Before the Smashing Pumpkins were the iconic, GRAMMY Award-winning, generation-defining band fans have known and loved for decades, they were another young group trying to make their name in the vibrant rock scene of the early ‘90s. Thirty-five years ago, The Smashing Pumpkins introduced themselves to the world with Gish, a seminal debut that would become one of the most important albums of the early ‘90s. Now, to celebrate the album’s 35th anniversary, the band has announced new vinyl variants — available now, just in time for Gish’s birthday. Order them HERE.
Billy Corgan’s beloved Chicago teahouse, Madame ZuZu’s, and other independent record stores will carry the new reissues. Housed within the original 1991 packaging, the anniversary vinyl features a limited-edition colorway vinyl pressed on striking 180-gram grey vinyl, accented with pink and purple splatter to evoke the classic Gish cover. A standard black 180-gram vinyl will also be available.
Reflecting on the album’s enduring legacy, Jimmy Chamberlin shares, “Gish represents the manifestation of all of our hopes, dreams, and abilities at that incredible time and allows the listener an early inside look at the insanity that would ultimately define The Smashing Pumpkins!”
Originally released on May 28, 1991, via Caroline Records, Gish became one of the most successful independently released albums of its era and one of the most commercially successful independent rock albums of the early ’90s, helping redefine the possibilities for alternative music on an independent label. The Pumpkins recorded the album with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, WI, introducing a band already carving out its own path amidst an alt-rock boom. Though sometimes associated with grunge in their early days, The Smashing Pumpkins were so much more — swirling rock, metal, psychedelia, pop, and shoegaze together into an idiosyncratic vision of alternative music unlike anything before it. The album set the stage for the stratospheric success the Pumpkins would experience for the rest of the decade, while also boasting staples such as “I Am One,” “Siva,” and “Rhinoceros” that would eventually help drive Gish to Platinum status. A landmark debut featuring 10 unassailable compositions, Gish’s influence continues to be felt from one generation to the next, with publications praising it as one of music’s most enduring and celebrated albums.
The Gish reissues are the latest in a series of anniversary celebrations marking the massive achievements of The Smashing Pumpkins’ early years. Last year saw a multi-faceted 30th anniversary blowout for 1995’s Diamond-certified Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, including a deluxe vinyl reissue featuring previously unheard live recordings from the world tour supporting the album, a special reimagining of Mellon Collie’s iconic hits and beloved fan-favorites onstage with the Lyric Opera Of Chicago, and culinary collaborations with Vosges Haut-Chocolat and Erewhon. Released the same year as Machina/The Machines Of God’s 25th anniversary reissue, the Mellon Collie celebration continued what has been a furiously productive decade for The Smashing Pumpkins, with a flood of inspiration producing 2020’s Cyr, 2022/2023’s triple-album Atum: A Rock Opera In Three Parts, and 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei.
Alongside all of his Pumpkins activity, the ever-prolific Corgan has remained busy in other ventures as well. Entering its second year, his widely praised podcast, The Magnificent Others, has recently featured candid conversations about creativity and legacy with Courtney Love, Billy Idol, Nancy Wilson, and Yungblud. Corgan also made his Coachella debut, joining Sombr onstage for a surprise performance. Most recently, in his capacity as president of the National Wrestling Alliance, Corgan led the hallowed athletic institution to a landmark deal with Comet TV, bringing NWA back to free broadcast TV nationwide for the first time since the early ‘90s.
Earlier this month, The Smashing Pumpkins also announced the sprawling Rats In A Cage tour, one of their most ambitious live shows yet. Following The Smashing Pumpkins’ first appearance at Lollapalooza since 1994, the full tour kicks off in September and runs through November, and will feature the band playing two distinct sets: one celebrating Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and one a career-spanning journey through nearly four decades’ worth of beloved hits, deep cuts, and fan-favorites alike. In addition to the Mellon Collie set, expect all the key tracks from their latest release , Aghori Mhori Mei, all the way back to the early Gish favorites that first put The Pumpkins on the map.
FULL TOUR ROUTING
Wed, Sep 30 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
Fri, Oct 2 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
Sat, Oct 3 — Baltimore, MD — CFG Bank Arena
Sun, Oct 4 — Brooklyn, NY — Barclays Center
Tue, Oct 6 — Pittsburgh, PA — PPG Paints Arena
Wed, Oct 7 — Hamilton, ON — TD Coliseum
Fri, Oct 9 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
Sun, Oct 11 — Madison, WI — Kohl Center
Tue, Oct 13 — St. Paul, MN — Grand Casino Arena
Wed, Oct 14 — Chicago, IL — United Center
Fri, Oct 16 — Charlotte, NC — Spectrum Center
Sat, Oct 17 — Jacksonville, FL — VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Sun, Oct 18 — Tampa, FL — Benchmark International Arena
Tue, Oct 20 — Indianapolis, IN — Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Wed, Oct 22 — Nashville, TN — The Truth
Sat, Oct 24 — Oklahoma City, OK — Paycom Center
Sun, Oct 25 — Austin, TX — Moody Center
Tue, Oct 27 — Denver, CO — Ball Arena
Thu, Oct 29 — Salt Lake City, UT — Delta Center
Fri, Oct 30 — Las Vegas, NV — MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sun, Nov 1 — Portland, OR — Moda Center
Tue, Nov 3 — Calgary, AB — Scotiabank Saddledome
Thu, Nov 5 — Vancouver, BC — Rogers Arena
Fri, Nov 6 — Seattle, WA — Climate Pledge Arena
Sun, Nov 8 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
Wed, Nov 11 — Phoenix, AZ — Mortgage Matchup Center
Thu, Nov 12 — Los Angeles, CA — Kia Forum
The Smashing Pumpkins are one of the most iconic, iconoclastic, and influential bands of all time, shaping alternative music and culture. Since forming in Chicago in 1988, the group has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and garnered two GRAMMY® Awards, seven MTV VMAs, and an American Music Award. Their catalog includes seminal offerings such as the platinum Gish [1991], the quadruple-platinum Siamese Dream [1993], the diamond-certified Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness [1995], the platinum Adore [1998], and the gold Machina/The Machines of God [2000]. Rolling Stone cited both Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness among its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” It would also be impossible to envision alternative music and culture without their signature iconography such as the idyllic album artwork for Siamese Dream, the black Zero shirt, the laissez faire bliss of the “1979” music video, the gothic metamorphosis of “Ava Adore,” or the multi-dimensional live shows that sell out worldwide to this day. 2018 saw The Smashing Pumpkins unveil SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, VOL. 1 / LP: NO PAST. NO FUTURE. NO SUN. and launched the immensely successful Shiny and Oh So Bright Tour, which packed arenas. Maintaining this momentum, the band released their eleventh full-length double album, CYR [2020], representing yet another evolution, and more recently, ATUM[2023], the sequel to 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina/Machine of God. The band’s 2024 album, Aghori Mhori Mei, written in the immediate aftermath of ATUM, sees a return to form for original members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and James Iha, and harkens back to the band’s early ‘90s canon, where guitars, bass, drums, and spiking vocals ruled.