Reviews (page 2 of 12)
Ok, je dois admettre, à l'écoute, je me suis sévèrement ennuyé et j'étais prêt à mettre 2/5. Puis j'ai lu quand même un peu des choses sur cet album. Et bon, d'accord, il a tout à fait sa place dans cette liste. Ok, même si la guitare est peu présente, c'est vrai qu'on voit comment on en arrive de là au punk. Ok, d'accord, c'est ultra-influent. Et c'est vrai que Patti Smith est énorme au micro, même avant de me renseigner, je trouvait que c'était le point fort de l'album. Alors heu... bon, je vais quand même mettre trois parce que je mets toujours un peu de subjectivité dans mes notes, mais une fois arrivé à la fin, ma réflexion, c'était que je pense qu'il faudra que je revienne dessus, parce que c'est sûrement en l'écoutant plusieurs fois que je finirai par comprendre pourquoi les gens l'adorent.
Surprised by how much I liked this. I don't particularly go for the poetic ramblings, but the songs are strong. Great opener.
Woah. Is this what all her stuff is like? Hated it. Like, unbearable. I thought she was really highly regarded? What the fuck?
5.5/10
not my vibe
I can see why this is such an influential album. it grab me the way I hoped it would when I saw it pop up, but glad to have heard it
She’s a badass. Cool album. ML401
Cool and hypnotic
loved this style of rock
Okay, overall not too bad. The first song set a pretty good standard and the rest were just a bit meh compared to it, but as a whole, it is pretty nice having it in the background. I do believe that this was a lot cooler to listen to back when it came out, especially compared to nowadays.
Birdland is too long, favourite track is Free Money.
One of my favourites. This album was essential to the punk movement. Her take on Gloria is infectious and Birdland is one of the best songs I can never listen to. Lyrically it’s one of the most visceral descriptions of grief ever written, combined with her emotive delivery creates the most gut wrenching. She stands out lyrically and sonically and does not get the credit she deserves as a luminary in the proto-punk scene. 5/5
A pretty solid project. It’s a soft rock ballad along the topics of horses, love, and growth that sounds pleasant and smooth on the ears.
I'm having a hard time describing what kind of a listening experience this album was, but I think I liked it? I think?
Sounded like a female Bob Dylan with less rambles and more rhythms. I liked this, it's experimental whilst still being accessible.
Took a few songs but it grew on me. It feels more art rock than punk, but I get why it's classified under both.
Kiva kuunnella naista tekemässä rokkia. Muuten hänen äänensä ei valitettavasti ollut mieleeni, eikä kappaleet olleet mitenkään elämää suurempia.
raro, no me gustó
V bistvu prou sede vsake tok dobit neki poznanega & beloved. Ta album definitivno ne poslušam prvič & ne zadnjič. Patti mi je uspelo tud dvakrat vidt v živo in vsakič je bla fenomenalna.
Horses! but not enough horses to get above a 3
HORSES HORSES HORSES HORSES HORSES HORSES HORSES
9 / 10
NEM 5'er
Virkelig fed energi, meget punk (men uden at være punk)
There was a lot of different sounding songs on this. Some ska/reggae-ish song which I did not appreciate.
I actually really loved this album; 70s rock, unique, full of life and vigour. A solid 4.
- decent album - fav song was the cover of gloria at the beginning - would be good background music - lots of spoken word stuff - reminds me of someone but i can’t quite put my finger on it, maybe lou reed?
Finally, a banger! An old favourite, and one I can listen to in practically any mood. Favourite track: Free Money
WOW! True art!
Really enjoyed this album
No private session used for Spotify. I have never gotten into Patti Smith. I enjoyed hearing to this album the couple of times I did. Stripped down an simple it was an interesting listen, not making it into heavy rotation.
för mycket 70-tals lsd vibes för mitt tycke. sista låten var helt ok!
If there was some Free Money offered for me to listen to this album, I would.
There was sand, that's all I recall. Mostly alright.
I feel invigorated but I don’t know why. I cheated and looked at the lyrical themes this morning after realizing I didn’t grab anything from this. Now I want to re-listen. High 3
The first tracks is truly pure perfection. The rest of the album is also great, but it didn't live to the expectations I got by listening the first tracks. 4.5/5
Classic
All hail the queen of punk rock.
Man this one is dope, so smooth, like it so much
reading reviews on this site is a mixed bag. some insightful. some critical. many by people who found themselves here by mistake. love “horses” and “gloria”. like most of the others too. some good approachable punk. a little raw. a good amount of attitude. still quite palatable.
Another that feels like 4 1/2. So richly evocative of its time and place, so let's call it 5. Still exciting.
Patti Smith was doing a lot of things on Horses that not many other artists were doing in 1975, and even now, it doesn’t really sound tied to that era. There’s this great combination of attitude, poetry, and raw rock music that makes the whole thing feel pretty unique. There’s also a surprising amount of variety here. You get harder rock songs, slower moments, and then these huge nine-minute tracks that feel more like performance pieces than traditional songs. They shift between different sections, pull in bits and pieces of other songs, and occasionally feel like Patti Smith is just following wherever the performance takes her. It’s strange, but also pretty fascinating. Not everything she tries completely stuck with me, and there are definitely moments where I was more intrigued than actually hooked. Still, Horses feels like one of those albums where there’s enough going on that one listen probably isn’t enough. I’d absolutely give this another shot.
Groundbreaking. Seminal. Shocking. Every good word you can think of.
Favorite Song: Free Money Least Favorite: Kimberly
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine.” I hope I grow up to be as cool as Patti Smith. It’s been awhile since I listened to this one and it’s as great as I remember, if not better. What a writer, what a performance from the band. A jump start to the heart. I could see her voice being divisive, but I love her distinctive, pronounced delivery. You can hear that she means this shit.
Super, wenngleich ich die "Wave" etwas lieber mag.
PJ Harvey hat sich hier sehr inspirieren lassen. Verlässt mich aber nach einer Weile. Die Stimme mag ich, aber die Songs sind mir meist zu gewöhnlich rockig wie in der Zeit üblich.
This was a record I absolutely loved when I first heard it years ago. I still enjoyed it, but it doesn't grab me like it once did. You can hear the influence Patti had on artists like PJ Harvey in her style throughout this record. Gloria is an outstanding opening track.
Genuinely interesting listen — has real style and character, feels like a different kind of country genre music than usual, almost a new take on the genre. Not gonna lie though, that heavy vocal pitch-warping isn't my thing, even if it's clearly part of the album's whole identity. Wouldn't put it on by choice, but if it's playing and setting a ~70s or ~80s kind of mood, I'm not reaching for the skip button.
I’ve never heard of Patti Smith before, but from the first track I was very interested. Then the next couple tracks were a real backwards move. Both she pulled me back in with the latter part of the album. New York free verse poetry to some excellent musicianship is, in my mind, the best way to describe this. Several songs have a way of ramping up that makes for a varied and interesting experience. I’m absolutely going to look into more of her work. With the exception of Birdland, I really dig this.
There are elements of this album I like, but just wasn't sure about it so listened to it again. Still not sure about it so listened to some clips from the album, listened carefully and concentrated really hard on it. Skip, scan, listen, scan, skip, concentrate. I found the verdict in the end. It's pretty dull.
It's a good live album, and I like Van Morrison well enough. If I really liked him, this would be great, but it's longer than I need it to be.
have heard of this one, but still outside my radar lots of wailing in this one easy to get the sense that this was massively influential bit of a vibe tho 💥gloria in excelsis deo 💥free money 💥land horses / land of a thousand dances / la mer(de)
Pretty horse girl (blushes)
Meh.
Arguably more influential than enjoyable. It doesn’t mean it isn’t good or didn’t have an artistic impact. But you can also argue that those who were influenced by it may have done it better.
Ass
De fato lendário pelo contexto histórico e sonoridade mais “rebelde”, antecede até mesmo elementos sonoros do que veio a surgir o punk rock. Bem banaca
When I saw the artists photo i wasn’t sure what to expect. Well now I know to not judge the cover photo before listening to the music. I thoroughly enjoyed this. 8/10
Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine...
I tried. I really tried. This was just not the voice I needed in my head right now.
Awful voice. Gave up.
fantastic punk album that borders on post punk
First album I've listened to before! Classic.
‘jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine’ is the best opening line to an album of all time idc whether she wrote it or not
gloria reminded me a lot of midori great album tho
I've had 2 or 3 goes at this album now and it just doesn't do anything for me. I want to like it, I think I should like it but I just don't get it.
Strong start with Gloria, but then it went downhill from there. Birdland was excruciating to listen to. Patti Smith's voice is pretty annoying and several songs on this album were annoying. I get that she's a big deal, but I don't care for it. (2)
Boomers will tell you they like punk rock then play this album for you. Kinda reminds me of Jim Morrison if he was a woman.
4,5
Some of the music makes for a good jam. But Patti’s lyrics sound like the ramblings of a crack-enthusiast.
Too quirky for me. Also not crazy about the vocals
Kocham cię Patti, kocham wszystko co robisz, co piszesz, co śpiewasz i sobą reprezentujesz. Buzi w czółko. 😘
Nothing I like except the cover
Yeah this ain't for me. This album is just a woman incoherently rambling out of tune to lackluster instrumentals. If I wanted to listen to a woman incoherently ramble, I would just pay attention to my fat bitch wife when she talks at me; am I right fellow Boomers.
This album was not for me at all. Incoherent, sloppy, and mediocre at best, this early punk just felt like badly organized rock/country.
Lady Paul Newman punk rock-lite. Interesting (if nothing else) lyrics and talented backing band made this a fun listen, but couldn't help but feel that the whole thing is overrated.
I put this album on…a lot…in college; but rarely got past “Gloria”. Rest of the album is just ok. I’ll round up to a 4
Thoughts before listening: This album makes all the lists and is considered one of the great punk records, but I don't believe I have ever listened to it. My impression of Patti Smith is that she's as much a poet as she is a musician. Review: 8 songs in 43 minutes is not your typical punk rock album. This definitely feels like its legacy is built more on Patti Smith the person and lyricist than the music, which sounds like a female fronted attempt at Lou Reed/VU style talk singing over rudimentary proto-punk...which makes sense with John Cale as the producer. My favorite song on here is "Free Money" which starts as a piano ballad and builds to one of the more traditional pop-rock sounding songs on the album. In general I wish there was more of that on here. The opening song "Gloria" is a classic for sure, but for me personally, the (in)famous line at the beginning about Jesus dying for other's sins just doesn't resonate, despite 50 years of music journalists telling me how brave it is. I can get behind the "Land" suite which is a long, multi-part Jim Morrison-esque epic of spoken word poetry that builds to a shout as the rambling music peaks and then settles back to a whisper. Its effective and is going on my playlist. Overall, I get this album's importance even if it's not really connecting with me. 3-stars
Gloria oh my lord. Amazing album. Just the religious experience of growing up and knowing, knowing something about you is just out of reach, and if you could only run towards this one beautiful thing, away from your past and your fear, then you’ll never have to doubt yourself again, and then one day you stop running to see how far you’ve come, only to stop and realise you’ve been running from yourself the whole time
very cool
While Patti Smith was at the birth of Punk Rock (married to Fred "Sonic" Smith), her music is generally too slow and earnest for me. This is not bad.
She's telling some sort of story here, but a big amount of it is flying over my head. I'd not be shocked if the problem was that I'm too sober to understand it. I won't say that I didn't enjoy this album, but it doesn't fit me very well. It's too out there for me. The album started out really strongly, with Gloria, but then went down a weird path. Conflicting themes, confusing lyrics, unclear mumbly vocals. And poetry. It was certainly not bad by any means, just very strange.
Patti is the absolute coolest, this thing rules from top to bottom
No está mal.... Pero no es un disco que escucharía
I wanted to like this more than I did, but it was another album where I kept fluctuating between enjoyment and annoyance.
Not my thing, singing didn’t do it for me, and it just sounds somewhat generic, like just some 70’s shit Yk
1.5
This album is extremely ahead of its time. For coming out in 1975 (amongst disco ,prog rock, and hard rock) this may stands alone. To my ears, this sounds like post-punk before PUNK even happened. There is a hint of The Ramones in there, and of course the 60s Velvet Underground (the album is produced by John Cale). Mainly I hear bits of Joy Division, Public Image Ltd., and The Fall, and even a slew of others That being said this album comes off very arty And maybe a little out of my wheelhouse. I can hear where bands like Arcade Fire and Sonic Youth took from this album. Those aspects aren’t my favourite. Though this album culturally is 100% a 5/5 on a personal level It’s about a 3. Feel bad ranking low but it might be a 4 later but I’m pretty indifferent despite all it accomplished for the future of Music As stated Could be a 4 in future ,but right now it’s neither love nor hate. Leans more to the Love but by a smidge
Better punk than the apocalypse dudes
She's so cool... she's SO cool...
Uhhh… I don’t see the vision personally. I think Gloria’s a cool song and Break It Up is easily the best on the album, but that’s about it. Apparently this was a punk rock sensation at time of release? Again, don’t really see why… sorry.
Patti Smith's landmark 1975 debut album, Horses, offers a raw and polarizing listening experience defined by its unbridled artistic ambition and aggressive punk-poetry ethos. While standout tracks like "Free Money" captivate with their infectious piano melodies and driving guitar work, and energetic openers like "Gloria" showcase undeniable rock power, much of the album struggles under the weight of avant-garde experimentation and theatrical vocal deliveries that can alienate listeners. Ultimately, while moments of musical brilliance occasionally shine through, the polarizing nature of Smith's vocal style leaves the overall record feeling uneven, earning it a modest 2 out of 5 stars.
While I am vaguely familiar with this Patti Smith proto-punk classic album, it's been a really long time since I've heard it. And my appreciation for the genre has only grown since then. So naturally I enjoyed this a lot more than I had previously. The opener "Gloria', a cover of a classic Van Morrison Garage Rock track, seems only fitting, like a re-imagining of the genre that REALLY kicked off punk music all the way back in the mid '60s. It's an explosive opener, slowly unveiling its punk tendencies out of a Stones-esque country intro, until they've encompassed this entire track. Sounds like something Television would do, especially in its final moments. It only makes sense, I can see a lot of New York punk acts taking from this record, vocally it's very much in the same vein as a guy like Tom Verlaine. The song "Free Money" also gives those Television vibes, especially in the way the song starts spontaneously speeding up and those guitars come in, so damn good. Very few punk acts I know of could top this honestly. I find this record's "proto-punk legend" status is a bit misleading though. While I do think the ethos is certainly there, in the same way as a classic VU album, it's no Stooges record. Cuts here like the slowly growing "Birdland', with this cacophonous guitar growling in the background and hypnotic piano lead, doesn't sound particularly punk, but does have some parallels with the genre, and it's just a great song in its own right and an absolute album centrepiece. "Kimberly" sounds like it skipped right past punk and into early '80s new-wave, just a super catchy little riff with these nice shimmering synth backing. And the other giant track here ‘Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand’ Dances' has more in common with early '90s alternative than anything, impressive in its own right - early PJ Harvey comes to mind with this one. The muted scarcthes on the guitar on the second part especially have this interesting timbre that's very predictive of a lot of post-hardcore groups. A record that has probably influenced more people than I can even begin to imagine, and it really sounds like it. When I say that this album, that pre-dates punk rock as a prominent genre, sounds like it skipped about a decade into punk's development, I really mean it. And it's not just defined by its influence either, the writing, vocals, and playing on this thing are all top notch. Great album.
This album doesn't sound at all like the Patti Smith we know from “Because The Night.” Instead, “Horses” is wild and impetuous in every respect: in the old singer-songwriter tradition, song structures and meter serve only as a rough guide and are constantly broken up. The same goes for melodies - if you want to call them that. If you didn’t know from other sources that Patti Smith is a talented singer, you wouldn’t automatically come to that conclusion from this recording. Nevertheless, it’s a testament to a) the singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s, as well as b) the raw punk attitude that you wouldn’t detect in her better-known songs. Interesting!
Very enjoyable, birdland was great, the energy is just unique.
Very meh.
I’m predisposed to like this because my partner is a big Patti Smith fan. I recognised and liked the first couple of tracks. Both “Free Money” and the Horses one have bits you would think would be the chorus but only appear once. Usually this would be a three star for me. But there’s a vibe that makes it a four. I’ll probably play it again.
Decent.
I don't get the hype.....
It’s pretty rock and roll. Honestly, 3.5.
This sounds like a mash up of Jim Morrison & Bob Dylan. The spoken word parts are hit & miss but when she's on, its interesting & hit provocative lyrics. I liked the strange mash up covers that she has arranged. 3
Mid
I haven't seen such polarized reviews of an album in a long time. For half of the listeners, it's a mega-influential rock masterpiece, and Patti Smith herself is as much the mother of punk rock as Iggy Pop is its father. For the other half, it's pretentious poetry over the awkward strumming of an artist who can't sing. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle, and despite Patti's truly not a very good singer, her vocals fit the atmosphere of the album itself: in some places, they're upbeat guitar thumpers with obscure lyrics that, however, don't evoke the scribblings of an unattractive college student, while in others, they're more poetry recitation than music (and those moments are a bit boring). It's not Joan Jett, but fortunately, it's not Yoko Ono either. You can only classify this album as punk rock if you consider bands like Blondie or The Police punk rock. Regardless, it's really, really good!
Prob 3.5. Probably need to pay more attention to the lyrics for this kind of stuff, ranking lower because while I did like some, other songs were longer and I didn't love. Would listen to other stuff by her though
patti smith sempre linda perfeita maravilhosa. música boa, melodia boa, voz boa, nenhum defeito. Além de ter sido um álbum bastante importante e influente no proto-punk.
I really, really hated this album starting with her annoying grunts and vocalizations on Gloria. Redondo Beach and Birdland were worse. Her lyrical delivery is so bad and this is not "punk" it's bland rock. This album was grating and complete dogwater. Her singing voice is super annoying. Please, no. One bright moment: Free Money was a decent track because the music surprised me, with the tempo changes and the energy. I would even put that track on a playlist I liked it that much. But sadly, it was the only one I enjoyed. Her singing sucks though.
Just over 80 albums in and this is the second worst album so far (Bonnie Prince Billy being #1). Her vocals are as grating as Johnny Lydon to me. I made it through it but barely
Not great, just not a big fan of her music
Ok I understand why this is on the essential list. Wasn’t enjoying but then Birdland enchanted me. Man the Velvet Underground influence is huge on the production especially Kimberly and the guitars on Horses. Hated the second track. See now that Nick Cave has ripped off this vibe big time. Haha. Beautiful lyricism, hear some Fiona Apple influence too. The skilled instrumentation is pulling a lot of weight here, and the spoken word becomes grandiose at times.
⭐⭐⭐+ Grym inledning med Gloria. För mig pendlar albummet mellan att vara riktigt bra och coolt till att jag har lite svårt för de delar som mest känns som spoken word. Som helhet tycker jag att albumet är bra och kan tänka mig att lyssna på det igen, det blir en stark 3a. Bäst är Gloria, Redondo beach, Free money, Kimberley, Land:Horses/Land of thousand dances/La mer
I enjoy listening to Patti, I didn’t get it for a while, but I do now🙏🏼
I didn’t know she sang that Gloria song? That was the only one I recognized at least. Decent.
I bet this sounded totally unlike anything else when it came out. In 2026 it didn't do much for me.
3.25 - This isn't what I expected Patti Smith to sound like. I enjoyed it and might listen more.
I can't do words, but album perfect and inspiring. So much going on, it's punk in terms of its peers and era, but also just for the sheer attitude of "i wanna make a thing so I will make thing", like Television! :)
Powerful vocals!
Okay album, some sing-talking on it, which I dislike. Overall decent 3/5
Never has an album gotten me then lost me so many times while listening to it.
Envigourating. Extraordinary. Thank you.
I wish I liked this more than I did but it leaves me yawning. I know it’s important. But I enjoyed her book, Just Kids, way more than her music.
3.5
mmm i didnt really like her kinda country
Okay album
Vieja loca…voy a cambiar mi escala: 5-perfecto, 4-excelente, 3-bueno, 2- regular, 1-malo
A 40 minute explosion of doom and gloom. Before I go to sleep, I must remind myself not to listen to any of her music ever again. Life's too short.
I never understood Patty Smith, overrated.
One of my favourite albums in any genre.
meczy
Pre punk,
Sara 2,5 Marko 3,5
Now don't get me wrong, I love a 9-minute song. But when it's paired with the most unbearable singing it makes it a bit hard to enjoy
Very arty farty beat poet at times, but some pretty great rockin tunes on here
Some good songs on here, but I kinda feel like a lot of them are ruined by trying to be a bit too arty… I definitely enjoyed this more than when I listened to it for the AM top 100 albums It takes a lot to deserve a 10 minute song and I don’t think this meets the criteria, let alone for 2 of them… 2.5
Patti Smith on tuttu ainoastaan nimenä, mutta hänen tuotantoaan ei ole aiemmin lukuunottamatta muutamia biisejä tullut kuunneltua. Biiseistä jäi ainoastaan Van Morrisonin Gloria mieleen, kun sitä on muiden esittäminä kuunneltua.
Didn't liek. Voice
Love Patti Smith, I’ve seen her play live in two major US park systems, Golden Gate Park and Central Park. It was an interesting comparison with yesterday’s Tom Waits, they’re both in the “beat poet” category. Which helped me with my Waits critique a bit more. I love tom waits to be clear. But there’s a play acting vibe coming from him, while with Patti it’s more organic and visceral. Like Tom could do three shows a night with his performance, which is why he’s a great actor, while Patti is leaving her body. 4.5 stars
Discaso, Crudo, afilado ! recomendable para escuchar sonidos crudos y canciones puras, esencial en el rock fem!
This album feels vaguely familiar, having listened to some of Patti Smith's other albums from around this period. I did enjoy it and gave it about 3 listens in total. Favourite track: Break it Up.
9.5/10
Not really my cup of tea tbh
This album is perfect. I was lucky enough to see Patti perform the album in its entirety for the 50th anniversary tour and it was one of the best nights of my life.
Nope not my kinda music at all😭
Great vocals and guitar work, but she really went down that m hole and just kept going for 20 minutes on each song
this album was so gay I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered she's straight
Entertaining
Goatskii
I didn't love this, I didn't hate it either. I get that Patti Smith was groundbreaking in the punk scene but her music didn't connect with me for whatever reason. I can't imagine coming back to this album...we'll see I guess
Not my favourite genre of music, still the lyricism of Patti is strikingly beautiful.
A really good album, Redondo Beach is the only really weak track, stylistically it doesn’t suit the album’s overall sound and vibe. 3.7
3.7/5. Mixed, but some really great tracks on here..
It's fine. Some good songs on here but never really been a fan of Patti Smith's vocal style.
Not my jam
Faut le digérer
didn't expect to like punk but this lowk bangs
Some notes made during listen: "I take their money but I don't feel bad" - based Would be nice if I could make out a single word she was saying A glass of tea???? Surprising amount of body horror in this album Very punk cover of My Generation Overall good, like the instrumentation and how it's used and I can only assume the lyrics are very deep and meaningful. Should maybe listen again on LSD. However, not particularly the kind of music that excites me. 3/5 Also: No MF DOOM in the entire list of ~1000 albums?? Three whole beastie boys albums but not fucking Madvillainy??? Wtf
Delightful brand of weird. Really enjoyed and would listen again :)) 4/5
Classy poetic sweep
It's been a long time since I listened to Horses. Portrayed as the first punk rock album, it is raw and stripped back, with poetic, angry and compelling narratives.
I tried this a couple of times wanting to really like it, but is never really got me there. Good effort though
Not many albums match the dramatic intensity of this one. Love how she effortlessly switches back and forth from music to poetry. An album to keep coming back to. 4*
Never heard of it. What an albumn. Will defo be listening to this again
Kind of a weird one. Though it was country at first, but turned into a folksy spoken word thing almost. Not my jam.
What have i gotten myself into? A damn good album. 5/5
Culturally significant. Sonically not something I can get into.
mooie muziek maar de wijze van zang vind ik erg onaangenaam
Best: Gloria; Redondo Beach; Birdland; Free Money; Kimberley; Horses Worst: Elegie
Muy especial pero me prefiero cosas con más melodia
Nothing bad about this album but it wouldn't be my preference, though the sound is very free and untamable and I appreciate that
I kind of get it and understand how this is considered an important album but I didn't especially enjoy it though there were some enjoyable moments. 2.5/5
Not bad.
It was alright I wouldn’t come back to it
WOW! never heard this before and i’m all for it. will revisit
Amazing album. My favorite version of Gloria.
Really enjoyed this. Gloria is fantastic. 4.5.
An interesting album for sure. I think this one would benefit from multiple listens and more focus on the lyrics.
I see the appeal but good god I cannot stand her voice, every song felt like she was trying to be something she wasn’t and it just felt so meh. I see why people may like it but by no means am I one of those people.
Not my type
I just can’t get behind her singing. Great sounding record and I get where she’s coming from but not for me
This album balances really well grittiness with literate intellectualism, much like the VU (which perhaps isn't surprising, given John Cale produced the record). It's also notable that Patti Smith stakes such a claim within the history of rock, and with one of the most iconic opening lines of an album I've ever heard ("Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.") While some of the more experimental parts of the album aren't as immediately gripping as the driving parts of the album ("Gloria", "Free Money", "Land"), it nonetheless rewards multiple listens, like a complex poem or novel that's enjoyable to read slowly. The nearly 10-minute "Land" is such a standout track in its combination of literary language and old dance standards.
This project can be great even when it feeds you something you don't respond to; like Joni Mitchell's Hejira which I got back to back with this album. Two women who used music as a vector for their poetry, producing albums released within a year, or so, of one other. How is it that I LOVE Horses, and have to struggle just to get through Hejira? I think it's in the way they use the music. Patti's vocals are musical - yes, avant garde and often challenging; but she delivers her poetry as part of the music happening around her. She's listening and responding. She's passionate, and urgent, and emotional ABOUT THE MUSIC. (And, I have to add, Patti also has a sense of humor and is (at least mildly) self-aware; two characteristics that are essential to my ability to bond with a person or their art.) Joni's vocals, on the other hand, come across as performative intellectualism. Other than her need to anchor her modal meandering to a key, she seems utterly disinterested in what any of the other musicians are doing. Her intentions seem almost wholly linguistic; musicality comes across as a distant and very minor afterthought. How people so intrigued by language can make a life in music and have such total disregard for lyricism - for the way the words and their delivery SOUND within a song is a complete mystery. (But there are a LOT of them, and they are VERY popular; especially among people - like critics and historians, who write for a living.) Of course there are people whose tastes are the precise opposite; and their vote counts just as much as mine.
One of those albums that is in my collection somewhere but is perennially overlooked. I am really pleased with the 1001 list bringing it back to my attention as it really deserves it. So many debts of inspiration owed back here from a host of artists I have listened to in the years since.
I love this album. We saw Patti perform it in its entirety for its 50th anniversary. What a performance! Every song is a classic. Seeing it live was life-affirming. Easy 5 stars.
Yeah probably 5 stars. Can't really make it any better. If there were 4.5 I would consider it but it's definitely closer to 5.
4.5/10
What the hell. This was turbo ass. Music is alright, her voice is horrible. 1/10
Gloria Birdland Free Money Land Skip tracks Redondo Beach Break it up
Excellent and unique punk + spoken word.
moanin
As a teenager, there were a few albums I bought purely on reputation (pre-internet, no way to preview them, just relying on writers I trusted). Actually there were plenty of albums I bought like that; working on my perfect record collection right from the start. Occasionally, I would spot an album at a great price, an album I knew was going to join my collection at some point and I would discover I wasn’t ready for it. I’m impressed with my younger self because, despite my shocking lack of disposable income, I never once considered selling Bitches Brew, or Trout Mask, or Freak Out or any of the others I struggled with at a tender age. I trusted that one day I would be ready, and oh boy was I right. The outcome is some really great original vinyl albums in my collection that to find now would cost a fortune. ‘Horses’ is perhaps definitively the opposite of this. I was aware for decades before owning it that it was going to be part of my collection. Everything about it, its place in musical history, its style, its influence, the artistry, the NYC coolness, and so on, made it a shoo-in. Years and years went by without my ever finding the copy that I could afford. So by chance, the years when my musical tastes hadn’t developed enough to appreciate ‘Horses’ had passed before I found my perfect copy at a price I was happy to pay. I’ve had it for about 10 years now, and I’m not too keen on it. I’m definitely ready for it. There is still a lot about it that makes it an appropriate album to be part of my collection and everything about it as a piece of art still appeals to me. It’s just that I don’t much enjoy listening to it. I very much enjoy Smith’s writing and her energy, but I don’t click with her vocal style and I’m equally not significantly impressed with the band. I can’t think of many other acts for whom my desire to enjoy them differs so dramatically from the reality. I will keep trying because, in another proof positive of its pedigree as worthy piece of art, every listen does seem to present me with a different listening experience. It’s may yet become a favourite.
The album was pretty good and a few songs stuck out but it’s unfortunately too long for my taste
Patti Smith is a storyteller. I am not very good at listening to the lyrics of a song I hear for the first time, but I can feel that she is trying to tell me something. I think it is a good album, even if her bigger hits came later. Favourites: Gloria: In Excelcis Deo, Land
Now this is a solid rock album. It has a variety of different rock styles i.e. hard rock, softer ballads, as well as incorporating her own music, covers i.e. My Generation, and spins of classics i.e. Gloria. I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I can see a few inspirations from later punk and grunge groups taking from her. Overall, I could listen to the album in full again, but I would have to REALLY want to hear it. Album Rank: 7.0 Favorite Song: Gloria
Big fan of this. Unapologetic in her lyrics and the music is so punky and creative.
I listen to most of these albums while commuting to work. This one requires that you listen in a place with no distractions in order to understand what she is saying. Brilliant work.
Pretty good. Enjoyed the punk
Did not like this. It made me think of the sister in “Friends and Neighbors”
Really cool, definitely something I’ll revisit
Ugh
это что-то популярное и ценится, но мне не зашло как-то простенько и местами раздражает манера исполнения маловероятно что переслушаю 2.8
The first time I looked into Patti Smith was for all the wrong reasons and I left unimpressed. This record is a much better place to start. It's easy to appreciate her vocal style against all these simplified rock based genres. It's a stunning piece of work, but it's very artsy. I'd listen to it again the same way I'd revisit an opera. It's always going to be exciting, but I'm not going to be rushing back to it every day. I don't think a day or two is enough for the words on this record to seep into you. I feel like she's giving me everything I wanted from Dylan. A smooth poetic backing with an obvious rock and roll essence. I look forward to giving this an occasional spin in the future. 4.2/5
Not for me
First time listening. I get why this is a classic album. Poetic enough to be deep, rock enough to be cool, but some pop elements thrown in.
I’m a sucker for GLORIA
Was alright. Free Money was maybe my fave. Generous 3.
Dunno what everyone else was listening too cos this was amazing.
3.5
Never got Patti Smith. This album has done nothing but reaffirm that. Style over substance. Birdland got fat and squarely right on the end of my fucking nerves. Thought I was listening to Pheobe Buffay.
Experimental
fine
Low 3, was not my favorite. Everything felt long.
This album rocks. I especially love "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo". Kickass opener to an album and a really cool take on the Van Morrison song.
Undisputed classic
An enjoyable album, maybe not the most gripping but she's good at what she does.
Brilliant album, “Redondo Beach” is one of my all time favourite songs of all time. Tom.
Decent record, couple of really good songs but nothing really grabbed me.
Iconic. Changed the musical landscape at the time, changed me 40 years later. Can there possibly be a stronger opening line to the opening track on a debut album?
I recognise the name, but I’d never heard any of her music before. I wouldn’t be the first to put it on myself, but it’s certainly not bad. Two stars…
Lou Reed muié
What a difficult set of songs. Musically I had no problem jumping on board between the piano and rock guitar, its very good. Vocally is where I got hung up, I'm not super particular on very in depth and clever lyrics, and definitely not poetry. That wouldn't be an issue on it own but she is specifically not trying to let the lyrics blend into the song in a traditional sense on a lot of songs. She wants you to confront them head on when she rattles off stories or metaphors in her high nasal delivery and that creates a struggle for my attention away from the music. When it works well I feel like she occupies a similar space to Stevie Nicks and everything comes together really well. When it doesn't i sit with my brow furrowed trying to keep an open mind. The songs were the worst on the first listen so I imagine they will age better on more and more listens but for sure a difficult album.
Horses opens with Patti Smith's version of Gloria, an instant charmer oozing with her own style of music. Then the album takes you to Redondo Beach to chill for a while and from then on it's mostly filler songs until the Land "trilogy" which is supposedly the album's magnum opus but far inferior to the aforementioned songs. Still, Horses is a unique album from a unique artist. I liked it a little less upon my second listening. Nevertheless, a must listen.
346/1001 Patti Smith - Horses Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ An album and artist that inspired some of my favourite bands and artists. The way it verges on completely breaking down, but doesn't, the poetry. Yeah this is utterly fantastic.
Horse shit
Do not like patti smith, awful songs, boring.
Started off ok but dragged on. Not bad but wouldn’t listen again.
like it
i may have listened to “Gloria” before and probably had no idea this version was by Patti Smith??? (how lame of me) i don’t have much to say about the album besides it being pretty decent
Gloriaaaaa
favs: redondo beach birdland kimberly gloria: in excelsis deo (live) redondo beach (live) birdland (live) free money (live) break it up (live) elegie (live) rating 2.5/5
Putting the possibility that Patti Smith is the coolest person alive. Gloria is so good, and this album keeps delivering bangers. Free Money, Break It Up, and Land were also awesome as all hell. Kicks ass.
This album is kind of a mixed bag for me. I like her best when she is making something new out of something old, like her takes on “Gloria” and “Land of 1000 Dances”. The shorter originals, like “Redondo Beach”, “Free Money” and “Break It Up” are also not bad. However, when she channels her inner beat poet chanteuse, like on “Birdland” and vast parts of the “Land” medley, she loses me.
no me termina de enganchar la pati pero reconozco que el album esta muy bien 7/10
Fun & fresh. Couldn't believe this album is more than 50 years old. EDIT: Holy shit, can't stop listening to this album. Absolutely deranged. This is 5 stars no doubt.
Okay Patti, pop off
It was fine. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Ok
Effortlessly cool
I want to like this, and I do like some of it. But there are moments where things just drag on with a flurry of words that just doesn't work for me. I can see why this was influential, just not for me
It was a cool experiment hearing punk lyrics with toned down background.
I am pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this album. Each song further lured me into enjoyment. Reminds me of 4 non blondes. Creative lyrics (that I actually listened to!)
#169/1001 🇺🇸 My love of Patti Smith grows and grows over the years. This album is one of those unique records that just blows all conventional music out of the water. Her words, her voice, tenderness, vitriol... rapping and singing over John Cales production. Just perfect. Best tracks: Free Money, Birdland, Kimberley, Elegie.
saved: Gloria: In Excelsis Deo Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer(de)
How do I do this without feeling disrespectful? Listen, I know Patti is a pivotal figure in punk rock history, but I just don't really get this album. I guess 1975 was still kinda photo-punk and maybe we just collectively decided that this wasn't exactly the right direction? Maybe she goes on to make a bunch of more punk punk? All I can say is that I listened through this one at least twice and just couldn't get excited for it. On the music alone, I'm a soft 3 stars. Considering her influence and perceived importance, I'm like a soft 3.5 stars.
What an excellent cover of G.L.O.R.I.A. "Land" is a solid second fave track on the album. And Elegie is so moody.
really appreciate the poetic story telling in the first two songs. as i’m in the middle of birdland i am the target audience for this type of piece but im also getting older so i am changing too! there were moments i was reminded of fiona apple whom i love so i was excited to see what came next. i was familiar with fiona apple prior to patti smith which is why i phase it this way even tho i obviously know smith came first. Free Money is more what i would look for in a playlist to put on first as i go about my day. i know this is ridiculous to say a bit bc of the context of the song but if i ignore that for a second i can just feel the instrumental which could sometimes be more important to a song than the story. not that it’s true here it’s just a statement LOL. as the album went on i found myself enjoying it less and less. not to say that it’s a terrible album but ill most likely only relisten to gloria and redondo beach! maybe i’ll revisit again in the future but until then, ttyl patti
"I’m relying on the historical significance, and my desire to continue listening, to push it over the line." -well put, other reviewer.
Not really into it. Pretty annoying voice. Decent sounding band though.
Not horrible but not something I’m super into
I like horses.
That's a cool cover. You can hear some Lou Reed here.
I thought I would be able to hold on to something, to find a way in, but I didn't. This didn't do anything for me. I don't get it. It wasn't upsetting or anything, just kind of bland.
Great variety, I see the appeal. Not quite a masterpiece for me.
At first I was surprised this was labeled as punk, but after listening, I understood why. I enjoyed this and have a better opinion of Patti Smith now.
For years I have been wanting to get into Patti Smith and eventually her group projects as just about anything I heard from her I was utterly infatuated with. Whether it was the killer closer Elegie or the funky Redondo Beach, Patti Smith has held a silent chokehold on myself that I have been waiting to finally dive fully into, and today is that day. This project feels like the female equivalent to Lou Reed's Transformer as Patti doesn't have a necessarily amazing vocal range but damn can she write a song. Her brash and more brute-like vocals bring such a stark contrast to what a lot of other women in Rock and even Punk were doing around this time and instantly made her a stand-out act. The longer tracks like Birdland and Land may turn off some listeners but I promise those songs fly by much does most of this album, and yet it never feels rushed or half-assed, just a really well paced album from front to back. All in all Horses is just a stellar rock album that feels both very artsy and accessible in ways I adore in both directions unless you are my father and can't stand her vocals. Really happy I hung onto this release and gave it a proper and well deserved listen through because I was anything but disappointed at how killer this was.
Patti Smith wants to be free - from the expectations placed on her (including but not limited to on account of her being a woman), from her immediate environs. Ultimately, from her body entirely, to evolve to a higher plane of consciousness. So one thing I find really striking here is that, despite that desire - a despite how freewheeling her poetry gets - she maintains a semblance of structure. Pop the hood on "Gloria" and "Birdland," for example, and you'll find Carole King-style piano figures undergirding everything; I did a double-take on the former tune to make sure I hadn't accidentally put on something off *Tapestry*. And the latter track's conclusion morphs into a classic Chubby Checker tune, albeit slowed down to a funeral march. Smith doesn't hate structure, not per se; but what she *does* consistently do is bend structures to her own fierce will. On the more conventional tunes you can hear her bumping up against them; take "Redondo Beach," a jaunty proto-reggae track about a (female) lover's drowning on which the irony of the chosen form is the point. Or "Kimberly," about her beloved sister, on which a soothing organ figure provides the lullaby that Smith herself, in her chaos, could never muster. Perhaps most notably on "Gloria," she signifies by refusing to change the song to suit her; she covers the lyrics completely straight (pun intended), from the male perspective, even as her unmistakably female squeals of delight fill the song's margins. And that is the overwhelming message of this monolith of an album: *she will conquer*. On "Birdland" she works herself into a frenzy, gnashing her teeth as she growls. On "Free Money" she rebukes the bill collectors of her impoverished youth with prophetic fury. And "Land" edges her audience; she vamps endlessly, holding out a release that always seems just about to occur - the famous "na, nananana" vocal from "Land of Thousand Dances" - and yet it *never* happens, not in nine minutes. On the same track's Morrisonesque spoken-word middle section I realized this is a rejoinder record: *there's more than one crawling king snake in this grass.* Like a lot of self-consciously arty music (like a lot of art, period) this album probably only works if you're willing to buy into it - but I am, and I'm always enthralled.
wow. this is seriously one of my favourite albums now, it’s perfect. multiple 5 ⭐️ songs. the writing!
I know I am supposed love this legendary album but I don't
ikke helt min greie
I have been meaning to listen to this album since I listened to her memoirs a few months ago. Such an interesting album like nothing I've ever heard. Patti Smith is very cool.
klFucking shit cunt ba
Patti Smith’s Horses was fine, but it never hit me the way its reputation suggests it should. I get why people love it, and I’ve got nothing bad to say about it. But I don’t have much praise for it either. It just kind of exists in that middle ground for me. So while everyone else is gushing over it, I’m over here in the corner refreshing the page, waiting for the next album so I can move on.
After years of hearing how great and influential Patti Smith is, this album only influences me to empty all my stomach contents into the nearest trashcan. If this is the sort of thing that people resonate with then I must be part of a small subset that just doesn't get it. This doesn't evoke anything positive or endear itself in any way to me.
Not really that punk, but I quite like bits of this. Gloria is a cracker, the rest tends to drag on a bit. I’ll probably go back to give it another listen at some stage, but not that highly rated for me right now.
The vocals shocked me, they are vulnerable and powerful. I enjoyed the guitar and verses complimenting the emotional weight of her voice. I especially loved Break it up
Not my style, but not bad music.
- I liked this, but I wish I could understand the lyrics better because what I could understand was cool. Her vocal affectations make it a little hard to hear what she's saying. And, they make her sound like someone else, but I can't really place who - sometimes Debbie Harry, but I keep thinking that's not who I'm trying to think of. Maybe a mix of Debbie Harry and Television? - I think I liked the energy and confidence of this more than the actual music, which didn't really leave much of an impression even though it had that Velvet Underground feel to it. - I'd say a 3.5 - I definitely liked this more than a lot of other 3s that I gave, at least.
terrible voz y la usa bien de protagonista, buen disco un poco corto y con temas muy largos. 2 se destacan nomas.
Not the greatest but I can appreciate it for the time.
Patti has a good voice it’s just worse album. I’m not sure what I was expecting for that because I had no context on the type of music she plays for wasn’t terrible.
It really grew on me
This was kind of disappointing? Not that it was bad, just felt like it had gotten overhyped for what I felt about it, it was fine. Maybe a little too spoken word poetry-esque for my taste? "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo" and "Free Money" were the standouts for me
Pretty dang good. Sounds great. Still has great energy after all these years.
Love this, own this, was pleased to have an excuse to listen again.
Very good. Not quite a 5 for me.
Didn’t hate it. Probably won’t come back to it.
I'm not crazy on her singing nor her spoken word style, but I think she used it very well on Kimberly. I enjoyed Land a lot, too.
A good album, but I don't love it. It was largely quite standard 70s rock with some more ambitious or punkish moments but I don't really see why it's considered a punk album Others have said it, this does feel like one you're supposed to like but it didn't do much for me Some occasional annoying vocal moments like when she sounds like the seagulls in Finding Nemo on the first track and that weird drawling thing on Birdland Highlights: Track 9, Kimberly
It took me a few attempts to make it through. It was fine, but I didn't like it at all.
An incredible album. Punk poetry atop classic rock, Television-style noodlings, with a little reggae-lite track thrown in for good luck.
Heel conflicted want dit begint echt zo goed, zeker "Gloria" is echt een banger, maar de rest is zo anus das insane. (2)
patti <33
Patti Smith was a relative latecomer to music, being a poet first and foremost, and it absolutely shows. This is clearly an album a long time in the making and showcases her lyrics alongside her fantastic voice. One of the best debut albums of all time.
I don't think I get this one the way that other people do, it's cool at least, it rocks, no issue but can't really join in on the cult following that it seems to have, its energy is pretty fun though its actual sound isn't particularly captivating
I know I listened to this album, but I can’t remember a whole heck of a lot about it. I remember it being an interesting blend of punk and folk, but I’d definitely use “interesting” to describe this album over any other adjective. For better and for worse.
Hit and miss. Some of the tracks are decent, and I’m kind of into the arty feel of them. Others though are completely underwhelming and kind of boring. Bits of this come across as pretentious and I’m not into that. It’s interesting hearing the influence across this though, both before and after. There’s a very Velvet Underground feel to many tracks, and it’s easy to see the influence on later bands like Sonic Youth. 2.5 rounded up.
Punk/Rock Favorite Tracks: Gloria, Redondo Beach, Birdland, Free Money, Kimberly, Break it Up, Land Least Favorite Track: Elegie This album was a slow grower on me, but I throughly love the album. Some of the tracks starts off slow, but they get progressively faster as time goes on, hitting you with the energy that you would expect from an album like this. 9/10
This was a great find. I was unfamiliar with Patti Smith, and to find this album was a treat. There's an obvious Bob Dylan influence, but what I hear most is a more angry Jim Morrison. Hearing the proto punk sound come through was great.
Unique sound and talent. Fav tracks: Gloria, Redondo Beach Saved a song: Y RYM: Y (#474)
pink is a mood a vibe a feeling never a #rule
I didn't enjoy this. That said, I surmise value here because it's progressive-protopunk with a woman at the helm. Points for long-form compositions as acoustic poetry, with a unique edge. I'll go 3 since I've been such a cranky old man lately.
Described as "minimalist punk rock", which sounds like an oxymoron Fave track: Gloria: In Excelsis Deo
I don’t get the appeal, sorry. 2.5/5
Bien.
This album is not for me but its importance and its place in the punk family tree cannot be diminished.
raw, unbothered, quite the rocker, Kimberly is my fave song so far... Elegie really reminds me of The Last Dinner Party, wonder if it served as inspiration
hm
Oh, look! I'm giving a punk album a 5 star rating! (my least favourite genre on the list as of now, 231 albums in) Horses is simply amazing. Patti Smith W. "Birdland" was my favourite. I loved "Free Money" and "Break It Up" too.
Ok
..
Cool!