As the massive Smashing Pumpkins reissue campaign begins to draw to a close, it’s time to look at one of the more polarizing records in the band’s catalog, Adore. It came out at a breaking point for the band: longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was fired from the band and sent to rehab after overdosing on tour, frontman Billy Corrigan was going through personal issues, and the band had decided to nearly completely reinvent themselves. The result of all the chaos was Adore, the awkward little brother of the Pumpkins’ albums. Now it’s been given the deluxe reissue treatment by Universal Music Enterprises, with a total of 107 bonus tracks. It’s a lot.

Looking back, the Pumpkins’ new direction was hinted at with “The End Is the Beginning Is the End” from the Batman & Robin soundtrack and laid bare with “Eye” from the Lost Highway soundtrack. (Those were different times, when soundtracks were the vehicles for breaking new songs.) The band was moving towards an electronic-based sound and away from the guitar rock of its past. Part of it was simple logistics: with Chamberlin gone, Corrigan lost his longtime collaborator and a sonic signature so there had to be another way. The other thing was that after the long time spent promoting Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, it made sense that the band would want to clear its collective palate. Still, it may not have been what the people wanted. The first single, “Ava Adore,” was probably the best, and perhaps only, choice for a re-introduction, casting the band as moody goth rockers wrapped in an electronic cloak. But after some follow-up single releases, the album quietly slipped off the radar. But while it was considered a commercial failure, it still went platinum in a rather quick fashion.

While the years have been fairly kind to Adore, it hasn’t gotten the level of reappraisal of an album like, say, Weezer’s Pinkerton. However, people seem to realize that it was unfairly dismissed at the time of its release. Out of all of the reissued Smashing Pumpkins records, Adore is probably the most interesting simply because it’s from a period that’s been the least examined. In addition, there’s a sense of Corrigan taking this moment to set the record straight—and he goes all in. As a result, this edition isn’t one to try to absorb in one listening session. The album proper clocks in at nearly 74 minutes and then there are six more discs to work through. However, this set is wisely arranged into complete albums so you can choose your own adventure. The first revelation is the mono version of Adore. Instead of simply being a hook for audiophiles, the mono version is actually a noticeably and sometimes drastically different mix. It’s not just a minor tweak here or there, but a near re-invention of the album. It also has more of a punch, which seems counter to a mono experience, but there it is.

The set then moves on to the third disc, “In a State of Passage,” consisting of acoustic demos and alternate takes of some songs that made the album and others that would have likely appeared if Adore had become the double album that Corrigan planned. Or perhaps they would have been B-sides if Adore had warranted additional singles. Either way, it’s interesting to hear the album tracks stripped of their production. It’s almost a shame that they didn’t see the light of day until now. It may not have reversed the band’s fortunes, but it would have been an interesting counter. There are also snippets of studio chatter, if you’re into that type of thing.

The most odds and sods disc of the collection has to be the fourth one, “Chalices, Palaces and Deep Pools.” It’s a mix of alternate versions of songs from Adore, some more demos, a new mix of “Eye,” and a handful of songs “re-imagined” by former Pumpkins drummer Matt Walker. But the eyebrow raiser is the remix of “Ava Adore” by Sean “Puffy” Combs. Who knows what unholy corporate reasoning happened to make this a reality, but it’s actually not bad. The remix goes in exactly the opposite direction of what you’d think, going for an understated and lush treatment. This seems to be the disc where Corrigan seems to relish the all-in treatment the most. Heck, there’s even a banjo version of “To Shelia.”

The fifth disc, “Malice, Callous and Fools,” is slightly more unified with about half re-imagined and alternate versions and the other consisting of songs that hit the cutting room floor. Probably most notable is the Rick Rubin–produced “Let Me Give the World to You” that was re-recorded for Machina II. The story goes that Corrigan was overwhelmed with material and sought the help of Rubin to simply lend a helping ear. Some advice was taken and some shelved. It’s easy to see why this version didn’t make the album as it’s too similar to classic Pumpkins and almost too “up” for the type of project Adore was. It’s the type of song that probably would have been a monster had it appeared on Mellon Collie in this version, or at the very least, the centerpiece for many earnest mixtapes. This is also the disc that’s really a star-making turn for Walker. His versions are interesting, tasteful, and actually add a different aesthetic to the material.

The sixth and final disc (if you don’t count the DVD) is “Kissed Alive Too,” which, as you might guess, focuses on live performances from that era. Live, the Pumpkins were always a dicey proposition, so it’s thankful that Corrigan cherry picked some good moments. It’s not all necessarily gold as there’s some weird timing and arrangement issues with “Ava Adore,” but it’s still a cool attempt at translating the heavy electronic track acoustically. Plus, there’s the inclusion of a cover of “Money (That’s What I Want),” a version of “X.Y.U.” that heavily quotes from the chorus of Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never,” and a 13-minute rehearsal take of Joy Division’s “Transmission.”

Taken as a whole body of work, Adore: Super Deluxe Edition is totally worth the extended running time. It’s a thoughtful presentation of this relative lost chapter in the band’s history, and shockingly, there are only maybe one or two dud moments in the whole set. It’s a testament to the quality of Corrigan’s work during this prolific era. It’s a shame that Corrigan hasn’t made amends with founding members James Iha and D’Arcy Wretzky, if for no other reason than to get a different perspective of the project in the liner notes. But even without those missing voices, it’s a stunning expansion of what is easily one of the great overlooked records of the ‘90s.