Smashing Pumpkins FAQ v4.70

   Welcome to the Smashing Pumpkins Frequently Asked Questions file!
   Changes/updates from the previous release are marked by a '*'. Please
   read this entire FAQ before posting on the newsgroup or Listessa. It
   contains an extremely large amount of information compiled over
   several years, and reading it will save a lot of time covering basic
   info. :-)
   If you're new to the internet or simply haven't read them yet,
   *PLEASE* read the articles in the newsgroup "news.announce.newusers".
   They contain a LOT of helpful information about Netiquette, how
   newsgroups work, finding appropriate places to post, how to create
   meaningful messages, where to find tons of info, and much more.
   -Every- net user should read and be familiar with these.
   If you have any additions for the FAQ, please e-mail me at
   faq@spfc.org. Thanks.
   To be sent the full version of the FAQ via e-mail, send a blank
   message to faq-me@spfc.org.
   
   -= Table of Contents=-
   
   
   0. Legal Disclaimer
   
   1. General
     1.1 Who are these Smashing Pumpkins?
     1.2 General newsgroup/list info
     1.3 Getting on and off Listessa
     1.4 General netiquette
     1.4a Flamewars and crossposting
     1.4b Posting pictures/sounds (binaries) in Discussion Groups
     1.5 Appropriate Subject lines
     1.6 Acronyms, abbreviations, and common definitions*
     1.6a "Singles" - radio vs CDS/7" etc.
     1.7 "ObSP" - obligatory on-topicness
     1.8 Things NOT to ask or bring up/threads which go nowhere
     1.9 Validity of information
   
   2. Songs/Albums
     2.1 Short discography
     2.2 Finding lyrics*
     2.3 Guitar/bass tablature*
     2.3a Piano scores
     2.4 Cover songs
     2.5 Unreleased Songs
     2.5a 'Mashed Potatoes' box set
     2.6 Where to find given songs
     2.7 Short guide to radio songs
     2.8 Songs sung by other members*
     2.9 "Secret" messages/sounds*
     2.10 Song/album meanings
     2.11 Vieuphoria/Earphoria - extra/unreleased songs
     2.12 Differences between releases
     2.12a Gish - original/remastered
     2.12b Siamese Dream - clean/explicit version, import
     2.12c Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 3LP
     2.12d Ava Adore - 7" single
     2.12e Earphoria - promo/bootleg
     2.12f Import/domestic singles
     2.12g Vinyl - variant B-sides
     2.13 Common/recurring lyrics
     2.14 Photos/Cover art
     2.15 mp3s
   
   3. Band Info
     3.1 Origin of name
     3.2 First appearance
     3.3 Short Bios
     3.4 Recording Sessions
     3.5 Is Billy left-handed or right-handed?
     3.6 Equipment*
     3.6a Special Effects
     3.6b E-Bow
     3.7 Personal info for the prying fan
     3.8 Silly rumors (Small Wonder, Sea Monkeys, etc.)
     3.9 SP Fan Club
     3.10 Contacting the band
   
   4. Merchandise
     4.1 Pricing/finding rarities
     4.2 Books
     4.3 T-Shirts
     4.4 Videos
     4.5 "Bootlegs"
     4.6 Trading
     4.7 Tape Trees
   
   5. News/Info/Net Resources
     5.1 Brief history/landmark events
     5.2 Double Door info
     5.3 The keyboard/drummer events
     5.4 Tour Info*
     5.5 IRC Info
     5.6 Web links for cool stuff*
   
   6. Miscellaneous/Semi-Related
     6.1 '666' Bootleg video
     6.2 Starchildren
     6.3 Catherine
     6.4 The Frogs
     6.5 Scratchie Records
     6.7 Cabal (...) / Junta (...)
   
   7. Conclusion
     7.1 Acknowledgments
     7.2 Disclaimer
   
   0. Legal Disclaimer
   
     The Smashing Pumpkins FAQ is copyright (c) 1999 by Mike Hamilton. It is
     freely distributable online through Usenet, email, and ftp.  It may not be

     used for commercial purposes, nor may any charge be imposed for its
     distribution.  Mass distribution or otherwise  non-personal use prohibited

     without consent.  If you wish to use part of this in an article or
     publication, please CONTACT me first, or at least include my name as a
     reference for where you found the info - it does take work to compile and
     maintain this information, and I'd like to be credited as such if you
     decide to use it. :-)  Offers for translations are welcome.

     Links to the main URL are welcome, but I'd prefer that copies not be kept
     on other sites, so that the most current version is always the one
     available.  Please just link to the main URL,
     http://www.spfc.org/faq.txt

     Overall, though, give credit where it's due.  Thanks.


   1. General
   
   1.1 Who are these Smashing Pumpkins? 
   
     The Smashing Pumpkins are perhaps one of the most successful
     "alternative" bands of today.  Chances are, if you've ever watched MTV or
     listened to the radio more than once or twice, you've either seen one of
     their videos or heard one of their songs.

     The band consists of Billy Corgan on lead vocals & guitar, James Iha on
     guitar, and D'Arcy on bass. The touring drummer was Kenny for the 'Adore'
     tour was Kenny Aronoff, formerly of John Mellencamp fame, who joined them
     during the spring of 1998.  The band recently has re-hired drummer Jimmy
     Chamberlin, who was fired in July of 1996 after a drug overdose that also
     claimed the life of Jonathan Melvoin.  See section 5.2 for more details.

     The Pumpkins have won many awards, gone on several major tours, appeared
     on several movie soundtracks, and released a rather large number of songs
     in a fairly short time.  Keep on reading for tons of info!



   1.2 General newsgroup/list info 
   
     The Smashing Pumpkins newsgroup, alt.music.smash-pumpkins, and the
     mailing list, Listessa, are primarily places to discuss the Smashing
     Pumpkins.  However, not every post/message will be.  Topics range from
     lyrical discussions to new song info, personal SP stories, and even more
     general social interaction.  Try to stay as much on-topic as possible,
     and if a thread develops that you aren't interested in, ignore it- it
     will die out eventually.  Complaining about certain threads usually just
     makes matters worse by prolonging them and generating meta-threads.


   1.3 Getting on and off Listessa 
   
     First, make sure the list is operational. You can do this by checking the
     Official Listessa/SPIFC Web Site at http://www.spifc.org/spifc/ and
     checking to see if there's a smiley face or a sad face.  Click on the
     face for more info and special instructions.

     To subscribe to Listessa, send a message to listproc@cc.umanitoba.ca with
     the following message body:

                subscribe smashing-pumpkins (your name)

     Insert your name (omit parentheses) and disregard the subject line.  If
     all goes well, you will soon get a welcome message, which will include
     the Listessa FAQ, also available at http://www.spfic.org/spifc/
     READ THIS!  It contains the rules & guidelines of the list, as well as
     other special instructions.

     To post a message to the list, simply reply to any of its messages, or
     start a new message addressed to: smashing-pumpkins@cc.umanitoba.ca
     Please quote only what is necessary, not entire digests. :-)

     Here's how to unsubscribe, straight from the Listessa FAQ:

     To unsubscribe from the SP mailing list, send a letter to
     listproc@cc.umanitoba.ca (*NOT* smashing-pumpkins@cc.umanitoba.ca )
     with the following, and *ONLY* the following, in the body of the
     letter:

                           unsub smashing-pumpkins

     Do *NOT* include your e-mail address, a signature file, the name of
     your pet hamster, or any other information in the letter.

     Please note: after you unsubscribe, you will receive a letter saying
     'Thanks for being with us.' You may still receive a few letters from the
     list after this. Do not be alarmed, this is normal. If, a day later, you
     are still getting letters, and you are sure you have followed the
     instructions correctly, feel free to write Karl_Daher@mbnet.mb.ca for
     help. Karl logs in one or two times a day to maintain the list.


     Do NOT post a message to the list asking how to get off, or to be taken
     off.  It's very annoying, and will not work.

     For more info, check the Listessa web site or send a message with the
     body "help" to listproc@cc.umanitoba.ca


   1.4 General netiquette 
   
     First off, read news.announce.newusers, taking special note at the posts
     dealing with Usenet and Netiquette.  If you have general questions after
     reading these, check in news.newusers.questions.

     Rules that apply everywhere: Do not post "Make Money Fast" or any of its
     variants.  Yes, it really is illegal (even though some copies say it's
     not, and even give a legal code to refer to), and it's just plain
     annoying.  Also, do not post advertisements unless they're clearly
     on-topic and posted ONCE.  See "Advertising on Usenet: How To Do It, How
     Not To Do It" in, once again, news.announce.newusers

     Overall, keep in mind that many people read and post, and that people
     have different opinions.  Don't start yelling at someone simply because
     they don't agree with you or have the same tastes & opinions.

     Avoid bashing new fans.  Unless you've been attached to Billy's hip since
     birth, there's someone out there that's known about them longer than you
     have, too.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  A nice, polite reference to
     the FAQ and appropriate web sites would suffice. :-)

     Also, please READ the messages before writing.  If there's been a recent
     announcement, someone's probably already posted it.  Check the thread to
     see how many replies there are before simply putting up another copy of
     the same info- it'll save your time as well as ensuring that others won't
     have to read it more than once.  Threaded newsreaders are definitely a
     plus here. :-)


   1.4a Flamewars and crossposting 
   
     On Usenet, be sure to check the "Newsgroups:" line if something seems
     unusually strange or off-topic.  Things like "What is the best
     alternative band of the 90s?" (usually in caps) are giveaways, and are
     simply posted to many newsgroups (cross-posted) to start people arguing.
     Many people demand to know why a post about another band is in "their"
     newsgroup without realizing that it's in the other as well.  If you
     reply to a cross-post, remove the other newsgroups from the "Newsgroups:"
     line, so that it doesn't go to every other group.

     Flamewars erupt often, and there's little that can be done about it.  The
     best thing you can possibly do is ignore it.  Some people just say
     something extremely rude and then leave immediately, so they won't even
     see your reply.  Others will just TRY to get you pissed off at them and
     generate angry replies.  If you must reply, do it over email.  If it
     continues to bother you and won't go away, killfile that thread, or just
     don't read it.  Just don't feed the fire.

     Likewise, don't start flames, as they're obviously not on-topic.  Sure,
     you can yell "BUSH SUCKS!" and get a lot of people to agree with you, but
     some people won't.  Besides that, it's alt.music.smash-pumpkins, not
     alt.flame.bush (or Manson, or Spice Girls, or Hanson, etc.).  If someone
     casually mentions liking a band that you don't, explain why if you must,
     but don't simply yell "They fucking suck!" and leave it at that.  Such
     pointless arguments go nowhere.


   1.4b Posting pictures/sounds (binaries) in Discussion Groups 
   
     This is a huge breach of netiquette.  DO NOT, under any circumstances
     post any form of binary file (that includes pictures, sounds, or any
     other such files) into Discussion Groups such as alt.music.smash-pumpkins
     A binary group for the such things has been created for that purpose.
     The name is alt.binaries.smash-pumpkins.  Post the picture there, then
     post to alt.music.smash-pumpkins referring people to the binary group.


   1.5 Appropriate Subject lines 
   
     Use appropriate subject lines whenever starting a new thread.  It's much
     easier to decide whether you want to read "Wanted: Siamese Singles box
     set" than "Re: Smashing Pumpkins Digest #342".  Be specific.

     Also, the use of certain indicators can be quite helpful.  Josh Sherman
     suggested the use of "Tan:" to precede any subject that doesn't directly
     deal with SP (a tangent thread), so those who don't wish to read such
     messages can easily identify and skip over them.  Other helpful headers
     are as follows:

     FS:  For Sale (for Listessa, use the marketplace- details in the List
          FAQ)
     Lyr: New lyrics
     Req: Request for info, tab, lyrics, etc. (please check the FAQ and web
          sites first, as there is a LOT already out there that's just waiting
          to be found and looked up- it's not hard to find)
     Tab: Tablature
     Q:   Question
     WTB: Wanted To Buy (indicates that you want something)

     Other pre-subject headers can be helpful, such as "Announcement:" or "New
     Site:".  Just be specific in indicating what the message is about.  Do
     NOT use misleading subject lines just to get people to read your post,
     though- messages with subjects like "Free surprise concert at Metro this
     weekend!" or "Billy dies in car accident" that start out with "Now that I
     got you to read this..." usually don't get read much further and usually
     just tend to piss people off.


   1.6 Acronyms, abbreviations, and common definitions* 
   
     Common SP-related/song acronyms:
     ------------------------
     AA    - Ava Adore (Adore song/single)
     amsp  - alt.music.smash-pumpkins, the newsgroup
     BC    - Billy Corgan
     BwBW  - Bullet with Butterfly Wings (MCIS song/single)
     CR    - Cherub Rock (SD song/single)
     DD    - Double Door, a bar in Chicago (see 5.2)
     ITAOS - In the Arms of Sleep (MCIS song)
     MCIS  - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (3rd studio album, 2CD/3LP)

     ng    - newsgroup
     OIAW  - Once In A While (B-side for Ava Adore single)
     PI    - Pisces Iscariot (B-sides compilation from 10/94)
     PM    - Pastichio Medley (23-minute conglomeration of 70 song snippets,
             found on Zero EP)
     SD    - Siamese Dream (2nd studio album, breakthrough release)
     SP    - Smashing Pumpkins (need I say more?)
     SPAA  - Smashing Pumpkins Audio Archive (former mp3 site)
     SPFC  - Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative (http://www.spfc.org)
     SPIFC - Smashing Pumpkins Internet Fan Club (http://www.spifc.org/spifc/)
     SPLRA - Smashing Pumpkins Live Recording Association
             (http://www.starla.org/splra/ - tracks and arranges the recording
             of upcoming concerts, organize tape trees - see 4.7)
     STRTJ    - Set the Ray to Jerry (1979 B-side)
     TAFH     - The Aeroplane Flies High (box set of MCIS CD singles)
     TODAPP   - Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete (song from 'Adore')
     TEITBITE - The End is the Beginning is the End (song from Batman and
                Robin soundtrack)
     TBITEITB - The Beginning is the End is the Beginning (its counterpart)
     TOASE    - Tales of a Scorched Earth (MCIS song)
     TT       - Tonight, Tonight (MCIS song, single)
     TTEOR    - Thru the Eyes of Ruby (MCIS song)
     WBFTT    - Where Boys Fear to Tread (MCIS song)
     XYU      - not an acronym, as many ask about, but a homonym for "Ex, why
                you?"  Answered by the man himself.
     YAIGT    - You're All I've Got Tonight (Cars cover in TAFH box set)

     Other common general acronyms:
     ------------------------------
     AFAIK - As Far As I Know
     aka   - Also Known As
     CD    - Compact Disc
     CDS   - CD single (i.e. BwBW)
     FS    - For Sale (helpful in subject line)
     FT    - For Trade (helpful in subject line)
     FWIW  - For What It's Worth
     HTH   - Hope This Helps (usually said sarcastically)
     IMHO  - In My (Humble|Honest) Opinion
     LOL   - Laughing Out Loud
     NP:   - Now Playing (used at ends of messages to indicate what poster
             was listening to at the time of posting)
     ROFL  - Rolling On the Floor, Laughing (also ROFLMAO, adding "My Ass
             Off")
     RTFM  - Read The Fine Manual (although 'Fine' is often replaced by
             another word of the user's choice) :-)
     UCE   - Unsolicited Commercial Email (aka email spam)
     WTB   - Wanted To Buy (helpful in subject line)
     WTT   - Wanted To Trade (helpful in subject line)
     YHBT. HAND. - You Have Been Trolled(+). Have A Nice Day.
                (+see below for definition)

     Most other abbreviations are songs.  If it's not immediately
     recognizable, just think & you should be able to figure it out.

     Common definitions:
     -------------------
     :-)     - a smiley face (tilt your head to the left), used to denote
            humor and/or sarcasm (variants:  :P"   :(   >:(   ;)   etc.)
     B-side  - a song found on a single that isn't the title track (i.e. "The
            Last Song"). Named from the days of vinyl, when 45s had a popular
            song on one side (the A-side) and another, perhaps unreleased song
            on the other (the B-side).  Third songs on vinyl are thus referred
            to as C-sides
     Bootleg - an unofficial recording, referring either to someone's personal
            tape or DAT recording of a live show, or a bootleg company's CD
            pressing of such a recording, or of unreleased studio demos (see
            4.5)
     EP      - stands for "Extended Play", as opposed to an LP (Long Play).
            Generally shorter than a full release (LP), but usually longer
            than a single.  Example: Lull EP, Peel Sessions, Zero EP
     Flame   - a message that harshly ridicules someone else or their opinion
            through the use of personal attack rather than reason & logic.
            Usually feature lots of capital letters, exclamation marks,
            obscene and derogatory remarks, and misspelled words. :-)
     Killfile- a feature of good newsreaders (AOL and Netscape News not
            included) that allows users to specify names, subject lines, or
            other patterns (even entire domains) which they don't want to
            read.  Upon reading news, these patterns are automatically
            "killed", and the reader never has to see those messages.  Useful
            for ignoring/avoiding heavy crossposts, lame threads, or messages
            from anyone you simply don't want to read from. :-)
      - the sound of someone being added to a killfile (i.e. if someone
            plonks you, they've added you to their killfile, which means
            they'll never see another message from your email address again)
     .sig    - short for signature, a small file automatically appended to the
            end of all outgoing messages and/or posts.  Generally includes
            name, email address, URL, and/or a clever quote, etc.  Netiquette
            standards allow for 4 lines- anything longer is usually frowned
            upon, and large ASCII art is almost always complained about.  Keep
            in mind that it's something people are going to see every time you
            write, then keep it accordingly short and sweet. :-)
     Thread  - a group of messages with the same subject or subject line.
            Good newsreaders will group these together so they're read in
            order of replies.
     Troll   - a post specifically designed to generate as many replies as
            possible (usually in the form of a blatant flame, obviously
            incorrect information, or (missed) sarcasm).  Most likely named
            after a fishing technique
     yelling - using all capital letters (usually considered rude and
            annoying) Also known as shouting, screaming, etc.


   1.6a 
   
     Most people seem to forget that there is a difference between a radio's
     and a record store's definition of the word "single".  A radio station
     will call anything that's been released for radio play "the new single,"
     regardless of whether you can go to your local music store and buy a
     copy.  Many more songs are released to the radios for airplay than are
     pressed on CDSs.  If you're lucky, have connections, or find a cool
     store, you might be able to buy a radio promo, but it's usually one track
     only.

     Release dates are also different- radio stations are usually allowed to
     play a song several weeks before it is available for purchase on CDS
     format (if it ever is).  Example: on 9/29/95, radios started playing
     BwBW, "the new single from SP."  On 10/24, you could go to the store and
     buy BwBW on CDS, with "...Said Sadly" as a B-Side (see 1.5).  The next
     year, Muzzle was on the radio quite often, and was still called "the new
     single" even though it was never pressed and sold as a CDS.  So, if you
     see a release date, or wonder why the record store doesn't have "the new
     single" they've been playing on the radio, keep this difference in mind.
     :-)


   1.7 
   
     Since most people prefer to read messages that are on-topic, off-topic
     messages should at least include a little bit of on-topic material.  The
     "ObSP" is short for "Obligatory SP", and is usually a short, on-topic
     blurb used to make an otherwise off-topic message at least -somewhat-
     relevant to most readers.


   1.8 Things NOT to ask or bring up/threads which go nowhere 
   
     The following questions should not be asked:

     -What's that Depeche Mode cover? Where can I get it?
     -How do I get on/off the mailing list?
     -When are they touring in my city?
     -When's the new album/single?
     -What is a true fan?

     Above questions have been asked to the point of extreme annoyance, and as
     the answers are all in well-known locations, they shouldn't need to be
     asked.  Release dates are on most well-updated web sites, as well as
     easily found by reading through the newsgroup before asking it yet again.
     The Smashing Pumpkins Collection can tell you about the DM cover. The
     Listessa FAQ clearly states how to get on/off the list.  And all tour info

     can be found via Josh Provost's SPLRA site.

     And there is no definition for a true fan.  Billy hit it right on the
     money when he said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "A true fan is someone
     that will give the band's next record a chance.  Not just one listen, but
     a few, just to make sure they really don't like it". (For the true quote,
     track down the 1998 Rockline interview with the band).

     Those URLS are:

     Smashing Pumpkins Collection
     Listessa
     SPLRA

     The following information has also been brought up countless times,
     and should be regarded as common knowledge:

     -"Tristessa" means "sadness" in Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, etc.
     (actual spellings may vary slightly), and was the title of a book by
     Jack Kerouac.

     -"Soma" was a drug in the book _Brave New World_, greek for "body", a
     legendary place where people sleep for a billion years, various religious
     entities, and about a million other things.  We've heard it before.  Many
     many many times before... :P"

     -If you hold up the back of the PI CD to the light, you can see Billy
     through the white thingy on the back.  According to someone who worked
     with the band, BC said this was a complete accident.

     -The same trick works for the liner with the fish pan & the necklace-
     looking at both sides through the light looks like an eyeball. Ooooh.
     Wow.

     -Any thread relating a song's meaning to drugs, Kurt Cobain, Marylin
     Manson...  etc.  Usually  those threads just start flame wars, so they're
     best avoided.

     -Threads bashing other bands.  Two words: counter-productive.  Such
     threads accomplish nothing but flame wars.

     -Threads about moshing.  Opinions will vary, but are unlikely to change
     as a result of an argument.

     -"Selling Out".  People have their own definitions thereof, ranging
     anywhere from simply signing a record contract to changing their own art
     or image purely to make money.  Sure, Billy said they sold out.  Who
     cares?  Has the integrity of their music changed?  No.  Check out the
     text from the back of the SP Heart shirt (section 4.7, #3), or see Tool's
     song "Hooker with a Penis" on the Toolshed at
     http://toolshed.down.net/lyrics/hooker.html

     -Silly rumors. See 3.8.


   1.9 Validity of information 
   
     Don't believe everything you read.  Especially if it involves secret
     concerts, reported band members deaths, or super-special releases.  Take
     special care on April's Day (the 1st), as even reliable sources of info
     are known to pull the occasional prank.

     If something is true, it should have a reliable source or reference.  "I
     heard on the radio" does NOT count, as radios often go by rumors, and
     some people just say that to spread rumors.  If CD Europe says they have
     a special box set for $150 with super secret, rare, unreleased tracks on
     it, save your money.  If someone announces a release date for something,
     check to see if it's real/correct before demanding to know why your local
     store/station doesn't have it yet.  And if someone says their brother saw
     on MTV that Billy died, don't believe it for a second.

     When something IS reliable, it will come from a real source.  Press
     releases are released by Associated Press and/or SP's publicist- but keep
     in mind that these can be faked as well (check to see who posted it).
     Web zines such as ATN are usually accurate (this can be found at
     http://www.addict.com/html/lofi/MNOTW/.
     MTV News and magazine interviews are -usually- accurate,
     although anything the band says should often be taken with a grain of
     salt (i.e. not completely seriously).

     Anything regarding the death, overdose, suicide, etc. of any band member,
     no matter how official it looks (yes, these have been faked before),
     should NOT be believed until you see it on MTV News every hour, you hear
     it on every radio station, and you see HUNDREDS of posts about it on the
     list and newsgroup.  See 5.3.


   2. Songs/Albums
   
   2.1 Short discography 
   
     Gish (1991) - single for "I Am One", 'Lull' EP for "Rhinoceros"
     Peel Sessions (1992) - Siva (different version), Girl Named Sandoz,
        Smiley
     Siamese Dream (1993) - singles for "Cherub Rock", "Today", "Disarm" and
        "Rocket"
     Pisces Iscariot (1994) - B-sides from previous singles, some unreleased
     Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) - singles for "Bullet with
        Butterfly Wings", "1979", "Zero", "Tonight, Tonight", and
        "Thirty-Three"
     The Aeroplane Flies High (1996) - all MCIS singles & B-sides, plus 5
        covers
     Adore (1998) - includes singles "Ava Adore", "Perfect".

     Several soundtracks & compilation CDs also have unique tracks. For more
     info, check out the complete discography, maintained by Dave Asselin at:
     http://www.xero.com/sp/spdiscog.txt

     OR, the visually-stimulating discography by Steve Hemming at
     http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/discography/disco.html


   2.2 Finding lyrics* 
   
     There are several very thorough sites for lyrics.  Here are a few:

     http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net
     http://blamo.simplenet.com/sp/
     http://www.spfc.org/songs-releases/song.html


   2.3 Guitar/bass tablature* 
   
     Guitar tablature can be found at various SP web sites.  The sites with the
     most tablature I'm aware of are Pumpkin Soup and Obscured:

     http://www.starla.org/pumpkinsoup
     http://home.san.rr.com/obscured/index.htm

     More guitar tablature can be found at OLGA (the OnLine Guitar Archive)
     and its mirrors:  http://www.olga.net/


   2.3a Piano scores 
   
     Piano scores of songs like "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness",
     "Thru The Eyes of Ruby", "Farewell & Goodnight", "For Martha", and
     "Once In A While" can be found at:

     http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/5295/tab.html
     http://www.spfc.org/music/scores.html


   2.4 Cover songs 
   
     Songs that have been covered by SP and which appear on official releases
     are as follows:

     Song Title:               Original Artist:        Where Found:
     Clones (We're All)        Alice Cooper            TAFH box set
     Dancing in the Moonlight  Thin Lizzy              Disarm single (Heart)
     Destination Unknown       Missing Person          TAFH box set
     Dreamin'                  Blondie                 TAFH box set
     Girl Named Sandoz         The Animals             Peel Sessions, PI
     Jackie Blue               Ozark Mtn Daredevils    K-Tel compilation
     Landslide                 Fleetwood Mac           PI, Disarm (Heart)
     My Blue Heaven            Whiting/Donaldson       33 single, TAFH box set
     Never Let Me Down Again   Depeche Mode            Rocket single
     A Night Like This         The Cure                TAFH box set
     Rudolph the Red-Nosed     (traditional)           Kevin & Bean comp. tape
       Reindeer
     Sad Peter Pan             Vic Chestnutt           Sweet Relief II comp.
     Terrapin                  Syd Barrett             I Am One 10" vinyl
     You're All I've Got       The Cars                TAFH box set
       Tonight

     Transmission [Joy Division], Boys Don't Cry [The Cure], Godzilla [Blue
     Oyster Cult], Out of Focus  [Blue Cheer], and a bit of Sunshine of Your
     Love [Cream] can be found on  CD bootlegs, as well as Rudolph the
     Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Performances of  "Auf Wiedersehen", "Baby Loves to
     Rock" and "If You Want My Love" with Cheap Trick are also available on
     the numerous CD boots from 10/23/95, the pre-MCIS release concert.
     When the band opened for KISS on Halloween 1998, they were dressed as
     the Beatles, and opened their set with a cover of the Beatles' "Money,
     (That's What I Want)".


   2.5 Unreleased Songs 
   
     Recent songs that have not been released, and perhaps never will be,
     include Let Me Give the World to You, Blissed & Gone [aka "17", aka
     "Need"...], Methusela, Speed, Towers of Rabble, and Wishing You Were.
     Live versions of these songs can usually be found, so check around,
     you'll probably find what you want.


   2.5a 'Mashed Potatoes' box set 
   
     During the past year, the 'Mashed Potatoes' box set has been one of the
     discussed topics on the newsgroup.  The 'Mashed Potatoes' box set is a
     set of CDs that Billy gave to a select group of people in 1994 (or
     there-about), and is said to contain live and unreleased songs from
     1990 to 1992 or so.  Very little, other than what is mentioned here, is
     actually known about the set, regardless of what you may hear.  So, in
     short, asking about the box set will probably just get you killfiled or
     flamed, both of which you probably don't want.  Many of the songs are
     already in circulation, usually as filler on tapes or on old live
     compilations.

     Recently, seventeen songs from the 'Mashed Potatoes' set was encoded and
     posted on a website for a few hours.  These seventeen songs are now in
     wide circulation.  The songs that were posted were as follows:

     Kill Your Parents (Onstage Banter), 365 (Live 1990), Cinder (Live 1991),
     There it Goes (Demo 1988), Vanilla (Demo 1989), Morning Jam (Live 1990),
     Moleasskiss (Studio Outtake 1992), Over You (Live 1990), Translucent
     (Demo 1990), I'll Never Change (Live 1990), Mayonaise (Studio Outtake
     1993), Jesus is the Sun (Demo 1990), Fat Man Blues (Demo 1989),
     Lie I Lie (Live 1989), Wave Song (Demo 1991), Stray Cat Blues (Live 1990),
     Under Your Spell (Demo 1988), Luna (Demo 1991).

     Please don't email me, asking for information on the set, as I have no
     information other than what is here.  Thank you.


   2.6 Where to find given songs 
   
     Check the bootlists at either Jackboot (http://www.starla.org/jackboot/)
     or spfc (http://www.spfc.org/songs-releases/boot.html), and they'll
     tell you every CD-boot release you can find something on, except where
     there are no recordings of the song.


   2.7 Short guide to radio songs 
   
     The following is a short guide to songs you're likely to hear on the
     radio, so if you don't know a song by name, this should help you out:

     1979 - played semi-often.  Drum loop with live drums, clean guitars.
     "Shakedown, 1979..."  Found on MCIS & single.

     Ava Adore - heavy, distorted drum loop (electronic-style drums). "You'll
     always be my whore".  Played heavily before and after release of 'Adore'.

     Bullet with Butterfly Wings - played often in 95-6.  Distorted.  "Despite
     all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage."  Found on MCIS &
     single.

     Cherub Rock - played often during SD era.  Opens with drum roll.  "Let me
     out, let me out..."  Found on Siamese Dream & single.

     Destination Unknown - very synthy Missing Persons cover found in TAFH.

     Disarm - played often a few years ago, still played occasionally.
     Acoustic guitar, timpani, cello and bells.  "Disarm you with a smile..."
     "I used to be a little boy" etc.  Found on Siamese Dream & single.

     Drown - played occasionally.  Long, spacey.  "No matter where you are, I
     can still hear you when you drown..."  Unedited version includes a long
     feedback solo at the end.  Found on Singles soundtrack.

     The End Is The Beginning Is The End - song from Batman and Robin
     soundtrack, released for radio play.  Heavy distorted guitars, some
     synth, electronic drums.

     Eye - played occaisionally.  Drum kit, synth.  "Turn to the gates of
     Heaven, to myself be damned..."  Found on Lost Highway soundtrack.

     Frail & Bedazzled - used to be played often, still airs occasionally.
     Heavy I/IV guitar riff, one verse drops to vocals-only.  Found on PI.

     Landslide - solo acoustic Fleetwood Mac cover.  "And I saw my reflection
     in a snow covered hill..."  Found on Pisces Iscariot & Disarm Heart
     single.

     Muzzle - played semi-often.  Distorted guitars, fairly heavy.  Drums cut
     out & enter loudly back in several times.  Starts off "I fear that I am
     ordinary just like everyone."  Found on MCIS (-no- CDS single).

     Never Let Me Down Again - played occasionally.  Clean guitar, mellow
     cover of Depeche Mode song: "I'm taking a ride with my best friend" etc.
     Found on Rocket CDS or 7" (hard to find).

     Perfect - second single from 'Adore'.  Light, poppy song.  "Perfect, I
     promise we'll be perfect...".  Played often.  Video is the "continuation"
     of the 1979 video.

     Rocket - played often during SD era.  Layered distorted guitars.  "I
     shall be free..."  Found on Siamese dream & single.

     Thirty-Three - played semi-often.  Acoustic guitar & piano, no drums.
     "And you - can make it last, forever you."  Found on MCIS & single.

     Today - played often during SD era.  Alternating clean/distorted.
     "To-day is the greatest..." etc.  Found on Siamese Dream & single.

     Tonight, Tonight - played semi-often.  Strings, clean guitar.  Found on
     MCIS & single.

     You're All I've Got Tonight - Cars cover.  Verses are mostly drums.
     Found in TAFH box set.

     Zero - played semi-often.  Distortion/harmonics.  Found on MCIS & single.


   2.8 Songs sung by other members* 
   
     Billy doesn't sing -every- song...  Those featuring James on lead vocals
     are (these do not include James' solo album "Let It Come Down", 1998) :

     Believe, The Bells, Blew Away, The Boy, Farewell & Goodnight (1st verse,
     w/ Billy), A Night Like This, ...Said Sadly (w/ guest Nina Gordon of
     Veruca Salt), Take Me Down, and Terrapin.

     Of course, he's also sung a few songs live (Boys Don't Cry, Country Girl,
     I Feel You, Kooks, Germans in Leather Pants etc.)

     D'Arcy sings on Daydream (Gish), Dreamin' (TAFH box set), and in the
     second verse of Farewell and Goodnight (MCIS), as well as backup on many
     other songs.  She's also featured in Catherine's "Four Leaf Clover" and
     "Punch Me Out", and on a few Fulflej songs.

     Jimmy Chamberlin, the band's former drummer, sings along with D'Arcy in
     the second verse of Farewell and Goodnight

     James Iha released his first solo album in February of 1998, titled
     "Let It Come Down".


   2.9 
   
     Sometimes you can hear weird noises that probably shouldn't be there, or
     people talking in the studio.  Sometimes they're obvious, sometimes you
     have to strain to hear them with headphones on.

     NOTE: This isn't meant to be a complete listing of every time you hear a
     strange noise, but it's a list of the most interesting and notable noises
     & extra words you can find.

     Bodies
     words spoken in background of second "Love is suicide" chorus- destroy /
     despise / distrust / disobey / destroy / distrust / disloyal / disarm /
     destroy / despise / dissect / deny / destroy / despise / distrust

     Bury Me
     song opens with James saying something (most plausible ideas are "Boys,
     let's do it" and "Poised like an angel")

     Cherry
     studio talk at beginning: "Listen- wanna just start it?" "Ready, Flood?"
     "Yeah." "1, 2, 3, 4..."

     Dancing in the Moonlight
     Billy talks at the end about choking in the middle of the song

     Daydream
     click of bow hitting cello at 1:10.5, jingly noises around 1:20-21

     Galapogos
     incomprehensible muttering from 3:16-27

     Glynis
     opens with synthesized "Hello", allegedly from a Red Red Meat song

     Hello Kitty Kat
     ends with Billy saying "Song's over"

     Honey Spider I
     Billy laughs at end & says "Aha!  That's everything..."

     La Dolly Vita
     strange, cartoonish "Ooh!" noise at 3:33; cuckoo at 3:44

     Marquis in Spades
     studio talk at beginning: "Rolling..." "I was just on another planet for
     a sec." "Run it back, Mole" (amp on) "Fucker."

     Quiet
     strange, very quiet (ha ha) voices at the end of the song.  Try it with
     headphones.

     Silverfuck
     ends with BC saying "Alright, this take, don't give a fuck" & playing a
     few notes

     Siva (Peel Session)
     at 4:09, D'Arcy says she stepped on something; BC counts to 4 for re-
     entry

     Soma
     ends with TV evangelist clip: "and you need to resist the devil so that
     he will flee"

     Soothe
     "you can hear the 7am buses slithering by" at 2:18-21 (PI liner notes)

     Spaceboy
     ends with TV talk show clip: "Now it's, uh, kind of strange, and, uh,
     kinda hard for me to talk about, but I thought maybe you could help- um,
     when we start getting physical, rather than having intercourse, he ends
     up just masturbating himself, and I end up feeling very alienated and
     unsatisfied, and it's  really come between us-".  Some versions include
     the clip as the beginning of the Silverfuck track.

     Starla
     "listen for the police car go by" at 5:27-30 (PI liner notes)

     Transformer
     starts with 4 drum clicks & Billy saying "Hit it"

     Where Boys Fear to Tread
     DOOM explosion mentioned in liner notes: 1:20, 1:55, 2:29, 3:01, 3:44


   2.10 Song/album meanings 
   
     Discussing the meaning of songs is sometimes an interesting topic, but
     the band seem to shy away from explaining them outright.  On 120 Minutes,
     November '91, Billy and D'Arcy said the following:

     BC: Um, my songs are really personal...  and... you, it's like I'd have
         to tell everyone the story that goes behind every song, and I just...
         it's kinda- it seems silly to me that I'd have to say "Well one day I
         was walking down the street, see, and..." [shrug] it doesn't- it
         wouldn't make any difference. I- and I don't- I mean, that's one of
         my problems with the video medium, is- is having to attach symbolism
         and specifics to songs because I think in some ways it's the
         ambiguousness of things that makes people find something in their
         own... life.
     D:  I sometimes think that... people get more out of a song (BC nods) if
         they don't know exactly what it's about- you can, you can listen more
         to the music, and that's mostly what we're about is music & emotions
         come from that.
     BC: Freedom. Freedom of thought. I mean, we're not here to preach or tell
         you what to think, you know, if-
     D:  We're here to say 'think for yourself,' you know...


   2.11 Vieuphoria/Earphoria - extra/unreleased songs 
   
     Vieuphoria contains several songs unavailable elsewhere, which are as
     follows:

     Bugg Superstar - techno song playing while James talks about his dog
     (repeats "Bugg, Superstar...").

     Pulseczar - distorted guitar chords, no drums, weird visual effects.
     Starts with "I hear you calling from the sky"

     Sinfony - 53 second EBow-driven guitar piece at beginning of tape

     Why Am I So Tired? - instrumental played over ending credits

     Note that the long jam at the end of Silverfuck also appears as a riff
     called "Jackboot" in Pastichio Medley, but is not usually considered a
     completed song.


   2.12 Differences between releases 
   
     Most releases have several versions available.  Special versions,
     usually imports from central Europe or Japan, sometimes contain extra
     tracks not found on the other releases.  Check it out before buying to
     avoid having to buy several versions of the same single to get all the
     songs.  :-)

     For more details, consult either discography:
     Visual: http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/discography/disco.html
     Text: http://www.xero.com/sp/spdiscog.txt


   2.12a Gish - original/remastered 
   
     The original release of Gish was on Caroline Records, has the cover image
     on the CD, and was released in 1991.  The rerelease was on Virgin, has no
     picture on the CD (just the writing), and was "remastered."  It's hard to
     tell by listening, although the bass was supposedly brought out a bit...


   2.12b Siamese Dream - clean/explicit version, import 
   
     Certain versions of Siamese Dream have the titles listed on the back,
     while others don't.  This is the "clean version", assumed to be produced
     for large chain stores, due to the title "silverfuck".  Aside from the
     back cover, there is no difference.

     There are also differences in the inserts- after the initial pressing,
     someone decided to save money by taking all the photographs, which were
     on their own page in the first pressing, and combining them all onto 2
     pages, turning the booklet into a foldout, and rendering the handwritten
     lyrics quite small and difficult to read.  Canadian editions of Siamese
     Dream are ALL the full insert - with pages for every song.  The
     repressing included an address for fan club info and lyrics-
     unbeknownst to the 'fan club' person (read 'mail reader') for some time-
     resulting in many returned letters, until every- thing was finally
     explained...

     The Japanese import version contains a bonus track, labelled "Hikari
     Express".  This is simply "Pissant", which can be found on Pisces
     Iscariot.


   2.12c Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 3LP 
   
     Mellon Collie was released on vinyl in March of 1996.  This came out on 3
     12" vinyls.  Here is an explanation of the availability of this, as found
     in the text discography:

     "The 3LP version of MCIS was originally solicited in February of 1996 as
     a limited-to-5000, numbered edition. When it was finally released in
     April, it was allegedly limited to 15,000. Since that time, numbers above
     18,000 have been confirmed, leaving open the question of how many copies
     were actually pressed."

     More recently, Mark Andrew Hamilton has reported that Virgin Records has
     re-issued the set, and has it listed as "In-stock" in their catalogues.
     More will be posted here as it comes available.


   2.12d Ava Adore - 7 
   
     The UK Ava Adore 7" was supposed to be limited to 5000 copies.  But,
     as with the Mellon Collie 3-LP, many more (up to 3000 more, I think)
     appeared.


   2.12e Earphoria - promo/bootleg 
   
     The promo for Vieuphoria, entitled "Earphoria", exists as a promo (rare)
     and as various bootlegged/copied versions.  The promo CD is light blue
     with pink SP-hearts, and includes a picture of James and Bugg on the back
     of the liner.  The bootlegged versions are usually cheap copies- image
     quality on the liner is obviously inferior, some versions are missing the
     picture of James & Bugg, and some of the CDs are simply black hearts on
     blank CDs.  Some versions also mess up the tracks by combining French
     Movie Theme and Pissant onto one track, and splitting Silverfuck into two
     tracks.  The biggest apparent difference, though, is price- the promo
     will usually cost significantly more, if you can find it anywhere.

     Also note that there's a bootleg CD entitled "Billy Don't Be a Hero" that
     is, essentially, a copy of Earphoria.


   2.12f Import/domestic singles 
   
     Differences in singles are quite common- generally US and UK singles are
     limited to two or three B-sides, for chart/ratings purposes- including
     more songs would change their status from 'single' to 'EP', which would
     mean they couldn't be counted in certain charts.  Usually, where
     different versions of a single exist, the US version will simply omit
     certain B- sides, UK releases will be split into two parts, and Japanese
     or central European releases (Germany, Holland, etc.) will include all
     tracks.

     CD singles for I Am One, Cherub Rock, Rocket, Bullet with Butterfly
     Wings, and Zero either exist only in one form (from one country), or have
     the same number of tracks on each release (except that the box set
     release of BwBW also includes 5 cover songs).

     Disarm is in two parts from the UK, labelled "Heart" and "Smile".
     Tonight, Tonight, Thirty-Three, and Perfect, as well as having 2-part
     UK singles, also have a US counterpart with omitted B-sides.

     1979, Tonight, Tonight, and Perfect have central-Europe releases with all
     B-sides included.  1979 and Perfect also have US releases with omitted
     B-sides.

     Today and Tonight, Tonight also have Japanese import versions: Today
     features Hello Kitty Kat, Obscured, French Movie Theme, and Apathy's Last
     Kiss (only otherwise available on the Today 7").  Tonight, Tonight has
     the same tracks as the central-Europe release (i.e. all 6 B-sides).

     For detailed information on singles and the different versions, consult
     either discography.


   2.12g Vinyl - variant B-sides 
   
     The B-sides (and C-sides, where they exist) of vinyl releases often
     differ from those of cassette and CD/CDS releases.  Following is a list
     of songs that can only be found on vinyl (excluding unofficial/bootleg
     releases):

     Daughter - Reflex magazine 7" flexi-disc (good luck)
     Bullet Train to Osaka - I Am One 10"
     Honey Spider I - Tristessa 12"
     Honey Spider II - Pisces Iscariot bonus 7"
     Infinite Sadness - MCIS triple vinyl (3x12")
     My Dahlia - Light Into Dark compilation 12"
     Not Worth Asking - I Am One 7", Pisces Iscariot bonus 7"
     Purr Snickety - Cherub Rock 7" (also in Siamese Singles box set)
     Siamese Dream - Disarm 7" (also in Siamese Singles box set)
     Sun - Light Into Dark compilation 12"
     Terrapin [Syd Barrett] - I Am One 10"

     The original 7" version of I Am One can be found on the Absolute Middle
     of Nowhere #17 compilation CD, and the Today 7" b-side "Apathy's Last
     Kiss" can be found on the Japanese Today import CDS.


   2.13 Common/recurring lyrics 
   
     Billy has been known to use a few words or phrases several times, so to
     keep people from constantly re-'discovering' them :-) Here's a list:

     june: 1979, Bye June, Mayonaise, Rhinoceros, Tales of a Scorched
           Earth, Where Boys Fear to Tread
     my one and only: By Starlight, Lily, XYU, Zero

     On Q101 radio (Chicago), 10/95, someone actually asked about this- the
     reply was that he simply did that to see if people would notice.  A more
     likely explanation is simply that he likes those words, and/or they rhyme
     well...


   2.14 Photos/Cover art 
   
     Since some people wonder where all those pictures come from in all the
     releases, here's a brief synopsis:

     SD insert - random pictures found by the graphic artist, not related to
        the band (same goes for Cherub Rock cover)
     Today cover - D'Arcy's sisters
     Pisces Iscariot cover (CD) - of continuous debate.  Some say it's James,
        Courtney Love said it's her with a cherry in her mouth, Billy said
        it's his now-ex wife, Chris, although he may have been referring to
        the necklace picture on the inside liner
     Bullet with Butterfly Wings insert - from an advertisement in the 1800s
        for some sort of youth potion called, "Brittle's Blood Bitters".
     Zero insert - a Giorgio Armani model (NOT Yelena Yemchuk, the
        photographer)
     Thirty-Three - cover painting=Rasputin, insert=Lenin
     Adore cover - Amy Wesson
     Adore insert- the pictures on the inside of the CD liner were taken while
        the band was on tour in Poland during the Mellon Collie tour, it is
        assumed
     Ava Adore cover - Amy Wesson also.
     Perfect single covers - unknown (so far)


   2.15 mp3s 
   
     Recently, this has been one of the most commonly asked questions.

     "What are mp3s?"
     mp3s are a type of sound file that combines high sound quality with
     relatively low (compared to .wav files) file size.  The average 4
     minute song in mp3 format is approximately 4 to 5 megabytes in size,
     or about 1 megabyte for every minute of high quality sound.  The same
     song in wav format is about 50 megabytes, even at the same sampling
     rate.

     "I want some!"
     "Hey, this is great!", you must be thinking.  "These should be
     everywhere!  Free mp3s for everyone!".  'Fraid not, kiddos.  While
     there have been large archives in the past (Smashing Pumpkins Audio
     Archive had over 600 at it's peak), they cost a lot to maintain, as
     large amounts of filespace are needed to host these songs.  The RIAA
     also has a problem with these mp3 sites because they feel that with
     easy access to such high quality songs for free, people will stop
     buying CDs.  Many mp3 sites are shut down for this reason.

     "Can I set up a site?"
     Since the downfall of the indisputable King of mp3 sites in November
     of 1997 (the Smashing Pumkpins Audio Archive), many FTP sites and
     various internet sites have tried to take its place, but most have
     been unable to keep up with the demand for live (and occasionally,
     studio album) mp3s, and have shut down within a month or two, whether
     it be due to lack of server space, or the RIAA shutting them down.
     If you watch the newsgroups, (alt.music.smash-pumpkins or
     alt.binaries.smash-pumpkins), new mp3 sites will pop up, then quite
     often disappear.  Keep your eyes open, as a permanent site may one
     day be revived.

     However, in the meantime, there are alternatives.  RealAudio is a
     very cheap alternative, albeit quite a quality difference.  For more
     information on RealAudio, visit the website at Real.com
     Smashing Pumpkins RealAudio songs are available at the
     Smashing Pumpkins Collection

     The SPLRA sometimes posts recent concerts in mp3 or RealAudio for
     download, so check their website too.


   3. Band Info
   
   3.1 Origin of name 
   
     Most answers to this question are only semi-serious, as they've heard it
     way too often.  The March '93 fan club newsletter gave the following
     story:

     "Gene Simmons came to us in a dream and said: 'Joe Strummer is a pumpkin,
     drunken and smashed.'"

     On Vieuphoria, they simply said "It's a joke."  However, the most serious
     answer comes from an interview with D'Arcy by the Washington Post
     (11/19/93):

     "The name of the band is a stupid name, a dumb bad joke and a bad idea,
     OK?" she says. "Billy named the band before there even was a band. He was
     like, 'I'm gonna have a band and it's gonna be called this.' 'Smashing'
     is not a verb, it's an adjective. It's not like we like to smash pumpkins
     or anything.  And we are not amused by pumpkin jokes anymore."

     So, there you have it.  "Smashing" is an adjective, not a verb (think
     British here if you're still having trouble).  :-)


   3.2 First appearance 
   
     Billy and James first appeared in a Polish bar called Track in 1988.
     Their first radio broadcast was on WNUR in Evanston that year.  (Info
     from the March '93 fan club newsletter).  The first gig as a complete
     band was on 07.09.88 (July 9, 1988) at Chicago 21.  This show did not
     include Jimmy, as he had not yet been hired.  It consisted of James,
     D'arcy, and of course, Billy.


   3.3 Short Bios 
   
     Since everyone MUST know their birthdays, here they are:

     Billy Corgan: March 17, 1967
     D'Arcy: May 1, 1968
     James Iha: March 26, 1968
     Jimmy Chamberlin: June 10, 1964

     For people obsessed with looking through old high school yearbooks: Billy
     went to Glenbard North in Carol Stream, IL, James went to Elk Grove
     Village HS, IL, and D'Arcy went to L.C. Mohr in South Haven, MI.


   3.4 Recording Sessions 
   
     As you may have heard, most of the recording for Siamese Dream was done
     by Billy (drums excluded).  His reasoning: "I was obsessed to meet a
     standard that was beyond our capability. I was more concerned about
     technical efficiency than heart."  The MCIS sessions were "a joy,
     compared to the tense Siamese Dream recording," and all members worked
     collectively.

     For information pertaining to when and where particular songs and
     albums were recorded, consult the Recording Sessions, by Jesse
     Miller (only the mirrors could be located at time of release):
        
         Netphoria: http://www.netphoria.org/recording/recording.html
         SP Collection: http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/recording.html


   3.5 Is Billy left-handed or right-handed? 
   
     Billy is left-handed.  He writes with his left hand.  However, he
     plays the guitar as if he was right-handed.  This is because he felt
     that it was silly to have his weak hand doing the tough fret-work.
     Another reason is that when Billy and his father went to buy a
     guitar, Billy asked which was more common.  He went with a
     right-handed guitar.


   3.6 Equipment* 
   
     I'm not an equipment expert (I don't even have an electric guitar), so I
     can't provide detailed lists of everything you'll need to perfectly
     imitate that pumpkin sound.

     The SP Guitar and Amp Settings Archive has lots of great info
     on the subject, as does the SPFC.

     The intro articles at the beginning of the tablature books for SD, MCIS
     and Adore are also of interest.


   3.6a Special Effects 
   
     One of the cool effects I -can- explain is the 'reverse echo' used on the
     "bang bang" part of Silverfuck, as well as other songs.  The track is
     recorded, then flipped backwards, and echo/reverb is added.  It's then
     flipped back to forwards, so the effect is that of echoing -into- the
     note.  Pretty cool, eh? :-)  This is also heavily used by the Cure (see
     "End" from Wish).


   3.6b E-Bow 
   
     An EBow (electronic/electromagnetic bow) is a small, hand-held magnetic
     device that causes guitar strings to vibrate continuously, resulting in a
     long, sustained tone.  These are used most notably on Sinfony, Soma, &
     Drown.  James  uses EBows a lot live, on songs like Shame, & Porcelina.
     There's even a web site for EBows.


   3.7 Personal info for the prying fan 
   
     I'm not about to invade their privacy, but here's what they (apparently)
     don't mind letting us know via press, etc.:

     D'Arcy was involved with James for a while in the early days of the band.
     She is now married to Kerry Brown, drummer of Catherine.

     Billy is separated from former wife Chris, and is dating photographer/
     director Yelena Yemchuk.


   3.8 Silly rumors (Small Wonder, Sea Monkeys, etc.) 
   
     Every once in a while, someone will resurrect a really stupid rumor (see
     "Troll" under 1.5).  No, Billy was not in the TV show "Small Wonder" (the
     character of Jamie Lawson was played by Jerry Supiran, if you must know),
     and who cares if Marilyn Manson supposedly had him snort Sea Monkeys
     (Manson even admitted later that that was a joke)?  Such rumors aren't
     even worth bringing up (so please don't).


   3.9 SP Fan Club 
   
     The "fan club" started when the Siamese Dream liner notes included the
     words "smashing pumpkins fan club information" next to their PO box
     address (which was different on both releases of Gish).  Since then,
     there have been a few newsletters & t-shirt order forms, but the one
     person running it (Laura Ann) is a bit more enthusiastic than the rest of
     the band, who hasn't been giving her stuff to send out.  For now, Laura
     serves mainly to read their mail, attempt to answer basic questions, and
     sell T-shirts.  Until further notice, however, it may be wise to hold off
     on "joining," since the $3 "membership" fee isn't really going anywhere.
     But if you don't mind sending money to someone to send off to an
     accountant somewhere or if you just feel like sending mail, the address
     is:

     SPFC, PO Box 578010, Chicago, IL 60657.


   3.10 Contacting the band 
   
     Send all meaningful mail to the address listed above.  Try to hold back
     on short, meaningless messages like "You rule!", as they've already
     gotten tons of those already.  Do NOT send mail to (or visit) their
     homes, and do not ask for their home addresses.  Have some respect for
     their privacy.

     As for email, there's no such address.  If the band had a publicly-
     available email address, it would be instantly flooded, requiring a large
     staff to read it all.  If any members were to have email addresses, they
     would be for personal/business reasons, so keep that in mind before
     asking for them.


   4. Merchandise
   
   4.1 Pricing/finding rarities 
   
     Since prices vary from area to area, and everything changes over time, I
     can't give any pricing info here.  If something sounds too expensive, ask
     why.  If you doubt the numbers they're giving you, check around.  Steve
     Hemming has a semi-accurate price guide for most releases at the
     http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/prices/index.html

     Finding items is also quite difficult at times, but recently, a site has
     appeared which lists stores where such rarities might be found.  Also,
     suggested by Dave Asselin, check out the http://www.krause.com/goldmine/ m
agazine, which includes
     tons of trader info, or visit their web site at


   4.2 Books 
   
     There are several books available on SP.  Here's the info:

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins
     Author: Nick Wise
     Pub:    Omnibus Press/Book Sales Ltd.
     ISBN:   0-7119-4166-1
     Notes:  48 pages, color photos on each page.
     Price:  ~$12

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins
     Author: Jim Stapleton
     Pub:    Carlton Books/Music Book Services
     ISBN:   1-85868-068-9
     Notes:  120 pages, same size as a CD
     Price:  ~$10

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins - A Tear-Out Photo Book
     Author: none
     Pub:    Oliver Books
     ISBN:   1-870049-92-6
     Notes:  20 full-page photos, text on opposite sides
     Price:  ~$12

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
     Author: Aaron Stang
     Pub:    CPP Belwin, Inc.
     ISBN:   0-89898-825-X
     Notes:  Guitar tablature book, with intro and comments on each song by
             BC.
     Price:  $20

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
     Author: Andy Aledort & Hemme Luttjeboer
     Pub:    Warner Bros.
     ISBN:   1-57623-339-1
     Notes:  Guitar tablature book, includes 'Guitar Geek USA' articles written

             by BC for Guitar World
     Price:  $30

     Title:  Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
     Author: Andy Aledort
     Pub:    Warner Bros.
     ISBN:   0-7692-6396-8
     Notes:  Guitar tablature book, with complete solos and piano scores.
             Full-page pics of each members (like the cd).
     Price:  $30


   4.3 T-Shirts 
   
     NOTE:  If you have any official tour shirts that are not listed here,
     please send a description to faq@spfc.org.  :-)  Thanks.

     Here's a text-based description of the t-shirts, roughly in order of
     appearance:

     1. Devil shirt - Black with red/purple devil and gold glitter.  Back says
     "Mission To Mars".

     2. Angel shirt - White with blue/silver angel & globe.  Back says
     "Altitude Not Attitude".

     3. Gish picture shirt - White with b/w picture from inside Gish liner,
     with white "Smashing Pumpkins" and "gish" text from the cover.

     4. SP Heart shirt - White with red/black SP heart logo.  One version has
     city scene on back, with SD song titles as neon signs, other version has
     the following text:

     this is a smashing pumpkins t-shirt.  rather than ask me why i'm wearing
     this ask yourself why am i reading this?  the message is there is no
     message.  one million souls tossing down their hard earned lettuce for a
     piece of the hot rock indie alternative pie.  i've sold out.  how about
     you?  everybody's doing it even if they say they're not.  don't ask me
     cause i don't know.  rock saves.  it's the next big thing.  have you
     heard the next big thing?  i'm part of the revolution.  it's all coming
     down soon.  hope you're there.

     5. Disarm Smile shirt - White with red/black "Smile" picture on front,
     1993-4 tour dates on back.

     6. Siamese Dream cover shirt - White with SD promo poster (2 girls, one
     with a popsicle).  Back has either tour dates for Midwest tour, or for
     entire fall tour.

     7. Star shirt - Black with red star & "smashing pumpkins" written in
     white in the SD font.  Back says "just say maybe".

     8. Clown shirt 1 - Red with green clown in blue oval, 'smashing pumpkins'
     written around inside of oval.

     9. Clown shirt 2 - Black with white/yellow clown, red stars, etc.  Back
     has partial songlist in yellow & green.

     10. Spaceboy shirt - Purple, with orange cartoon astronaut.  Back has
     part of Starla lyrics.

     11. MCIS shirt - Navy blue, MCIS cover image on front, back cover on
     back.  Tie-dyed version also available.

     12. Blue SP Heart shirt - Navy blue with white SP heart logo outline.

     13. Liner pic shirt - Black with picture of rabbits & rats smoking, white
     skull on back.

     14. Discs shirt - MCIS CD images on front (pink/blue circles), tour dates
     on back.

     15. ZERO shirt - Black with silver "ZERO" and star, small silver SP heart
     on left sleeve.  Short or long-sleeved.

     16. "Leave Me Alone" shirt - White with sketched smiley faces in a spiral
     with red bar codes on their foreheads.  Back says "Leave Me Alone" in red
     1979 font

     17. Black SP Heart shirt - Black with silver SP heart logo.  Back says
     "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" and includes a tracklist.

     18. Vegas Logo shirt - Black with "Smashing Pumpkins" written in a
     neon-like cursive, orange with yellow outline & dots.  Background has
     silver stars and a planet.

     19. "World is a Vampire" shirt - Black with large silver frowning face
     with fangs & horns, says "the world is a vampire" in MCIS liner font.
     Back says "The Smashing Pumpkins Infinite Sadness Tour" in the Mellon
     Collie font.

     20. Baby Doll shirt -  White with red SP heart logo.  One size "Grrrl"
     shirt.

     21. Thermal heart shirt - Black long-sleeve thermal-textured shirt with
     silver & white embroidered SP heart logo

     22. 'Adore' cover shirt - cover of 'Adore' on front, back has tour dates
     from 1998 tour, and words, "The Smashing Pumpkins World Tour".

     23. 'Adore' shirt #2 - trio of black & white pictures of individual
     band members, with "The Smashing Pumpkins" printed in silver in center.
     Back has picture of D'arcy in see-through shirt, from 'Adore' booklet.

     Older shirts are going to be somewhat difficult to track down, but they
     can be found.


   4.4 Videos 
   
     There are videos out for the following songs:  Siva; Rhinoceros; Cherub
     Rock; Disarm; Today; Rocket; Bullet with Butterfly Wings; 1979; Zero;
     Tonight, Tonight; Thirty-Three; The End is the Beginning is the End; Ava
     Adore; and Perfect.

     Of course, MTV plays the most recent ones the most often (they're usually
     put into heavy rotation when they're first released), but occasionally
     you can catch one of the older ones late at night.

     Brief descriptions of the videos:

     Siva - band playing in a room, candles, flowers, weird makeup, etc.

     Rhinoceros - band sitting & playing different instruments in a room, D'Arc
y
     bouncing a ball, reverse footage, ornate fountains, & shots of the
     members outside

     Cherub Rock - band playing outside in the dark by some trees, weird color
     effects, lighting diagrams, etc.

     Disarm - black & white, closeups of members playing, aerial shots of
     buildings, etc.

     Today - Billy drives through a desert in an ice cream truck, picks up
     James (wearing a dress), stops at a gas station & finds other 2 members,
     they paint the truck all funky & then drive off, leaving Billy

     Rocket - a few kids build a rocket out of junk, blast off from their back
     yard, and land on another planet to find SP as an elderly band

     Bullet - band plays on a stage in the middle of a dry dirt field full of
     dirty workers.  Billy has on the infamous Zero shirt & silver pants

     1979 - shows a bunch of kids driving around, going to a party (at which
     SP is playing), wreaking havoc, and ransacking a convenience store

     Zero - dark colors, strange-looking people in odd makeup, closeups of
     band, etc.  Rarely played

     Tonight Tonight - made to look like an old movie (flickery lights, etc.)
     includes recreation of George Melies' 1902 film "A Trip to the Moon", one
     of the first films to use special effects

     Thirty-Three - various shots done in stop-motion style, creating a jerky
     effect.  Includes Billy by sunset and painting, and trio in suits

     TEITBITE - space-age costumes & props, members floating around, with
     shots from Batman and Robin in the background.

     Ava Adore - band is dressed up in Gothic costumes (Billy with long gown,
     heavy red eye make-up and white face...).  Camera follows them through
     different rooms.

     Perfect - a so-called sequel to the 1979 video.  A girl gets pregnant,
     some guy tapes a Pumpkin  show (very cool), the tape falls off his car
     when driving, then he gets in an accident.

     For much more detailed descriptions of the videos, consult Marci's FWQ
     (Frequently Wondered Questions) file, found at:
     http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/6633/FWQ.html


   4.5 
   
     A bootleg can refer to one of two things: 1) an audience recording,
     traded around by fellow fans, or 2) a CD manufactured by a company not
     connected to the band, containing live or unreleased studio tracks.  In
     both cases, the band makes no profit from these, while in the latter
     case, someone else -does-.  CD boots, usually listed as "imports",
     generally run for $20-30, and can be somewhat difficult to track down
     (i.e. you won't find them at any large chain stores).  Tapes recorded by
     fans are most often traded for other tapes, although some traders sell
     their tapes for cost.  For more info, check out the FAQ for
     alt.music.bootlegs.


   4.6 Trading 
   
     The best way to trade is to have your list available on the web, and then
     to post to the list or newsgroup with the URL.  It's usually not good to
     post a huge list to Listessa, although the newsgroup will do fine if you
     don't have web space.  After that, just wait for people to email you with
     trade offers, as there isn't much else you can do.  Posting your list
     every day or week is -not- a good idea, and will usually just turn people
     away or get you killfiled.

     There is also a large trading area set up on the
     http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/ site.


   4.7 Tape Trees 
   
     Recently, the Smashing Pumpkins Live Recording Association (SPLRA)
     has either set up, or sponsored a number of "tape trees".  This began
     with the Bridge School Benefit concert in October 1997.  The show was
     taped, and the master was donated to the SPLRA for a tape tree.

     For those of you who don't know what a "tape tree" is, it's
     essentially like a family tree.  The seed (someone with a good
     quality, master or 1st generation tape) posts to the newsgroup and
     Listessa, looking for people to sign up as "branches" and "leaves".
     Once the allotted time for sign-up to the tree has expired, the branches
     send one blank tape and a few dollars for postage to the seed.  The seed
     then dubs the tapes for the branches and returns them.  The branches each
     do the same for their leaves, which they have been assigned.

     For a better description, go to http://www.tapetrading.com/treehouse/
     For more information on the goodness that is the SPLRA, go to:
     http://www.starla.org/splra/


   5. News/Info/Net Resources
   
   5.1 Brief history/landmark events 
   
     1988/89- band forms, plays around Chicago, releases demo tapes
     1990- I Am One 7", Tristessa 7" and 12" released
     1991- Gish & Lull released; tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers & Pearl Jam
     1992- "Singles" soundtrack; Reading Festival
     1993- Siamese Dream released, selling millions; major tour
     1994- band headlines Lollapalooza; Pisces Iscariot released
     1995- Double Door concerts; another Reading Festival appearance;
           MCIS released, outselling SD
     1996- American Music Awards; Simpsons "Hullabalooza" appearance;
           major tour; keyboardist dies, drummer fired (see 5.3); band
           wins 7 MTV Video Music Awards; Ransom & Lost Highway soundtracks;
           TAFH box set released
     1997- Batman & Robin soundtrack; European festival concerts
     1998- Adore released (June 2).  Short promo tour follows.

     For a more detailed chronology, check out the one at spfc.org:
     http://www.spfc.org/band/chronology.html


   5.2 Double Door info 
   
     In February of 1995, the Pumpkins played 4 shows (21, 22, 27, and 28) at
     the Double Door bar in Chicago.  The tickets cost $5 each, all of which
     went to charity.  The sets consisted entirely from new material from the
     then-upcoming album MCIS, and it's b-sides, and a few older b-sides played

     as encores.  A few songs played have not been released, like "Speed" (from
     Pastichio Medley, from the Zero single), and "Towers of Rabble".  While
     security was extremely tight, someone was able to record the 21st and 27th
     shows, although the quality is quite poor at times.  A second recording of
     the 21st show, but a few songs are cut.


   5.3 The keyboard/drummer events 
   
     In the summer of '95, the Chicago Reader ran an ad by the Pumpkins,
     seeking a touring keyboardist.  5-minute tape auditions (with a "please,
     no pumpkins songs" condition) were to be turned in by July 14th.  On
     August 18, Entertainment Weekly ran the following:

     "...aspiring Pumpkins needn't wait by the phone.  Two months later, a
     refrigerator box full of cassettes graces Chicago's Soundworks studios,
     and there's not a listening station in sight. 'We've been too busy to
     deal with them,' says Iha. 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of wack
     keyboard players. It sounds like a nightmare to me.'"

     The position was filled by Jonathan Melvoin, who played keyboards and
     acted as a second drummer for Silverfuck.  He also appeared with SP on
     the American Music Awards.

     On July 12, 1996, Jonathan was found dead from a heroin overdose.  He and
     drummer Jimmy Chamberlin had shot up the previous night, and Jimmy awoke
     to find Jonathan dead.  Jimmy was charged with misdemeanor heroin
     possession, and the rest of the band were taken in for questioning, and
     later released.  All tour dates through July 27th were postponed.  A few
     days later, the band released a statement saying that Jimmy would no
     longer be the band's drummer.

     Private/closed auditions were held a while later to find a replacement
     drummer for the remainder of the tour.  Matt Walker, former touring
     drummer for Filter, took over.  While auditioning for Filter, he
     reportedly dropped a drumstick and finished with one- he was hired
     immediately.  Dennis Flemion, founding member and drummer/keyboardist of
     The Frogs, was chosen to be the replacement keyboardist.  A press release
     was issued on August 8th.  The band played a surprise warmup show at the
     Metro on August 23rd with the two new touring members, and resumed the
     MCIS tour after that.

     During the recording of Adore, SP used several drummers, including
     Joey Waronker (Beck), Matt Walker (MCIS tour, Cupcake), and Matt
     Cameron (Soundgarden).  Drum machine programming was done by Bon
     Harris of Nitzer Ebb.

     For the recent Adore tour, the band hired a decent-sized backup band
     that consists of drummer Kenny Aronoff, keyboardist Mike Garson, and
     percussionists Stephen Hodges and Dan Morris.

     As is mentioned in section 1.2, the Pumpkins and their fans welcomed
     Jimmy Chamberlin back into the band, with their first performance
     together as a full band taking place in Detroit on April 10, 1999.
     A short club tour followed, ending at the Roxy in Los Angeles on April
     24.


   5.4 Tour Info* 
   
     Tour dates are kept current at several websites:

     The Smashing Pumpkins Live Recording Association:
       http://www.starla.org/splra/

     The Smashing Pumpkins Internet Fan Club: http://www.spifc.org/spifc/

     The Smashing Pumpkins Fan Collaborative: http://www.spfc.org/

     Occasional special concerts (ie: Billy solo at Chicago's Metro club) are
     still slowly coming out of the woodwork and will be put up on the
     above-mentioned sites when they become available.


   5.5 IRC Info 
   
     There are several IRC channels for pumpkin-heads: #smashing_pumpkins on
     Undernet, EFnet, and IRCnet, #smashing_pumpkins and #pumpkins on EFnet,
     and #smashing-pumpkins on DALnet.  #smashing_pumpkins on oz.org is also
     a popular place for Aussie SP fans.  To use IRC, you must have a client
     program.  For more info, check out the mIRC homepage at
     http://www.mirc.com/.


   5.6 Web links for cool stuff* 
   
     Since there are hundreds of web sites devoted to SP, it may be difficult,
     at first, to find what you're looking for.  Here are the best sites I'm
     aware of for specific features:

     Tour info
     - http://www.starla.org/splra/

     Tour History
     - http://www.spfc.org/tours/index.html

     Trading
     - http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/

     Links 
     - http://www.starla.org/

     Listessa 
     - http://www.spifc.org/spifc/

     Discography (visual)
     - http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/

     Discography (text info)
     - http://www.xero.com
     - http://www.spfc.org/songs-releases/discog.html

     Bootlist
     - http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~daher/boot.html (text version)
     - http://www.starla.org/jackboot/ (HTML version)
     - http://www.spfc.org/songs-releases/boot.html

     Recording Sessions
     - http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/recording/index.html
     - http://www.netphoria.org/recording/recording.html

     Tab
     - http://www.starla.org/pumpkinsoup/
     - http://home.san.rr.com/obscured/index.htm
     - http://www.spfc.org/cgi-bin/spfc/music/index.html

     General
     - http://www.smashing-pumpkins.net/
     - http://www.netphoria.org/
     - http://www.spfc.org/

     Official sites 
     - http://www.thesmashingpumpkins.com/
     - http://www.jamesiha.com/
     - http://www.virginrecords.com/xspx/

     If you're creating a new site, keep in mind that simply copying someone
     else's site is NOT a good idea, as you will likely get a lot of
     complaints.  Try to come up with something novel and original, and
     remember that content is more important than how many "hits" you get.  Do
     -not- post your URL 10 times a day to the newsgroup.  Announcing it only
     once upon creation, or after a time of extreme upgrade/change, and
     including the URL in your .sig is the best way to go.  If it's good,
     people will visit it.  If not, perhaps it could use some improvement. :-)


   6. Miscellaneous/Semi-Related
   
   6.1 '666' Bootleg video 
   
     A completely new FAQ has been created for this subject.  Please consult
     that FAQ for information pertaining to the subject of the 666 bootleg.

     666 FAQ: http://www.ualberta.ca/~michaelh/666FAQ.html


   6.2 Starchildren 
   
     The Starchildren is a side-project band consisting of Billy and various
     other people.  There have also been "secret" pumpkin shows under the
     name.  Starchildren have released a split 7" with Catherine (Delusions of
     Candor/ Flight of the Eagle, b/w Songs About Girls), and covered
     "Isolation" for the Joy Division tribute album, "Means to an End."

     Rotating members of Starchildren have included James, Jimmy, and D'Arcy,
     Bob English, and Mark Rew, Neil Jendon, Cliff Fox, and Kerry Brown of
     Catherine.  Starchildren has not made an appearance as of late.


   6.3 Catherine 
   
     Catherine is, unfortunately, usually thought of as "D'Arcy's husband's
     band."  However, despite poor marketing from TVT, they're definitely a
     cool band to check out.  The band consists of Mark Rew (guitar/vocals),
     Fever (guitar), Gus (percussion/keyboards), Keith Brown (bass), and Kerry
     Brown (drums).  Former members include Neil Jendon, Jerome Brown, and
     Cliff Fox.

     Catherine's releases are: the split 7" with Starchildren (Songs About
     Girls/Delusions of Candor - TVT 4612-7); the Sparkle/Charmed (for Taylor)
     7" on Limited Potential (LimP 011); an EP "Sleepy" (March Records MAR
     005, reissued TVT 4610); Songs About Girls/It's No Lie 7" on Rough Trade
     (45rev35); and albums "Sorry" (TVT 4620-2) and "Hot Saki & Bedtime
     Stories" (TVT 9020-2).   There's also a track "End of Something" on the
     Absolute Middle of Nowhere #17 compilation.  Videos are available for
     It's No Lie, Songs About Girls, Saint, and Four-Leaf Clover.

     Earlier releases are very guitar-heavy (3 guitars), and the final songs
     on Sleepy and Sorry feature extended feedback jams similar to "Drown"-
     the latest release is more poppy.

     Billy Corgan co-produced the 2 7" releases and Sleepy EP.  D'Arcy sings
     on "Four-Leaf Clover" and "Punch Me Out" from "Hot Saki & Bedtime
     Stories", on which James Iha & Jimmy Chamberlin are also credited for
     "additional equipment".  "Blew Away" (Disarm (smile) single, Pisces
     Iscariot) features Kerry Brown on drums.  Kerry is also a co-owner of
     Scratchie Records, and has helped record and produce a number of SP
     songs.

     For more info, join the Catherine mailing list (send "subscribe
     catherine" to majordomo@jade-v.com), and/or check out the following web
     sites:

     The Catherine Page (includes a FAQ)
     Catherine
     The Catherine Collection
     Catherine.org


   6.4 The Frogs 
   
     The Frogs are a Milwaukee-based band that Billy is both a fan of and
     close friends with.  Consisting of brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion and
     bassist Damian Strigens, The Frogs can best be described as satirical.
     Though largely underground, The Frogs have developed a sort of cult
     following, and their live show is simply unforgettable.

     The Frogs have opened for the Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, and played second
     stage at Lollapalooza in 1994, with Billy coming out on a few occasions.
     Dennis was chosen as the replacement keyboardist for the Pumpkins' MCIS
     tour, and appeared with them from August '96 on.  Jimmy took a roadie job
     with the tour, and came out on stage in his green-sequined, winged
     costume to play along for 1979 and choose audience members to dance on
     stage.

     The Frogs have released 2 albums ("It's Only Right And Natural",
     Homestead [HMS169-2], and "My Daughter the Broad", Matador [ole 155-2]),
     several 7" singles ("Now You Know You're Black", "Here Comes Santa's
     Pussy", and a split 7" with Wesley Willis), a cover of Pearl Jam's
     "rearviewmirror" (found on PJ's "Immortality" CDS), and an EP "Starjob"
     on Scratchie Records [314 534 838-2], produced by Billy Corgan.

     The Pumpkins' home video, Vieuphoria, includes a brief "Meet the Frogs"
     segment, including bits of live shows, and featuring excerpts of "Homos"
     and "I Only Play 4 Money" (found on "It's Only Right And Natural" and
     "Starjob", respectively).

     For more info, check out one of the two Frogs web sites at:
     http://www.northcoast.com/~alora/frogs
     http://www.thefuton.com/frogs/ (includes text discography, Real Audio,
        Real Video, and pictures.)


   6.5 Scratchie Records 
   
     Scratchie Records is a label co-owned by James Iha & D'Arcy, as well as
     Jeremy Freeman, Kerry Brown, and others.  The label puts out cool music &
     does really cool stuff for its customers & fans. :-)  Check their web site
     out at http://www.scratchie.com/.

     The label occaisionally posts to the newsgroup, announcing
     Scratchie-related news, so watch for these announcements.


   6.7 Cabal (...) / Junta (...) 
   
     Although scarcely mentioned nowadays, the Cabal (there is no Cabal) and
     Junta (there is a Junta, I know, they suck) were two "secret
     organizations" that were brought up occasionally a while back.  Their
     mention provided amusement for some, annoyance to others, and is included
     here purely for nostalgia. :-)


   7. Conclusion
   
   7.1 Acknowledgments 
   
     This work could not have been made possible without the generous
     contributions (info and otherwise) from the following people: ERIC AGNEW.
     Adam Bellinger; Adam Cutler; Adam Newman; Allison Baird; Andrew Miller;
     Ankh Raid; Badfish; Brian McCall; Brandon; BuGG; Chris Carman; Christine
     Henry; Damian Strigens, and Dennis & Jimmy Flemion; Dave Asselin; Davin
     Mehrbani; Emmy Bristow; Eric Heutchy; Henry Bent; Jamie Halle; Jason
     Petrait; Jason Ting; Jenn Miller; Jeremy Adams; Jeremy Freeman; Jesse
     Miller; Josh Sherman; Joshua Provost; Karl Daher; Kim Wisniewski; Kristen
     Kapica; Laura Ann (SPFC); Looselucy9; Marci; Mark Gillis; Mark Andrew
     Hamilton; all the Matts and Mikes; Matthius Rheaume; Nikki Christoff;
     Onica; Phil Herring; Pissant; Roger Janssen; Saira Hussain; Scott
     Carpenter; Scott Spencer; Steve Hamel; Steve Hemming; Tariq Hussain;
     Tom Jackson; Wristy; all the other people who've sent in info, plugged the

     FAQ; everyone who's taken the time to create a cool, info-packed web
     site; and, of course, the band, for their inspiration & all that awesome
     music. :-)


   7.2 Disclaimer 
   
     Anything that you think should be included in this FAQ should be mailed
     to me (Mike Hamilton) at faq@spfc.org.  Please keep in mind that
     I'm a full-time University student, and I do have a social life, so I
     don't always e-mail you back immediately.  Be patient.  Thanks.

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