Like many alt-rock bands,
the Smashing Pumpkins sound better than expected as a singles band -- probably because their high points were singles, no matter how carefully created their albums were. The Smashing Pumpkins fit this bill particularly well for two reasons. For one, they rose up through the ranks in indie rock circles, where limited-edition singles on Sub Pop meant as much as a full-lengths on Caroline. Then, after they made it through the indie jungle, they had to fight their way onto MTV airwaves with songs and videos that sold their intricate albums. This was a good, even prosperous, situation when
the Pumpkins (OK, when their leader,
Billy Corgan) could balance their knack for great singles with their desire to make sweeping neo-concept albums like Siamese Dream and
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. They did for a few years, conquering the alt-rock pack after
Nirvana imploded, but the group itself eventually turned in on itself -- either because of
Corgan's own hubris or the group's complacency. They had more than enough great material for a good compilation, and
Greatest Hits almost fits the bill, although it gives too much credence to the music made after the group's peak. Essentially, anything that most listeners will want to hear wraps up 11 tracks into the 18-track album, when the collection dives into material from Adore and
MACHINA -- although even these two albums aren't embarrassments. Still, it does have many of the cuts that fans will want on one disc, including the non-LP "Drown" and "Landslide." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine