Gish
| Gish | ||||
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| Studio album by The Smashing Pumpkins | ||||
| Released | May 28, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | December 1990 – March 1991 | |||
| Studio | Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, United States | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:45 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| The Smashing Pumpkins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Gish | ||||
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| Alternate cover | ||||
2011 reissue cover
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| NME | 7/10 |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.3/10 |
| Q | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Uncut | 8/10 |
Gish is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released in May 1991 through Caroline Records. Frontman Billy Corgan has variously described Gish as a "very spiritual album" and "an album about spiritual ascension".
Despite initially peaking at only number 195 on the Billboard 200 upon its release, Gish received positive reviews from critics, and was eventually certified platinum (one million copies shipped) by the RIAA.
Gish was recorded from December 1990 to March 1991 in Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin with a budget of $20,000. Vig and Billy Corgan worked together as co-producers. The longer recording period and larger budget were unprecedented for Vig, who later remembered,
(Corgan) wanted to make everything sound amazing and see how far he could take it; really spend time on the production and the performances. For me that was a godsend because I was used to doing records for all the indie labels and we only had budgets for three or four days. Having that luxury to spend hours on a guitar tone or tuning the drums or working on harmonies and textural things ... I was over the moon to think I had found a comrade-in-arms who wanted to push me, and who really wanted me to push him.
The inclusion of a massive production style reminiscent of ELO and Queen was unusual for an independent band at the time. Whereas many albums at the time used drum sampling and processing, Gish used unprocessed drum recordings, and an exacting, unique guitar sound. Billy Corgan also performed nearly all of the guitar and bass parts on the record, which was confirmed by Vig in a later interview.
The album's sessions, lasting 30 working days, were brisk by Pumpkins' standards, largely because of the group's inexperience. The recording sessions put an intense strain on the band, with bassist D'arcy Wretzky later commenting that she did not know how the band survived it, and Corgan explaining he suffered a nervous breakdown.
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Wikipedia