1993 March The Pumpkins did a show at the Center Stage in Atlanta on the 15th. Several of the songs played, such as "Quiet" appeared on their live video release "Vieuphoria" in 1994. May Billy bought his first house after losing his second floor apartment, described as "a complete dump." However, he does not spend his first night in it until three months later in August. This is due to the recording sessions in Atlanta for the new record. His house was in a traditional city neighborhood and only a short walk from Wrigley Field, ideal for the sports fan that Billy is (as a child, he was angry if the local station only broadcasted 154 of the 162 Chicago Cubs games). Magazines described it as "not a house, not a mansion, and not in the suburbs." He lives in the neighborhood of Wrigelyville, which is only an hour south of his childhood home in Glendale Heights. The house is a fine and unflashy renovation of an 1897 Chicago house. The living and dining rooms are outlined with warm, dark Victorian woods, furniture that Billy purchased along with the house. He also had bought a 1920's grand piano that luxuriates in front of a window. June
The Pumpkins recorded more than twenty-five songs, thirteen for the album, and twelve for b-sides. In addition, Billy wrote another fifteen. "So that's 40 songs that I wrote, and a lot of them are interesting for various reasons. But they're not brilliant, and I do wrestle with that, quality over quantity." The songs reflected Billy's life, private issues such as his childhood, and his relationship with his father and himself.
The song "Spaceboy" was a dedication to Billy's disabled brother, Jesse Corgan, a free-lance playwright and student at the College of DuPage. Jesse was also a graduate of Glenbard North High School, like his brother Billy. Later in the month on the 30th, the band did an acoustic session for VPRO's radio program, "Villa 65". July By now, Gish had sold a very unexpected three hundred thousand copies from the indie label, Caroline.
The band performed a free acoustic show at Tower Records in Chicago on the eve of the Siamese Dream release. The show was broadcast live on Chicago's 93 WXRT.
The album was recorded in Triclops Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The recording had exceeded the schedule by 96 days. The mixing and final sequencing was done at Rumbo Records in Los Angeles for a month. Butch Vig and Billy produced the album together. Billy slept on D'Arcy's floor and practically lived at the practice space during recording sessions. Everyone related to the band had been told to disappear during sessions to ensure a very focused environment. For 45-second sections of music, two days would be spent and Billy pulled 16-hour days for weeks at a time. The album ran over budget at $250,000. Billy had given several explanations regarding the title of the new album. "No one is having the dream, we are all living it." He also said, "I think I was on the phone. Stuff like that just comes to me, not that I have visions or anything. Gish was like that: just sorta popped into my head. The same thing with Siamese Dream. On the phone, I thought "Siamese Dream, that's it!" Drummer Jimmy chamberlin thought the album was "like a revelation." Billy thought it was a "everything" record. In general, the album was a very personal record and most of the songs dealt with relationships. Siamese Dream entered the Billboard Charts at number 10, the highest a Chicago band has ever debuted at in a very long time. This was due to strength of reputation only. Billy later admitted that when he heard the great news he started "leaping up and down in an airport somewhere."
Billy and Chris reunited and eventually married in either June or July. An oblong black velvet "The Last Supper" is among the gifts given for the marriage. The wedding ceremony was apparently held in Billy's living room. The couple later divorced. August
Select Magazine gave Siamese Dream a perfect 5 out of 5. September The ninth issue of Ray Gun magazine featured an intimate look at the Pumpkins. Billy reveals that the band unanimously felt that its grueling tour schedule helped Siamese Dream become a work that better reflected their tastes. However, Billy also admits that he is not "completely pleased" with Siamese Dream. The Pumpkins grace another magazine, Pulse, and Billy does another interview. He explains that if the new album fails, he will break up the band. Also, Billy says that after the Pumpkins, he wants to pursue a solo career, an idea he talks about once more a few years later. Sassy gives Siamese Dream a low rating. The article's author, Christina Kelly, claims that she is a serious rock critic who analyzes lyrics. She writes "In "Cherub Rock" Billy Corgan repeatedly wails "let me out" screaming over guitar feedback, I was like where does this song derive its name?" Adam Sweeting from Sky Magazine gives the album another perfect rating of 5 out of 5. The second single from Siamese Dream "Today" was released. Billy confirmed the song to be the one that overcame his desire of contemplation of suicide, "I was really suicidal. I just thought it was funny to write a song that said today is the greatest day of your life because it can't get any worse." The cover art features D'Arcy's sisters. D'Arcy attributed much of her personal qualities and strength from her siblings. She has stated that without them, she wouldn't have been a member of the band.
Billy later retold an interesting anecdote of his times during the brief London tour that began in this month. He admitted that in one particular show, he thought it would be hilarious if he had dressed up to be a clown suit. Billy had to go through with the wild idea, since it was much too late (backstage) when he realized that the thought wasn't that great. October The touring for Siamese Dream continued as the "Rock Invasion" tour's 2nd leg starts with Swervedriver and Shudder To Think opening. Siamese Dream approached the one million mark of going platinum and remains in the Top 30 on the Billboard Charts. On the 18th, the Pumpkins began two sold-out shows at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. They receive a great review of the first show in the San Francisco Chronicle. The band gave fans a "freewheeling" 90-minute show with Billy displaying his "oddball sense of humor." The Pumpkins did a six-song set at the MTV Studios in New York City. It was recorded in front of an audience for the No Alternative project. Some tracks were kept for the home video, while others were used as videos on MTV.
The video for "Cherub Rock", the 1st single from Siamese Dream, debuted on MTV's "120 Minutes". In an interview on the show, Billy said, "I wanted to make this video and got talked into making another kind of video and I said ok, and then we're on top of this mountain in San Francisco and it's raining and freezing and the whole video is all screwy-looking and you can't even tell I'm on top of a mountain and in the rain and it's completly not what I wanted." November Billy admitted in a Spin article of the Nov. issue that the tenth track from Siamese Dream, "Spaceboy" was written about his younger brother. Billy explains that his brother has a rare genetic chromosomal disorder. He felt that he and brother were both "freaks of nature, freaks of society." He also said that Siamese Dream is a very personal album to him and that people can understand that he is "a real wimp" if people listen carefully with the lyrics. Gish now had sold over 350,000 copies. The Recording Industry Association of America announced on the 17th that Siamese Dream had been certified as going platinum by selling 1,000,000 copies. The New York Times gave another favorable review to the band after their sold out shows at the Roseland Ballroom on the 23rd and the 24th. December
At a Cincinnati show at Bogart's on the 11th, James began feeling depressed. He was in search of that elusive "sad country feel" and bought a used CD of the Eagles' Greatest Hits and the Boston first album at a local record store. On the 12th, the band did an acoustic show at the Universal Amphitheater in L.A. for KROQ's "Acoustic Christmas". They also brought along Eric Remschneider, who played cello on Siamese Dream. A cover of the song "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was performed and appears on the "Kevin and Bean (No Toys for OJ)" release. It was a free tape given away at Warehouse record stores. Home - The Early Years -
Gish Era - Siamese Dream Era
Created and maintained by Sachin Bansal |
The Pumpkins emerged from the recording studio after five months
of hard work with eight-hour days. The album was meticulously recorded; some passages in
certain songs used twenty-six tracks for the guitar alone. Billy also said that virtually
all the distorted rhythm guitar parts were tracked at least four times and some as many as
ten. The album was scheduled for three months of studio time and one month of mixing.
However, it exceeded the schedule once more, by two months.
The band played in Rio De Janiero, Brazil and did an acoustic session
for "MTV's Most Wanted". Only two songs were broadcast, but it is rumored that
four might have been played.
The first single, "Cherub Rock", off the new
album was released on the 13th on Hut Records. The single features "French Movie
Theme" and unlisted "Star Spangled Banner" performed by a drunk in a
karaoke bar. Billy later told Creem magazine in '94 that "Cherub Rock" was
written in just a half an hour. "I heard it one day while I was driving up the road
and it was one of the last songs I wrote before we did the album." The song was
described as by Billy, "my relationship to the indie-world and the media." The
song attempted to address Billy's situation of coming from a very trouble childhood and
then being the front of one of the central icons of an alleged counterculture movement,
which he doesn't even feel a part of.
On the 27th, Siamese Dream, was released on Virgin Records in the
United States. The initial pressing of the CD contained a twenty-page booklet, with each
song having its own page containing undecipherable handwritten lyrics. Later the pressings
reduced all these pages into just four pages. A video called "23 Minutes" of
"Siva", "Rhinoceros", "Cherub Rock", "Today", and
"Disarm" was packaged with some copies of the new album.
On the 28th, the Pumpkins began the "Rock Invasion"
tour with Red Red Meat (formerly known as The Crows) opening. The first show is at the
Cabaret Metro in Chicago.
The tour rolled on and the Pumpkins give a
"shattering performance" according to the Chicago Tribune in the Metro
show on the 13th. The band began the three sold out shows with an audience of about 1,000.
The Tribune describes "Silverfuck" as a soliloquy. Sharing the opening
slot with Red Red Meat was Uptighty, a 12-piece funk band. Incidentally, the song
"Glynis" was a tribute to the female member of Red Red Meat who passed away of
AIDS. 
The band did a show at the Westwood Studios in London. The
Pumpkins play an electric version of "Disarm" for the UK TV show "The White
Room" and it is later broadcast on 02.18.94.
The band did their first appearance on "Saturday Night
Live" in New York on the 30th. The Pumpkins play two songs, "Cherub Rock"
and "Today".
Billy gave another personal interview to Details Magazine in
their December issue. He talks about many topics, including his new wife Chris. He says
that she works in a museum and she's an artist who has talented skills. Billy refuses to
discuss his previous relationship with Courtney Love. He also states that
"Quiet", the second track from Siamese Dream, is a bitter song about his
sense that the world has repressed him. Billy also interpreted it as "my relationship
with my parents."
