THE SMASHING PUMPKINS’ FIRST ALBUM SINCE 2000—‘ZEITGEIST’–ENTERS THE ALBUM CHARTS IN THE TOP FIVE

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS’ first album of new material since 2000—ZEITGEIST (Martha’s Music/Reprise)—enters the album charts in the Top Five in the U.S. (#2), Canada (#1), New Zealand (#1), the U.K. (#4), Italy (#5) and Switzerland (#5), with more Top Ten debuts in Germany (#7), Holland (#7) and Australia (#8).  In the U.S., ZEITGEIST, selling nearly 150,000 copies in its first week of release, is the #1 new release of the week and debuted at #1 on the digital albums chart. The album features the first single “Tarantula,” now positioned at #2 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and #9 on the publication’s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.  Last week the band appeared twice on the Late Show with David Letterman, performing “Tarantula” July 9 and then closing out the week July 13 with another ZEITGEIST highlight “That’s The Way (My Love Is).”

“…Zeitgeist ultimately triumphs as provocative hard rock,” wrote Edna Gundersen in USA Today, while Jim Farber in the New York Daily News commented:  “Billy Corgan has brought back his Smashing Pumpkins with a vengeance…it does the Pumpkins' legacy proud."  Nate Chinen, in the New York Times, said: “…drone-laden and distortion-jacked, it sounds about as tough as anything this band has produced,” and Glenn Gamboa in Newsday noted:  “Zeitgeist should return Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins to the forefront of mainstream rock where they belong."

ZEITGEIST represents a powerful rebirth and reaffirmation of the Pumpkins by two of its key members, main singer, songwriter and guitarist Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.  On the road, Billy and Jimmy have welcomed Jeff Schroeder (guitar) and Ginger Reyes (bass) to the line-up, which is supported by keyboardist Lisa Harriton.  

Having recently completed a sold-out nine-show residency at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina (6/23-7/5), the Pumpkins are now in the midst of their sold-out 11-show San Francisco residency at the historic Fillmore which started July 15.  Writing about opening night in the Los Angeles Times, Richard Cromelin observed: "…the musicians played everything with an enveloping, epic force that demanded full and immediate attention” (7/17/07).  After the Fillmore residency concludes August 1, the band will return to Europe for 10 headlining and festival shows.

Look for the Pumpkins’ North American concert tour this fall.  Kicking off with a pair of festival performances (September 8 in Montreal and September 9 in Toronto), the trek will take the band to theatres and amphitheatres including Red Rocks in Denver.   The fall tour–the Pumpkins’ first full-scale North American tour since 2000–is highlighted by multiple night engagements in Vancouver, Boston and Philadelphia.  They’ll be joined by The Bravery (9/24-10/9) and Explosions in the Sky from 10/11 to mid-November (except in Dallas).

Here are some critical quotes about ZEITGEIST:

"Billy Corgan has brought back his Smashing Pumpkins with a vengeance…it does the Pumpkins' legacy proud."

"… Zeitgeist ultimately triumphs as provocative hard rock, where dainty melodies lurk in metallic gales, and the fragile and the ferocious coexist in delightfully bombastic constructions…such standouts as the aggressive 'Tarantula,' heavy '7 Shades of Black' and pop sparkler 'That’s the Way (My Love Is)'…

"…it is easily Corgan's most confident, swaggering album since the latter's 1995 release…. Zeitgeist should return Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins to the forefront of mainstream rock where they belong."

"…drone-laden and distortion-jacked, it sounds about as tough as anything this band has produced. Jimmy Chamberlain… thrashes impressively at his drums, and Mr. Corgan's nasal whine slices cleanly through the din."

“…orgy of avalanche rhythms, cascading riffs and sky-licking guitar…”

“blistering set of tunes…tinnitus-inducing riffs and fleet-fingered solos… intense rockers like 'Tarantula' and ethereal guitarfests like ‘Bring the Light.’”

"Catchy, riff-driven tracks like ‘Bring the Light’ and ‘Come On (Let’s Go)’ explode in Technicolor, full of strong choruses and dense with mega-ton guitar-synth bombast."

"…gleaming serrated guitars, fantastic torrents of drums and twisting layers of vocals…"

"The opening track, ’Doomsday Clock,’ instantly re-establishes the essence of the Pumpkins sound: Corgan's overdriven wall of guitars pitted against Chamberlin's thundering elephant-herd drumming….Chamberlin subdivides beats with demon dexterity; he pushes and prods the guitarist with precision and power."

"…Zeitgeist is a blasting thrust forward, with the times reflected not only in the frequently political lyrics, but also in the crunching sound…it's a new dawn, a new day for one of the best bands of the past two decades. It may not have been the retro disc some had hoped for, but that's not what Corgan and Chamberlin are all about. And in this year of reruns, it's refreshing to find some bands still willing to take a few admittedly risky steps forward."

Catch up with the band and all their tour dates at www.smashingpumpkins.com and www.myspace.com/smashingpumpkins.