For
whatever reason, the season of autumn is synonymous in my head with the music
of the Smashing Pumpkins. As the air
begins to cool and the fading foliage takes its leave, my deep-seated love for the
Pumpkins’ music once again blooms, and one by one, their albums begin to cycle
through my car’s CD player. However, none lingers so long as their explosive
double album, Mellon Collie and the
Infinite Sadness. To me, the somber yet melodious sound of that record,
laden with longing and dread and exaltation and everything in between, is the
very voice of the season, a voice the Pumpkins have flawlessly captured with
their songs.
This fall,
while exploring the colossal pile of music the Smashing Pumpkins have offered
with their new rerelease series,[1] my research led me to an
alternate track listing for the vinyl pressing of Mellon Collie, which features two tracks not included on the CD
version: “Tonite Reprise” and “Infinite Sadness.”[2] With obvious excitement, I
tracked these two songs down, and while I found “Tonite Reprise,” an acoustic
rendition of “Tonight, Tonight,” to be interesting and appropriate, I was
absolutely blown away by “Infinite Sadness,” the closer of the reimagined album.
Itself a
reprise of the symphonic title track from Mellon
Collie, “Infinite Sadness” is an instrumental B-side, one of many recorded
during the band’s sessions for the album.[3] Opening with deceptively
gentle acoustic chords, the track suddenly explodes into movement as the keys
and drums enter, all but shoving the guitar to the wayside. The symphonic
arrangement is reminiscent of the opening track, yet both the choice to emulate
that arrangement through synthesizers and the thundering presence of Jimmy
Chamberlin’s peppy drums allow “Infinite Sadness” to draw the album to a close
from a unique and powerful perspective. The vigorous and airy path on which the
tune expands and evolves feels triumphant, a cumulative celebration of the many
life experiences, thrilling and tragic, that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness captures in its music.
The sound
of this recording absolutely feels like a live take (which it very well may
be), and as such, each member of the Smashing Pumpkins leaves out not a drop of
energy or enthusiasm from their performances; however, there is only one star
of this tune: bassist D’Arcy Wretzky. From the moment the beat drops, her bass
booms through the speakers, each growling tone insisting on being heard. Rather
than take the backseat as most bassists are wont to do, D’Arcy wrenches notes
from every inch of her fretboard, marking the end of each phrase with
flourishing lines. She plays her instrument with courage and fervor, letting
her fills grow longer and more intricate as the song progresses, all without
ever relinquishing her rhythmic duties.
D’Arcy
manages to turn the bass guitar in “Infinite Sadness” into the center of the
song, squeezing beautiful and complex melodies from her instrument that both
interlock with the whole of the piece and highlight her abilities as a
musician. The musical moment she creates is monumental, as it represents one of
the first times since the band gained fame that D’Arcy can truly express herself
through her instrument. In an interview with SongFacts, Butch Vig, producer of the Pumpkins’ first two records,
confirmed the long-running rumor that Billy Corgan recorded virtually all the
strings in the early days, because he was “just technically better.”[4] While that made for two
very solid and groundbreaking records, it left D’Arcy’s bass skills without a
voice.
However,
with the new writing and recording processes introduced during the Mellon Collie sessions,[5] D’Arcy was able to take
back the bass with full force, while the more dynamic sound the band was
exploring gave her an outlet for her classical training. She blends grand
orchestral arrangements and hard rocking thumps in elegant unity, giving us
pieces like “Infinite Sadness” that transcend the normal bassline into realms
uncharted by most rock bassists.[6] D’Arcy gives voice to the understated
grandeur inherent in her instrument and so scrawls her distinct and vital
signature across the Pumpkins’ music for all to experience.
Despite
its dreary name, “Infinite Sadness” is hardly a lamentation; rather, it is a
monument to an instrument that rarely receives recognition, and to a player who
finally found an opportunity to flaunt her skills while the tapes are rolling.
In this song, D’Arcy takes a sonic opportunity and squeezes every last drop
from it, subtly demanding that she be heard because her contribution is as
vital as anyone else’s. With such a message at the core, “Infinite Sadness” is a
song both driven and inspired, and one that I highly recommend for casual
listeners and hardcore fans.
