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 PATTI SMITH Horses (1975) Rating (Out of 10): 10 Tracklisting: Gloria/Redondo Beach/Birdland/Free Money/Kimberly/Break it up/Land: Horses;Land of a Thousand Dances;La Mer/Elegie Released in 1975, Patti Smith's 'Horses' was decades ahead of it's time. Listening to it now almost 30 years after its release it still sounds innovative, original and highly creative. Patti Smith was arguably the first female punk rock star, and completely re-wrote the rules for women in the music industry. She looked, sounded and behaved like no-one else. She made up her own rules and didn't care what anyone thought, paving the way for the likes of Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and Cat Power, and practically every other female rock star around today. The first thing that will strike you about 'Horses' is Patti Smith's voice. It is definitely one of the most strikingly original female voices in the music industry. Strong, snarling, overpowering, it is the sort of voice that you can't avoid; the sort of voice that smacks you right in the face and leaves you reeling for days afterwards. Produced by John Cale, 'Horses' is a very complicated affair. It's definitely not easy listening. It is complex, challenging, very carefully put together and it really works. For me, 'Horses', is one of the best albums ever made. It's the sort of album that requires a lot of work on the part of the listener, but it is work that definitely pays off. 'Horses' starts off with a cover of Van Morrison's 'Gloria'. Unrecognisable from the original, Smith transforms it into a powerful punk anthem, shrieking and snarling her way through the lyrics. 'Redondo Beach' which follows 'Gloria' is an amazing song, and in fact, there isn't a single track on this album which isn't amazing. The nine minute long 'Birdland' is more like a piece of performance art than a song and sees Smith oscillate between taking her way through lyrics which come across like poetry and belting out a resounding chorus, using her voice like an instrument, evoking the exact emotion she wishes the audience to have. Throughout the album it is evident that Smith is the one in control here. The audience can merely go along with what she commands of them. 'Land' is definitely the most intricate and complex song on the album and is divided into 3 sections - 'Horses', 'Land of a Thousand Dances, and 'La Mer'. By the end of the nine and a half minutes you are left exhausted, yet immensely satisfied. I can only imagine the impact 'Horses' had on the listening public 30 years ago. Most people were probably devastated by it's audacity and lack of compromise. People buying it now and listening to it for the first time are probably still startled by it's originality. And if they're not, they should be. 'Horses is of the best examples of what music should be about - an artist striving to breakdown barriers, to experiment and create something never done before, to be the best they can be, rather than merely going along with what's fashionable and giving the fans what they want. Send A Comment Patti Smith - Trampin' - (2004) Rating (Out of 10): 9 Jubilee/Mother Rose/Stride Of The Mind/Cartwheels/Ghandi/Tresspasses/My Blakean Year/Cash/Peaceable Kingdom/Radio Baghdad/Trampin' With the release of 'Trampin' almost thirty years after her debut album, Patti Smith shows that she's still a force to be reckoned with. 'Trampin' may not have the sheer audacitiy of 'Horses', but there is still innovation and creativity in buckletloads. Patti Smith paved the way for a whole host of female artists such as PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, and while many of these may have overtaken her in recent years in terms of productivity and popularity, with the release of 'Trampin' Smith shows that she is still most definitely leader of the pack. In this album, she yet again displays what gave her a reputation for being a ground-breaking artist. Patti Smith has something that no other artist has, something hard to describe. It's more than just talent, it's her utter uniqueness, energy and originality. And twenty five years since she first began she is still writing the rules, going where no other female artist has gone before. Compared to her, everyone else pales in comparrison. The most amazing thing listening to this album, is how she doesn't seem to have aged at all. Joni Mitchell's 2003 release 'Travelogue' revealed her once perfectly pictched voice to have aged gracefully to a deeper more gravelly tone. But Smith's voice is as strong and youthful as ever, and having recently seen her in concert, physically she doesn't seem to have aged at all and appears to be in possession of the body of a 25 year old. 'Trampin' sees Smith diversify from her punk roots, and instead employs a more bluesy edge with a rockier feel, and it's something that works for her. The tracks emphasise her beautiful voice and are laden with emotion. The opening track Jubilee, wouldn't have sounded out of place in 'Horses' but has a more contemporary feel to it. Almost like a poem to music, she half sings half speaks the lyrics. 'Mother Rose' is an extremely delicate, tender song written for her mother who recently passed away. The first two tracks are miles away from each other musically but manage to compliment each other perfectly. Here her singing voice is incredibly vunerable and tender. It's a magical song, extremely evocative. 'Trampin' is an album full of diversity and variety, with each track taking the listener on a rollercoaster of emotions. After the intense beauty of 'Mother Rose', 'Stride Of The Mind', sees Smith hail back to her early days of spitting out the lyrics with comtempt, with a brilliant chorus and infectious lyrics is a truly remarkable song. 'Cartwheels' is another quieter, delicate affair and works to add variety to the album. At 9 minutes 21 seconds 'Ghandi' is an incredible song. Starting off with nasally vocals, then her own unique brand of performance poetry remniscent of Birdland, it's a track that never fails to impress. The accolade of most beautiful track on the album has to go to 'Tresspasses'. I don't think I've ever heard Patti Smith's voice sounding so soft and vunerable. With minimal accompaiment that allows the focus to remain on her voice there is something incredibly dream-like and romantic about this song. Another incredible track on the album is 'Cash' which is probably the most accomplished track on the album lyrically. While a lot of Smith's lyrics tend to be poetic and verge towards the surreal at times, the lyrics of 'Cash' are straightforward, yet extremely evocative and incrediblely moving. The 12 minute long 'Radio Bagdad' is without a doubt the most innovative and original track on the album. For anyone else it would be considered experimental, but for Smith it's all par for the course. The title track ends the album perfectly. A beautiful piano ballad with just a few lines of lyrics repeated again and again, her voice adds so much variety that it just gets so much variety, and the sparse lryics sum up the album as a whole 'I'm Trampin, Trying To Make Heaven My Home'. With this album, Patti Smith has gone on a journey, to discover herself, to make peace with the world, and not only does she seem to have achieved this, but she has also managed to create a very beautiful album. She may not be the young artist who released 'Horses' all those years ago wanting to change the world, but she proves that she still has something to say, something unique to contribute to the world. She's still here wanting to make a contribution, refusing to compromise, and that's why we all still love her. Send A Comment BACK TO INDEX BACK TO MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX |