Thought I'd kick things off by saluting a few of the women whose music has greatly affected my life. One of the earliest was Patti Smith. So much has already been written about her. I own three separate biographies! I believe a film about her life was also in the works and possibly, a television series? She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. The French Ministry of Culture named her a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2005. She also won the National Book Award in 2010 for her memoir, Just Kids.
I'm certain almost anyone who would read this column is familiar with Smith in some way. She has recently released a series of three spoken-word Cd's with the Berlin-based band Soundwalk Collective. I'm not reviewing that series because I want to focus on the two seminal albums I personally believe EVERY rock music fan, every poet, every outsider and every female artist should own. First, let's do a very brief run through of her history.
Born in Chicago, 1946, Patti spent the first four years of her life in Philadelphia before her family moved to rural New Jersey. After failing in several dead-end jobs and getting pregnant but giving the child up for adoption, she fled to New York City in 1967. She immediately fell in with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and a host of other artists and musicians, including poet Jim Carroll and actor/playwright Sam Shepard. Her incendiary spoken-word performances at St. Marks Poetry Project in New York in the early 70's drew acclaim and by 1974, the Patti Smith Group was formed. The band was signed to Arista Records and released their stunning debut: Horses in 1975.
Horses was quite unlike any other record before its time. It was raw, the murky production actually enhancing the songs. Smith sang but spent equal time chanting and declaiming verse. On Horses,the songs are built into the poetry. On the other album I wish to talk about, Easter, the poems are built into the songs. It strikes me as ironic that on the cover of Horses, she has a visible light mustache and on the cover of Easter, she is flashing under arm hair.
Horses, with its wild energy and Smith's animal yet intellectual presence foreshadowed punk, inspiring the kids that went on to form bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. The opening lines of the album: “Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine” set the tone for all of the hallucinatory imagery and sexual abandon that followed. The band paired a few classic rock tunes ( Van Morrison's “Gloria” and Chris Kenner's “Land of a Thousand Dances”) to Smith's often improvised rants to create a new musical form.
After that powerful public introduction and statement of purpose, Patti and the band released their second record, Radio Ethiopia in 1976. It was a commercial and critical flop, though fans will want to own it. To further complicate things, Smith fell from a stage, breaking vertebrae in her neck, while the band were opening for Bob Seger (!) in Tampa, Florida in 1977. The future of the band seemed uncertain.
All was not lost, however. In March, 1978, The Patti Smith Group delivered what would be their most commercially successful album, Easter. Produced by then-unknown Jimmy Iovine, the record featured Smith's only hit, Because The Night with music supplied by fellow New Jersey rocker, Bruce Springsteen. Iovine's tasteful production combined with a strong set of songs and Patti's regained commitment to her art, all made for a very spirited comeback. The key ingredient was Smith's voice. She let loose with a new strength and control that was intoxicating and would go on to inspire future female rockers including P.J. Harvey and Courtney Love.
Ever expanding on a multi-faceted career that's already spanned over four decades, Smith continues to inspire with her singular vision. She has helped redefine the boundaries of what is possible in rock music as well as exemplifying a new type of female performer. If you are not familiar with her recorded output, I highly recommend beginning with either of the aforementioned albums. You can always go back and score the rest later.
