The Smashing Pumpkins is one of the most iconic rock bands of the 90s. They’ve managed to reinvent themselves on every new album ever since they released their first one in 1991. Things haven’t been all dandy for them and throughout their career a lot of bad things happened: the death of their live keyboard player, drug problems and band members leaving the band. The musical genius behind The Smashing Pumpkins is Billy Corgan, the guitarist, singer, songwriter and lyricist. Basically he did it all. Here is a personal top list with the best Smashing Pumpkins albums.

1. Adore

One of the best Smashing Pumpkins albums (in our humble but expert opinion) is Adore, released in 1998. The story behind this album is a pretty dark one: Billy Corgan’s mother passed away, the band’s concert keyboard player died of a drug overdose and Jimmy Chamberlin, the band’s drummer was fired because he was a drug addict. All these have inspired Billy Corgan to write some of his best songs. You know what they say: art comes from suffering. Adore is a 360 degrees turn from their previous aggressive rock sound albums and not many of their previous fans appreciated it. On Adore, the band has experimented with new sounds, like drum machines, synths and pianos. The result is an album of where darkness and beauty collide to take the listeners in otherworldly places. It’s a deep, dark and poetic album about love, losing love and death. Some of the best songs from Adore are Ava Adore, Daphne Descends, Tear, Pug, Blank Page or Shame. If you haven’t listened to this album yet you have to give it a try. Music will never sound the same. At least for me it hasn’t.

2. Machina the Machines of God

Another underrated album and one of the best Smashing Pumpkins albums is Machina the Machines of God, released in 2000. This was the last album before the band broke up after the world tour called Sacred and Profane. It was a new chapter in their artistic career and they managed to build up an album that is a perfect combination of their aggressive sound and the Adore-era sensitivity. It’s a deeply mystical album and Billy Corgan stated that he drew inspiration from occult books, alchemy and religion. The album artwork looks amazing and Smashing Pumpkins proved once again that they are one of the most original rock bands in the history of rock music. The video for Stand Inside Your Love is one of the most beautiful videos of all time. Some of the best songs from Machina the Machines of God are The Everlasting Gaze, Stand Inside Your Love, I of The Mourning, Try, Try, Try, Blue Skies Bring Tears and Wound.

3. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Best Smashing Pumpkins Albums

Many critics and fans say that this is the best Smashing Pumpkins album of their career. It was released in 1995 and became one the best selling double albums of all time. It sold in more than 6 million copies worldwide and won several music awards, including seven Grammy nominations. This is the most financially successful album they’ve ever made and it gave us brilliant songs like Tonight, Tonight, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Zero and 1979, all these songs were official singles off the album. The album is made of 24 songs that manage to inspire and take the listener through a journey of deep emotions. It is a balanced album where heavy songs and quiet one dwell perfectly inside the same shell.

If you ever wanted to listen to this great band but didn’t know where to start, this list of the best Smashing Pumpkins albums should help.