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Episode details

Radio Ulster,19 Oct 2025,59 mins

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Long Player with Steven Rainey

Available for 28 days

On paper, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness shouldn't work. A sprawling double album, with an eclectic spread of music, taking in everything from heavy metal, progressive rock, goth, and pure pop, it was released in the post-grunge era, where hip hop and R&B was dominating one side of the Atlantic, while Britpop reigned supreme on the other. But despite all this, the Smashing Pumpkins unleashed a monster, a record which exceeded all expectations, and became one of the biggest albums of the 90s. Which is the exact moment that the band began to fall apart.

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