CD/DVDs

Smashing Pumpkins’ first two records have been reissued with a remastered album proper, a bonus disc of outtakes and rarities, and an era-specific live concert DVD. From the opening tom pattern of “I Am One” (from 1991’s Gish), it was clear that drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was a horse of a different color, fusing lithe, jazzy beats with an all-out heaviness that was de rigueur for alternative groups of the day. By 1993’s Siamese Dream, the Chicago quartet was a confident, brazen crew, with Chamberlin’s frenetic drumming on scorchers like “Geek USA” and “Silverf**k” leading the charge. The DVDs are the real treat here, though. The 1990 Gish-era show is a slightly dated look at a young band growing, but it features Chamberlin’s fully developed, dramatic soloing over the end of “Snail.” The 1993 concert is the Pumpkins as fierce animal, on the brink of stardom, with Chamberlin’s 32nd-note snare tsunami in “Quiet” achieving liftoff, building his and the band’s undeniable legacy. (EMI)

Ilya Stemkovsky