Gish
Studio album by
the Smashing Pumpkins
ReleasedMay 28, 1991 (1991-05-28)
RecordedDecember 1990 – March 1991
StudioSmart (Madison, Wisconsin)
Genre
Length45:45
Label
Producer
The Smashing Pumpkins chronology
Gish
(1991)		 Lull
(1991)
Singles from Gish
  1. "Tristessa"
    Released: December 1990
  2. "Siva"
    Released: August 1991
  3. "I Am One"
    Released: August 1992
Alternate cover
2011 reissue cover

Gish is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, released on May 28, 1991 through Caroline Records. The album was produced by Butch Vig and frontman Billy Corgan, with the latter describing Gish as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spiritual ascension".[1]

Despite initially peaking at only number 195 on the Billboard 200 upon its release, Gish received critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at the band's distinctive psychedelic sound. The album was eventually certified platinum (at least one million copies shipped in the US) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming one of the best-selling independent albums at the time.[2] It has since been ranked by multiple publications as one of the best rock albums of the 1990s, with Pitchfork deeming "without Gish, there would probably be no Nevermind as we know it."[3][4]

Music and composition

Musically, Gish has been described as featuring alternative rock,[5] hard rock,[6] psychedelic rock,[7] grunge,[8] dream pop,[9] stoner rock,[10] college rock,[11] psychedelia,[11] and heavy metal.[11] As a writer, Billy Corgan wanted to find the balance between classic rock of bands playing heavy riffs like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and the sensuality and grace of alternative bands like the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and My Bloody Valentine.[12] "For us, it was trying to become this balance point between what felt like dumb riff rock and then the stuff we were really attracted to coming out of the U.K. And then we put those pieces together with the Beatles somewhere in the middle". A song like "Rhinoceros" reflected that balance and what Corgan wanted to achieve: "we could be beautiful, pretty, psychedelic, and then flip the switch and be heavy and play a ripping lead."[12] When composing the songs, Corgan was experimenting taking LSD to get a psychedelic feeling: "LSD gave me the confidence to attempt these things on kind of a weird tightrope wire act".[12]

Recording

Gish was recorded from December 1990 to March 1991 in Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with a budget of $20,000.[13] Vig and Corgan worked together as co-producers. At the time, Vig was still a relatively unknown producer.[14] The longer recording period and larger budget were unprecedented for Vig, who later recalled:

(Corgan) wanted to make everything sound amazing and see how far he could take it; really spend time on the production and the performances. For me that was a godsend because I was used to doing records for all the indie labels and we only had budgets for three or four days. Having that luxury to spend hours on a guitar tone or tuning the drums or working on harmonies and textural things... I was over the moon to think I had found a comrade-in-arms who wanted to push me, and who really wanted me to push him.[15]

The inclusion of a massive production style reminiscent of ELO and Queen was unusual for an independent band at the time.[15] Whereas many albums at the time used drum sampling and processing, Gish used unprocessed drum recordings, and an exacting, unique guitar sound.[16] Corgan also performed nearly all of the guitar and bass parts on the record, which was confirmed by Vig in a later interview.[15]

The album's sessions, lasting 30 working days, were brisk by Pumpkins' standards, largely because of the group's inexperience.[15][17] The majority of D'arcy Wretzky's bass lines and James Iha's guitar parts were re-recorded by Corgan using their instruments.[15] The recording sessions put an intense strain on the band, with Wretzky later commenting that she did not know how the band survived it, and Corgan asserting he suffered a nervous breakdown.[17]

Regarding the album's thematic content, Corgan would later say,

The album is about pain and spiritual ascension. People ask if it's a political album. It's not a political album, it's a personal album. In a weird kind of way, Gish is almost like an instrumental album—it just happens to have singing on it, but the music overpowers the band in a lot of places. I was trying to say a lot of things I couldn't really say in kind of intangible, unspeakable ways, so I was capable of doing that with the music, but I don't think I was capable of doing it with words.[17]

Title

The album was named after silent film icon Lillian Gish. In an interview, Corgan said, "My grandmother used to tell me that one of the biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train, my grandmother lived in the middle of nowhere, so that was a big deal ..."[1] Later, Corgan joked that the album was originally going to be called "Fish", but was changed to "Gish" to avoid comparisons to jam band Phish.[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[20]
Entertainment WeeklyB[21]
Los Angeles Times[22]
NME7/10[23]
Pitchfork8.3/10[24]
Q[25]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[26]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[27]
Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide*[28]

Gish was met with largely enthusiastic reviews. On the month of its release, Chris Heim of the Chicago Tribune credited producer Butch Vig for helping the band achieve a "clearly defined" and "big, bold, punchy" sound for the album. Heim also indicated that the varied styles of the album would be a good addition to the alternative music culture of Chicago at the time—a culture that was sometimes perceived as inaccessible for new bands.[29] Jon Pareles of The New York Times picked up on the eclectic mix of musical style on Gish as well, complementing its "pummeling hard rock", "gentle interludes", and "psychedelic crescendos".[30] In an end-of-year recap of 1991 releases, Heim noted that the album constituted a "smashing local success story" for the Chicago area.[31] Greg Kot, also of the Tribune, called Gish "perhaps the most audacious and accomplished" of all 1991 albums released by local bands;[13] in an article later that year, Kot listed the album among the best of 1991.[32] Rolling Stone called it "awe-inspiring" with "meticulously calculated chaos" and a "swirling energy".[33]

Many substantive reviews of Gish emerged only with the 1993 release of Siamese Dream, when mainstream critics took their first look into the back-catalog of a band whose popularity was exploding. Derek Weiler of the Toronto Star noted that songs on Gish contained "either galloping riffs or trippy feedback hazes" and that the latter were especially effective and entertaining.[34]

In 1992, Gish and the Smashing Pumpkins earned recognition at the Chicago Musician Awards, for which local music publication Illinois Entertainer polled readers and Chicago music industry figures such as critics, writers, and club owners. In separate polls, readers and industry figures chose Gish as the "best local album". Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha won individual honors for their performances on the album, and the band as a whole earned the "best hometown national act" award.[35]

Commercial performance

Gish spent one week on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 195 (later re-peaking at number 146 upon its 2011 re-release);[36] however, the album reached number one on the College Music Journal chart, which tracks airplay and popularity on college radio stations.[37] It also had a six-week run on the New Zealand Albums Chart, peaking at number 40.[38] Despite an inauspicious start, the album sold 100,000 copies in less than a year, far exceeding the expectations of indie label Caroline Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records.[39] In the US, the album was certified gold by RIAA on March 14, 1994.[40] Until the release of the Offspring album Smash in 1994, Gish was the highest-selling independently released album of all time. Gish would later be reissued under the Virgin label, and was certified platinum in the US on February 5, 1999.[40]

Release history

The first mastering of Gish on CD was from Digital Audio Tape and appeared on Caroline Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. In 1994, after the success of follow-up Siamese Dream, the album was given a slight remaster and redesign and was reissued on the Virgin label.[41] Both editions credit Howie Weinberg as mastering engineer. In 2008, the Smashing Pumpkins announced a 17th anniversary box set re-release of the album that would include older bonus material, but this set experienced delays.[42] After finally negotiating the rights, Gish was re-issued in November 2011, being remastered on CD and Vinyl with extra tracks and packaging.[43]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Billy Corgan, except "I Am One", written by Corgan and James Iha

No.TitleLength
1."I Am One"4:06
2."Siva"4:19
3."Rhinoceros"6:30
4."Bury Me"4:46
5."Crush"3:33
6."Suffer"5:08
7."Snail"5:08
8."Tristessa"3:32
9."Window Paine"5:49
10."Daydream" ("Daydream" ends at 1:56. A hidden track called "I’m Going Crazy" starts at 2:07)3:05
Total length:45:45

All tracks are written by Corgan, except where noted.

2011 Reissue bonus CD – Trippin' Through the Stars
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Starla" (2011 mix) 11:01
2."Siva" (Peel Session) 4:49
3."Honeyspider" (Reel Time Demos/2011 mix) 2:54
4."Hippy Trippy" ("Crush" Music Box demo) 3:33
5."Snail" (live radio performance) 5:48
6."Plume" (2011 mix)Billy Corgan, James Iha3:34
7."Bury Me" (Reel Time Demos/2011 mix) 4:18
8."Daydream" (Old House demo) 2:05
9."Tristessa" (Sub Pop single/2011 mix) 3:48
10."Girl Named Sandoz" (Peel Session)Eric Burdon, Vic Briggs, John Weider, Barry Jenkins, Danny McCulloch (The Animals)3:35
11."Jesus is the Sun" (Apartment demo) 2:55
12."Blue" (Gish sessions demo) 4:07
13."Smiley" (Gish sessions demo) 3:36
14."I Am One" (Reel Time Demos/2011 mix)Billy Corgan, James Iha4:21
15."Seam" ("Suffer" Apartment demo) 4:09
16."La Dolly Vita" (2011 mix) 4:18
17."Pulseczar" (Gish sessions demo) 2:32
18."Drown" (alternate guitar solo) 8:17
2011 Reissue bonus DVD – Live at the Metro (Live on August 25, 1990)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Am One"Billy Corgan, James Iha 
2."Snail"  
3."Rhinoceros"  
4."Bury Me"  
5."Tristessa"  
6."Window Paine"  
7."Razor"  
8."Sookie Sookie"Don Covay, Steve Cropper (Steppenwolf cover) 
9."Godzilla"Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult cover) 
10."Crush"  

Personnel

Those involved in the making of Gish are:[44]

The Smashing Pumpkins

Additional musicians

  • Mary Gaines – cello on "Daydream"
  • Chris Wagner – violin and viola on "Daydream"

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Gish'
Chart (1991) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[36] 195
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[36] 6
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[45] 51
New Zealand RIANZ Top 40[38] 40
Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[46] 146
US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums[36] 20

Certifications

Certifications for Gish
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[48] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Caro, Mark (December 28, 1990). "Smashing Pumpkins Finds a New Home at Caroline Records". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-grunge-albums-of-the-90s/
  3. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-grunge-albums-798851/
  4. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-grunge-albums-of-the-90s/
  5. ↑ Long, April (July 4, 2007). "Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist". Uncut. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Kot, Greg (November 27, 2011). "Smashing Pumpkins Album Reviews; Gish and Siamese Dream Reissues Reviewed". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  7. ↑ Leahey, Andrew (July 10, 2012). "Smashing Pumpkins: Oceania". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  8. ↑ Burnsilver, Glenn (July 9, 2015). "Why Smashing Pumpkins Should Play Gish In Concert". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Smashing Pumpkins Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Every Smashing Pumpkins Song, Ranked". Spin. October 30, 2015. p. 7. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 "Smashing Pumpkins". Loudwire. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  12. 1 2 3 Greene, Andy (29 May 2021). "Billy Corgan Reflects on the 30th Anniversary of 'Gish'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. 1 2 Kot, Greg (June 21, 1991). "Out of the Patch for Smashing Pumpkins". Chicago Tribune.
  14. ↑ Partridge, Kenneth (May 28, 2016). "The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Gish' at 25: Classic Track-by-Track Look Back". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thomas, Richard (October 2008). "Signal to Noise: The Sonic Diary of the Smashing Pumpkins". EQ Magazine.
  16. ↑ Jones, Nick (January 9, 1992). "Fuck Off ... We're From Chicago!". Spiral Scratch.
  17. 1 2 3 MTV Rockumentary: Smashing Pumpkins. Aired 1995/10/17.
  18. ↑ Corgan, Billy. Caller Q&A. Rockline Radio Show. Broadcast 1998/07/13
  19. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Gish – Smashing Pumpkins". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  20. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  21. ↑ Adams, Jason (December 2, 2011). "'Gish' and 'Siamese Dream' Deluxe Reissues review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  22. ↑ Gold, Jonathan (July 14, 1991). "Smashing Pumpkins 'Gish' Caroline". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins: Gish". NME: 34. May 28, 1994.
  24. ↑ Raggett, Ned (November 28, 2011). "The Smashing Pumpkins: Gish [Deluxe Edition] / Siamese Dream [Deluxe Edition]". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins: Gish". Q (95): 129. August 1994.
  26. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (2004). "Smashing Pumpkins". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 747–48. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  27. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  28. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Smashing Pumpkins".
  29. ↑ Heim, Chris (May 31, 1991). "Caroline Records releases Smashing Pumpkins' 'Gish'". Chicago Tribune. p. S.
  30. ↑ Pareles, Jon (November 14, 1991). "Review/Pop; A hyperactive evening with the Chili Peppers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  31. ↑ Heim, Chris (December 27, 1991). "Ringing in the new year with something for every taste". Chicago Tribune. p. Q.
  32. ↑ Kot, Greg (December 1, 1991). "The best albums of '91 rock music: finding greatness on the fringes". Chicago Tribune. p. 16.
  33. ↑ "Meticulously Calculated Chaos". Rolling Stone. August 8, 1991.
  34. ↑ Weiler, Derek (August 26, 1993). "Smashing followup: Siamese Dream keeps Pumpkins in front of the alternative brigade". Toronto Star. p. C8.
  35. ↑ Stevens, Mary (July 24, 1992). "Smashing Pumpkins triumph in Chicago Musician Awards". Chicago Tribune. p. K.
  36. 1 2 3 4 Gish – Smashing Pumpkins: Awards at AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  37. ↑ Corcoran, Michael (September 15, 1991). "Bob Seger bites the Silver Bullet for his latest effort". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 4.
  38. 1 2 "charts.nz – The Smashing Pumpkins – Gish". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  39. ↑ Gooch, Marshall (April 7, 2008). "Smashing Pumpkins: Worst Case Scenario." Reflex.
  40. 1 2 "Gold and Platinum - RIAA : Smashing Pumpkins Gish". RIAA. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  41. ↑ Corgan, Billy (March 1997). "10 Most Influential Productions". Musician Magazine.
  42. ↑ "Smashing Pumpkins ready debut album box set". New Musical Express. June 23, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-28. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  43. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Billy Corgan talks about the future of the Smashing Pumpkins". Retrieved November 2, 2019 – via YouTube.
  44. ↑ Gish (LP liner notes). The Smashing Pumpkins. New York: Caroline Records. 1991.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 257.
  46. ↑ "Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  47. ↑ "British album certifications – The Smashing Pumpkins – Gish". British Phonographic Industry.
  48. ↑ "American album certifications – Smashing Pumpkins – Gish". Recording Industry Association of America.
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