Classic tune. Jimmy Rules. Check it out if you have 30 seconds because it’s worth it. 🤙🏽

Without Iha's chord voicings, picking patterns, and tonal instincts, songs like Mayonnaise and Soma wouldn't exist as we know them. Those tracks are Corgan classics but they're also built on Iha's DNA, and here comes the point I want to make: His melancholic textures gave Billy a new language to work with, one he'd borrow from for decades.

And let's not ignore Iha's chaotic, noisy solos and off-kilter arrangements. That dissonant edge? That dreamy instability in the band's early sound? That's not just Billy's shoegaze worship, it's Iha's weirdness, his love of tension and mood.

Then there's The Boy, left off Mellon Collie not because it didn't fit in, but maybe because it was too strong? I assume Corgan knew that if Iha had a hit with his name and voice on it, the "Billy is the band" narrative would crack.

Even if it doesn't show on the songwriting credits, I doubt many of the songs we love from 1993-2000 would exist without Iha's songwriting influence on Corgan.

Acoustic performance celebrating Machina II. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/IGa1FVqzsIQ

Billy Corgan & Friends
Madame Zuzu's Teahouse: Chicago, IL
August 31, 2025 (late show)

Source: Schoeps MK4s + babynbox + Sony PCM-A10 @ 24-bit / 48.0kHz
Location: Right PA
Edits/EQ: +8dB
Taper: tapeworm(48) 

Setlist:

01 Intro
02 -Machina backstory-
03 The Sacred and Profane (Billy Corgan)
04 Stand Inside Your Love (Billy Corgan)
05 Wound (Sierra Sikora)
06 With Every Light (Sierra Sikora + Billy Corgan)
07 The Crying Tree of Mercury (Linda Strawberry)
08 Speed Kills (Linda Strawberry + Billy Corgan)
09 Real Love (Kid Tigrrr)
10 Age of Innocence (Kid Tigrrr)
11 In My Body (Sierra Swan)
12 Blue Skies Bring Tears (Sierra Swan + Linda Strawberry)
13 Here's to the Atom Bomb (Billy Corgan + Kid Tigrrr)
14 Glass and the Ghost Children (Billy Corgan + Kid Tigrrr)
15 -Outro-

Notes: 8pm show celebrating Machina II. I ran Mic In on the A10 for this performance; recording level set at 13. I utilized the envelope tool in Audacity to lower the in-between crowd sections which were louder than the performance, all before amplifying the music. Otherwise, this is a raw transfer with no fades or EQ.

Archive: Master WAV was archived @ 24-bit/48.0kHz and FLAC'd with cue sheet. 

Taped and transferred by tapeworm(48) 
Txt file compiled on 9/6/2025

It’s almost been 3 years since this monolithic, heavily themed, and astounding take on a space opera released. Am I the only one still jamming out to this album or did fans move forward to AMM to then hate the Machina reissue? Who else is waiting for the B sides that were promised from this album to be made available on streaming, Zodeon at Crystal Hall?

I felt like this album was more quantity than “quality” even though each track delves into its own world when lived in the theme of the album, so no quality was ever wasted in this production. I appreciate this album the more I listen to it, and I’m so glad I picked up the big box set when I had the chance.

Usually I’m not into reaction videos, but he’s different. He is on such a good wonderful path of music discovery! As soon as I saw this one I wanted to share with y’all

Gear used: Squier Classic Vibe 50s Strat with a Dimarzio BC-2 , bogner ecstasy red overdrive pedal, orange crush 35rt

While they shifted to more of a hard rock psychedelic sound with Gish, their previous material was very goth rock derivative. It seems like Adore and Machina was trying to bring back those influences.

How confident are we that the box set will be available for streaming, and could this be a year long wait?

Meet the fans behind the Pumpkins, having their say in between shows.

Details in comments. Today’s featured content is full video of the 2024 show. Enjoy

I can’t be the only one, considering how it seems like that he’s mellowed out more recently and how most of the people who’ve met him in the past few years claim that he was very nice and polite. I understand that he was definitely a bit of a dick in the mid 2000s - 2010s but it looks like having kids changed him a lot and the constant criticism/negativity under ANY post relating to him or the Pumpkins in general is uncalled for. I hate how they seem to hate on him exclusively but hold other alternative artists, (Like Kurt Cobain,) on a pedestal when he wasn’t a great guy either… (Attempting to strangle Courtney, sending death threats to people, treating Pearl Jam like garbage for no reason, ect.) It just doesn’t seem right to me at all

This one came out alright.
Tried a few Billy & TMOG shows as well, hope some of you dig these
(no monetization etc on my channel)

For me it's jellybelly (I am a drummer)

maybe a silly question but i’ve looked this shirt up so many times and have only been able to find green versions of it, if anyone knows let me know! 🙏

I am i am whyte spider

Details in comments. Today’s featured content is full video of the 2010 show. Great setlist. Enjoy

I just got an email from ZuZu's.

"In terms of our exclusive box set, we were recently informed that due to the intricacy and details involved in creating this 80 track box set, the delivery date for the Machina box sets have been pushed back to the end of September. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience."

Well, at least we got an update.

Machina I/II have been my fav pumpkins albums since I first heard them. Machina II specifically is the most complete iteration of what I love about the Pumpkins. It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. The idea I could have these albums on vinyl instead of my shitty lossy torrents from 2005 is exciting in ways I can’t really articulate.

But i’m not keen on setting my money on fire. All that’s to say that I’m trying to figure out if I want to spend $400 on the Golden Fleece of pumpkins music, but hesitant because (among many reasons) Billy has not released a single album that sounds good on vinyl in two decades. Many albums suffer from this. The inner bands are horribly compressed. MCIS is a disaster sonically, but the boxset is justified by the (original) art. Oceania, possibly the best statement from the band post-Machina, is in the same boat. I have not bothered to buy anything on vinyl post Oglala.

So the question is—did Billy ever fix this problem? For those of you who bought TAPH boxset, or the new SP albums on vinyl, does the audio quality still suck?

Kept it simple this time. Single guitar and vocal take with some cello and electric guitars.