Song:1979
Album:Greatest Hits
The Smashing Pumpkins Are one of the more durable bands to come out of the 90s alternative rock boom. They are mainly an album and touring band. 1979 was their biggest hit single probably because MTV played the video to death. Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan is from Chicago. His father played guitar. After graduating high school, Corgan moved to Florida to form The Marked. After they split up in 1988, he moved back to Chicago to work in a record store and form a new band. He met James Iha and they started writing songs. They performed as a duo with a drum machine. Corgan met bassist D'Arcy Wretzky at a concert and then hired drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. They signed with Virgin Records who released the 1991 album Gish on Caroline to give them indy credibility. Though The Smashing Pumpkins were a band live, Corgan was a control freak in the studio and he frequently played all the instruments which would drive the others nuts. Touring helped as they were compared favorably to Nirvana and other bands. And they had a song in the hit film Singles. The 1993 album Siamese Dream was certified 4XPlatinum despite the band discord over Corgan's behavior and Chamberlain's drug addiction. The Smashing Pumpkins had their greatest success with the 1995 2CD set Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The album was certified Diamond meaning 10M copies sold. And the single 1979 reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. They got seven Grammy nominations and one win. It all came crashing down when on July 11, 1996 when Chamberlain and touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin overdosed on heroin in a New York City hotel room. Melvoin died and Chamberlain was arrested and fired. The band's decline continued until Corgan disbanded them in 2000. That's when this comp CD was released. Corgan's mother died and he got divorced. He was always a dour guy and he got more depressed. After Corgan released a 2005 solo album, The Smashing Pumpkins reformed and they are still around today with three original members. They just released a new album and they are touring to support it. A lifelong pro wrestling fan, Corgan is currently trying to revive the National Wrestling Alliance. It's too soon to know how that will turn out. His first two attempts at pro wrestling ownership didn't end well. Maybe the third time is the charm. Here's the video of 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins.
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