Lyric Opera 2025-2026 Issue 7 - A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness

17 | Lyric Opera of Chicago deluxe reissue. “That was where the generation was at that moment.” Recorded across the spring and summer of 1995 in Chicago (Pumpkinland, Sadlands, Bugg Studios, and Chicago Recording Company, just a few blocks east of the Lyric Opera House) and LA studios (The Village Recorder), Mellon Collie saw the band bring in studio talents Flood (Depeche Mode, U2) and Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails) to produce the record with Corgan. The group was coming off the whirlwind success of 1993 breakout Siamese Dream , which delivered four smash singles (“Cherub Rock,” “Today,” “Disarm,” and “Rocket”) and earned the act a headlining spot on Lollapalooza 1994. Given the band’s newfound rock star status, they could have easily gone on autopilot to deliver more of the same. Instead, Corgan and the Pumpkins opted to dream much bigger, creating a generation-defining double album that Corgan would describe as being like Pink Floyd’s “ The Wall for Generation X.” “The only thing that kept me going through all the touring for Siamese Dream was making another It’s a combination of nihilism, sentimentality, and epic hope. Opposite: Billy Corgan continues to write and record today. This page: The Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album artwork blends Victorian collage with a steampunk flair.