Album Chats- Patti Smith- Horses

When I started this series, I was crying out for new music but had no idea where to start. Naturally, I Googled it. When I found far too many curated lists to look through, I started noticing a pattern. The music press really wants you to listen to Revolver- The Beatles, Astral Weeks- Van Morrison and Rumours- Fleetwood Mac. 

As these were artists I was familiar with, I set about looking for something completely new to me. Patti Smith- Horses. I had heard of Patti Smith but I was unsure if I knew any of her music. To me, Patti Smith was only ever a reference in American TV, a barometer of coolness but that was all I really knew her to be. As someone who has watched countless BBC Four documentaries with my Dad on all things music and history, Patti Smith is a bit of a musical blind spot, so I was excited to dive in. 

The album Horses was released in 1975. Other notable albums released in 1975: Pink Floyd's Wish you Were Here. Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run, Queen's Night at the Opera and David Bowie's Young Americans. A big year for great music in my opinion.

The opening Gloria: In Excelsis Deo is very atmospheric. The first thing I noticed was the unique style of her voice. A raspy talk singing style. It struck me as a more melodic Bob Dylan. I enjoy how the song increases in pace and feels quite like a march and builds, becoming more and more frantic as it progresses. 

For the most part it is only reminiscent of the original track until you reach the famous chorus. It reminds me of the Rolling Stones in its rhythms. I really enjoy the more rock and roll interpretation of an already great song. 

Redondo Beach, has more of a ska/ reggae feeling to it, the bass line is a stand out. It sounds as though your friend has a few too many drinks at the beach and is telling you about their day. I don't mean this as an insult, just the best way I can encapsulate the style of the track.

Birdland is far more serious than the first two. The introduction is cinematic, it makes it feel important. It opens with whispered spoken word and the piano. 

This is a 9 minute epic. I can’t say I understand the narrative, I could be wrong but it feel like it might be trying to recreate the feeling of getting high? If nothing else, it is a great song to look out the window in the rain and feel like the main character. 

In Free Money, the marching, go faster rhythm section is back for this one. I might need to find out the technical terms for what I am talking about. I guarantee you will know what I am talking about if you listen, there are fun harmonies in this one. Again my point of comparison is the Rolling Stones, which makes sense considering the era. 

The way the synthesizers are used in Kimberly remind me of a U2 track, in the beginning and then become a more consistent organ motif giving it an angelic quality in contrast with the harsher guitar, drums and vocal. It is a fun mixture of styles, giving you a breather from the relentless nature of the previous track.

Break it up has a solemn opening couple of notes and then bursts into life, there is a call and response style, slower spoken word verse followed by a big chorus with harmonies. The guitar riff is akin to that of Brian May and the use of the piano and dramatic tempo very much reminds me of Queen.

Land: Horses/ Land of a Thousand Dangers is the second 9 minute epic in this album, which I can't say I am a huge fan of. The trademark at this rhythm section is back. It sounds more like punk than the others. It sits in the same realm as the opening track and is a fun track you can dance to. This song is more in line with what I had anticipated for the rest of the album.

Elegie sounds mysterious, the vocals in this are the main difference, instead of the raspy rock n roll sounding voice, Smith shows off her range with more ethereal high notes.

The energy of the live version of My Generation was more of energetic and closer to what I thought this album would sound like. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the album as a whole because I did. My favourite tracks on the album are the covers Gloria and My Generation but I think that is down to familiarity. Of course my favourites are the ones I can already sing along to. Aside from those two I think Redondo Beach and Free Money are my stand out tracks.  

Call me a cynic but this album is held in such high esteem by music critics which leads me to believe that it may not be the fans favourite? It feels like a very accomplished album, but the kind of album I would be told by a music journalist that I didn't understand it if I didn't rate it very highly. I may be projecting. What it has shown me is that I should listen to more Patti Smith and find my own favourites because I really enjoy her voice.

It turns out I am a sucker for critical acclaim because I also bought her book Just Kids, solely based on how many times I had seen it on recommended or best seller lists. So I might be back with a Bookshelf review in the not too distant future.