Smashing Pumpkins "Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88" (2000)
Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88 is a rare live CD by The Smashing Pumpkins, which was given away free to people who attended the Pumpkins' concert at the Metro in Chicago on December 2, 2000, which was supposed to be the band's final concert. (The Pumpkins would later reunite in 2006). This CD documents the band's very first performance at the same venue 12 years earlier, on October 5, 1988. That '88 show was the Pumpkins' fourth concert overall, but was the first to be performed by all four members of the classic lineup. The CD was limited to approximately 1,200 copies, and included a note which said:
Please enjoy this special gift from the Smashing Pumpkins and Metro. This is a recording of the Smashing Pumpkins' first show at Metro on October 5th, 1988. The artwork is by James Iha. We hope you enjoyed the show, and we thank you for your many years of support.
-The Smashing Pumpkins and Metro
The very first Pumpkins performance took place three months before this one at Chicago's Avalon Club, when the Pumpkins consisted only of the duo of Billy Corgan on bass and James Iha on guitar, accompanied by a drum machine. They played at that same club a month later, this time with the addition of D'Arcy Wretzky on bass. When they were booked for the October show at the Cabaret Metro, club owner Joe Shanahan insisted that the Pumpkins take on a human drummer instead of using the drum machine. The band then hired Jimmy Chamberlin to fill that position, and the classic Smashing Pumpkins quartet was thus formed.
The seven songs on the 35-minute Live at Cabaret Metro CD do not include any familiar ones, nor do they include any that would later be recorded for Gish, the Pumpkins' 1991 debut studio album; however, a demo version of the first song, "There It Goes", did eventually turn up on a Deluxe Edition of Pisces Iscariot in 2012. The sound quality has the predictable muddiness of an unprofessional recording, which may prevent this concert from ever being issued as a commercial release; however, I won't be surprised if Corgan someday sells a vinyl edition through his record shop at Madame ZuZu's.
The music does often predict the future Pumpkins sound. The guitars and bass sometimes produce a similar fuzz-drenched aura, most noticeably on "My Eternity", "Spiteface" and "Nothing and Everything". During most of the set, though, the early Pumpkins sounded like they were heavily influenced by Gothic bands like Joy Division, and shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine. Notwithstanding his startling shriek during "My Eternity", Corgan's recognizable voice sometimes sounds distant amid the guitar clamor, but that instrumental din is something to hear, and it comes through quite effectively despite the quality of the recording. Chamberlin was certainly up to his task as their new human drummer. If the song "Bleed" had been studio-recorded, it could have found its way onto alternative rock radio.
Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88 may be for fans only, but fans are likely to find it to be a fascinating glimpse into the earliest days of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Smashing Pumpkins "Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88" (Constantinople Records CR-05) 2000
Track Listing:
1. There It Goes
2. She
3. My Eternity
4. Under Your Spell
5. Bleed
6. Spiteface
7. Nothing and Everything
Please enjoy this special gift from the Smashing Pumpkins and Metro. This is a recording of the Smashing Pumpkins' first show at Metro on October 5th, 1988. The artwork is by James Iha. We hope you enjoyed the show, and we thank you for your many years of support.
-The Smashing Pumpkins and Metro
The very first Pumpkins performance took place three months before this one at Chicago's Avalon Club, when the Pumpkins consisted only of the duo of Billy Corgan on bass and James Iha on guitar, accompanied by a drum machine. They played at that same club a month later, this time with the addition of D'Arcy Wretzky on bass. When they were booked for the October show at the Cabaret Metro, club owner Joe Shanahan insisted that the Pumpkins take on a human drummer instead of using the drum machine. The band then hired Jimmy Chamberlin to fill that position, and the classic Smashing Pumpkins quartet was thus formed.
The seven songs on the 35-minute Live at Cabaret Metro CD do not include any familiar ones, nor do they include any that would later be recorded for Gish, the Pumpkins' 1991 debut studio album; however, a demo version of the first song, "There It Goes", did eventually turn up on a Deluxe Edition of Pisces Iscariot in 2012. The sound quality has the predictable muddiness of an unprofessional recording, which may prevent this concert from ever being issued as a commercial release; however, I won't be surprised if Corgan someday sells a vinyl edition through his record shop at Madame ZuZu's.
The music does often predict the future Pumpkins sound. The guitars and bass sometimes produce a similar fuzz-drenched aura, most noticeably on "My Eternity", "Spiteface" and "Nothing and Everything". During most of the set, though, the early Pumpkins sounded like they were heavily influenced by Gothic bands like Joy Division, and shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine. Notwithstanding his startling shriek during "My Eternity", Corgan's recognizable voice sometimes sounds distant amid the guitar clamor, but that instrumental din is something to hear, and it comes through quite effectively despite the quality of the recording. Chamberlin was certainly up to his task as their new human drummer. If the song "Bleed" had been studio-recorded, it could have found its way onto alternative rock radio.
Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88 may be for fans only, but fans are likely to find it to be a fascinating glimpse into the earliest days of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Smashing Pumpkins "Live at Cabaret Metro 10-5-88" (Constantinople Records CR-05) 2000
Track Listing:
1. There It Goes
2. She
3. My Eternity
4. Under Your Spell
5. Bleed
6. Spiteface
7. Nothing and Everything
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