Gish

Gish is the debut album by The Smashing Pumpkins. It was released in May 1991 through Caroline Records. Gish peaked at 195 on the Billboard 200. It is currently certified platinum.

Recording
The album was recorded from December 1990 to March 1991 at Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin with a budget of $20,000. Billy Corgan and Vig worked together to produce the album. Whereas many albums at the time used drum sampling and processing, Gish used unprocessed drum recordings, and an exacting, unique guitar sound. Billy Corgan also performed nearly all of the guitar and bass parts on the record, which was confirmed by Vig in a later interview.

The album's sessions, lasting 30 working days, were brisk by by Pumpkins' standards, largely because of the group's inexperience.The recording sessions put an intense strain on the band, with bassist D'arcy Wretzky later commenting that she did not know how the band survived it, and Corgan explaining he suffered a nervous breakdown.

Title
The album was named after silent film star Lillian Gish. Corgan stated, "My grandmother used to tell me that one of the biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train, my grandmother lived in the middle of nowhere, so that was a big deal..."

Reception
Gish was met with positive reviews. It sold 100,000 copies in less than a year. It was certified gold on March 14, 1994 and was the highest selling independantly released album until The Offspring released Smash in 1994. It was certified platinum on February 5, 1999.

Tracklisting
All song written by Billy Corgan except "I Am One" co-written by Corgan and James Iha.

1. "I Am One"

2. "Siva"

3. "Rhinoceros"

4. "Bury Me"

5. "Crush"

6. "Suffer"

7. "Snail"

8. "Tristessa"

9. "Window Paine"

10. "Daydream"/ "I'm Going Crazy" at 2:08

Personnel
Billy Corgan - vocals, guitar

James Iha - vocals, guitar

D'arcy Wretzky - bass guitar, vocals

Jimmy Chamberlin - drums

Additional Musicians

Mary Gaines – cello on "Daydream"

Chris Wagner – violin and viola on "Daydream"

Production

Bob Knapp - photography

Michael Lavine - photography

Butch Vig - production, engineering

Howie Weinberg - mastering

Charts
Album

Billboard 200 - #195

New Zealand Albums Chart - #40

Singles

Alternative Songs - "Rhinoceros" #27