The Smashing Pumpkins are giving fans a reason to dive headfirst back into the mid-’90s with a sprawling 30th anniversary reissue of Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness.
Originally released on October 24, 1995, the double album became one of the decade’s most ambitious and successful rock statements. Often described by Billy Corgan and the band as their “magnum opus,” the record fused grunge, orchestration, and alternative experimentation into a singular vision. With hits like ‘1979’, ‘Tonight, Tonight’, ‘Zero’, and the snarling anthem ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’, it didn’t just dominate radio, it earned seven Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and eventually went diamond.
What’s included
On November 21, 2025, the band will release expanded editions in several formats, a 4CD set, a 4CD SHM-CD, and a super deluxe six LP limited edition vinyl box. The latter comes loaded with extras, including more than 80 minutes of unearthed live audio from their 1996 Infinite Sadness world tour, tarot cards, seven lithographs, a cloth bound book, and even a velvet slipcase with a carrying bag.
Get yours here!
Corgan addressed the discovery of those long lost recordings, noting “Unearthing these live recordings from the original lineup’s true, last large-scale tour was a labor of love, and for me certainly a bittersweet as once we blew apart in 1996, we were never quite the same: be it emotionally, or spiritually.”
A Night of Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness
In late November, Corgan will partner with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness. The seven night run will reimagine songs from the record with new orchestrations, accompanied by soprano Sydney Mancasola, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, tenor Dominick Chenes, and baritone Edward Parks. Costumes designed by House of Gilles promise to push the production further into surreal territory.
Find out more and get your tickets here!
Three decades on, Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness hasn’t faded into nostalgia, it still feels monolithic, a reminder of when alternative rock dared to dream big and never look back.
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