Like many
alt-rock bands,
the Smashing Pumpkins sound better than expected as a singles band -- probably because their high points were singles, no matter how carefully created their albums were.
The Smashing Pumpkins fit this bill particularly well for two reasons. For one, they rose up through the ranks in
indie rock circles, where limited-edition singles on
Sub Pop meant as much as a full-lengths on
Caroline. Then, after they made it through the
indie jungle, they had to fight their way onto
MTV airwaves with songs and videos that sold their intricate albums. This was a good, even prosperous, situation when
the Pumpkins (OK, when their leader,
Billy Corgan) could balance their knack for great singles with their desire to make sweeping neo-concept albums like
Siamese Dream and
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. They did for a few years, conquering the
alt-rock pack after
Nirvana imploded, but the group itself eventually turned in on itself -- either because of
Corgan's own hubris or the group's complacency. They had more than enough great material for a good compilation, and
Greatest Hits almost fits the bill. Its main problem is that, like most even-handed compilations, it gives too much credence to the music made after the group's peak, at the expense of some of the group's better material. Essentially, anything that most listeners will want to hear wraps up 11 tracks into the 18-track album, when the collection dives into material from
Adore and
MACHINA -- two albums that aren't embarrassments, but really only of interest to the hardcore, particularly in how they desperately attempt to embrace the fleeting
electronica fad of the '90s (something almost all
alt-rock bands did, almost always to no avail). So, this collection bogs down more than it should, and because its final eight tracks are taken from
the Pumpkins past their peak; consequently, it's hard to recommend this to anyone who just wants an album with all the hits. Yes, it does have many of the cuts that they'll want on one disc, including the non-LP
"Drown" and
"Landslide," but the desire to justify two albums nobody bought -- especially at the expense of
"I Am One," "Rocket," "Geek USA," and
"Here Is No Why," among others -- hurts a collection that should have showcased
the Pumpkins at their peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine