THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Released Their Magnum Opus ‘MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS’ 30 Years Ago Today
Significant longplayers from yesteryear
24 October 2025
Rock giants THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1988–2000, 2006–present)
released their 3rd LP, a double one, titled MELLON COLLIE AND THE
INFINITE SADNESS released on 24 October 1995 in the US, 30 years ago
today.
It went straight to #1 on the US Charts
with first-week sales of 246,500 units.
Pitchfork said: “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was one of the most generous
records of the 90s. Smashing Pumpkins took it upon themselves to make a record that
only teenagers could love and for many it was the only one they needed.”.
Musically, the album has been described as featuring alternative rock, Grunge, alt metal, art rock and heavy metal. Its sprawling nature resulted in diverse music styles from song to song, contrasting what some critics felt was the “one dimensional flavor” of the previous two albums.
The artwork was conceived by American illustrator and collage artist John Craig.
He worked from Corgan‘s scribbled notes and crude sketches, most of which
arrived via fax.
The woman on the front cover is a collage made from two paintings: the face was taken from a work by French painter by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725 – 1805), and a portrait of Saint-Catherine Of Alexandria by medieval Italian painter Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Saint-Catherine Of Alexandria
Billy Corgan: “Do I belong in the conversation
about the best artists in the world? My answer is
yes, I do.”
Singles/clips: Bullet With Butterfly Wings / 1979 / Zero
– BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS –
– 1979 –
– ZERO –
Full album…












