I didn’t even give this record a chance when it came out in 1991. My Walkman was too consumed with Fugazi, Pegboy and Screeching Weasel’s new albums to make space for a band like Smashing Pumpkins, who I was convinced were sellouts anyway.

This 35th Anniversary Edition of Billy Corgan and crew’s debut finds me in a much different position towards Smashing Pumpkins. While I can’t say I’m on board with everything they’ve done, there’s no denying that they’ve written some great rock songs and one album in particular that is just flawless.

Gish is where it all started for these Chicago legends. “I Am One” begins with Jimmy Chamberlin’s scrappy drums before D’arcy Wretzky’s chunky bass enters the alt-rock meets psychedelic stabs. “Siva” follows with thick riffs and James Iha’s unmistakable feedback alongside smooth vocals from Corgan, while “Rhinoceros” finds itself in ballad territory that builds into large swells of alt-rock.

In the middle, “Crush” brings grooves to the equation in a very gentle, heartfelt manner, and “Suffer” takes that lead into ’60s psyche-rock ideas that are as hypnotic as they are dreamy. “Snail” then leads soft before prog-rock nods and Corgan’s distinct guitar playing surround the strong attention to ambience.

Coming in late, the slow burner “Window Paine” illustrates a lot of diversity in its minimal versus grungy and powerful bouts, and “Daydream” exits with Wretzky handling vocals alongside warm acoustic guitar and gentle strings that provide a nice contrast to a record that’s largely loud.

Though it pales in comparison to much of their later, phenomenal work, Gish has some fantastic songs, as well as some that meander. You can clearly hear the seeds being sown into what would become alt-rock genius in the years that follow, and this remastered edition on a slab of 180 gram vinyl is the best it’s sounded yet.

Rating: B

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