What's the deal with Patty Smith?

Cafe Society
1

I have heard a lot of good things about Patty Smith. A lot of good things. In fact, I’ve heard so damn many good things about her over the years that the other day I went out and bought her ‘Seminal’ album, Horses.

I was deeply, deeply unimpressed.

When I listen to a record I take 3 things into account which influence my opinion of the record.

  1. Quality of the Music
  2. Quality of the lyrics
  3. Quality of the lead singers voice.

Now, the quality of the music on Horses is, well, plain at best. There isn’t much in the way of invention there and it all sounds rather bland. Still, it doesn’t sound bad and there is the occasional catchy hook so I can put up with it.

The quality of the lyrics. I couldn’t actually tell this from listening to the album, for reasons I shall make clear momentarily. However, I looked them up on the internet a while back and found that while she has written some which are very poetic and quite beautiful, she has also written a lot of childish drivel. Certainly there are many lyricists out there with far more talent.

The reason I was forced to take the lengths that I did to discover whether or not Patty Smith can write lyrics was that I was unable to bring myself to listen to them on the album. Her hideous, blood curdling, banshee groan of a voice utterly wrecked the whole album for me. I know she has a good voice because I’ve heard it on the REM track E-bow the letter and her voice pretty much makes the song. She can sing. She just chooses not to on Horses. I couldn’t listen to the lyrics on Horses because that would have involved focussing on her foul, foul voice.

All in all:

Music - 5/10
Lyrics - 8/10
Voice - minus 3,000,000,000,000/10

So, does anyone else have any reasons to remotely like this womans music? The critics seem to love her but every review I’ve read just seems to be an obsequious torremt of praise without any reasons for why she is so good.

What’s the deal with Patty Smith?

2

Patti Smith was among the first of the New York punk rockers, contemporary with Richard Hell and the Ramones. If you’re looking for a pretty voice, forget it. She’s not trying to sing pretty. Personally, I think her voice is very expressive in the same way Bono’s voice became later in his career, or kind of like John Coletrane’s saxophone is sometimes. The noise and “mistakes”, for lack of a better term, are just as much a part of it as the notes.
Her first calling was as a poet, and her lyrics reflect that. The lyrics usually don’t strictly fall into meter, but are more like free verse.
I’m not as huge a fan of Smith as I am of other early punk rock, but “Birdland” is one of my all time favorite songs, and every time I hear “Rock and Roll Nigger” it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up like I’ve grabbed an electric fence.

3

I love Patty Smith. Horses is one of my all time favorites. Gloria, etc. are just great. (The cover of the Who tune on the CD does suck though.) If you know someone with the Land CDs, listen to Come back little Sheba on CD 2 for a different take on her singing. (Or the hidden track for a too different take.)

You did notice the parts where’s she’s beating her chest with her forearm while singing didn’t you?

4

OK, you didn’t like Patti Smith. Go and buy a copy of “This Nation’s Saving Grace” by the Fall… it’s much better.

-fh

5

Back in the '70s, Patti Smith was the musical guest on a Saturday Night Live episode.

As God is my witness, I thought she was a joke I didn’t get.

6

or was it Candy Slice?