ThePumpkins.net

First off... hello! I've been lurking on and off since 2007 and this is my very first post!
(A big thanks to Murder for everything)

So... lately I've been thinking a lot about what could have been done with AG. I mean what SP did after the residencies was a crucial move, and while I like AG just fine, I can't help but wonder if it would have been a better move to do a full album with all those new songs included.

For my personal listening, I added the audio from the Fillmore floor rehearsals and used Murder's "residency songs 2007" audio for the rest of them. It runs like this

Again, Again, Again (The Crux)
Rose March
Pox
Sunkissed
99 Floors
I'm Doing the Best I Can
Promise Me
If Only In A Dream
Peace & Love
Question Mark
Mama
If All Goes Wrong
Psalm 131
The Leaving Lament
No Surrender

15 great songs. I think if SP realsed it low profile and went right into the anniversary tour, it would have been very very very well received and who knows what would have happened from there...

Thoughts?

(ps, we should have an AG topic icon)

I agree that probably would have been a good move... but now I have to believe some of these songs will be part of Oceania. Billy has said Oceania will be out in September and the songs are obviously already written, as some of "his friends" have heard it and like it. I seriously doubt he, while putting out the Teargarden songs, managed to write 10-12 new songs we haven't heard of. Thus, Oceania would have to consist at least partially of residency songs and/or newer songs we've heard such as As Rome Burns, My Love is Winter, Lonely is the Name, etc. And that would be just fine with me as long as they are produced well. There is serious potential in these songs.

I do wish we would get even high quality audio of those Residency songs. All we have are fairly low quality bootlegs. I'd leave American Gothic as it is though, as I really like it

That's a good point, as long as they come out eventually I'd be pretty happy. Here's to hoping they don't get shelved forever.
It's just too fun to play 'what if' with their career...

epitome wrote:
How come you wouldn't be into the full album idea?

Well, just as I said, I like American Gothic the way it is - and as an EP, it's a nice Pumpkins CD to throw on when I only have 20 minutes I'd love a separate full album of Residency songs, either high quality recordings of the live versions or recorded in the studio. There were plenty of good songs played then.

Audio Zen wrote:
I would think the tracks would consist mostly of the Spirits in the Sky show and Backwards Clock Society

I don't understand this notion that Oceania is going to consist of "old" material. Why is it so far out of the question that he would have written 10-12 new songs? We all know he writes every single day, and we know that he always writes way more than what ultimately gets released. I'd personally be incredibly disappointed if Oceania had ANY of the residency/backwards clock/spirits/20th anniversary tour songs on it. I want NEW music.

I hope you're right, but look at the recent Teargarden songs. Owata, Lightning Strikes (Zen Baby), Tom Tom, Fellowship, Spangled (How I Love You) - all songs that we had kicked around for a while but were a long time in the coming. He may conceive new songs quickly, but he then takes a long time in tweaking them. At least that seems to be his M.O. lately. I just have a hard time believing he already has 10-12 new songs that are ready to go in addition to doing Teargarden, writing 5 books, and arguing with fans on Facebook.

i want As Rome Burns, but otherwise i would rather see new stuff too.

i'd like to see maybe a residency song, a few 20th anniversary tour songs, but other than that i want brand new stuff.

i'm actually still hoping for an If All Goes Wrong soundtrack like Earphoria

p.s. you were a lurker joe? me too

blueczarina wrote:
from twitterville:

Justin Peterson: @BILLY Hey BC... As Rome Burns. Oceania bound?
Billy Corgan: @justinpeterson nope...that ship has sailed

that still makes me sad. i was really hoping that one would end up on something. it kicked a lot of ass and its been awhile since he has released something like that.

these songs are some of the best songs they have played in the last few years. lets hope at some point they get a proper release. I think they would be a decent money maker!

"I'm Doing the Best I Can" was an awesome song. I wish they had recorded that.
I personally don't like AG.
"Again, Again, Again" and "Sunkissed" were good songs.
But I hated the way he did "Rose March". Too dry.

Out of all the residency songs I would have preffered:

1."Mama"
2. "No Surrender"
3. "I'm Doing the Best I Can"
4. "99 Floors"

I think Leaving Lament was the best of the bunch. Lots of emotion in that... and the best audio we have of it has annoying people talking and "woooo"ing through the whole damn song.

joe180 wrote:
That's what I hate about those recordings, is the dumb audience. There's a couple good ones though. Question Mark has almost no audience sounds, except at the beginning.

I think the Fillmore rehearsals were the best residency recordings. AG was ok but it suffered from the production. Billy's voice was way too high in the mix, and wasn't very emotive. In the rehearsals he actually tried, and his voice balanced nicely with the music. No Surrender's my favorite.

I think it would have been great if American Gothic had been an album instead of an EP, and had recorded it with Billy, Jimmy, Jeff, Ginger, and Lisa in the studio.
The Rose March
Sunsissed.
The Crux.
The Pox.
99 Floors.
Mama.
Peace And Love.
Promise Me.
No Surrender.
I'm Doing The best I can (So Fuck Off).
If All Goes Wrong.
Psalm 131.
Owata.
Communion.
The Leaving Lament.

I would have liked to see The Rose Mach, 99 Floors, and Promise Me released as singles the rest of the residency songs released as B-Sides for The Rose Mach, 99 Floors, and Promise Me

Glass And The Ghost Children wrote:
That sounds like an amazing album to me... I totally forgot about Communion! Lisa and Ginger's backing vocals would have been great! It would be such a cool thing to come out after Zeitgeist too. Call me crazy but if I could change one thing about SP's career, it would be this.

epitome wrote: I would have to agree. I can't help but think of American Gothic as an EP, and I can't really conceive of it as part of a full album. I like it as is.