Zer0, I collected singles and I have around 100 of them, but nothing comes near this. Marquis in Spades, God ... realy good sound. Buy it

S.J.

This is practically the only "Single" type cd i own. This one is worth buying since all the songs on it equate to about the length of a full-on album. Don't be fooled about the last song on the single though ... i at first found it a "waste of time", yet after a while it really started to mesh with the whole album even though it sounds like a collection of guitar instrumentals. All the other songs are soooo awesome! "God" is god .... trust me. Overall this cd is very intoxicating - even with no alcohol - crazy huh? Give it a try.

The Smashing Pumpkins always made quality music that made the final cut, in regards to their studio albums. But, what's more astounding is the quality of the music that never made the studio albums; you know, the tracks that either got tacked on as B-sides, or, were just not released at all. These B-sides to the _Zero_ single are *no* exception to this rule, as these are some of the best things The Smashing Pumpkins have ever made, and they have made *tons* of stunning stuff.

Like the other B-side-filled EP's deriving from the _Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness_ album, each start off with the track of the single, then are followed by the B-sides. "Zero" is a raging anthem. Likewise, the rest of the EP -- with the exception of the melodic alt-pop of "Pennies" -- shows off the Pumpkins' overdriven, distortion-filled rock. "God" is a perfect example of this; the verses are soft, while the chorus rages with an intense, overdriven madness that was the Pumpkins' niche. "Mouths of Babes" features a tasteful riff on the pentatonic (in descending mode) that opens the track, and eventually closes it off (and is repeated, but the key is changed in the final motif, before the track cuts off.) "Tribute to Johnny" is a fusionesque metal instrumental; a little bit of funk, a little bit of jazz, and loads of distortion. Perfectly shows just how talented and diverse these pumpkins were. It's tasteful and chewy as well, while "Marquis in Spades" is a more plodding, but equally heavy, well-distorted number. "Pennies" gives you a breather from all of the distortion of past, and leads into the very interesting (to say the least) "Pastichio Medley." This is a 23-minute smorgasbord of spliced-together riffs taken from dozens of Pumpkins' songs that were either unfinished, or just plain unreleased. The overdriven extremeties that were so common to The Pumpkins' niche are here, indeed, but there are also moments of quiet to be found, and the occasional vocal.

Case and point: if you are a diehard Pumpkinhead (like myself; The Pumpkins are my top favorite when it comes to the "alternative" bands from the '90s scene), you will *not* want to be without this single, or the others that came from the _Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness_ sessions. If you are lucky enough to own _The Aeroplane Flies High_ boxed set (the complete, _Mellon Collie_-derived singles/EP's in one boxed set, and with a booklet of complete lyrics, photos, etc.) then you will already own this single. Recommended indefinitely.

This is the fifth single from the band's 1995 album Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness. Has seven tracks and is as long as an album(nearly 40 minutes). The title track is a metal number. the lyrics are sharp; "My reflection/The dirty mirror/There's no connection to myself" or "Emptiness is loneliness and loneliness is cleanliness and cleanliness is Godness and God is empty, just like me" This is one of the rare moments that the Pumpkins don't loose themselves with Billy's sensitiveness both musically and lyricly. The second track "God" is pretty similar but as good as "Zero". The shouty "Mouths of Babes" is also a joy to listen. We can skip James Iha's "Set The Ray To Jerry" if you don't like long, boring guitar solo's. On the other hand "Marquis In Spades" has some really good melodies. "Pennies" is an up beat ballad sang for an ex-girlfriend and has very naive and touching lyrics. "The final track "Pastichio Medley" contains parts of some demos that the Pumpkins had recorded during the time between the Siamese Dream and MCAIS album. This song lasts about 30 minutes. If you listen to it closer, you can actually hear a demo version of "Dying" which Billy wrote for Hole's "Celebrity Skin" album. A really strong E.P. with some parts that sometimes doesn't work really well but these songs are a result of what the Smashing Pumpkins do best.

Wherein Billy C. proves he's a pumpkinhead by showing us the heavy cards he had up his sleeve all along but left off the album. "God": a crushing stomp along the lines of the superior "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"; "Mouths of Babes": a mid-tempo Aerosmith-like tune that should DEFINITELY gone on MC; "Tribute to Johnny": funny mid-seventies riff-homage; "Marquis in Spades": dumb title for their most Judas Priest-like song yet; and "Pennies": an absolute POP GEM that should have been a single on its own. Then there's the "Pastichio Medley" of 72 song fragments, from which they could have constructed at least five heavy rawkers which would have rivaled gish. An A+ for generosity, a C- for frustration.