THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Release 'A Song For A Son' For Free

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS have released "A Song For A Son" online for free as the first offering from their upcoming album, "Teargarden By Kaleidyscope", a 44-song work that is being recorded now. "A Song For A Son" was made available this morning (December 7) via AOL Music's Spinner.com as an online exclusive and can be downloaded for free starting tonight at midnight at the new PUMPKINS site. The site will also offer a widget enabling fans to host the song anywhere on the web.

As PUMPKINS leader Billy Corgan has said about the album, which will be released one song a time until all 44 tracks are out, "Each song will be made available absolutely for free, to anyone anywhere. There will be no strings attached. Free will mean free, which means you won't have to sign up for anything, give an email address, or jump through a hoop. You will be able to go and take the song or songs as you wish, as many times as you wish."

"A Song For A Son" is emblematic of the entire collection of music, which Corgan has said "harkens back to the original psychedelic roots of the SMASHING PUMPKINS; atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty." "Teargarden By Kaleidyscope" will be issued independently (release date to be announced) now that the band are free agents, and the PUMPKINS are planning a world tour slated for spring 2010.

Any particular reason you chose to launch the album with "A Song For A Son"? "The first sessions in September involved four songs: 'A Song For A Son', 'Astral Planes', 'Widow Wake My Mind' and 'A Stitch in Time'," Corgan says. "What song would come out first really didn't cross my mind until they were all done being recorded. 'A Song For A Son' just seemed like it had the right epic quality to it that says, 'OK, here we go on this massive journey!' It sounds like the beginning of something more."

How has "A Song For A Son" evolved from the version that the PUMPKINS were performing on the last tour?

"The version of the song from the 20th anniversary tour was pretty basic, and I felt at the time that we didn't really find the heart of the song," Corgan says. "However, the song was connecting to the audience emotionally so I knew something exciting was in there to be discovered. The recorded version is produced more like a movie, where it takes you to different places, from intimate to psychedelic to whimsical."

Can you describe what the song sounds like?

"The song sounds to me like the SMASHING PUMPKINS that I grew up with. Each song we've recorded is like its own movie, and hopefully when you put all 44 songs together they'll create a bigger journey that can only be seen when you have all the pieces to the map."

Since you made the statement in September that the album will be available for free to everyone, what is your mind set now that the fans have voiced their approval?

"My thought process is that I am happy to try unique approaches to get my music into the hands of fans without engaging in a system that is swallowing its own tail. I figure if people like what I'm doing musically and they can appreciate the risks I'm taking that maybe they'll invest in the future of SMASHING PUMPKINS."

"Teargarden By Kaleidyscope", Corgan has said, "is based on 'The Fool's Journey', as signified in the progress of the Tarot, the intention is to approach the work by breaking down the journey of life into four phases as made by different characters depicted in major arcana cards: the Child, the Fool, the Skeptic and the Mystic.

The music will not only be issued online, Corgan has revealed. "We will sell highly limited-edition EPs (of four songs each times 11),and details of how those EPs will be made available are still being worked out," he says. "Because the songs themselves will be free, the EPs will be more like collector's items for the discerning fan who will want the art itself, along with the highest possible audio quality available. The EPs will be more like mini-box sets rather than your normal CD single. We may also offer other variations for sale — say, for example, a digital single with a demo version of a song."

Upon the album's completion, explained Corgan, "it will be compiled into a deluxe box set which will also be made available for sale. Those who have bought the EPs need not worry, as the box set will not be a recompilation of the limited edition pieces."

Adds Corgan: "I am very committed to seeing this album through to its completion and very, very excited about the prospect of delivering new SMASHING PUMPKINS music to you in a unique and exciting way."