The Smashing Pumpkins Reissuing The Aeroplane Flies High For 30th Anniversry
(UMe) The Smashing Pumpkins have announced a 30th anniversary reissue of the beloved 1996 collection The Aeroplane Flies High via UMe. Available as both a standard five-LP set and a limited-edition color LP set, the reissue marks the first time The Aeroplane Flies High will be available on vinyl since 2013. The collection is out December 18. Pre-order here.
Originally released in late 1996, The Aeroplane Flies High features expanded editions of each of Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness' five singles - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "1979," "Zero," "Tonight, Tonight," and "Thirty-Three." With covers of the Cars, Blondie, and the Cure alongside B-sides and rarities, it added another chapter to the story of one of the Pumpkins' most acclaimed eras and boldly underlined how wildly prolific and creative the period was for Billy Corgan. Thirty years later, The Aeroplane Flies High lives on as a hallowed extension of Mellon Collie.
Adding to the celebration, two of the band's landmark albums have reached new certification milestones: Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness is now certified 11x Platinum, while Siamese Dream is now certified 7x Platinum.
Alongside The Aeroplane Flies High, The Smashing Pumpkins have reissued 1994's B-sides compilation Pisces Iscariot and 1998's Adore on standard back vinyl. You can purchase Pisces Iscariot HERE, Adore HERE. In addition, the band have released a new retail exclusive called Absolute Zeros, featuring their greatest hits of the Virgin years, including "1979," "Today," "Disarm," and more. The exclusive version of Absolute Zeros can be found HERE.
The celebration of The Aeroplane Flies High arrives as The Smashing Pumpkins launch the momentous Rats In A Cage tour, one of their most ambitious live shows yet. Running through November, the tour features the band playing two distinct sets: one celebrating the seminal 1995 RIAA 11x-Platinum-certified Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness' recent 30th anniversary, and one a career-spanning journey through nearly four decades' worth of hits, deep cuts, and fan favorites alike. The Aeroplane Flies High reissue and the Rats In A Cage tour both follow a multifaceted 2025 anniversary blowout for Mellon Collie, as well as a 25th anniversary reissue of Machina/The Machines Of God, each an installment in what has been a furiously productive decade for The Smashing Pumpkins after a flood of inspiration produced 2020's Cyr, 2022/2023's triple-album Atum: A Rock Opera In Three Parts, and 2024's Aghori Mhori Mei.
Alongside all of his Pumpkins activity, the ever-prolific Billy Corgan has remained busy in other ventures as well. Entering its second year, his widely praised podcast The Magnificent Others has recently featured candid conversations about creativity and legacy with Tommy Lee, Todd Rundgren, John Carpenter, and Ann Wilson. Corgan also made his Coachella debut, joining Sombr onstage for a surprise performance. In his capacity as president of the National Wrestling Alliance, Corgan led the athletic institution to a landmark deal with Comet TV, bringing NWA back to free broadcast TV nationwide for the first time since the early '90s. Earlier this year, Corgan and the Pumpkins also returned to Lollapalooza for a historic headlining set, making their first appearance at the festival since its early '90s touring iteration.
The band embarked on the Rats In A Cage tour on September 30, marking the latest moment in a standout year for Corgan and the Pumpkins. Below, see the full tracklist for The Aeroplane Flies High, and full routing for their current tour.
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