Album: Horses
Artist: Patti Smith
Born: Chicago, Illinois
Released: December 1975
Genre: Punk
Influenced: Television, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Smiths, REM, Sleater-Kinney
By 1975, youth music in Britain and the US was in need of renewal, and London and New York became the two cities where the punk ethos took root. Just zooming out briefly, the social and economic situation on both sides of the Atlantic was dire at this point, with both the US and UK brought low by a long recession from 1973-75. This had brought an end to the extensive post-WWII boom in both countries and created an angry new generation. One aspect I love about punk is that it gave voice to women to a greater degree than any musical genre before it. As well as Patti Smith, there were the Slits, Blondie, X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene) and Siouxsie Sioux, to name a few, all of whom were far more interesting than the angry, young men of punk. Going chronologically from Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith is instructive, in that Smith's look was androgynous (just look at that iconic album sleeve), her style was frank and confrontational and her approach was primitive rock & roll (she also didn't rely on industry contacts like Graham Nash or David Crosby to get her break). Though born in Chicago, Smith spent her formative years in New York and became part of the legendary underground punk scene centred around CBGB. In fact, just after this album's release, the first issue of fanzine Punk was published in January 1976, covering emerging artists like Smith and the Ramones and christening this new genre. Punk also gave voice to women music journalists who had been shut out of covering male-dominated heavy rock.
Though a highly influential punk figure, Smith also stands slightly apart, in that she was more mature than many punk rockers, shared the same literary influences (Rimbaud) as many established singer-songwriters like Dylan and didn't stick to the restrictive 2-3mins garage rock template for her songs. Opening song Gloria comes in two parts, the first delivered as spoken word poetry and unflinching in tone ("Jesus dies for somebody's sins, but not mine", referencing Smith's escape from the religious grip of her Jehovah Witness mother). This merges seamlessly with a cover of Van Morrison's Gloria, the changing rhythms pulled off brilliantly by the Patti Smith Group (including Television's Tom Verlaine). Redondo Beach is an early example of how punk and new wave would absorb the influence of reggae, while the lyrics detail a doomed lesbian love affair. If you're in any doubt to the power of Smith's poetry, then you have to listen closely to Birdland, a powerful story about a son who hopes his dead father will come back to him from outer space (inspired by the story of Wilhelm Reich & son), which shifts majestically from funereal dirge to manic frenzy. Break It Up is another favourite of mine on the record, showcasing Smith's improvised, jazz-style singing and the loose guitar sound. Land is the most groundbreaking song on the album, shifting from a sinister school incident to a stunning rendition of Land Of A Thousand Dances, a trick that very few musicians could pull off successfully. On the CD reissue, there's also a brilliant live version of the Who's My Generation, featuring the album's producer John Cale and on which Smith sneers, swears and sounds unashamedly punk, highlighting her role as the bridge between two different musical generations.
By 1975, youth music in Britain and the US was in need of renewal, and London and New York became the two cities where the punk ethos took root. Just zooming out briefly, the social and economic situation on both sides of the Atlantic was dire at this point, with both the US and UK brought low by a long recession from 1973-75. This had brought an end to the extensive post-WWII boom in both countries and created an angry new generation. One aspect I love about punk is that it gave voice to women to a greater degree than any musical genre before it. As well as Patti Smith, there were the Slits, Blondie, X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene) and Siouxsie Sioux, to name a few, all of whom were far more interesting than the angry, young men of punk. Going chronologically from Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith is instructive, in that Smith's look was androgynous (just look at that iconic album sleeve), her style was frank and confrontational and her approach was primitive rock & roll (she also didn't rely on industry contacts like Graham Nash or David Crosby to get her break). Though born in Chicago, Smith spent her formative years in New York and became part of the legendary underground punk scene centred around CBGB. In fact, just after this album's release, the first issue of fanzine Punk was published in January 1976, covering emerging artists like Smith and the Ramones and christening this new genre. Punk also gave voice to women music journalists who had been shut out of covering male-dominated heavy rock.
Though a highly influential punk figure, Smith also stands slightly apart, in that she was more mature than many punk rockers, shared the same literary influences (Rimbaud) as many established singer-songwriters like Dylan and didn't stick to the restrictive 2-3mins garage rock template for her songs. Opening song Gloria comes in two parts, the first delivered as spoken word poetry and unflinching in tone ("Jesus dies for somebody's sins, but not mine", referencing Smith's escape from the religious grip of her Jehovah Witness mother). This merges seamlessly with a cover of Van Morrison's Gloria, the changing rhythms pulled off brilliantly by the Patti Smith Group (including Television's Tom Verlaine). Redondo Beach is an early example of how punk and new wave would absorb the influence of reggae, while the lyrics detail a doomed lesbian love affair. If you're in any doubt to the power of Smith's poetry, then you have to listen closely to Birdland, a powerful story about a son who hopes his dead father will come back to him from outer space (inspired by the story of Wilhelm Reich & son), which shifts majestically from funereal dirge to manic frenzy. Break It Up is another favourite of mine on the record, showcasing Smith's improvised, jazz-style singing and the loose guitar sound. Land is the most groundbreaking song on the album, shifting from a sinister school incident to a stunning rendition of Land Of A Thousand Dances, a trick that very few musicians could pull off successfully. On the CD reissue, there's also a brilliant live version of the Who's My Generation, featuring the album's producer John Cale and on which Smith sneers, swears and sounds unashamedly punk, highlighting her role as the bridge between two different musical generations.
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