THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Grunge was already dominating the world by July 1993, when Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins released their second album, but Siamese Dream would point the way forward for the sound, and, racking up six million sales, it would also prove to be one of its most successful landmarks after Nirvana's Nevermind. It was that album's producer - Butch Vig - who took the helm on this album, and his trademark crunchy and compressed take on the loud/quiet light and shade of 'Today' and the gloriously sludgy 'Mayonnaise' had a lot to do with its success. That and, of course, Bill Corgan's distinctive and vulnerable vocal performances, which make this the missing evolutionary step between the Pixies and the next generation of emo kings like My Chemical Romance.