Gish
Upon the release ofGish--the group's debut--in the summer of 1991, more than one rock aficionado hailed the Smashing Pumpkins as the best band to come out of Chicago sinceMinistry. A bold statement, yes, but one backed up by Billy Corgan'sHendrix-like riffs and searing signature guitar tone. Intriguing songwriting is evidenced from the start as well, with the driving, amped-up rock of "I Am One," "Siva," and "Tristessa" contrasted with the soothingly eerie psychedelic flavor of "Rhinoceros" and "Window Paine."Gishpredates the band's movement toward the loop-based electronic sounds heard in their late-'90s works, yet the seeds for this transition are definitely apparent. Electro guruTrickyeven sampled the backbeat from "Suffer" in the tributary "Pumpkin" on his sex-soakedMaxinquaye. Butch Vig shows off his chops as producer and cultivates signature dramatic moods onGish, which helped put the Smashing Pumpkins on the map as one of the most important alt-rock bands of the '90s--much to the delight of the decade's disenfranchised youth.--Brad Zinser