..: SPfreaks :..

2009.04.20 | Mellon Collie At The Max

Amsterdam and the Smashing Pumpkins… Smashing Pumpkins and Amsterdam… 1992 and 1995, how was Amsterdam, Melkweg able to hire them, and what is the influence of a Music Programmer? Read more here about the history of the venue, and a very revealing interview with John van Luyn!

2009.03.21 | Billy Corgan announces leave of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin

The article below is what SP.com headlined yesterday, without any further information given or details being shared about the reason(s) why. Although some sources call this announcement an early April Fools Day joke, it's still a shock to every fan of the band. Hopefully we will know more news about Jimmy's leave soon. Meanwhile, this unpleasant news is spreading all over the internet, with headlines on Billboard, Reuters, Washington Post and BBC. An overview of all the news can be found here.

"Corgan set to head into the studio to create new Smashing Pumpkins music

The Smashing Pumpkins' guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member Billy Corgan has announced that drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has left the group. Chamberlin joined the band Corgan founded in Chicago in 1988 and played on all their albums except Adore (1998). Corgan will continue to write and record as Smashing Pumpkins with plans to head into the studio this spring."

(pic made by our member Honeymade Opiate)

2009.02.21 | SPfreaks interview with NUGS.NET Founder/CEO Brad Serling

Wanna know more about NUGS.NET, the company that released the 20th Anniversary Tour of the Smashing Pumpkins? We managed to talk to Brad Serling, Founder/CEO of NUGS.NET. 10 questions, 10 answers about NUGS.NET, the FLAC/MP3 and CD releases of the Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary Tour concerts, etc.

Read the whole interview here on our Forum!

2009.02.11 | "We ain't fuckin' dead yet!"

Another Smashing Pumpkins Live Compilation for the SPfreakies! 23 rocking metal songs from the period 1988 - 2008 can be found here! Enjoy!

Oh, the quote is from Billy Corgan again.*

* Heavy Metal Machine, 2008/10/31 Newport Music Hall, Columbus (US)

2009.01.19 | NEW ZEALAND WELCOMES YOU!

SPfreaks has recently done some research regarding New Zealand versus Australian/ Australasia cassette releases. We are proud to present to you our findings. Not only are New Zealand releases unusually rare, before now, they were hard to identify. Here are some foolproof methods to employ:

1) The symbol really is the key. The symbol (presented here as a repeated border design) appears exclusively on all official NZ cassette releases - and they are nearly always on Virgin or Warner or BMG major labels. If you see this symbol appear on the cassette, you know it’s from NZ.

2) All the 90's NZ cassettes are pressed on clear/dark gray cassettes. Note the photo below. All the cassettes are exactly the same, with the visually distinct and characteristic symbol.

Furthermore, NZ cassettes occasionally have a reference to NZ on the sleeve (and often on the actual cassette), but sleeves are usually based on the Netherlands/USA/UK or Australian issues, but in paper sleeves (never cardboard slipcases like most Australian cassingle releases).

We are happy to provide this information and hope it helps you determine what you own, or want to own in the future.

Happy hunting, as always.
SPfreaks

2008.12.30 | The last sick Pumpkins vinyl of 2008. More to come in 2009 !?

Today we have uploaded an extremely rare 1990 German vinyl test pressing of the 12 inch single for Tristessa, to be found in our ever growing Smashing Pumpkins online database here. Since this is most probably a one-of-a-kind item, we are quite sure for the moment, only 1 collector will have this in his personal "My Collection"... ;)

Anyway, with this latest discovery we say a big THANK YOU to all of you Smashing Pumpkins fans and collectors of Smashing Pumpkins memorabilia, as we have very much enjoyed your (sometimes silly!) fandom, your hard work for our website and your positive approach on our Forum in 2008! And of course we will see you back, alive and kicking, in 2009! Stay healthy and rock on, freakies!

A special thanks goes out to the people of SP.com, that have supported us this remarkable year in many ways. Hats off! We love to see you guys back in 2009 too!

2008.10.19 | The Friction, The Joy, The Paradox & The Beauty

The very first fan review of If All Goes Wrong to appear online can be read at our friends from ThePumpkins.net. Thanks Vaughn!

Some of our members also went to this event in Belgium, and "If All Goes Wrong, a Smashing Pumpkins fan review" of the world premiere of this very truthful and insightful documentary can be read here.

2008.08.17 | "You look better when you keep your mouth shut!"

Smashing Pumpkins Live 1988 - 2008 (subtitled: SPfreaks' Epic Live Compilation) is finished and is being released as we speak. Go here for downloads and artwork.

Oh, the quote is from Billy Corgan.*

* Starla, 1994/02/25 Astoria Theater, London (UK)

2008.07.21 | 1989 Eye (Demo) tape, myth or fact?

In the years 1995-2000, when lots of collectors of Smashing Pumpkins memorabilia showed major interest in every (possible) release of this band, they couldn’t help but spreading a rumour about a tape from 1989. This tape was supposed to be called “Eye” or “Eye (Demo)”. Since then, lots of internet places reference this tape. Few examples: Wikipedia, SPFC, Music Babylon, Discografie.org and Netphoria. And most probably dozens more. Collectors and fans, trying to be helpful, spread this info even further, a rather recent example here.

But… The funny thing is, nobody has ever seen this tape, that was supposed to be sold at early gigs of the Smashing Pumpkins. It was very common for the Smashing Pumpkins to sell tapes at that time, around 1988 & 1989. We all know about the cassettes called Nothing Ever Changes, The Smashing Pumpkins & Moon, highly appreciated gems in only a few collections, as the numbers of these tapes that survived the times, are very low. But at least they exist!

To clear all confusion about the Eye (Demo) tape: it does NOT exist.

There is not any Smashing Pumpkins Eye (Demo) tape to be found, so we advice collectors to stop searching in vain, and also they should not believe the information about the Eye (Demo) tape on other websites.

Now how come so many collectors have been looking and asking around for this tape? It’s very understandable. It’s a combination of wishful thinking of collectors and researchers, happy with a new find, and confusion about tracks from another tape that were found on a bootleg CD. Unfortunately we cannot recall which bootleg CD this was, it could be The Singles + More or 1989 or another bootleg CD with tracks from one of the genuine tapes, with an eye-like symbol on it. In fact that could be either The Smashing Pumpkins tape, the Moon tape or maybe even the 5 Song Sampler tape (aka Gish Basement Tape I). Those tapes all have a symbol in the artwork, that could be mistaken for an eye. The conversation, in which this rumour started, probably went somewhat like this:

X: Bootleg CD, with old songs from 1989!
Y: Really? New ones?
X: Yeah maybe, or from that cassette with an eye on front, you know…
Y: Eye? Must be a demo tape right?
X: Yes, a demo tape!

And from here the rumour start spreading… and spreading… and spreading… Till it reached all the websites above, and now everybody believes this Eye (Demo) tape exists. But really guys, it doesn’t.

If you don’t believe us, who else but Billy Corgan can give the final answer to this question? So he was asked about the existence of the Eye (Demo) tape in 2000 already, backstage at the 2000/10/19 Bercy, Paris show. A little group of European fans gathered there to have a little chat with Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and Mike Garson (at that times touring member of the Smashing Pumpkins on keyboards). When Billy Corgan was asked about the Eye (Demo) tape, he clearly said: “It doesn’t exist”.

So, Eye (Demo) tape: myth. Busted.