2000 Great Songs #1348: 1979
I'm pretty far from being a Smashing Pumpkins guy; I liked a couple of their songs, but for the most part I didn't care for Billy Corgan's vocals or their grunge/hard rock/90s alt.rock sound. Even on this one, I kinda wish someone other than Corgan were helming it. Still, I've gotta give props to "1979," off 1995's Mellon Collie and Whatever Whatever . That bassline alone is just a fucking monster; I'd posit that this track and the Breeders' "Cannonball" have the most distinctive, instantly recognizable opening basslines of the 90s alt.rock era. Plus, for all their oblique poetry, the lyrics do a damn fine job of nailing a generation of slackers (aided by a spot-on video). Pavement were absolutely on the right side of the battle in "Range Life," but at least here they're on the same page. So, somewhat begrudgingly, it's just a relentlessly cool tune. Acoustic live in the studio, 2010: Nicole Alexis cover: Weezer's R...
