The Aeroplane Flies High [Box] by Smashing Pumpkins (CD, Nov-1996, 5 Discs, Virgin Records USA)

I was roaming around on a Smashing Pumpkins fan site (Phoenix SP Fans Myspace page, to be specific) and I stumbled upon a song I had never heard before; "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)". It was raw, rocking, and it definitely sounded like it came from the older end of the Pumpkins catalog. I suddenly got excited about this song and the notion that I had missed out on a LOT of music that only ever made it to EPs, singles, and compilations. Research ensued--I am a newer fan of the band--and I discovered that it came from a BOXED SET of the same name. I paid for it immediately on eBay.

"The Aeroplane Flies High" boxed set is made up of five EPs, each named after one of the hit singles from "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", and featuring the single as its opening track. There is hardly any filler throughout, and in fact it's puzzling to think that a few tracks failed to make it into "Mellon Collie..." over others. The EPs are generally "themed":

"Bullet With Butterfly Wings" begins with the title track and "...Said Sadly" (written and sung by James), but then launches into a series of pop/rock covers of The Cars ("You're All I've Got Tonight"), Alice Cooper ("Clones (We're All)"), The Cure ("A Night Like This"), Missing Persons ("Destination Unknown"), and Blondie ("Dreaming").

"1979" is made up of pure pop gems. "The Boy" and "Believe" are more Iha originals; it's a shame that his songwriting talent didn't take more precedence in the band, but that's what EPs like this are for, right? Lose yourself in this with your headphones on while overlooking the city lights from atop a nearby hill.

The Pumpkins save some of their grungiest and darkest guitar riffs for the rock monster that is the "Zero" EP, championing the sound they built on "Siamese Dream" and some of the more angry vocal stylings from "Mellon Collie...". "Mouths Of Babes" and "Marquis In Spades" are standout tracks. The EP ends with "Pastichio Medley", a twenty-three minute cut-and-paste jam session featuring riffs and passages from [a LOT of] previous Pumpkins songs.

"Tonight, Tonight" calms things down quite a bit, featuring a handpicked number of acoustically-driven songs, most of which SHOULD have been on "Mellon Collie..." (think "Rotten Apples" and "Meladori Magpie") because they're so beautiful. "Tonite Reprise" is a reworked version of the title track which sounds like it was simply performed in front of a single microphone. All are stellar (no pun intended).

"Thirty-Three" seems to be a little more mellow than the "1979" disc, with the exception of the grunge opus bearing the box set's name, "The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)". "The Bells" is the last number featured by James Iha, and the disc closes with the Pumpkins' version of Walter Donaldson's and George Whiting's popular croon hit, "My Blue Heaven".

The boxed set also comes with a booklet containing lyrics to all of the original songs which appear throughout the five EPs, photos of the band, and detailed information on the complete discography up through "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness". MAKE SURE you're getting this companion piece, should you choose to purchase the set.

If you're the kind of person who will spend $40 or more on that Japanese import of the "[blank]" single which has that one track you can't find ANYWHERE else, find a good copy of this increasingly rare and collectible set to hold you over until you get filthy rich.