Most discussion of the most influential band of the 20th Century starts with the Beatles, but Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan offered an interesting suggestion as the runner-up while taping an episode of Track Star* about the greatest bands of all time.”
The podcast tends to speak with speak with specific artists while garnering their opinions and views on a certain theme. And in this case, Track Star* was going through a wide array of acts with Corgan while discerning some of his musical tastes.
So who did Billy Corgan say was the most influential artist of the 20th Century outside of the Beatles?
The Act That Billy Corgan Claims is the Second Most Influential of the 20th Century
As the TrackStar* host pulled up a bit of Joy Division’s “Disorder” for the singer to hear, Corgan did a little dance before making his bold claim.
“So I’ve argued for a good 20 years that probably outside of the Beatles, Joy Division is the most influential rock band of the 20th century,” shared the Smashing Pumpkins frontman.
“I think it sort of speaks for itself. They sort of crystalized post-punk in a way that no bands ever did and they became the template for so many bands that followed,” added the vocalist.
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Further breaking down Joy Division’s music, Corgan shared, “It’s pop music not made for a pop market and that’s why people are still listening. But where does that music go? They had what, one big song, maybe, which is ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart.’ But I just think they’re one of the greatest bands of all-time and it’s such an easy case for me to make that I don’t know how to make it.”
He then added, “Important bands like the Beatles and Velvet Underground and Joy Division, they create a template by which other bands can create their own music. They’re basically ripping those bands off in an unskilled way but you don’t necessarily hear the influence. So there’s 400 Joy Division bands but you wouldn’t necessarily hear it. Even if they’re trying to imitate Joy Division, they kind of really can’t. That’s where it gets weird. You can hear Beatles influences in people, but you can’t necessarily hear Joy Division influences. I hear it in the way that they sort of produce their records. I think it’s that post-pop minimalism thing that was very big in Chicago and it never leaves here.”
Billy Corgan Speaks With Track Star*
A History of Joy Division
Sadly, Joy Division’s history was a brief one. The band formed in Salford, England in 1976 after Bernard Sumnner and Peter Hook met and bonded while at a Sex Pistols concert.
Over the course of their history, they released two albums — 1979’s Unknown Pleasures and 1980’s Closer. The group grew their fanbase stateside through airplay on college radio stations.
But just as the band were set to embark on a tour in 1980, singer Ian Curtis’ died by suicide. The remaining members of the band went on to form New Order, who would become one of alternative rock’s biggest bands of the ’80s and early ’90s. The two acts were simultaneously nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, but they were not among those inducted.
As Corgan indicated, the band did have a wide reaching influence with acts such as U2, The Cure, OMD, Tears for Fears, Husker Du, Future Islands and even Soundgarden pointing to them as an influence.
Joy Division, “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
