SP - A to Z Podcast

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SP - A to Z is the podcast where we discuss the music of the Smashing Pumpkins, and the Billy Corgan songbook, alphabetically, song-by-song, episode-by-episode, roughly 5 songs at a time.... Hosted by Jason and Jon.

SP: A to Z Podcast


    • Dec 24, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 25m AVG DURATION
    • 106 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from SP - A to Z Podcast

    Holiday Special

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2022 116:49


    Jason and Jon return for this very special holiday episode of SP - A to Z. They catch up on all things SP, including the Spirits on Fire tour and ATUM. They discuss a few songs that slipped through the cracks and let listeners know about the future(embrace) of the podcast... some might say this is the last song they'll sing for you.

    Episode 105 - All of the Y's and All of the Z's

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2021 125:09


    They said it couldn't be done, but Jason and Jon finish up the alphabet in this 105th episode of SP - A to Z. They discuss all the Y songs and then all the Z songs, pick their faves from several albums, and reflect on what a long, strange, tra-tra-tra-trip it's been. This take, don't give a f*ck. Thanks for listening!

    Episode 104 - All of the X's

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2021 76:09


    In this jam-packed episode, Jason and Jon tackle all the X songs, including a MCIS epic, an acoustic live track, a studio outtake, a live medley, and much, much, much more!

    Episode 103 - The World's Fair to Wyttch

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2021 110:28


    Jason and Jon finish up the letter W and still manage to get confused about whether or not they should pick a least favorite song from the batch! Along the way, they discuss a Chicagokid song with several versions, a Mashed Potatoes track, a Machina fave with a surprising connection to the first song ever discussed on the podcast, and two CYR tracks.

    Episode 102 - The Withs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2021 64:15


    Jason and Jon discuss five songs that all begin with "with," including a Machina gem, a Gravity Demo (the final one!), one of Jon's faves from SAOSB Vol. 1, and more!

    Episode 101 - Wildflower to Wishing You Were Real

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 85:08


    Jason and Jon continue through the letter W and discuss five rather mellow tunes, including the closing track on Oceania, a Gish fave, a song from James Iha's first solo album, a rarity with several incarnations, and an MCIS demo that may have had a second life on Adore.

    Episode 100 - CYR part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2021 76:43


    Jason and Jon celebrate this landmark 100th episode of SP - A to Z with the third special episode devoted to CYR! Thanks for listening! We, like strawberries, love you!

    Episode 99 - Whir to Widow Wake My Mind

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2021 85:22


    On this 99th episode of SP - A to Z, Jason and Jon discuss a classic Siamese Dream outtake, an obscure song used in a film that no one seems to know much about, a pair of Chicagokid songs, the rawest track off Machina II, and a little Teargarden track that Jon wants to write a whole 33 1/3 book about!

    Episode 98 - What, When, Where, Why?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2021 79:38


    Jason and Jon continue through the W's with this question word-focused episode. Lots of great songs in this batch, including back-to-back Zwan, a rare power-trio tune, an MCIS classic, a mysterious "outtake," and the SP jam to end all SP jams!

    Episode 97 - War Jam to West Coast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2021 113:13


    Jason and Jon continue through the W's and discuss a somewhat odd batch of songs in this episode, including a Starchildren jam that has unexpected connections to proper SP songs, a Djali Zwan tune from the "Spun" soundtrack, a James Iha-penned SP track from 1991, and much more!

    Episode 96 - W.P. to Walking Shade

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2021 86:15


    Hot on the heels of the 16th anniversary of the release of TheFutureEmbrace, Jason and Jon begin their journey through the letter W, and end the episode on the first single from BC's first solo album. Before that, they discuss a little Djali Zwan and a whole lot of "Waiting."

    Episode 95 - All of the V's

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2021 100:07


    Jason and Jon take on all of the songs that start with the letter V from the Billy Corgan songbook. In this rarities-heavy episode, they talk demos from different eras, a jam from the 666 tape, and 1 album track that gets Jon cursing the name of a prominent music blog.

    Episode 94 - All of the U's

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021 100:44


    Jason and Jon discuss all of the "U" songs in one go! Instrumentals, epics, uglies, and untitleds abound!

    Episode 93 - Tristessa to Tyger, Tyger

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 90:30


    Jason and Jon finish up the letter T on this "literary" episode. Stick around to hear them pick their favorite (and least favorite) T songs. I've got to know, I've got know, I've got to know, I've got to know....

    Episode 92 - Towers of Rabble to the Trip (w/ Joe Bourdet)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 167:17


    Jason and Jon are joined by friend of the pod and songwriter extraordinaire Joe Bourdet to discuss a wide range of SP/BC songs, including one that sounds Jon and Joe on a tr-tr-tr-trip down memory lane. You'll hear Joe's new single, "Songbird Revisited," off his forthcoming album "Meadow Rock." To pre-order, check out: https://joebourdet.bandcamp.com/

    Episode 91 - To Sheila to Tonite Reprise

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2021 83:50


    Jason and Jon continue their trip through the letter T! They talk Adore (and pick their favorite and least favorite tracks from the album), Zwan, Teargarden, and two variations on an MCIS classic for the ages.

    Episode 90 - CYR part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2021 73:37


    Join us for a very special episode, as Jason and Jon discuss five songs off the most recent SP record, CYR!

    Episode 89 - Tilt to To Scatter One's Own

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2021 80:00


    Jason and Jon cover a lot of ground in this episode, from the only b-side for TheFutureEmbrace, a Siamese Dream staple, an understated MCIS tune, an acoustic Zwan track available only on DVD, and the first song on Cotillions (which is also the last song on Cotillions for this podcast to cover).

    Episode 88 - Think You Know to Tiberius

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 86:27


    Jason and Jon continue through the letter T and discuss some heavy hitters on this episode! Listen as they discuss a group of songs that will almost surely include their respective favorite T songs... but what songs will that be? Only time will tell...

    Episode 87 - Tear to There it Goes

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2021 77:22


    Jason and Jon discuss a handful of T songs, including a tune rejected by David Lynch, a curious oddity that no one seems to know how to properly listen to, a polarizing (?) CYR number, a Zeitgeist classic, and an early demo that resurfaced some 20 years later.

    Episode 86 - Take Me Down to Tarantula

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2021 83:53


    Jason and Jon begin their journey through the letter T, and discuss an Iha classic, a couple of "tales" from opposite ends of the sonic spectrum, a ukulele ditty written for a now ex-band member, and a solid comeback statement.

    Episode 85 - Summer to Sweet Sweet

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2021 73:49


    Jason and Jon wrap up the letter S in this episode and feel quite accomplished in doing so! They discuss the final 5 S songs, a few of which are the final songs to discuss on their respective releases. Can you spot the glaring error they make as they celebrate an end too soon?

    Episode 84: A Stitch in Time to Suffer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2021 94:20


    Jason and Jon get closer to finishing the letter S, and discuss a Teargarden tune, a song that maybe shares the same name origin as another popular band from the 90s, a haunting BC solo track, a classic demo-turned-album cut, and a Gish-era psych track sampled by Tricky!

    Episode 83 - Star Song to Stellar

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2021 81:23


    Jason and Jon get cosmic in this episode devoted to all things celestial (although not the song "The Celestials"). Listen as they journey through the "stars," making contact with a MCIS outtake, a bonafide SP classic for the ages, a CYR standout, an early '89 demo, the most Zeitgeisty track on Zeitgeist, and the one that got away from Zeitgeist.

    Episode 82 - Speed Kills to Stand Inside Your Love

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2021 90:12


    Jason and Jon continue their trip through the letter S and discuss a Machina-era song that has several versions, a Zwan live staple that may be the most SP-sounding Zwan song, an early SP song with a strange legacy, a Djali Zwan song, and one fo the best SP singles ever.

    Episode 81 - Spangled to Speed

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2021 80:23


    Jason and Jon continue through the letter S. This discuss a gem off of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, a song that was slated for an SP record (or two) but ended up on a WPC solo album, an acoustic Adore outtake that somehow doesn't 'sound' like Adore to Jason and Jon, a live improvisation that captures the elusive fun side of SP, and a long lost MCIS outtake.

    Episode 80 - CYR Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2021 87:54


    Jason and Jon are back and start off 2021 with a special episode, where they discuss five songs off of CYR!

    Episode 79 - Sorrow to Spaced

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2020 86:21


    Jason and Jon return for the last SP -A to Z episode of 2020. They share their initial reactions to "Cyr" and discuss 6 songs that span the BC songbook. A big thanks to all of our listeners for the continued support throughout this difficult year. Here's to a happy new one!

    Episode 78 - Soma to Soothe

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2020 78:25


    Jason and Jon get back to the music after a few weeks off and discuss a choice group of songs that put them both in a much needed mellow mood!

    Episode 77 - Snail to Solara

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2020 86:39


    Feeling anxious and need a distraction? Why not listen to Jason and Jon discuss a few songs from the Billy Corgan songbook that begin with the letter S? This episode's got a Gish classic, a 1989 demo that makes the recent Cyr tracks sound like a return to form, an Iha Gravity Demo, a Djali Zwan meditation, and one of the most anticipated songs in SP history.

    Episode 76 - Sinfony to Smiley

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2020 85:09


    Jason and Jon continue on their way through the S songs. This week is all SP, with a few classics and a few rarities.

    Episode 75 - Siamese Dream to Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2020 103:26


    Jason and Jon share their initial thoughts about two new "Cyr" tracks before discussing a wide range of songs that include the Siamese Dream title track(s) that never made the album, a couple of Zwan live tracks, one of the most storied Pumpkins songs of all time, and a standout cut from SAOSB Vol 1.

    Episode 74 - Shame to the Shining Path

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2020 76:41


    Jason and Jon discuss a batch of "sh" songs, including one each from Adore and Ogilala, a pre-Siamese Dream demo, and a couple of firsts: a song played at Jimmy's first show with SP and a song played at Zwan's first live show.

    Episode 73 - Say Goodbye to Settle Down

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020 92:34


    Jason and Jon continue to work their way through the letter S. In this episode, they discuss what could have been a single from the Chicagokid/Chicago Songs project, the closing number in an early, quite significant live set, the final track on SAOSB Vol. 1, a classic MCIS b-side, and a Zwan album cut.

    Episode 72 - The Sacred and the Profane to Saturnine

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2020 116:16


    Jason and Jon begin with a discussion of all things Cyr! (Well, all things that we know so far.) They also talk a Machina track, an Iha classic (?), a couple of obscure tracks, and an Adore/Machina II track that Jason thinks is a bonafide ear-worm.

    Episode 71 - Roctupus to Run2me

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2020 89:55


    Jason and Jon finish up the letter R and discuss the only Jimmy-only track in the catalogue, a handful of acoustic numbers ranging from Zwan to MCIS to American Gothic, and a synth-heavy track from Monuments.

    Episode 70 - Cotillions Pt. 2 (with Pedro)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 124:06


    Jason and Jon welcome Pedro back for this special episode. They discuss 6 more songs off WPC's most recent solo album, Cotillions. Listen as they try to make heads or tails of the album's lyrical puzzles!

    Episode 69 - Ring the Bells to Rocket

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 90:02


    Jason and Jon discuss a handful of great songs, including some live Zwan cuts and a bonafide SP classic. Do you know where the bells are?

    Episode 68 - Revolve to Rings

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2020 106:22


    It will take more than a heat wave to keep Jason and Jon from discussing the important things in life, like the Spun soundtrack and the origins of the song name "Rhinoceros." And just what are those countdowns all about? Hear their best (and worst) guesses!

    Episode 67 - Raindrops + Sunshowers to Red Dirt

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2020 91:59


    Jason and Jon begin their journey into the letter R! This week features a pair of Machina-era greats, a surprisingly enjoyable Gravity Demo, and a beautiful acoustic song lost to the ages, perhaps...

    Episode 66 - Pulseczar to Quiet

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 87:20


    In an SP - A to Z first, Jason and Jon mind their Ps & Qs and finish two letters in one episode! Listen as they struggle to narrow down their respective favorite P songs, and the struggle to choose their favorite Q songs out of a very limited range of options!

    Episode 65 - The Processional to Pug

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2020 93:52


    Jason and Jon discuss 5 more P songs, including an historical WPC solo track, an early psychedelic rocker, and a song Jon thinks should have been a single!

    Episode 64 - Pony Express to Pretty, Pretty STAR

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2020 102:26


    Jason and Jon catch up after a few weeks off, and discuss 5 songs, including one of the best Smashing Pumpkins songs ever recorded. The episode also features a rare event: a song that both Jason and Jon don't really like!

    Episode 63 - Permanence to Pomp and Circumstances

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2020 89:48


    Jason and Jon discuss 6 more P songs, including the second Zwan song ever heard, instrumental that closes out the remastered MCIS, and the song that closes out Zeitgeist. Plus, they spend some time puzzling over the version of "Plume" that was included on the Pisces reissue...

    Episode 62 - Pale Horse to Perfect

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2020 96:17


    Jason and Jon begin discussing songs that start with the letter P. Things get off to a good start, with a couple of Oceania songs, a rare Machina-era instrumental, one of the best Residency songs, and the second single off of Adore.

    Epsiode 61 - On the Meaning of Loss to Owata

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2020 83:15


    Jason and Jon finish up discussing the letter O. They take on 6 songs: a solo Zwan song, a couple of Mashed Potatoes live tracks, an Adore demo, an obscure early live track, and one of the finest tracks of the Teargarden era.

    Episode 60 - Cotillions Pt. 1 (with Pedro)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2020 124:43


    In this special episode, Jason and Jon welcome their friend Pedro to discuss 7 songs off WPC's newest solo album, Cotillions! As they try to unravel some of the mysteries of the record, they fall down a Ziegfeld-sized rabbit hole.

    Episode 59 - Once Upon a Time to On the Loose

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2020 96:57


    Jason and Jon continue their journey through the letter O. With a handful of songs (mostly starting with the word "One"), they discuss the "purest" track on Adore, a standout from Monuments to an Elegy, the origin of the title "One Diamond One Heart," and try to unravel the mystery of "One and Two."

    Episode 58 - Obscured to Once in a While (with Jem)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2020 190:37


    Jason and Jon are joined by friend of the podcast Jem for this epic discussion of five songs that begin with the letter O. At 3+ hours, this is one for the record books!

    Episode 57 - New Wave (A to G) to Now (and Then)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2020 101:30


    Jason and Jon finish up the letter N! What will be their favorite songs from the batch? Tune in and find out.

    Episode 56 - Neptulius to A New Poetry

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2020 81:10


    Jason and Jon head into the letter N, and discuss a few tracks already in the running for their best-of choice. Along the way they chat about important SP-related topics, such as the Simpsons arcade game, rollerskating, and the presidential primary process. Loopy times!

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