Patti Smith - Horses Patricia (Patti)Smith was born in 1946 in Chicago, daughter of Honeywell exec and waitress mum into a bible believing family who moved around the North East of USA.
Patti busked in Paris in the late 1960s and then returned to the US to join the emerging punk scene in New York; centred around CBGB club where Ramones, Talking Heads & Iggy Pop were playing. Horses was her debut album, after several years as a poet and performance artist.
The album is a hard listen, no holds barred punk rant. Certainly not to everyone taste, but got rave reviews from the Hoylake Album Clubbers (with a few exceptions who couldn't get on with it at all). It is widely regarded as one of the best albums of all time.
Opening track "Gloria" (opeing line: Jesus Died for somebody's sins but not mine) rebels against her godfearing upbringing, and "Kimberley" seemed to be a favourite track for the club.
If you like to spend a couple of hours working out what the poetic lyrics might mean, and enjoy hearing agression and passion spit out at the world (apparently goood therapy for menopausal women) then you'll love this.
If you're looking for easy listening and a catchy tune then you're gonna be disappointed and probably prefer the other album in this meeting better.
Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky This is the choice of Michael, at his first meeting, who brought this West Coast easy listening album as the ideal antidote to the East Coast Punk Spleen of Patti Smith's "Horses".
It was conceived in the hedonistic idyll of Laurel Canyon, overlooking Los Angeles and favoured haunt of the emerging singer-songwriter scene (Joni Mitchell, Crossby, Stills Nash & Young, The Eagles, James Taylor and friends).
(Clyd) Jackson Brown was born in 1948 in Hiedelberg, into a service family. As a teenager he signed as a songwriter intially and later co-wrote "Take it Easy" one of the Eagles most famous tracks). After his teens he released his first Album "Jackson Brown" in 1972 and had his first hit "Doctor my Eyes".
Late for the Sky, his third album consolidated his success and was released in 1974. The album cover itself is a work of art, based on Magrittes series of paintings "Dominion of Light" and shows a daylight sky superimposed over a twighlight foreground with a polished chevvy as a briliant touch of Americana.
The album is instantly accessible, but improves on multiple listening as the melodies are subtle and the lyrics full of meaning. Some of the clubbers just let the music wash over them and flow away, others got more out of this album each time they listened to it.
Easy to damn with faint praise as just another middle of the californian road album stuck in autdrive, this album can make even the M56 feel like the coast road, and could benefit from more attention than the average listener might be prepared to give it. Roll on...
Great night, I thought, with some really insightful contributions all round. These are both 'growers', I found, albeit in different ways; I look forward to getting to know them even better in the future.
Thanks to Ian and Michael for comments.
One choice has already been made for next meeting, which is looking like mid-late April, in Tom and Fi's house: it's 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2008), chosen by Kath.
Patti Smith - Horses
ReplyDeletePatricia (Patti)Smith was born in 1946 in Chicago, daughter of Honeywell exec and waitress mum into a bible believing family who moved around the North East of USA.
Patti busked in Paris in the late 1960s and then returned to the US to join the emerging punk scene in New York; centred around CBGB club where Ramones, Talking Heads & Iggy Pop were playing. Horses was her debut album, after several years as a poet and performance artist.
The album is a hard listen, no holds barred punk rant. Certainly not to everyone taste, but got rave reviews from the Hoylake Album Clubbers (with a few exceptions who couldn't get on with it at all). It is widely regarded as one of the best albums of all time.
Opening track "Gloria" (opeing line: Jesus Died for somebody's sins but not mine) rebels against her godfearing upbringing, and "Kimberley" seemed to be a favourite track for the club.
If you like to spend a couple of hours working out what the poetic lyrics might mean, and enjoy hearing agression and passion spit out at the world (apparently goood therapy for menopausal women) then you'll love this.
If you're looking for easy listening and a catchy tune then you're gonna be disappointed and probably prefer the other album in this meeting better.
Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky
ReplyDeleteThis is the choice of Michael, at his first meeting, who brought this West Coast easy listening album as the ideal antidote to the East Coast Punk Spleen of Patti Smith's "Horses".
It was conceived in the hedonistic idyll of Laurel Canyon, overlooking Los Angeles and favoured haunt of the emerging singer-songwriter scene (Joni Mitchell, Crossby, Stills Nash & Young, The Eagles, James Taylor and friends).
(Clyd) Jackson Brown was born in 1948 in Hiedelberg, into a service family. As a teenager he signed as a songwriter intially and later co-wrote "Take it Easy" one of the Eagles most famous tracks). After his teens he released his first Album "Jackson Brown" in 1972 and had his first hit "Doctor my Eyes".
Late for the Sky, his third album consolidated his success and was released in 1974. The album cover itself is a work of art, based on Magrittes series of paintings "Dominion of Light" and shows a daylight sky superimposed over a twighlight foreground with a polished chevvy as a briliant touch of Americana.
The album is instantly accessible, but improves on multiple listening as the melodies are subtle and the lyrics full of meaning. Some of the clubbers just let the music wash over them and flow away, others got more out of this album each time they listened to it.
Easy to damn with faint praise as just another middle of the californian road album stuck in autdrive, this album can make even the M56 feel like the coast road, and could benefit from more attention than the average listener might be prepared to give it. Roll on...
Great night, I thought, with some really insightful contributions all round. These are both 'growers', I found, albeit in different ways; I look forward to getting to know them even better in the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Ian and Michael for comments.
One choice has already been made for next meeting, which is looking like mid-late April, in Tom and Fi's house: it's 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2008), chosen by Kath.