Adore (2LP Reissue)

Are you ready to go on a heartbreaking journey of love, betrayal, love lost, and utter loneliness? Such is the content of The Smashing Pumpkins' lesser known 1998 album "Adore." Although disregarded by most for its lack of a radio friendly, feel-good single, it is the favorite of Pumpkins fans of a dark persuasion like myself. "Ava Adore" opens the album, setting the tone of complete, dangerous commitment- "In you I feel so hungry, in you I crash cars. We must never be apart." "Perfect" goes on to revel in love, and the album continues to vacillate between romantic ecstasy and ominous thunderclouds. Minor chords are found in nearly every song, however, giving a dark background to a doomed relationship. By "Tear" Billy- it's hard not to imagine the musical genius composer and lead singer as the protagonist- sings of the break-up, seemingly from the depths of a dark pit. He rises out of it slowly in "Crestfallen" reasoning that they were never meant to be and continues on with his daily life in the pedestrian worded middle album songs. In "Shame" Billy appears to release his vaunted vision of what love can be, and leads into the three song finale of "Behold! The Night Mare", "For Martha", and "Blank Page," together the loneliest music I have ever heard. By "Blank Page" Billy is wandering the cornfields, wondering in what shotty motel room his former lover is holed up in. If you are suffering from a break-up or just feeling down on a rainy day I would highly suggest putting on "Adore" and crying away your pain, identifying with Corgan's story as one would with a blues album. I venture to say it is among the best Rock Blues albums out there along with Elliott Smith, Tom Waits, and Marilyn Manson.

We all know the sad sad story. After Mellon Collie, the Pumpkins totally reworked their sound to a very low-key approach, with hardly any distortion pedals in sight and only two or three solos to be found...and what happened? All the little mindless sheep-like teeny bopper "fans" who had latched on to the band during Mellon Collie only cos they saw the videos on MTV (which meant they HAD TO BE FANS of the latest big thing, otherwise how could they keep being cool in the eyes of their mindless friends right?) bailed ship cos this wasn't Mellon Collie 2, Electric Bugaloo. What they would have realized, had they been REAL fans, is that the Pumpkins NEVER repeated themselves EVER. They had a new idea with each album and they committed to every one...whether it was a good choice to make career-wise or not. But the Pumpkins have never gone with the grain. For example when they started, bands were mostly playing 3 minute solo-less pop tunes. But anyhow, this album will most likely be viewed someday as the most unjustly overlooked album of the 90s. Billy unleashes his most powerful solo ever on "For Martha." For years he's been soloing up and down that fretboard, and he finally finds perfection in a few simple slowly-played notes. Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete is a lovely graceful tune. To Sheila...man, I'll never forget the day I first heard that. I bought the album on its release date, rushed over to my girlfriend's house, and threw this in her CD player. We listened, mesmerized. When that solo in For MArtha burst out of the speakers I grabbed her and started waltzing around her living room...what an endearing, triumphant record.

Adore was a very different album from what the Pumpkins are known for. Off the heels of Melon Collie the expectations were high, and this album disappointed many people when it was first released. Now after roughly 24 years later it is my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album. Billy Corgan was going through a lot during the production of the album. His drummer left the band, he was in the middle of a divorce, and his mother had died all within a span of 6 months and the album reflects that. Its very soft sounding and emotionally charged with themes of sadness and depression but also has a snythy soft rock sound. Songs like Shame, Annie Dog, For Martha, Blank Page really show Billy’s true inner sadness while songs like Perfect and Once Upon a Time really capture his happier/accepting moments. Fantastic album from start to finish that flows well and is a nice change of pace. 5 out of 5 starts.

I've read this album was not warmly received by the critics or fans. It was given to me in 2002 and became one of my favorite albums in my collection. I was never a Smashing Pumpkins fan, as such. I did respect their sound and presentation, but most of their stuff was too hard for me. I'm more of an electronic music or unplugged person. This album is quiet and powerful. Like Bjork going from the hard crunchy Homogenic to her quiet meditational Vespertine, I feel this album was Billy's dark brainchild. His way or making some inner peace with loss and sadness. It's experimental is other areas of his interest, like electronica, and a more stripped down intimate in some songs, heavily electronic in others. The first song presented to me, by my ex-husband, was "Apples and Oranges" and I liked it's electronic techno feeling. So, the album was lent to me, by my now ex-husband. The whole album flows from one song to the next and plays out like a story or drama. I recently read that he envisioned a soundtrack to an old movie. I was a soundtrack to that time in my life, sometimes hopeful, sometimes sad, sometimes yearning and frustrated. Once Upon a Time was used during a montage scene in my documentary I filmed during the time this album was literally the soundtrack playing in the background.It spoke to me. So I don't care if everyone hates it. It's like it was written for my to enjoy or weep to. I've done both.

Rare and exclusive

I'm very impressed with the reviews people have given this album. In a lot of cases when a band does other music thats not like the regular stuff they release, there fans tend to disappear instead of giving the music a chance. But that wasn't the case here. The Pumkin fans have stayed loyal. Thats really awesome. This album is a really good album. A lot more mellow then anything the've done in the past, but its a nice change of pace for the Pumkins. I would definitly recommend this album. I read somewhere that this album was still dark like the rest of the Pumkin albums, but I would have to respectfully disagree. There is a lot more hope in this album then any other albums from there past. There music still has a dark touch to it, but the lyrics are definitly more on the uplifting side. Anyway, good cd.

Instead of the traditional wedding march, we chose “ To Sheila”. My wedding was in my beautiful front yard., the song was perfectly timed for wedding party to walk out to. As soon as the mandolin started in the song, that’s when I walked out. Perfect.

If Mellon Collie And The Infinate Sadness was a parting shot to a short lived genre that refused to support the Pumpkins as much as they refused to participate then Adore may be The Smashing Pumpkins in their truest form outside of the unfortunate absence of Jimmy Chamberlain. Fans turned their back and people embracing the incredible and progressive rock music that followed grunge toward the end of the decade and into the next and would have loved Adore ignored it with preconceived notions of more fuzz guitar and bass. There were too many indications from Gish to Mellon Collie that The Smashing Pumpkins were unique and capable of more in terms of songwriting and sound. Their first three albums are great but in my opinion this is their best album and when The Smashing Pumpkins started sounding like the Pumpkins they wanted to be. It's too bad people didn't want to hear it.

Chegou rapido e muito bem embalado

L'Album dal punto di vista musicale non necessita recensione. Chi lo acquista lo conosce bene, non conosco nessuno che acquista un disco pubblicato da quasi 30 anni senza averlo ascoltato almeno un po'. Comunque, a mio parere, si tratta di un capolavoro. Quindi mi concentro sulla qualità dei vinili e della copertina. I vinili sono silenziosi e perfettamente piani, il suono nel mio impianto risulta più aperto e dettagliato rispetto a quello del cd. La copertina gatefold è di un cartone più spesso del normale, tant'è che per inserirla nelle mie buste di plastica protettive ci vuole tutta la mia pazienza ed attenzione, al fine di evitare di fare danni. L'immagine di copertina è a colori, come quella del vinile del 1998. All'epoca i vinili erano in declino e la copertina dei supporti cd e cassetta era leggermente diversa come immagine ed era in bianco e nero. Non so come fosse nel 1998 ma su quella attuale è presente un sottile foglio metallico (foil) per creare un effetto lucido o metallico sulla copertina del disco. Effetto bellissimo. I dischi sono in due buste bianche di carta alle quali ho provveduto ad inserire due buste antistatiche. Sono presenti anche due ulteriori buste con crediti, testi ed immagini

Vous serez surpris de la qualité d'enregistrement et cet un album de The Smashing Pumpkins à avoir dans votre collection!

Ou en tout cas un de leurs tout meilleurs, histoire de faire plaisir aux inconditionnels de Mellon Collie and The I. S.. Mais comment résister à des titres aussi bon qu' "Ava Adore" ou "Blank Page" pour ne citer que ces deux-là, tant cet album est une réussite. On entre vraiment dans un univers très assumé, sombre à souhait sans pour autant tomber dans le gothique disney (malgré la pochette, et quoique...), quelque chose qui colle vraiment à la peau de Billy Corgan et sa bande, et qui vous prend par les tripes. Bref : Je vous le conseille !

Maravilloso disco.