The Smashing Pumpkins were one of those bands you always knew about, but never knew quite why. I definitely cannot tell you the first time I heard the name The Smashing Pumpkins, but I do remember the first time I heard them after I started really listening to music (my life can basically be partitioned into the pre- and post-Bittersweet Symphony eras, something I'll elaborate on another time. This story takes place in the latter). We had just got Sky tv for the first time and I was about to take my GCSE's (brilliant timing to suddenly go from 5 channels of distraction to 500+) and on one of the music channels I saw the incredible video for Tonight, Tonight and fell in love with this band. I became a big fan; my copy of Mellon Collie on triple vinyl is one of my most prized possessions and, as with many things, be written about sometime in the future.
Anyway, in 2002 my sister had just gone to university and phoned me from a record shop before popping back for the weekend. My birthday was coming up and there were a bunch of records she thought I'd like. I can't remember the other ones she thought I'd enjoy, but when she mentioned a picture disc of Machina I got very excited. It turns out to be a promo release (although the Smashing Pumpkins fan club disagrees) with a selection of 10 songs from the album, and not including the vinyl-only Speed Kills (the abbreviated track-listing can be seen in the last picture). The cover art is pretty lovely so looks great on the picture disc. On the other side there are tiny versions of the pictures in the cd booklet, and a few odd misspellings.
Machina was never my favourite Pumpkins album, but had a few tunes. The Everlasting Gaze was always a classic and I quite like Wound and The Crying Tree of Mercury, the last two here. The quality is obviously not great, as picture discs rarely are, and it crackles and pops more than most records (the very tight-fitting plastic sleeve it came in makes me think people have had their fingers all over the grooves trying to get it out). Still, a very nice one for the collection.
Format: 12" picture disc
Tracks: 10
Cost: Free, second hand
Bought: Gift
When: 20/10/02
Colour: Picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no
