Technically Nostalgic: Smashing Pumpkins Reissuing Pre-Breakup Albums, A.K.A. The Last Ones Anyone Bought

I really didn't have to look too hard to find a totally douchey photo of Billy Corgan.

Bet you thought we were going to get through this week without a Reissues post, eh? Nope! As long as there are great bands like Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, and The Olivia Tremor Control making their classic albums available on sweet vinyl, we're going to cover it. And every so often, we'll cover bands that USED to be great but are reissuing classics to a.) cash in, b.) beat a dead horse, c.) remind people that they didn't always suck, or d.) all of the above. 'Sup Bono.

Guess which of these camps The Smashing Pumpkins fall into?

Yep, our good friends at BV reminded us that the Pumpkins (can we just take the "s" off that once and for all?) will be ramping up their reissue machine beginning November 15 by digging up the zombified corpses of the legitimately awesome Gish and Siamese Dream for purchase. 2012 will seem them trot out Pisces Iscariot, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (I may be the only person who'll still cop to liking that one),    The Aeroplane Flies High, and Adore, with the Machina LPs and a "Greatest Hits" album due out in 2013. I thought they already put out a Greatest Hits album, but maybe everyone else forgot?

As unfortunate as it is that a band that I once really liked is now basically a smoldering pile of crap, what REALLY bugs me about these reissues is that frontman Billy Corgan is very notoriously anti-nostalgia, and this move confirms that he's a tiny bald hypocrite. Check this paragraph from the WSJ:

"'Nostalgia is a death move,' said the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan in the Journal last week. He asked, 'When Sonic Youth and Pavement are out there playing those old records, isn't that throwing up the white flag?' Yes it is, though one might suggest Sonic Youth did, and can still do, great new work, while Pavement hasn't done anything for about 20 years despite last year's reunion tour."

What's especially funny and ironic here is that the FN team had an amazing time seeing Pavement at Summerstage last year and is gearing up to have a fucking awesome night seeing Sonic Youth at the Williamsburg Waterfront tonight, but there's no way in hell we'd go see whatever The Smashing Pumpkins have become.

So to summarize: fuck you, Billy Corgan. I guess you have a new album coming out too, but who cares. I wish I could separate you from the music you made, because "Cherub Rock" really was a great song - check it after the jump.