In perhaps one of the weirder coincidences to crop up in music news recently, the Smashing Pumpkins have announced that the band’s newest bassist and former Ludlow, Mass. native Nicole Fiorentino also appeared on the cover of the group’s 1993 album “Siamese Dream.”
Pumpkin’s leader Billy Corgan tweeted the news on Thursday saying that Fioentino waited until now to spill the beans because, “She thought maybe we wouldn’t let her be in the band.”
While coming as a surprise to many, this newest entry in album cover lore also raises the question of how thorough music acts are in securing information about the art they use on their record sleeves. Corgan himself actively tried to investigate the whereabouts of the girls featured on the cover of “Siamese Dream” back in 2007, but after coming up empty this recent announcement seems just a little too fortuitous. The Pumpkins are in the midst of releasing a new album after all (“Teargarden by Kaleidiscope”), and any connection that can be made to the band’s past work and ‘90s heyday would only help to push record sales.
See video of the song “Cherub Rock” off the album “Siamese Dream” here:
Still, finding a link to your past inside your own band is better than what happened to Vampire Weeekend after the release of their second album “Contra.”
Obviously no one likes getting sued, but maybe in the future groups would do well to take care and actually write down the names of the people whose faces will forever be associated with their work. At the very least taking notes couldn’t hurt. But then again neither would Corgan making a call or two to James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky just for old times’ sake. C’mon Billy!
For more information on the Smashing Pumpkins and future tour dates please visit http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/.
