Patti Smith has called her 1975 debut record Horses “three-chord rock merged with the power of the word” – a merger that would ultimately allow Patti to distinguish herself from the burgeoning New York CBGB’s scene and reshape punk in her own image. Legend has it that Smith auditioned guitarist Lenny Kaye by asking him if he could play a car crash. He really can! The snarling, garage primitivism of his guitar is gilded perfectly by Smith’s fevered wail, unflinchingly inspired and sincere. Patti wears a lot of different hats on this record – poet, punk, revolutionary and high priestess – and the band wax and wane accordingly, building the songs into cathartic freakouts awash in straining guitars. John Cale’s (the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, Brian Eno) production lets the band breathe, never feeling intrusive but rather a steady hand pushing the band firmly over the abyss. Smith’s background as a performance poet allows her to breathe life into every word which, although surely carefully considered, feel spontaneous and heartfelt every time. Finally, Horses’ iconic cover is a stark photograph of a wry and androgynous Smith snapped by renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (also the subject of her excellent memoir Just Kids). Her expression reads just like this record sounds – fearless, hopeful and ready.
Pete Whelan 