Machina/The Machines of God

Editors’ Notes Generally, bands that rock hard enough can release anything they want as long as they don’t forget to rock. Smashing Pumpkins’ previous album, Adore, had gotten a bad reputation for being a "techno" record, which it wasn't. And Machina/The Machines of God was understood to be a concept album, which it was. Except that few people understood the concept. Again, that shouldn’t have been a problem, since the band rocks very hard throughout, thanks to drummer Jimmy Chamberlin rejoining the group. This album and its second volume (released solely on the Internet) were met with commercial disappointment, despite receiving decent (even a few rapturous) reviews. Perhaps 2000 simply wasn't the year to be a long-established alt-rock band. Yet hardcore Pumpkins fans who gave the album a fair listen were treated to the fury of “The Everlasting Gaze” and the tuneful and somber “Stand Inside Your Love” before “Heavy Metal Machine” threatened to tear down The Wall (oops! wrong concept album). The nine-minute “Glass and the Ghost Children” further proved that Corgan hadn’t lost his sense of grandeur—just his audience’s attention.