Horses

Good, a lot more spoken word than I expected. Not my cup of tea but grand

Not my mood again, Patti's voice is cool i guess. Very long songs (Birdland is 9+ minutes), i don't really listen to the lyrics, music is kinda boring and repetitive, a lot of choruses. Sometimes sounds like VU, but not the kind i like. Didn't listen attentively, not for me.

I enjoyed the tracks more when she wasn't singing.

That's the way it's gonna be, little darlin' We'll be riding on the horses, yeah, yeah. No? Shame!

She's cool, but not digging the music. 2.5

4.0/10

spennende!! // okei jeg har fullstendig misforstått. jeg trodde patti smith var easy listening. her tok jeg helt feil. jeg tror jeg må høre/lese bedre en annen gang. birdland og free money feks var helt grusom å høre gjennom nå.

Not for me.

Not a big fan. Her songs made very little sense to me, not sure why this is on the list.

It all became mumble jumble

reminds me of a female Leonard Cohen. too much of the talk/sing style, repetitive lyrics, and don't care for her vocals.

The songs on this are okay. Nothing particularly special. Seems a little bit self-indulgent and like it wasn't finished being written before they decided to record. The mix is kinda tinny, thin, and very uneven sounding in a lot of moments. Definitely far from my favorite of these albums. Break It Up is maybe the best of these songs. 2.1/5

One of the most famous artists that I've never listened to. Didn't miss much. Lyrics are great, vocals are hard to listen to.

This may be the first album I rate less than a 3... as the first 3 tracks have done nothing for me at all. Especially "Birdland", I've never understood this "raw vocal style"; it just sounds like tone-deaf ranting. The lyrics themselves are smart and relatable though. "Kimberley" was just as unenjoyable for the same reasons. Heck, the instruments are great, such as the smooth bass and the insane drum roll on "Free Money". The problem is Smith and her - damn I feel bad for saying this - "singing". It's hard to even appreciate the instrumentals when she grates the ears so badly over the top of it. Then... there's "Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer (De)". What is going on here? So she can sing!? So it can sound like something enjoyable? This track stands starkly against the rest as testament that there is more to Smith than the wailing, telling a story with peaks and troughs reflected perfectly in the monologue and song switching throughout. "Elegie" is similarly evidence of Smith actually having a singing voice and easily became my favourite song on the album, with almost Floyd-like guitars and Smith's voice being genuinely beautiful and haunting over the bassline. It will be interesting to hear more Smith to see if anything else exists like Land: Horses and Elegie.

Technically, I should love this album. It just doesn't do enough to catch my attention

2.5/10

Didn't leave a single impression on me

Yeah sorry- wasn’t good back then, hasn’t gotten better with age. Punk Rock generally sucks, and I suppose this is marginally better than your average Punk, but at its best it’s just tolerable, and at its worst it’s grating and annoying and makes you want to scream. Plus one for Patti’s voice which she wasted on Punk Rock.

I understand that I’m supposed to get it, but I really don’t.

a collection of the different sounds people make when they stub their toe

Didn't do anything for me.

She was kind of ahead of her time, but it didn't really do anything for me.

This didn't do anything for me. Free Money was alright I guess.

Didn’t like, can see the appeal, esp at the time. Historically significant, kind of drove me crazy. But def made Fiona Apple possible in the ny zeitgeist

We have more critically acclaimed poetic people releasing music! I straddle this line between obsessively loving the output of extremely ar(u)tistic people and believing them to be pretentious dorks, feebly pawing at the just out of reach mobile of praise from other nerds in their echoing sphere of influence. I don't know exactly what it is that tips the scales. I think I have a pretty good idea of when people are creating something that they themselves enjoy, or when somebody is attempting to hit the requisite notes that indicate creativity to simpletons. Perhaps I'm all wrong, and it is I who is the simpleton and I just drool and mash my keyboard. No matter. This is all opinion and subjectivity at the end of the day, and as dusk dawns on this meandering, drivel-laden paragraph, I end up sitting firmly on the proverbial fence. Horrible singing and obnoxious music darkens what is a palpable poetic spirit. Poetry that really doesn't do all that much for me. It's not a wholly unlikeable darkness, but it still makes it hard to see.. I'm gonna give this a deserved 2 stars (uniqueness only) and power scoot outta here. Where did I put that Birdland receipt? My new budgie is uhh "broken." 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Birdland

Let's start off by saying I respect this album and everything Patti Smith stands for. That being said, there's very little I find worthwhile on this. Gloria is a great punk rocker, but the rest doesn't quite find that level of fire. The poetry is good, but in an album setting it feels pretentious and forced. The rest is generic garage rock in a style that grinds my ears.

Funky wunky

It’s fine

langweilig

Didn’t like it very much

I get it but its not for me Yeah not for me

This is meant to be punk? I don't know, sounded like pretty generic rock to me.

Honestly, the only thing that is interesting about this album is the choice of the album cover. A classic that conveys many subtexts based upon the historical events of the U.S. in the early 1970s. Beyond that, this album seems less punk, and more like guitar and piano bar era Bette Midler stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but while this album may have been earth shaking in 1975, it seems fairly tedious these days. More poetry performance art that hopes to pass itself off as music than actual music. You can hear Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground inspirations all over this record. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of either. Thankfully Patti Smith and colleagues spared me the squawking harmonica. HORSES is one of those albums that we are supposed to enjoy, but I never have. I prefer Tori Amos and Kate Bush albums to Patti Smith records. I suppose that the argument could be made maybe there wouldn't have been the Tori Amos' and Kate Bush's of the world without Patti Smith tweaking the world's ears with albums like HORSES, but to me it just feels like undercooked ideas that are not quite ready yet or too intentionally non-sequitur for my tastes. I need music with more hooks, pleasure, and optimism. Just realized John Cale produced this. That tracks, as I've found over the years that I don't most of the things of his I've heard, whether they were with The Velvet Underground or his solo work. 2 stars it is for the potential cultural cache it may have carried in the 70s.

Pony ...

Would never have found by myself, but would be cool on vinyl

Jag gillar Patti som personlighet, kanske rentav som person, och som författare (Just kids är fantastiskt, inte minst som New Yorkskildring där i skarven 60/70tal) Poetrock däremot, det är sällan en bra idé. Ett stort Nja, varken poesin eller rocken är särskilt kul här. Bara Free money sparkar lite rumpa. Klarar tvåan men då är jag jävligt snäll

This was very up and down. Sort of liked “Free Money” and “Land…” but most of the rest didn’t work for me. There are some songs I like by Patti Smith, but they weren’t on this album. This a 2.5 for me, but I’m rounding down.

O mais fraco ate aqui

Mixed feeling on Smith's debut. I like some of the shorter melodic tracks like Redondo Beach, Free Money, Kimblerley but the longer songs don't as does the more spoken word/poet moments. So just ok for me.

this style is a bit too talky for me. There were some interesting lyrics but I wanted more to back them up

I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t resonate with me. There are some catchy parts but all in all I probably won’t listen again.

Loved the first track so much. The rest was a tough listen, which I know is the point, but I wouldn’t return to it.

Eclectic, sometimes frenzied, sometimes meek. If Jagger, Dylan, and Siouxsie Sioux had a daughter… …but it seems I need more “toons” (melody), and less a fan of solo vocal artists with the voice as the central instrument.

This album bored me and I didn't understand anything about why it was included in the 1001 albums to listen to...

Clearly not the best of Patti Smith. Despite her amazing voice, I felt disappointing by the lack of punk vibe.

I find it hard to understand what she is saying buy I can appreciate and really get a sens of each feeling she expresses through her words. Gloria: In Excelsis Deo - 4/10 Redondo Beach - 5/10 Birdland - 4/10 Way too long a song for my liking repeating the same for too long. Free Money - 6/10 Kimberly - 5/10 Break It Up - 6/10 Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer(de) - 6/10 Only because it lasts too long with the same rythm and melody. Elegie - 4/10 Even though I don't particularly find it within my usual music choices, I can feel the emotion that was put into each record and appreciate that. I would like to research her story to understand more the place where she writes.

Honestly a very mid album. There was some highlights which were the shorter songs but almost every song had these slow talking parts that I did not like. I think the top three songs are free money, Kimberly, and then elegie. The worst song of the album is probably bird land as it’s too long and the good part is super short and the rest is ass. At first listen I kind of liked Gloria but after the second listen I liked it even more and it may crack the top three. The album is alright it’s just the slow talking parts where it’s the same boring notes and just her talking. I also think if she made the long bird land and land shorter they would’ve been way better. Other than that the songs are pretty good.

Annoying vocals at times. I'd like it if she talked less and sang more.

Not for me. Vocals are kind of annoying.

Horses for courses

Had a REALLY HARD TIME teasing out the whole "punk" thing. Arty poetry based rock, sure. Critics are always falling over themselves when the next generation does something novel. The album is merely okay. I never really "got" Patti Smith. I guess there's an interesting twist on songwriting here that definitely breaks from the mainstream. Stylistically crude (maybe that's why some see "punk" here), definitely part of the Art Scene more than the music scene. Like the Velvet Underground, who I also struggle with. Influential though, I can see a path to Bjork ,The Pretenders, Nina Hagen possibly... just leaves mewondering why this is so "important?" There were and always will be a thousand poetry writers who can almost sing, why this?

Her voice properly gets on my nerves. Actually, not her voice, that has a really nice tone, but her singing style is incredibly grating. I struggled to get through this.

Okay!

i kinda liked it, fineee nothing special

She is not a good rock singer. Her pop album is much better.

this is how I discovered I don´t like punk... some good songs tho

Ikke alt på 70-tallet var bra

4/10 - не слушал

It was alright. Quite liked Elegie, but otherwise a bit meandering. Wasn't stirred, nor roused. Perhaps I didn't pay close enough attention to the lyrics. I relistened to Gloria on the basis of other reviews. I didn't get it.

Not really a fan of her sound/voice, can’t really get past it. Need to have a proper to songs individually and read the lyrics.

Don’t love her voice

I can hear later albums in this one so I can sense it's influence. However just didn't really enjoy this one

Fuck this album and Fuck Birdland

Not for me. Too pretentious for my taste.

Really solid. Very truthful and biogrpahical, glad i found it beyond redondo beach

Ok

It's a shame that the couple actual songs were short lived because the rest was just slam poetry yelled over uninteresting instrumentals

I think if I wasn't on a bus journey I probably wouldn't have finished it. Very experimental and the tracks are very long. Not really my vibe

Look, I'm all for powerful, opinionated, musically talented women who had to be scrappy and fight their way onto the male-dominated music scene, but this... well, it ain't it for me."Birdland" is nine minutes of gorgeous piano and Patti Smith whine-talk-singing all over it. For several measures in the middle she sings the same damn note for what seems like an eternity. "Free Money" seriously reminds me of a Tori Amos song- that may be the only redeeming quality this album has. PH WAIT - now that we've reached the middle of the song, Smith is back to the whine-talk-singing on the same note again. Nope. I just don't get it. Vocally, she just isn't strong. Poetically more so, but not enough to save this for me. "Kimberly " features more one-note singing. Is this Smith's schtick?

New to me. Not my fave, but I appreciate her art.

I understand this album’s importance and Patti Smith’s importance, but I just didn’t like the music.

I understand why I should like this album more than I actually like it.

Didnt end up listening to the whole album. Not my fave

Not for me.

Not a dan

I must have heard Patti Smith before but obviously not tracks from this album. The album seemed punk-ish in places, which seems about right from the year it was released. I'm not normally a fan of punk, but this seemed to be a softer version of it, less out to offend than some of the later bands. She has a distinctive and strong voice which came over well and fitted with the music. I set out thinking i wouldn't like the album but in the end it turned out OK.

1 song in...i dont think im going to get this album. im sure it was crazy 50 years ago, but it's missing me. Hits me like an Always Sunny song break, The Gang (Charlie and Dee) goes art punk. I guess "Free Money" is alright.

Favorite Song: Free Money Least Favorite Song: Kimberly Fun listen, but not my cup of tea unfortunately. Patti Smith's powerful voice and the iconic opening line might be the only memorable things about this.

Not gonna claim to get this one eh. Redondo beach…? Like….huh?

First time hearing this iconic album. It was exactly what I expected from it and also nothing like it. Years ago my now-husband and I went to a Patti Smith art exhibition at a big gallery. The art was carried by attitude and determination, but not much raw talent. There was a hush surrounded the exhibition, though. A sense of "I cannot believe Patti Smith herself will be here later today." And so this record carries that too. Attitude, determination, some but not much raw talent, and a cult of personality. I liked some songs: Elegie and Free Money. But overall, Smith as an artist doesn't work for me.

Album is not something I typically listen to, however I’m glad I did because I know it’s considered a classic.

(CENSORED) The only solid song on here is Gloria and I’d prefer Van Morrisson’s ___ in my ___ over Patti Smith‘s whining voice in my ears any day 🍑 Top candidate for most overhyped album of all times

Cracking opening, but suffers from the same problems Patti Smith always exhibits. Dull music, bad mix, lyrics veer wildly from evocative to overwrought.

It started interesting, but went downhill quickly from there 1,5/5

Great voice but not really my cup of tea. Very repetitive sounding. Album gets quite boring quite early to be honest.

Äe jag hade svårt för detta. Inte dåligt men inte min smak.

Not my thang, she had a great voice but some of her songs were pretty wack

Not going to lie, this one made me sleepy, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t engaging for me, probably bc I don’t really like this slow, relaxing type of music.

Big fan of Patti Smith's books but never could fully get behind her music

It's ok. Her vocals grate on me after a while though and not enough of the songs hit the mark.

Good

not all music can be poetry and not all poetry can be music. i would say this album fits within the latter statement 2 stars

The album was angsty and slow with early country/bluegrass roots. Had some good moments, but other parts made me cringe a bit.

Meh

Didn't like this as much as I thought I would.

Gloria started out strong. The rest of the album didn't really make me tune in.

This artist seemed to me like a knock off stevie nicks. I’m not even sure what genre this belongs to? Punk n roll? Apparently this album is not only one of the 1001 greatest albums but is also a top 100 album all time. It wasn’t for me. I do appreciate the artist’s sentiment, though: “it doesn’t ask to be understood, only felt.”

Started out alright but seemed to be a train off its tracks and was a mess by the end.

Few interesting songs, especially her version of Gloria as the opener, but otherwise not something id pick up again.

I can understand how it was ahead of its time, some songs have good energy, didn’t roll my eyes as hard at it as i did in the past. Still not for me…2.5 with a round down

This is not an easy listen. She seems to be trying to sing poorly, widely varying her pitch in odd places, slurring words. When I could understand the lyrics, they didn't make sense. Much of the album is spoken word over background music, and it all seems like a dark, twisted poetry slam. I suppose that was her intent, to rebel against standards of music.

Yeah, it wasn’t too bad, but some of the songs had that whisper singing that I hate.

Jarring vocals.

FFS i had a whole write up for this that has just disappeared. Anyway it was basically, I wamted to like this. I didnt like this. Her overuse of inflection annoys me.

I liked Free Money but that’s about it. Too many spoken word type elements for my liking.

I wanted to love this, trailblazing punk (really?) that I understood it to be, but couldn't get into it 😕

I guess I'm supposed to like this because everyone and their brother who is a music critic absolutely loves this album. I did not. Sorry! 2 / 5 stars because it's not god awful like Krautrock.

Mehhh

Idk about this one. Not my style.

Dette var ikke noe for meg. Fikk litt hippie-vibes.

5.7/10 - instrumentals were good. Some songs had nice rolling beats. The piano was nice on others. The squawky style of singing just wasn’t for me unfortunately. Land (7.5) and Redondo Beach (7.2) were the best, while Birdland (4) was my least favorite…

I wanted to enjoy this album. I really did. I did not enjoy this album. I think Patti Smith's voice is just not for me. I couldn't get past it no matter how hard I tried. My favorite song on the album was Break It Up. My least favorite was Land.

I was driving through horse country while listening to this album, which is most likely not the best setting to consume it in. Very manic, very strange, very cool. I'm between a 2.5 or a 3 here. There were a few songs I really enjoyed, but it didn't quite land for me with the limited time I had with it. These are the flaws with one album a day; I think I could've gotten a lot more out of this with more time, and I probably will in the future.

Appreciated some of the energetic and spitfire moments of this one, but overall struggled to enjoy the artsy punk direction. Every 70s punk album gets me closer to getting it, but it's still challenging for me to really dig.

Meh, not for me.

Some interesting/good moments and at times I loved her voice. Other times I thought it was just awful and headache inducing noice. Birdland? What the shit is that? I liked Break It Up and really cool guitar tone…but the end goes into nonsense and turns me off. 2.25

Not great. Not enough happening outside of the spoken word parts to justify the song lengths. Gloria is a good song, but the rest is immensely forgettable and not anything I wanna listen to ever again.

Definitely different. Were some parts that were quite decent, but mostly got hung up around the disturbing lyrics about splitting someone’s head up and crawling inside a skull. The sometimes erratic singing didn’t really suit me either.

Ok 2.5

Uneventful

Unique. Spoken sections in many songs. Poetic. I understand why people dig her.

Pre: Don't know this album at all, is it rock, or like Kate bush and artsy? Post: it was both, artsy rock n roll with Jim Morrison influences

My girlfriend works next to where Patti Smith lives and she’s rude as hell so two stars sorry.

weird

Sometimes revolutionary music is trapped in its era.

I just did not enjoy this album. Maybe I’m missing something? But the music did not grab me and I just found it a bit strange.

Não é um álbum que eu vou escutar novamente. As músicas só ficam meio legais no final; a voz tremula com certeza não me agradou. As que eu achei razoáveis: "Break It Up" e "Land" (se ela não prolongasse muito as músicas, ia ser perfeito).

First time listening to Patti Smith properly. Lots of artists talk the influence of the great Patti Smith. Wasn't amazed by it. However may grow after a few more listens

I get what Patti Smith is going for but her voice is just annoying to me. I respect the attempt though, it's something different. Just not for me. 4.75/10 (2.375/5)

O album horses é como realmente cavalos correndo em um largo campo. Mas cavalos confusos. Alguns muito rápidos e alguns bem perdidos e desconexos do grupo.

Not really my bag.

This was strange and I love esoteric punk stuff generally but can’t quite figure this one out. Not sure if I’ll come back

I don’t mind Patti Smith in small doses, but a whole album is a bit much.

Meh. Nothing I particularly loved about this album.

Lo-fi and kinda strange. Not really my taste, but it was fine.

Meh. Don't see the fuss.

Opening with Gloria, apparently this is a Van Morrison cover. I guess we are in the really early stages of punk, the piano caught me off guard. Birdland is really out there, this is a bonkers track 3 for your debut album. I’ve never really heard anything like this before. It’s kind of stream of consciousness lyrically. I’m not sure this is for me. I can see how it was sort of pre-punk but I personally don’t really vibe with it that much. I think probably 2.5/5 maybe. For me 3 is neutral and this was a novelty but a bit of a struggle.

Her voice is good. But music wise it’s a bit boring and nothing stands out, at least for me. She did try spicing up the album by more emotive delivery. But her brokenness ended up sounding really unnatural and unnecessary.

i started out really liking this, and then i listened to it a second time with headphones in and had a chance to listen in a lot more for the lyrics, and honestly... it was pretty meh. i love me some poetry and spoken word, but this just didn't grip me. i'm sure Patty Smith is up there for a reason, and she probably has some really unique insights within those lyrics... but it just didn't grab me.

I've heard of Patti Smith before but never listened to her. I guess I was expecting more from all the praise I heard so I was a little disappointed with this album. The two 9 minute songs were way too long. I like her voice, but only for about 2:30 minutes. After that it gets kind of annoying.

This may be "one of the first statements in punk", and as such, a very influential album, but it's not my kind of music. I guess that's how I feel with punk in general...

A little too high brow for my taste. I love poetic expression and experimentation in music, but the vocals got old after the first song. The concepts were difficult to understand with a casual first listen. This sounds like an album/artist that would have a dedicated following of interesting people. Wouldn't pick this up again at all, but the guitar is pretty nice.

Pas aimé j’avoue

Something for specialists ....

Mid to soft, take these horses to the glue fact

The spoken word parts are good the rest is rather bad

Meh...

Didn't really feel this one. 2/5

It's OK. Not as good as its press but few are.

This album was WEIRD. I’ve heard track 2 Redondo Beach years ago and loved it. But these lyrics from track 7 for example: When suddenly Johnny gets the feeling he's being surrounded by Horses, horses, horses, horses Coming in in all directions White shining silver studs with their nose in flames He saw horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses Do you know how to pony like Bony Maroney? Do you know how to twist? Well, it goes like this, it goes like this Baby mash potato Do the alligator, do the alligator And you twist the twister like your baby sister I want your baby sister, give me your baby sister, I dig your baby sister Rise up on her knees Do the sweet pea, do the sweet pee-pee”

Not for me.

Honestly didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it either. Poetic lyrics and reminded me of Blondie and PJ Harvey. 4/10

Meh

These songs meander and feel like they go on forever.

I know it's the sound of the time but it did not age well. Feels like a meme more than an all time album 2.0

Hippie music Slam poetry session Vocals hurt my earss 1970s NYC theater kid

I think i've finally figured out what I don't like about this album. In the past I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I've tried to get into this album a few times since it's a legendary proto punk album, and it just never worked for me. The same is true now, but at least now I know why. And... drum role please... i'm sad to say this... it feels blasphemous to even think this.... it's Patti Smith. Her voice and overall delivery... kinda suck? I don't like it. I really enjoy everything else around her. I love the piano rock instrumentals and the gang vocals (especially on gloria). There's so much energy and propulsion to these songs. It's hype. I even like some of her lyrics. I just don't like her voice/delivery. It's kind of annoying... grating even at times. I'd love to hear another vocals perform these songs, maybe Iggy Pop could pull it off. Just someone else... not Patti. Which really makes it hard for me to enjoy this record because she's part of almost every second of it. I think my favourite track is Gloria... the "hit". The strength of the song and instrumental and the backing vocals hold it together... and Patti is solid. She works okay on this track. She doesn't get in the way. Where she really loses me are on the 9 minute tracks where she gets really rambley and unhinged. On these tracks, her voice really starts to wear me down unfortunately. Sigh. For this main reason, it's a 2.5 at best... rounding down. Sorry Patti... you seem like a cool lady.

Finally a reason to actually listen to this album properly… I don't really like it? Found myself getting quite bored or rolling my eyes a few times...

Not my favorite Patti smith album

2 stars becuase she’s an icon. Honestly did nothing for me.

Ugh this isn't punk. I can't really get into her voice. The first songs set my standards really high and they just weren't met throughout the rest. Some of these songs are wayyyy too long and just feel to stay at the same level. Liked Songs: "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo" and "Free Money"

2.25

This feels like something I am supposed to like. And I liked a few songs, but other parts were too weird and off putting.

Maybe influential but i found it kinda annoying

I remember buying this LP in 1978, as it had such a great reputation amounts the popular music press at the time. I did not rate it. Eventually swapped it for "Can't Stand The Rezillos." Listening to it 47 years later, I still think I got the good end of the deal. It's still low quality, pretentious drivel.

Feel like I needed to be higher to get into that

her voice is great but its kinda just the same song over and over

Ok

I can actually see the vision here? The instrumentals are fire and perfectly match her dramatic delivery and storytelling. Birdland and Land:Horses were certainly unique experiences, feeling almost like full-on theatre plays. ..Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of theatre, and nothing was particularly engaging outside of that novelty. Standout: Free Money

Not bad, just didn't really like it much.

Not really for me

Nope

This album didn't do it for me at all. It was way to experimental and weird for me. I really couldn't find myself enjoying most of this album. Her voice really annoyed me. Redondo Beach and the Horses song were the least band, but definitely won't be relistening. Weak to decent 2

I think Patti is one of those beloved bad vocalists (ie Bob Dylan) that gets away with everything because of the quality of the lyrics. Pass. Way too much warbling and nonsensical songs. Some of the melodies are nice though.

Well, it was worth giving this another try, even though the verdict hasn't changed: not my thing. "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo" is great, though it's partly a cover. Shout out to my younger self, who bought the two-disco deluxe version of Horses, listened to it once, then never played it again.

I know people like Michael Stipe and Robert Smith were very inspired by Patti Smith and that's totes cool but Patti Smith mostly reminds me of a woman that worked with me at Pizza Hut in 1996 in Delaware, Ohio who did not like me and also scared the shit out of me.

very weird album, partially spoken word, partially sung.

An important record of the Heebee Jeebie movement no doubt, Patti Smith’s mid-70s debut is the archetype of art rock with attitude. With its raw, unvarnished production style and snarling, ragged (nay, ‘hoarse’) vocals, it throws in dollops of reggae and monolithic slabs of spoken word for good measure and the net effect is a record that beyond the first track Gloria mainly makes for painful listening. Clearly a massively influential record, you can hear a lot of bad Blondie, bad Nick Cave and better than average PJ Harvey in this. If these songs were horses competing at the Grand National then they would all grimly fall at the first hurdle, except Gloria which might straggle on for a bit after a ropey start but it’s left for Rikkie Lee Jones The Horses to clinch the title in a leading pack of Prefab Sprout’s Wild Horses, America’s A Horse With No Name and U2’s Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.

Not a bad album, nothing truly stood out and i will admit at times i was easily distracted from the album. It’s a shame we can’t half star, but i can’t keep giving out 3. Alas 2 it is

I didn't think it was bad, but this is really not my kind of music.

Not really my style but it was an interesting listen

Not a massive fan of Patti smith not my thing.

rock n roll maaan

algunes cançons bn altres meh i a ratos era com si soltés super barras pero bueno not my super rollo diria- a vegades em semblava com el meme de la pava d x factor q t la veu e shakira i canta chandelier hahahaah. buenu aixo crec q 2 està bé pq el d police em va agradar més q aquwt. ns si a llavors no tenien increibles discus com ara o q pero em sembla fort q aquest estigui al 1000 mejores ns

Some track much better than others. At times, I found her voice very whiny and annoying. An OK album.

Never saw the attraction that 'everyone' else did.

Pretty slow, not really my kind of music.

Decent melodies poor singing

Some pretty weird spoken word parts

Is it just me, or was "Tin Soldier Man" the inspiration for the Spongebob Squarepants theme song?

Good

I’ve listened to this now a few times. It doesn’t land with me. I find her caterwauling a bit self absorbed. It’s like she wants to front an art-rock band. I can see how it would be exciting and transgressive when it came out, but today it’s just meh for me.

Not my jam

Art-Punk: this is what do you get if you cross Poetry, Leonard Cohen, Art-Rock, and embryonic Punk-Rock. Eenergetic but depressing. I wasn't a fan when this album came out and people were raving about it, and I still don't really like it.

not a fan

finally an artists i've seen live. i know of Patti through her tentative connection to the early punk scene, but i have never cared for her music. i can't remember if this was around the time she was kicking it with Springsteen, but her career is an interesting one. very New York and with context it was very ground breaking stuff for that time, but its not my favorite. Lou Reed set up a standard that had carried over to a burgeoning scene. if you are a fan of Richard Hell or the Heartbreakers or at the very least New York Dolls, this is fairly polished and disenchanting, but still punk. the opener is a weird cover of Gloria, so Van the champ. it def shows a growth and direction of an unheard of style of rock that hadn't even really been named yet. experimental and fun for sure. i saw them at a festival and they were headlining and played great, (tho so many years from 1975). i will say being alive at this time during the punk growth with only a small group that many didn't make it out of, (and Patti has that distinction) is amazing. it has playful up and downs with that signature New York artsy delivery. lots of piano but energy to follow. it feels more composed and professional than the more raw bands of the time. very quick album, and stands out as pushing creativity to the forefront. Dylan and Bowie much? the song horses is another amalgam of a cover which is very punk rock. this gets a 2/5 cuz its been in my wheel house, i absolutely believe Patti is very important to music i love, but i don't REALLY like it that much. last song slowly serenades out. i honestly loved this time in music, i recommend Please Kill Me as a great read, but i can't lie that she has never been a fixture that i was ever that interested in. I love John Cale, The Underground, and all the people that went into making the scene what it was, this includes her.

I’m not a fan of her singing style. The songs on this also tend to be way too long and downbeat for me.

Beat poetry meets the fusion of punk and rock. Just a bit too odd stylistically and lyrically for me to go back to this.

I read Patti Smith's memoir 'Just Kids' in university, so it was interesting to tie this album into that context. That being said, I don't particularly enjoy her voice or her music.

interesting. there's a lot going on here halfway in. i did not like birdland

very much just ok

Patti Smith, to me, is a female Lou Reed. Both are revered for evoking a time, a place, an attitude, and for the lyrics of their songs. Their music- not so much. To me, the music is what matters. Patti Smith's most played song is a Bruce Springsteen cover. Enough said.

Not quite my taste but def see the vision

had some good song but wasn’t that special.

Boh, non male ma neanche bene

2.0 - Weak

The music is good but her style of singing couldn't be more annoying.

Thought I had this album but then checked on Discogs and saw it was Wave. Similar covers in my defence. Reason I wasn’t mistaken is that I don’t think I’ve played anything by Patti Smith since the 70’s. Can’t remember why I bought an album of hers at all as I don’t like her style at all. This album has one saving grace and that is her rendition of Gloria which is excellent. The rest pretty meh. 2/5 17/6/25

Three amazing songs in the album. But the rest of it was mediocre to me, especially because there's something I just couldn't connect with: her voice

Never understood the critical acclaim for P Smith, maybe my distance in time and space from it’s occurrence lessens its cultural and innovative weight if it's there. It’s art house punk and don’t prescribe to the idea that calling anything poetry somehow escalates it above what is there, it's very much performance art, it that it anxts/punks up what James Browne and W picket were going in RnB, but she has such a limited pallete to perform, she isn't a remotely talented singer with a very one note delivery style that looses any substance that may be present for me, other than a little agitation in the delivery, that it becomes style over (potential) substence, today there are maybe glimpses of something but it just seems a little dull. Maybe if it was 1975? 2 Star

I feel like I’m supposed to like this album or at least that’s what they led me to believe but this was a rough listen. I don’t understand the pioneer of punk rock label that’s associated with her name or this album. Her voice is not for me.

A little too avant-garde for me. There are moments that I really like though.

I would not recommend this album because the song goes crazy and i didnt like the tipe of music.

Perhaps great, but too tied up in Song to Song for me to really know

I put off listening to this album for years because I had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to be bad, despite its vaunted reputation. My suspicions were unfortunately correct, as confirmed by this second (and last, hopefully) listen. It sounds like she was having trouble filling out all 43 minutes and was just milking it as much as possible.

Really not my thing, more spoken word with background music. Like a female version of Leonard Cohen meets Tom Verlaine.

Liked the first song but that was about it.

One of the original punk rockers. When reading the book "Please Kill Me", I got to learn a lot about Patti Smith. Seems like a total junkie, and I don't really get the hype. The first song or two were decent, and then it drops off into that weird 60's velvet underground sound for me. It's just not for me, but it did help move punk rock into a golden age not much longer after this so I can appreciate it in that regard.

Lahmes Gedudel, nicht mein Fall

Inoffensive but dull. 1.5

Found it too self indulgent, some amazing songs in Free Money and Gloria but overall to inconsistent

not for me

Please wake me up when someone makes the combination of poetry and music even just a little bearable.

Meh.

Not a fan.

Did nit finish listening. Quit after 4 songs.

I get it, but it's not for me.

Loved Just Kids and Because the Night. This however makes me doubt my commitment to SparkleMotion. Maybe you had to be there.

like some of parts of some of the songs... so multiple quarters of songs in the album?

This has a lot of elements that I like and is clearly influential to so many artists I love but I can’t get over how grating Patti’s voice sounds to me and how much I hate her vocal rhythm and inflection choices

This is punk? Maybe I just didn't get it, 2*

I hear the greatness, but it does nothing for me.

It was fine - I expected more, to be totally honest, judging by the amount of artists I love who have covered Patti. I feel like I'm missing something here, but mostly it just kinda felt like a Lou Reed record or something.

I wanted so badly to like this. It honestly was like nails on a chalkboard for more than half the album. It's a no for me dog. One extra star bc the album cover kicks ass.

Vuče na velvet underground što je izgleda najgora stvar koju mogu reći za muziku uopšte. Mada je za nijansicu podnošljivije.

Didn’t float my boat

Nfm

I found it a bland recording of weird bland pop music. I'm sure the lyrics are epic poems of timeless beauty, I just couldn't care less one way or another when it comes to music. I got nothing from this.

Not my style. 2/5

Just didn’t love this one much

Decent.

Old Days Patti will always be my early favourite bands’ favourite artist - huge for Michael Stipe and Bono and some guy from Manchester. Plus the influences on Siouxsie, PJ, Nick Cave, Kim Gordon and perhaps most audibly to me this go-around: Tom Verlaine (and I wonder how much of a back and forth that was for those crazy kids). Today There’s a kind of coddling that occurs with these formerly challenging upstarts. Take the wiki, no one would say the easy cure or bon savants “gave frequent live performances”. It situates Patti as a special artist, not just another populist rock n roller, which she professed to be over and over. Reading over the history with Cale some, Patti runs into a paradox of sorts about rock music, an originalism trap if you will. There’s this notion that the original thing - so, whatever you heard when you were a teenager - is somehow raw, unsullied by artifice, pure, unadorned, non-articulated, that that’s the real thing. And so she shows up at the recording studio and Cale asks the band to tune their instruments or do some arranging and she’s like THAT’S NOT REAL MAN but the original thing was, in this case, let’s say Van Morrison’s Them, rehearsed and rehearsed and honed their talents long before the adolescent Patti came across, uh, them. Moreover, Van Morrison’s whole schtick was an impersonation of Howlin’ Wolf, not remotely sui generis. But, there’s always something appealing about breaking things down to their perceived essence, be it of the 3 chords and the truth variety, something barely above a campus drum circle in AnCo, Nirvana and Pavement’s “punk” in the face of 80s cultural touchstones/hair metal, Run-DMC and NWA, Jack White’s whole aesthetic framework, etc. Keepers: Break it Up, Gloria

It's not for me Clive. Very, very, very beige. I don't get how this is called punk by some people. It's more like if a couple of private school kids tried to create punk. Very sterile and anodyne. She even managed to butcher a version of Land Of 100 Dances.

Not my favorite; nevertheless happy i listened especially now since I have her signed book

I know this is important, and I've tried soooo many times. She seems amazing, but...

Another shoite album. 1001 shoite albums to make you hate music. Why am I putting myself through this? Every album I can't wait until it's over after the first song.

I don't like her vocal delivery, but I can't argue with anyone who is a fan. She is a rock god. I prefer her work with The Pretenders.

Honestly just not really my thing and not something I’d choose to put on. Some of the songs were a bit long and I got a bit bored but I don’t think it’s a bad album vocals were good and had a nice vibe

Here's one of those classics I've never quite vibed with. It meanders a bit too long, and I always felt like Smith was one of those songwriters who just likes to hear herself a bit too much, ya know? But as always, don't just listen to me on this one, please go and listen to this album to make up your own mind. Like most others, you'll probably love it.

mom rock

I liked "Land: Horses" the most and saw value in "Break It Up" but other than that it was kinda just noise to me.

I liked her voice a lot and some of the songs but some were really weird.

Artsy. Dont get the lyrics. Not the biggest fan of the singer. Experimental for sure. Felt like poetry with instruments. Nothing stricked with me too much. Most of the time i just felt like that im not either high enough or fancy enough to understand it.

Perhaps the worst singer I've encountered in almost 500 albums I've reviewed. Came across as an overly self indulgent attempt at being artsy. Even the few somewhat catchy songs are ruined by her wailing.

I also didn't enjoy this album. That being said, I can hear the influence of this album throughout. We got some ska, we got some poppier bits. Overall it was a decent listen, but not one I'm like to return to.

The more I listen to old school punk, the more I realize that I don't like old school punk. It feels like how others feel about metal music and screaming, I just don't get it. Not for me. I was glad it was over so that I can move on with my day. During Birdland, my wife said "This sounds like a goat. The album is called Horses? Is she trying to mimic one? maahhhhhh (mimic goat sound)"

When theatre kids go punk. A masterclass in how to build to something, but not every song can be a 9 minute buildup and have the same pay off. The production and instrumentation on this album are outstanding (especially the bass playing.) But there are several songs that are beyond self-indulgent and some even verge on annoying. The back half certainly is much stronger than the opening half. Overall there are lots of interesting nuggets and a few truly great songs, unfortunately a few missteps take away from the overall album.

1.8 2x

If I'm being honest, I really wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did. I know she's a legend. I much prefer her singing voice to her talking, screaming, wailing...or whatever she's doing in "Birdland." There's a consensus amongst my low rated rock/punk albums and it's screeching vocals, I'm just not a fan. It's uncomfortable to listen to, and it's just really not my vibe. "Gloria," "Free Money," and "Kimberly" were all great tracks, and she's definitely a good lyricist. I'm not sure where this lands on a scale of 1-5. I like it more than most of my 2 star ratings so far, but less than my 3 stars. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If this is her first album, I hope we get a few more from her discography, because I'd love to hear how she progresses. Maybe I'll like it, maybe I won't, but happy to listen.

Didn’t like her voice much but lyrics were great

only on the first song but I can tell this isn't gonna be my jam since this one is the most listened track on the album, ya im good

Artiste connue par son tube 'Because the night' qui passait souvent à la radio et que j'avais beaucoup apprécié à l'époque. C'est avec beaucoup de plaisir anticipé que j'ai entamé l'écoute de cet album. Première déception : même si 'Gloria' est un morceau sympathique (+1) avec une montée en rythme et puissance intéressante, je n'aime pas du tout la façon de chanter de PS ... Redondo beach m'a déçu avec son inspiration reggae, Birdland et ses 9 mn n'a pas relevé le niveau. Les morceaux suivants sont plus ou moins intéressants, les montées en puissance sur certains des morceaux sont bien réalisées mais le chant reste un problème pour moi. Donc c'est plutôt une déception ... =>2/5

Gloria was absolute fire. Loved it. But the rest of the album simply did not hold my attention.

I wish I thought this was greater, but I'm just bored. Sorry.

This woman is a freak

I really wanted to like this…

Not for me

Not really my cup of tea. Certainly an interesting album and glad I heard it but probably won't listen again.

Ok

A few nice moments here and there but otherwise dull

2.5 stars. Art punk rock. The two covers ("Gloria: In Excelsis Deo" and "Land of A Thousand Dances") were interesting but didn't care for the rest of this, as influential it may have been.

говнище

DNF. Made it three songs in. Not sure ill ever be able to slog through this. Not as unpleasant as waits

Really not a fan of the vocals or the intense, dour music

Jesus, that was a long 43 minutes. Parts of it sounded like the rantings of a mad woman. It might be musical genius, but unfortunately, I just don't get it. I giving a bonus star because I do like Patti Smith, just not this album!

This is like if the Clash wanted to be poets instead of musicians. The first two songs (one of which is a cover) are actually pretty good. The rest of it is spoken word with a crescendo/decrescendo pattern over and over. Birdland just doesn't end. Land: Horses... just goes on and on and on. I'm just not in to it. I cant' give this a 3 because I decidedly did not like it, but it's more of a 2.5 than a 2. I realize this probably influenced a lot of albums and artists that I do like but you can say the same thing about a lot of music that sucks.

I have heard of Patti Smith before... pretty strange but einzigartig so far this might be my first 3/10 or 4/10 lmao just not my type of music at 6AM I only listened to 2 songs, sorry, was busy

Quite strange. I wasn’t expecting this punkish vibe or harsh vocal delivery. Not for me.

Nahhh

I wasn't too impressed by this album.

While I like "Because the Night," there isn't a single song on this album that even comes close to it. Not my jam.

I did not care much for this album. I am running out of novel things to say, so I can’t really say anything but that her voice is offputting

I liked the Van Morrison cover, but I’m not really a fan of Patti’s singing style.

Was not into it at first but as it went on I appreciated it more. Still not my thing but I totally see the hype.

I did not expect to find her singing so insufferable. Stand-out: Break It Up

Nein. Nichts besonderes.

Was excited for Patti Smith but really was just giving “OIL SPILL OIL SPILL” vibes the whole time

Some okay songs

Hmmmm. Either genius or garbage. Her biggest selling song was written by ‘much easier to get a handle on’ Bruce Springsteen. The best track on this is the cover of Them’s Gloria - clearly worked up over hundreds of bar gigs. The other best track is the cover of land of 1000 dances. Which for someone who is supposed to be a songwriter might be an issue. The originals. Ummm. The band is good. It doesn’t help that so much wadical wevolutionary bullshit has been attached to this album. Gag me with a spoon. Zappa gets justifiably criticised for his adolescent attitudes. Yet Patti gets praised. Maybe that’s a strike for feminism. * and also to be fair one can’t blame the artist for what is said about them. On the plus side - a strong woman using her voice in a male dominated industry. On the negative side - I don’t think it’s very good. ‘Jesus died for somebody’s sins/but not mine’. What does that mean? She believes in sin but is not a Christian? She’s a Christian who doesn’t think she’s saved? Or she’s a pretentious blowhard whose depth would struggle to get wet in a small puddle? It is a must hear. If only to understand the so called punk or new wave movement in New York at the time. But once is probably enough. It has a cult following so if that’s you, go to it and continue enjoying it and digging out the nuances and love every tape squeak and breath and all of it. It ain’t me babe. Poets. God save us. * this is not meant to be an anti feminist creed. I try to support feminism as best as my social cultural and political habitus allows.

Love CBGB era music, but Patti Smith ain't it for me. 2/5

Reminded me a lot of Lou Reed. Her voice was generally more pleasant to listen to than Lou Reed, but the album was still an unpleasant listen. I'll give it 2 stars since it's better than Lou Reed's "Transformer" that came up a while ago.

Eek. I’m with Sam on this one. I’ll give it points for clearly having a creative spark behind it, and not being soulless, but for the most part this was pretty unlistenable. The song about someone’s Dad passing just didn’t come across as in good taste at all to me, the use of so many strange ways of delivering the vocals really devalued the significance of the story. I won’t listen to this album again, that’s for sure.

Don’t like her voice sounds fake and forced

I mean, it was alright…

I can hear the punk in there, but it isn’t enough for me.

Gloria is a banger, but this is just not for me. I'm not saying it was not important or influential. It's just not for me. Because when you're checking the length of the track list during the third song to see how much longer you have to commit to an album, it's just not a fit.

Interessantdoenerige zingzegmuziek van iemand die zichzelf heel creatief vindt en een jengelbandje om zich heen heeft weten te formeren. Speciaal gemaakt voor mensen die destijds graag ook heel interessant en creatief wilden overkomen.

Krachteloos. Wat doet dit nou weer in de lijst?

Een kruising tussen Velvet Underground en Joni Mitchell. Maar ook Blondie meets All Saints. Man man man, het zit niet mee deze week. Dat gekrijs van Patti is niet om aan te horen. Op zich klinkt de muziek bij de meeste nummers nog wel ok, dus ik zal er een 2 van maken.

What does a Horse and Patti have in common...... They both can't sing. How is this one of the top 1001 albums.