Smashing Pumpkins were in anything but a lull by 1992. As
Billy Corgan (who had a head full of Jim Morrison hair back then) put it, they were a finely tuned rock machine. The collage of psychedelia,
Black Sabbath-driven guitars, and the budding scene of alternative rock that was the Pumpkins’ debut
Gish proved this. The
Lull EP is somewhat an extension of the album, really just being a single for
Rhinoceros. The three B-sides accompanying the six minute marriage of quiet, effect layered, guitars, and thrashing, but equally melodic power chords each represent one side of
Gish.
Blue (later available on the B-sides and outtakes album
Pisces Iscariot) shows the melodic, poppy side, of the album that would later be improved upon with future songs like the euphemistic
Today.
Slunk provides a blast of gnarly, ramshackle punk, opening with a fiery “RIDE ON, MOTHERF
UCKER,” and perfectly showcases the chemistry that Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain had. Of course one can only take so much fast-paced loud junk when it’s sung by the nasal Billy in Angry Bastard Mode.
Bye June is from a 1989 demo, when the Pumpkins were bordering between their early 90s sound and the New-Wave tinged glossy rock. The song contains just Billy, his acoustic guitar, and whimsical lyrics, and is easily forgettable (even by Billy himself, who couldn’t remember it when requested at a concert.) The leadoff track
Rhinoceros mixes all three elements perfectly, to make a great summation of the Pumpkins’ early career. It’s the only song really worth checking here, and it’s better to just buy the album it’s on. The other three songs are just for Smashing Pumpkins maniacs like me, who salivate over anything made by them.
