Billy Corgan has released an angry statement lashing out at online retailer Amazon.
Ahead of the scheduled deluxe reissue of Smashing Pumpkins’ 1998 album Adore, Amazon posted details of the album, including a full tracklisting, before Corgan’s planned reveal via the Smashing Pumpkins Panopticon website.
Corgan went to town in his statement, saying the action was indicative of wider problems in the modern music industry as a whole. Read the full text of what Corgan had to say below:
“I spent some time this morning preparing what was meant to be the reveal of the ADORE BOX SET, for where the real juice lies in it is what sonic goodies made their way on it. Notably, I was prepared to share this information here on The Panopticon as far back as two months ago, but made the mistake of asking the record label if I should wait. And if you saw my comments earlier today, you already know that I’m very upset that an online retailer broke their agreement, posting up the tracks up before we could do it here first AS THEY’D ASKED. The irony being where do you think this kind of information comes from, if not from yours truly?”
“Now, let me digress here for a moment. The record business as you already know instinctively is quite bad; and some would say music hasn’t been in such a disadvantageous place in the culture since the selling of commercial music began in the early 1900s. And I for one have been very outspoken about what I would say are harmful business practices, the kind which place artists in an exploitative position vis a vie their rights and ownership of their own work.”
“Lately though there have been some encouraging signs, particularly in those realms where groups can better own/control/and have some bigger say in how their music is marketed. As an example, The Smashing Pumpkins et al do not own the 90’s albums, although technically it says on a piece of paper that we own 50 pct. But, and this is a big and, I control any use of that music, and having agreed to this reissue campaign a few years back I’ve worked tirelessly to provide, pound-for-pound, the best reissues possible. And believe it or not, in most cases I lose more than I spend on those projects. But this is not to say that I’m not grateful, for I am: to old SP, to our great supporters, and those who’ve taken a new interest in the band because of the depth of our ever-growing catalog.”
“So in that light you can understand why it boils my blood when ‘ye olde record business stands up and does it same old trample all over what was promised because frankly, they’re more scared of their masters than artists on their rosters. Yes, we are just a small operation over here, and unfortunately on a day that started with so much excitement (the sharing of this info below), now I have to field through excuses to figure out what I can trust going forward. Not because I believe in some corporate logo that helps sell plastic, but because of what I’ve labored to put on that plastic.”
Adore is being released as a 6-disc box set on the 23rd of September. It will feature the original album in a stereo mix, as well as the album in a mono mix for the first time on CD. Also included will be rarities, outtakes, remixes, demos and live recordings. Finally, a DVD will feature a concert film from Smashing Pumpkins’1998 tour, filmed on the 4th of August, 1998 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.
The full contents of the box set is as follows:
Disc 1: Adore album in Stereo mix
01 To Sheila
02 Ava Adore
03 Perfect
04 Daphne Descends
05 Once Upon A Time
06 Tear
07 Crestfallen
08 Appels + Oranjes
09 Pug
10 The Tale Of Dusty and Pistol Pete
11 Annie-Dog
12 Shame
13 Behold! The Night Mare
14 For Martha
15 Blank Page
16 17
Disc 2: Adore album in Mono mix
Disc 3: In a State of Passage
01 Blissed and Gone (Sadlands Demo)
02 Christmastime (Sadlands Demo)
03 My Mistake (Sadlands Demo)
04 Sparrow (Sadlands Demo)
05 Valentine (Sadlands Demo)
06 The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete (Sadlands Demo)
07 What If? (Streeterville Demo)
08 Chewing Gum (CRC Demo)
09 The Tale of Dusty and Pistol Pete (CRC Demo)
10 The Ethers of Tragic (Instrumental/2014 Mix/CRC Demo)
11 The Guns of Love Disastrous (Instrumental/2014 Mix/CRC Demo)
12 Annie-Dog (Take 10/CRC Demo)
13 Once in a While (2014 Mix/CRC Demo)
14 Do You Close Your Eyes When You Kiss Me? (CRC Demo)
15 For Martha (Take 1/CRC Demo)
16 My Mistake (Take 1/CRC Demo)
17 Blissed and Gone (CRC Demo)
18 For Martha (Take 2/Instrumental/CRC Demo)
Disc 4: Chalices, Palaces and Deep Pools
01 For Martha (Symphonic Snippet/Instrumental)
02 Crestfallen (Matt Walker Reimagined/2014)
03 To Sheila (Early Banjo Version)
04 Ava Adore (Puffy Combs Remix 1998)
05 O Rio (Instrumental/Sadlands Demo)
06 Waiting (Adore Outtake)
07 Once Upon A Time (Sadlands Demo)
08 Eye (2014 Mix/From the Lost Highway Soundtrack)
09 Saturnine (For Piano and Voice)
10 Cash Car Star (Matt Walker Reimagined/2014)
11 Pug (Matt Walker Reimagined 2014)
12 Perfect (No Strings Version)
13 It’s Alright (Instrumental/Adore Outtake)
14 Czarina (Take 1/Adore Outtake)
15 Indecision (Sadlands Demo)
16 Blank Page (Early Version)
Disc 5: Malice, Callous and Fools
01 Let Me Give The World To You (Adore Outtake)
02 Tear (From Digital Transfer)
03 Cross (Adore Outtake)
04 Because You Are (Adore B-Side)
05 Jersey Shore (Sadlands Demo)
06 Shame (Take 1)
07 Summer (Instrumental/Adore Outtake)
08 Blissed And Gone (Drone Version)
09 Heaven (Instrumental/Sadlands Demo)
10 Daphne Descends (Matt Walker Reimagined/2014)
11 Saturnine (Matt Walker Reimagined/2014)
12 Behold! The Night Mare (Alternate Vocal)
13 Perfect (Acoustic Demo/Adore Outtake)
14 Do You Close Your Eyes? (Adore Outtake)
15 The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning
Disc 6: Kissed Alive Too
01 Ava Adore (Live/Sao Paulo Session)
02 Daphne Descends (Live/Sao Paulo Session)
03 The Tale Of Dusty And Pistol Pete (Live/Sao Paulo Session)
04 Tear (Live/Sao Paolo Session)
05 Shame (Live With Mancow/Chicago)
06 Blank Page (Live With Manco/Chicago)
07 To Sheila (Live/Nashville/Ryman Auditorium)
08 Money (That’s What I Want) (Live/Los Angeles/Dodger Stadium)
09 X.Y.U. Medley (Live/Los Angeles/Dodger Stadium) Includes: “The Ethers Tragic”, “Never Say Never”, “Where Boys Fear To Tread”
10 Transmission (Live/Chicago/Rehearsal)
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