#44: Horses- Patti Smith

Listened to: CD

From the howling vocals, to the virtuoso poetics, to the Mapplethorpe androgynous cover, to even the most minute details, I have always loved every inch of Patti Smith’s debut album Horses. Opening with the chills-down-your-spine lyric “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine” in the murky instrumentals of the Patti Smith Group’s rendition of Them’s “Gloria”, the album kick into high gear, introducing us to Patti’s wails and flails from the start. Patti challenged the role of women in music, and rather than play to the custie gender roles like her contemporary Debbie Harry, Smith became rough, grizzled, and every bit as hard rock and roll as a man. The song beats intensely, and on the wail of “And her name is, and her name is, and her name is” (which I always misheard as “and the nightmares”) if you’re not hypnotized, you must be dead. “Redondo Beach”, based on a poem by Patti Smith, takes on a bit more of a fun, bouncy feel, but Patti once again brings the grit, and reminds us that as bouncy as it gets, it’s still raw punk rock. I can repeat from memory every vocal movement on this track, and I’m unashamed to admit I’ve avidly studied this album to improve myself as a performer. “Birdland” is a chance for Patti to display her jazz roots, as the title is an obvious reference to Charlie Parker. The way Patti speaks the lyrics in the beginning never ceases to entrance me, and the slow crescendo is a rush. “Free Money” is one of smith’s most lamenting and beautiful tracks on the album, and I always feel like she’s opening up specifically to me (not in the psycho way, just that she’s so candid and radiant on this track, that it connects). “Kimberly” jumps in with that bouncy bass that you’re already familiar with on “Redondo Beach”, but Patti’s now talking about the collapse of the sky and the end of the world. One thing I hope you’ll discover is that while the album is musically exceptional, it is Patti’s poetry that make it such a masterwork. “Break It Up” has one of my favorite choruses of any song in rock history, and I can’t help but howl it out every time it comes on. The guitars play with such gritty finesse, and Patti seems to vocally lead the chorus as conductress extraordinaire. “Land” is a nine minute epic mini-opera, divided into three parts. “Horses”, “Land Of The Thousand Dances”, and “La Mer (De)”, which, of the three, the first is my favorite. It’s part epic poem, part punk rock anthem, part jam session magic, and every second of this track is genius. This masterpiece is followed up by the album’s closer, “Elegie”, the mystical track that always reminds me of Godspell, where Patti shows her most range, and softly sings us out into the abyss of the dark world she inhabits. The final track is so haunting, It lilts and floats in the air, leaving you feeling in awe of what an incredible thing just took place on your stereo.

Of course, the CD has a bonus of the band performing “My Generation” by The Who, live, and I presume it was the same live performance I saw on SNL oin the DVD, since it sounds nearly identical. I’m not going to tell you to listen to this album. Rather, I’m demanding any serious reader of this blog go out and buy it. You’ll be a far better person for it. Horses is one of the greatest albums of all time, and no human being should go without hearing it. That’s my doctor’s orders for the day.

-Mike

See you tomorrow for a very different woman of rock, Madonna, specifically #363: Ray Of Light.