Great Album

This album is truly a work of art. I heard this album the week it was released. It's difficult to explain to people how original this album was when it came out. It came out right around the same time as Nirvana's "Nevermind". The sounds on Gish are not near as radio-friendly as "Nevermind", but they are incredible.

Billy Corgan took a lot of heat for insisting that he play all the guitars and bass on the album. The album was done during a phase in which Corgan was taking a lot of acid and he was in a very creative, deep state. I think Corgan's genius on the guitar shows through on this album more than any other Pumpkin's CD. His solos and fills have a passion and originality that aren't there on post Gish CDs.

There is an underlying spiritual/metaphysical quality to the entire album. From the first vocal line on the album ("I am one as you are three....try to find the messiah in your trilogy") to the soul searching in the song "Suffer", the album is filled with a deep spirituality that isn't found on many other rock albums.

This is one of the best (if not the best) drumming CD's since Steven Perkins was playing with Jane's Addiction. Jimmy Chamberlain applies his jazz chops and sensibilities to the rock domain. From the cool beats of "I am One" to the amazing drum solo in "snail", Chamberlain makes a passionate statement on the drums on Gish.

The key to the whole album was probably Butch Vig. He is a master in the studio and was able to work well with the band. He shows incredible engineering chops on Gish. Everything sounds great and is well balanced.

The cover is a tribute to Corgan's idol Jimi Hendrix. It's very similar to Hendrix's "Are You Are Experienced?".

Gish exploded onto the music scene back in '91. I hope that people who listen to the album for the first time in the 2000's can tune into what the band was doing at the time. It's not as revolutionary as it was in '91, but it's still a great album. It's truly a work of art. There's not a single mistake on the album or a single thing that they should have done differently. It is a vital part of any CD collection. Even if you don't like the Smashing Pumpkin's stuff that you hear on the radio, you might still like "Gish".