkins, are you surprised?

Exactly, it's the Pumpkins. The album is called "Zeitgeist" for Christsakes.

[GoGo Yubari]

It's the Smashing Pumpkins, are you surprised?

... come to think of it, not so much, no.

[Skummy]

Not so sure about pretentious, but utterly horrible, yes. It just looks cheap and tacky.

"Hey we're promoting a huge band's comeback album, what do you reckon the best design would be?"

"Size 16 Impact font. That'll do it."