"X.Y.U"

Song by The Smashing Pumpkins
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Released 24 October 1995
Recorded March - August 1995
Genre Alternative Rock
Length 7:07
Label Virgin Records
Writer(s) Billy Corgan

X.Y.U is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins featured on their 1995 double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It is one of the heaviest songs on the album along with Fuck You (An Ode To No One) and Tales of a Scorched Earth. The song was recorded in one take, live for the record.[citation needed] The title means "Ex, Why You?"

thanks wikipedia. was it really recorded in one take?

tis bullshit

its the truth...its a live recording

I think it probably features more than 2 guitars. Maybe, like, 20.

the initial rhythm track is a full band, live track. I remember Billy saying in an interview (Guitar World, maybe?) that it was the first time the band recorded something live all together for a record. He also said it was the loudest thing ever.

But, obviously there's more than just one Billy guitar track and one James track, but I'm guessing only 1 or 2 more guitars was added... you can tell that its not as fat of a sound, i.e. Ruby, but definitely heavy as shit. Also because they're not playing power chords, its all single notes on the 5th and 6th strings, except maybe the high pitched licks and "feedback" solo.

holy shit thats a comprehensive as fuck wikipedia article on Mellon Collie. I was on wikipedia what seemed like a few months ago reading about the pumpkins and they never had half this shit. - a good read.

Length 7:07
Sine!

i actually added that live recording thing to wikipedia a while ago...i forget where i heard it tho...im not sure there is more than 2 guitars? there might be

thats pretty cool if its true. was always my fav on that album.

from http://www.starla.org/articles/crsh4_96.htm:

GS: Are you ever inspire to write something by the sound of a certain guitar?

CORGAN" I've pretty much gotten away from looking for a second to inspire me. That one song on the record where that happened is "X.Y.U." There was something about the main lick that was very menacing, so everything I wrote around it goes with that same menace. That's a live take, with the whole band playing the same room, loud as hell.

COOL!

from http://www.starla.org/articles/crsh4_96.htm:

GS: Are you ever inspire to write something by the sound of a certain guitar?

CORGAN" I've pretty much gotten away from looking for a second to inspire me. That one song on the record where that happened is "X.Y.U." There was something about the main lick that was very menacing, so everything I wrote around it goes with that same menace. That's a live take, with the whole band playing the same room, loud as hell.

thats the interview I was referring to; thanks tcm! menacing, indeed.

James Iha: (TGM Magazine 1995)

"XYU is kind of a disturbing one though. It's the monster inside of the band trying to get out! That's actually the song that we recorded all live-live guitars, live vocals, live bass. We set up all in the same room and it just goes against all the rules of recording no separation at all!"

I always thought the same was done on Pissant. You get the same effect of hearing the guitars reverberating in the drum mics.
Can anyone confirm?

Pissant

"pissant is one of the few things we have ever recorded live. done during the siamese drean sessions late at night and full of teenage pain. i made up all these lyrics in 10 minutes got my raygun, got me an altitude, can't help feeling somethings wrong with everyone of everyone of you. don't know what it's about don't care rawk. kerry and d'arcy tried to talk me into putting this one the album- and i was tempted, but no i just couldn't see it in there amongst the tall trees. not as much shade or room for the little ones." -BC (PI liner notes)

pissant is hello kitty kat right?

^ i love reading things like this. i try to imagine the discussions that took place and wonder what was said that did/didn't influence the decisions.

edit: about the blurb on pissant.

Billy Corgan '96: Spin

"The funny thing about recording XYU, we all went out to eat about two hours before this session and some of us had a few drinks. Towards the middle of the solo, D'arcy gave me one of those 'I really have to use the bathroom' looks. I just kept wailing away. It turns out she had to change her tampon, and half an hour later, it was too late. She died."

^haha

Billy Corgan '96: Spin

"The funny thing about recording XYU, we all went out to eat about two hours before this session and some of us had a few drinks. Towards the middle of the solo, D'arcy gave me one of those 'I really have to use the bathroom' looks. I just kept wailing away. It turns out she had to change her tampon, and half an hour later, it was too late. She died."

I guess D'arcy won't be in the new lineup.

Little known fact. Angela from The Office filled D'arcy's place for the next 4 years.

http://www.salesandmarketing.com/managesmarter/photos/2006/12/smm_20061201_office_angela.jpg

http://www.salesandmarketing.com/managesmarter/photos/2006/12/smm_20061201_office_angela.jpg

No fishnet blouse? Forget her.

skank

I knew the vocals were one live take but I didn't know the whole song was. I love how the vocals fade in and out and how imperfect the whole mess is.

'one take' implies that they used the first attempt, which is probably not true.

to add to what others say in pissant, billy also talks about pissant on one of the old siamese-dream era interview discs..i think the great pumpkin that never arrived...about how pissant was recorded live and "just fuckin' ROCKS" partly because of the way it was recorded and the energy created by the bank playing together. i think the context was talking about how b-sides are more raw and tend to be more indicative of the true dynamics of the band than traditional studio recordings

'one take' implies that they used the first attempt, which is probably not true.

no, one take implies that it was all the same performance, whether from a band or an individual. It could be the first or the fiftieth, but if its all the same performance, its a one-take recording

more than one take might imply that the best pieces of recorded performances were pieced together to make the final recording: say for example jimmy dropped a stick in the second half of a song-recording, but the first half was intensly amazing, instead of losing the whole thing he could pick up from half-way and play on from there, thus making his recording a multiple take one. (I know, bad example, jimmy's recordings are usually one-take ones)

it probably implies it to some people though, so it's worth clarifying.

http://www.salesandmarketing.com/managesmarter/photos/2006/12/smm_20061201_office_angela.jpg


Who's watching that tonight?

I am. :)

I preferr the rawness of the Zero B-sides, pissant and xyu to the over-produced songs. They just sound better and truer. You hear what an amazing band they were.

I preferr the rawness of the Zero B-sides, pissant and xyu to the over-produced songs. They just sound better and truer. You hear what an amazing band they were.

Okay, legoman.

leggo my eggo

who the fuck calls this song 'ex why you'?

fuckin amatures

leggo my eggo

Lego my ego.

amateurs*

Lego my ego.
Is that Billy's catch phrase?

Is that Billy's catch phrase?

It's a secret, but... yes.

X.Y.U. sucks

the only good part of it is "mary's got some deep shit"

Just to be the devil's avocado:

XYU is fantastic, and one of the all time best Pumpkins album tracks IMHO.

i am made of pumpkin

I love how it starts after Stumbeline

XYU has such a great vibe. I had no idea it was mostly live.

I love how it starts after Stumbeline

i know what you mean..i always thought it would have been awesome if cupid de locke had gone straight into Fuck You instead of having 'Love' there as a buffer

I am somehow more skeptical of that. Probably because Stumbeline has kind of a dark vibe, Cupid de Locke is just....I don't know whimsical?

in some interview i read with jimmy he stated that most of the pumpkins stuff was done live, with a click track only being used occasionally. he said that the band would play the song until they were happy and then would go back and overdub the necessary parts.

i don't think there are any overdubs on xyu. it sounds about as full as the gravity demos, just more polished.

pissant is hello kitty kat right?

huh?

fuckin' rock, man!

:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

Love: It's Who You Know

the version on FAEOMM is amazing

I am somehow more skeptical of that. Probably because Stumbeline has kind of a dark vibe, Cupid de Locke is just....I don't know whimsical?

Fruity?