My tweak shares the same idea as John Craig's, the illustrator who designed the original album cover art. His work was destined to be a square; mine a
rectangle, but I ensured that all the elements of his work are in mine. The idea to repeat the image of Saint Catherine was to emphasize the central
character at center although I would have placed more of it and/or faded it towards the sides. But I liked the colors so much and I wanted to preserve
them. My most noticeable mistake might be that I didn't reduce the size of her/their left hand/s to match the other.
Billy Corgan liked to be involved in the visual side of the Smashing Pumpkins albums, sending ideas and rough sketches to the artists via fax. The original
plan for Mellon Collie’s cover was for a French photographer to take a shot of the band in Victorian garb on an appropriate set, but that plan was scrapped
at the last minute when the photographer named an outrageous price. John Craig, a commercial illustrator and collage artist who was already working
on the internal sleeve art, was offered a shot at creating some cheaper cover art.
The iconic image is a collage made of three sources: the background comes from a children’s encyclopedia; the star from a whiskey ad; the woman’s torso
from Raphael’s painting ‘Saint Catherine Of Alexandria’; and her head from a completely different painting, Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s ‘The Souvenir’.
FasterLouder
plan for Mellon Collie’s cover was for a French photographer to take a shot of the band in Victorian garb on an appropriate set, but that plan was scrapped
at the last minute when the photographer named an outrageous price. John Craig, a commercial illustrator and collage artist who was already working
on the internal sleeve art, was offered a shot at creating some cheaper cover art.
The iconic image is a collage made of three sources: the background comes from a children’s encyclopedia; the star from a whiskey ad; the woman’s torso
from Raphael’s painting ‘Saint Catherine Of Alexandria’; and her head from a completely different painting, Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s ‘The Souvenir’.
FasterLouder
Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Raphael, c. 1507 from wikipedia
The Souvenir by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1787-1789 from wikimedia commons
The selection of the collage elements was something of a collaboration between Corgan and Craig,
who dug through his morgue in search of imagery that might suit the musician’s vision. Once they
settled on a few things, Craig got to work and assembled the woman on the star.
The image is deceptively simple, as if the artist simply cut out a picture of a woman and plopped it
on top of a star. In fact, the woman is composed of figures from two separate paintings manipulated
via photocopier until their sizes and shapes fit together perfectly. The head was sourced from an
18th century painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze entitled “The Souvenir (Fidelity).” Her body was
borrowed from Raphael’s “St. Catherine of Alexandria.”
Both are stunning images on their own, but together, they captured what Craig was after: “With the
Greuze, there was something very dreamy or ecstatic about her expression that certainly wasn’t in
the Raphael painting. And then [there’s] the flow and color of the Raphael dress, just the way it’s
rippling and almost traveling. I guess it’s those primary colors too.” Diffuser
This is the original album cover art design.
Cover art design by John Craig, art direction by Frank Olinsky.
Album produced by Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan & Flood. Virgin 1995.
Album produced by Alan Moulder, Billy Corgan & Flood. Virgin 1995.
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was released on October 24, 1995. The following week, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, an unusual
feat for a double-disc album that cost over US$20. The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Christopher John Farley of Time called the album "the group's most ambitious and accomplished work yet". Farley wrote, "One gets the feeling that the
band [...] charged ahead on gut instincts; the sheer scope of the album (28 songs) didn't allow for second-guessing or contrivance." Time selected Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness as the best album of the year in its year-end "Best of 1995" list. Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A rating; reviewer
David Browne praised the group's ambition and wrote, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is more than just the work of a tortured, finicky pop
obsessive. Corgan presents himself as one of the last true believers: someone for whom spewing out this much music results in some sort of high art for
the ages." IGN gave the album a score of 9.5 out of 10 and said, "As the band's magnum opus it single-handedly changed the face of Alternative Rock. The
Music Box gave it all five stars and said, "Indeed, for all its melodramatic self-indulgence, Mellon Collie is one of the best double albums of new material
to be released by anyone in a long time."
Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars. Reviewer Jim DeRogatis praised the album as "one of the rare epic rock releases whose bulk is
justified in the grooves". DeRogatis contended that while Mellon Collie "may even match The Wall in its sonic accomplishments", Corgan's lyrics lacked in
comparison. Mojo reviewer Ben Edmunds also praised the music while criticizing Corgan's lyrics. In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau picked out one
song from the album, "1979", as a "choice cut."
feat for a double-disc album that cost over US$20. The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Christopher John Farley of Time called the album "the group's most ambitious and accomplished work yet". Farley wrote, "One gets the feeling that the
band [...] charged ahead on gut instincts; the sheer scope of the album (28 songs) didn't allow for second-guessing or contrivance." Time selected Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness as the best album of the year in its year-end "Best of 1995" list. Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A rating; reviewer
David Browne praised the group's ambition and wrote, "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is more than just the work of a tortured, finicky pop
obsessive. Corgan presents himself as one of the last true believers: someone for whom spewing out this much music results in some sort of high art for
the ages." IGN gave the album a score of 9.5 out of 10 and said, "As the band's magnum opus it single-handedly changed the face of Alternative Rock. The
Music Box gave it all five stars and said, "Indeed, for all its melodramatic self-indulgence, Mellon Collie is one of the best double albums of new material
to be released by anyone in a long time."
Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars. Reviewer Jim DeRogatis praised the album as "one of the rare epic rock releases whose bulk is
justified in the grooves". DeRogatis contended that while Mellon Collie "may even match The Wall in its sonic accomplishments", Corgan's lyrics lacked in
comparison. Mojo reviewer Ben Edmunds also praised the music while criticizing Corgan's lyrics. In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau picked out one
song from the album, "1979", as a "choice cut."
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness earned The Smashing Pumpkins nominations in seven categories at the 1997 Grammy Awards, the second-highest
number of nominations that year. wikipedia
number of nominations that year. wikipedia
(A) Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Tonight, Tonight - Thirty-Three - In the Arms of Sleep - Take Me Down
(B) Jellybelly - Bodies - To Forgive - Here is No Why - Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
(C) Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Thru the Eyes of Ruby - Muzzle - Galapogos - Tales of a Scorched Earth
(D) 1979 - Beautiful - Cupid De Locke - By Starlight - We Only Come Out at Night
(E) Where Boys Fear to Tread - Zero - An Ode to No One - Love - X.Y.U.
(F) Stumbeline - Lily (My One and Only) - Tonight (Reprise) - Farewell and Goodnight - Infinite Sadness
"Tonight, Tonight" music video from SmashingPumpkinsVEVO on YouTube.
www.smashingpumpkinsnexus.com
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