Congratulations are in order for Billy Corgan and his alternative rock outfit The Smashing Pumpkins. The group’s new album, "Oceania", debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Independent Albums Chart this week. That makes "Oceania" the second-highest debut for an independently released album this year and the band’s seventh Top 10 album.
The Pumpkins – Corgan, guitarist
Jeff Schroeder, drummer
Mike Byrne and bass player and vocalist
Nicole Fiorentino – recorded "Oceania" at Corgan’s private Chicago studio. The album, which is the Pumpkins’ seventh, is "
an album within an album", being that it’s part of their 44-song work-in-progress "
Teargarden By Kaleidyscope" project.
Corgan recently checked in with Rolling Stone, and when asked what rock stars he believes have the "X-Factor", he chose Jimmy Page.
"Jimmy Page comes to mind, having met him once," he said. "When you think of what Jimmy Page created, it’s kind of mind-blowing. You’re standing there talking to that man and there’s a mystical quality to his being. He’s not still running around like he looked in 1975, but there’s something about him. Whether it’s fairy-like or mischievous, there’s a mirth in his spirit that’s still there. When you think of Led Zeppelin music his guitar is almost like a lead vocal, so you almost have like two lead vocals, which is kind of the insanity of Zeppelin."
Thanks for the report to Anne Erickson, Gibson.com.
The answer is yes. Bet on it.