Back when Alternative Rock dominated mainstream radio and MTV’s airwaves, perhaps one of the most unique to emerge at the top of the pyramid was Chicago’s The Smashing Pumpkins. Beginning in 1988, the band had a fair amount of success with their 1991 debut album, Gish, but with the backing of a major label, they reached even grander heights shortly thereafter with Virgin Records for 1993’s Siamese Dreams. An album that debuted at 10 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum with a few months of its release (since going four-times platinum), you would think Siamese Dreams would be the top for Smashing Pumpkins, right? Think again. Because roughly 27 months later, they were set to trump the hit power of Siamese Dreams with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
Released on October 23, 1995, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was a bold, ambitious move for Smashing Pumpkins at the time, for various reasons. To start with, it was musically exceptionally diverse with elements of Grunge Rock, Industrial Rock, Dream Pop, and classic orchestration. Factors that set them apart from others on the scene at the time: the most head-turning attribute of the album was its whopping 28 tracks. Something you might have seen during the ‘70s, when artists released double albums more regularly and found success, during the ‘90s, few even tried to touch the format; besides perhaps Wu-Tang Clan, who put out Wu-Tang Forever in 1997, or Guns N’ Roses, who released Use Your Illusion I & II on the same day in 1991.
Nonetheless, Smashing Pumpkins, under the direction of Lead Songwriter and Vocalist Billy Corgan, with key contributions from Jimmy Chamberlin, James Iha, and D’Arcy Wretzky, took on the massive project of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness with a deliberate goal – to broaden their sound. Doing just that, they risked alienating their audience but moved forward fearlessly. The result was arguably their most defining record ever, yielding massive success beyond anyone’s imagination. To this date, their most commercially successful record, the album debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200, sold well over 240,00 units in the first week alone, and earned the band seven Grammy nominations in 1997. Also including a massive six singles (“Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Zero,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Thirty-Three” and the promotional single “Muzzle’), all of this pushed the record to over 10 million copies sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the entire decade.
Simply tremendous, the substance of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is what truly made it stand out beyond all the accolades. Artistic, thoughtful, and taking you on many twists and turns, it is the type of album you can play over and over, yet still find something special with each listen.
Celebrated time and time again, the original release was on CD and cassette, and it was also one of the limited MiniDisc titles. From here, it made it to vinyl in 1996 (a time when few bands even put out releases in the format) as a limited edition triple LP set, which sold out in the blink of an eye. Then, in 2012, a wonderful special edition 5-CD disc set emerged, featuring 64 bonus tracks of previously unreleased material, demos, and alternate versions of songs from the Mellon Collie era. This leads us to 2025, a year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of this milestone album.
A multi-faceted celebration, starting November 21st and running through November 30th, Billy Corgan has a seven-night residency planned during which he will perform arrangements from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness with The Lyric Opera of Chicago, featuring a world-renowned orchestra and chorus. A must-see if you happen to be in the Midwest region of the USA, there is also an exciting new 30th anniversary re-release 6LP set arriving on November 21, 2025, through UMe.
Something collectors will salivate over, this set not only offers previously unreleased material, but comes in a lovely embroidered velvet wrapped box, a heavy black cloth drawstring bag (with classic album art silkscreened on the front), a hardbound book (with all-new liner notes from Billy Corgan), a custom Tarot card set, plus seven frameable lithographs.
Taking your breath away before you even pull the plastic wrap off, the contents inside do not disappoint either. Including the entire original album track listing, this vinyl transfer sounds flawless. However, the big bonus is fourteen live tracks taken from various shows during The Smashing Pumpkins’ Infinite Sadness Tour ’96. Never before released, these live cuts take you back to a special place and time. So, whether you were lucky enough to catch the band on this tour or not, each recording is something well worth digging into.
Altogether, if you thought the 2012 special edition was great (and it certainly was), you are going to absolutely love this 30th-anniversary 6LP vinyl set of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Furthermore, if you also fancy compact discs, a 4CD deluxe edition will be released opposite the LP on November 21st. Great options for celebrating a special piece of Alternative Rock history, Cryptic Rock gives the 30th-anniversary Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 6LP set 5 out of 5 stars.
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