Smashing Pumpkins — Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995)
Now and then we take a look back at one of the reviews from our ever-growing archive to see if the album has stood the test of time. We did a series of this in 2015, when DPRP had its 20th anniversary, and this series was first published on a dedicated blog, thearchivesofprog.blogspot.com. We did a series like this in 2018, when we had done 20 years of album reviews, under the title 20 Years Of Reviews.
Ignacio Bernaola
Well, I guess this one may be strange for progressive rock fans but so it was to me when I found DPRP writing about the mighty Smashing Pumpkins.
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness was the first album I bought (I'm "only" 35) and it was different to everything else I was listening at that time. Without knowing it, that album opened my ears, and made me open my mind to different styles. A few years later and I was listening to many prog bands and reading DPRP almost every day. Then I discovered this great review article by Joakim Jahlmar, who put into words everything I have always thought about Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.
I won't start a discussion about what is the progressive rock genre, but I really think that this album would have received more attention from the progressive community if it had not coincided in time with the rise of alternative rock. As well as their 1998 album, Adore, these two albums are great pieces of modern progressive rock made by a fantastic alternative rock band.
Read our special feature on this album written by Joakim Jahlmar in September 2002
Read it here.
Listen to the whole album on Spotify
Listen now.