Smashing Pumpkins - Rotten Apples: Greatest Hits

Limited edition Japanese version of their 2001 'Greatest Hits' collection includes one track unavailable on the US edition, 'Try, Try, Try'. 18 tracks on the first disc and the bonus B-sides & rarities disc carries the same tracks (16) as every other terr

Taken alone, the Smashing Pumpkins' greatest-hits album, Rotten Apples, is really for the fans that appreciate both the band's early albums and their foray into over the top, radio-friendly alt rock. For those who miss the band's more artfully aggressive sound, though, a second included CD, subtitled Judas O, delivers what Apples lacks because it adds yet another dimension to the Pumpkins' sound. Judas O, a collection of B- sides and outtakes, is the follow-up to 1994's B-sides album, Pisces Iscariot. Although the songs on this latest set of unreleased material came from the recording sessions for Adore, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and Machina/The Machines of God, the tracks show a depth lacking in these more commercially accessible releases. From the art metal of "Marquis in Spades" to "Sparrow"'s acoustic melodies to the velvety dream pop of "Set the Ray" and "Winterlong," Judas sheds new light on this multifaceted band. Of course, Judas also has its share of duds (such as the industrial, heavy "Saturnine" and the uncomfortably whiny cover of "Rock On"). Overall, though, combine Rotten Apples with Judas Oand you have a pretty broad survey of the Pumpkins' music with something for fans at all points along their sonic evolution. --Jennifer Maerz