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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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."
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.
Jason and Jon discuss all of the "U" songs in one go! Instrumentals, epics, uglies, and untitleds abound!
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....
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/
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.
Join us for a very special episode, as Jason and Jon discuss five songs off the most recent SP record, CYR!
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).
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...
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.
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.
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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
Jason and Jon are back and start off 2021 with a special episode, where they discuss five songs off of CYR!
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!
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!
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.
Jason and Jon continue on their way through the S songs. This week is all SP, with a few classics and a few rarities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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?
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!
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...
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!
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!
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!
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...
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.
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.
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.
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."
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!
Jason and Jon finish up the letter N! What will be their favorite songs from the batch? Tune in and find out.
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!