America's Horses

America's Horses

ASIN: B00000EZ73

Track Listings

1. Tennessee Stud

2. Running Shadow

3. Ponies

4. Wildfire

5. Running Blood

6. See How All the Horses Come

7. Palomino Days

8. Run for the Roses

9. Pony Man

10. Quarter Horse Rider (America's Horse)

Tracks:

Gloria
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land: Horses/Land Of A Thousand Dances/La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation (Bonus Track)

Amazon.com

On her 1975 debut, Smith was full of piss and vinegar, seriously interested in bringing together high art and low three-chord rock & roll. As a result, her free-form poetry meshes with covers of "Gloria" and "Land of a Thousand Dances," and the album centers on two long, highfalutin' pieces, including the three-part suite (warning! warning! art!) "Land." (The CD version appends a messy live take on The Who's "My Generation.") Led by Richard Sohl's piano, the arrangements don't exactly rock, and some of Smith's songwriting gets buried in its stylistic affectations (there's a great song under "Redondo Beach"'s fake reggae). But the point of Horses was Smith's persona of volume, cunning and exile, and it comes through distinctly. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

a classic and challenging album.......2007-06-19

Patti smith has to be the most free of all the rock stars.. Her style is hers alone.. her energy and intensity.. her free use of language (obviously influenced by poetry), and above all her cathartic expressive process - prove that she is the best - that is she is herself..
the album Horses opens with one of her tamer tracks - a rocker 'gloria' it is followed by a true gem 'redondo beach' then it falls into the first spoken word expedition 'birdland'... 'kimberly' is another of my favorite tracks - but nothing can quite prepare you for the title track which is one of the few truly transcendant vocal tracks i have heard.. the album ends perfectly with the quiet 'elegie'..
this is an album you have to experience even if you do not like it - you still have to admire it as something truly different..

Land of a Thousand Horses (* * * * 1/2).......2007-05-07

It is a bit surprising that there are not more Amazon reviews than there are for Patti Smith's 1975 debut. After all, Horses is the kind of album - like those by kindred spirits The Velvet Underground and Television - that critics go absolutely bonkers over. (The 2007 Rush album had more reviews within a day of its release.) Like most such albums, this great praise did not lead to equally great sales. It did, however, result in reverence by the scores of musicians Smith has influenced, and ultimately in her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Patti Smith had published a few volumes of poetry in the early 70s, and was part of the Greenwich Village music scene that included guitarist Lenny Kaye and pianist Richard Sohl. Horses gave her the chance to show off her talents as both a poet and a rocker. Those who are leery of her 9-minute poetic flourishes will find her shorter, more conventional rock songs quite satisfying. These include "Free Money" (about winning the lottery, a decidedly non-poetic topic), the pop-flavored "Kimberly", and "Break It Up", which was co-written by Television frontman Tom Verlaine. On "Gloria", however, Smith sews together the poetic and the conventional perfectly, weaving the Van Morrison classic in and out of her own lyrics, highlighted by the mid-song headfirst plunge into the original without a missed beat. It is so seamless that one might find him/herself unsure of whose lyrics are being sung when. Drummer Jay Dee Daugherty is extraordinary, driving songs like "Gloria" and "Free Money" relentlessly forward.

Van Morrison clearly had an important influence on this record, but it is another Morrison - Jim - who is more often cited as an influence on Smith. I personally have never cared much for this comparison, as I am not a great admirer of Jim Morrison. However, the comparison is apt, as the tracks "Birdland" and "Land" can be interpreted as in the spirit of songs like "The End" and "When the Music's Over" by The Doors.

Horses is a crucial precurser to punk primarily because it anticipated that genre's sound before it came to fruition. However, it also anticipated the spirit of punk by looking to the early days of rock 'n roll to capture its youthful and inspired essence. This is heard not only in "Gloria", but in the middle section of "Land", which co-opts the oldie "Land of a Thousand Dances". While The Ramones would also cover oldies (eg, "California Sun", "Do You Wanna Dance?"), they preferred to keep their songs to about 2 minutes. Smith - like Television after her - was willing to give her songs a much larger canvas. The fact that Blue Oyster Cult's Allan Lanier, a boyfriend of Smith's, was the co-writer of "Kimberly" and "Elegie" made this album an all the more bizarre musical stew. (But the fact that The Velvet Underground's John Cale produced the album seems more appropriate than bizarre.)

Nearly 29 years old in November 1975, Patti Smith was no spring chicken when Horses was released. This gave her something of mother figure quality to not only the mostly male punks who would follow in her wake, but also to tough-minded female rockers ranging from Chrissie Hynde and Kim Gordon to PJ Harvey and Liz Phair. (And I am sticking to the idea that the name The Smiths came about as a result of the fact that Morrissey and Johnny Marr met at one of her concerts.) Horses may have its soft spots, but its updates on the past and influence on the future make it one of the most essential American recordings ever.

overrated junk.......2007-05-03

One of the most awful pieces of junk ever released. Her caterwauling will get on your nerves. They put this no-talent in the Rock and Roll hall of fame?

Poetic, disturbing...good album...3 and 1/2 stars out of 5.......2007-02-01

I'm writing this review some months after buying this album. I bought the album because it was mentioned in an article about albums you must own. Saw this album really cheap, new, with a vinyl look to the cd.

Usually I write very long-winded reviews of albums, so this time I'll just write something short, and going on memory. Firstly, I am mostly into pop/rock music. By these standards, there aren't any great/good songs in that mould in this album. This isn't to say that the album is a dud...merely to say that the album should be judged by different criteria to pop/rock. It's also not to say that the artist can't write great songs in the pop/rock mould-she has written a pop/rock masterpiece in "Because the night".

So, what is the attraction of this album? To me, it's the poetic, lyrical, scary, weird terrain that it covers. Sure, there are covers, more or less, of well known songs like "Gloria" [has original lyric input from Smith, I think] and "My generation", but these songs are not reasons to buy the album...they're probably the weakest links in this album.

This album could not have been released decades beforehand, I would not think. The sheer weirdness and creepiness of some songs would have seen Patti either sedated or moved into a sanitarium!

Stand-out songs for me are: "Birdland" and "Land", from memory. The former has an interesting lyrical structure and delves into the weird...alien abductions, from memory. "Land" is the song, from memory, where Patti gives full vent to her weirdness...some of her imagery is quite disturbing and suitable for mature audiences only, I think.

These songs, being poetic in nature, make it reasonably opaque as to what the narrative of the song is, apart from having bloody, disturbing imagery on occasion.

All in all, this album does not have conventionally 'good' songs on it. It's more arty/farty, if I can phrase it that way. I wouldn't listen to this album for specific songs...it's more the kind of album you just plonk on and listen to all the way through...perhaps it's a hot-bath or veg-out listen kind of cd.

There aren't any conventionally memorable songs on this, but I think I did enjoy songs like "Redondo Beach" and "Free money" [apart from the 'worthy' songs like "Birdland" and "Land"]. "Free money" sounds like a Broadway musical song...if there was a Broadway musical called "Free money", this song would be the theme song! It has the vibe of a song from the musical "Cabaret".

Just btb, listening to one song in particular on this album [I don't remember which], it struck me that Patti's vocals reminded me [forget temporal order here] of The Divinyl's Chrissie Amphlett. So, perhaps Chrissie was influenced vocally by Patti.

Anyway, this is a really good album, it's just not good in a "top 40" kind of way. If you like experimental, poetic type music, I think you will like this album. It's not weird in a The Beatles' "Revolution 9" kind of way, but the poetic imagery of Patti is sometimes more weird than The Beatles.

For the musically adventurous.

P.S. seeing as Patti Smith is usually grouped with the punk-rock movement, you may be interested in my reviews of other punk bands, i.e. The Ramones' Anthology and the Australian punk rock band The Saints' anthology entitled "Know your product". If you like political music check out my reviews of Australian pop/rock group Midnight Oil. Politics never sounded so good.

Horses.......2006-05-13

When it opens with a line like, "Jesus died for someone's sins but not for mine", you know you're in for something good. Sure enough, that one line launches you into a forty-five minute album filled with graphic descriptions of sex and violence. (Listen to my personal favorite, Land, if you want proof). She sings her dark verses with so much intensity, so much feeling that it makes Jim Morrison look like a raving drunk. Yes, it's that intense, people. And she somehow manages to turn a brutal tale of murder into the R&B nugget Land of a Thousand Dances, not to mention an even rawer version of Gloria, the album's signature song.
Best tunes include Gloria, Free Money, Kimberly, Break It Up and Horses, though every song on this album is thoroughly amazing.

Average customer rating:

"my sins are my own"
What Hasn't Been Said About This One?
Art
Dylan's dog, he's got wings, he can fly!
Patti

Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Born to Run: 30th Anniversary 3-Disc Set

ASIN: B000BKDOB6
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo; In Excelsis Deo\ Gloria
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land:; Horses\ Land Of A Thousand Dances\ La Mer(de)
Elegie
My Generation (Bonus Track)

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo; In Excelsis Deo\ Gloria
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land; Horses\ Land Of A Thousand Dances\ La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation (Bonus Track)

Album Description

November 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Patti Smith's debut album, Horses, a groundbreaking rock & roll masterpiece which continues its unparalleled influence on rock music, style and culture. Arista/Columbia/Legacy Recordings will celebrate this musical milestone with the release of Horses/Horses, a two-disc Legacy Special Edition of Patti Smith's debut album, on Tuesday, November 8.

Disc One of Horses/Horses features the original album, in its entirety, along with the bonus track, Patti's interpretation of the Who's classic "My Generation." Initially released as the B-side to "Gloria," the first single from Horses, in 1975, "My Generation" features John Cale, the album's producer, on bass. The Legacy Special Edition of Horses has been remastered by Greg Calbi producing superior sound to previous editions of the album.

The second disc of Horses/Horses showcases Patti Smith and her Band--Lenny Kaye (guitar), Jay Dee Daugherty (drums), Tony Shanahan (bass), Tom Verlaine (guitar) and featuring Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers--performing the complete Horses album live, with a "My Generation" encore, at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 25, 2005. This historic performance of Horses was the culminating concert at the 2005 Meltdown Festival, which was curated by Patti Smith. (Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty were both members of the ensemble that played on the original Horses while Tom Verlaine was a guest artist on the 1975 album).

Horses/Horses comes packaged with a deluxe booklet featuring rare archival photographs, ephemera, lyrics and documentation of the 2005 concert as well as Paul Williams' provocative essay on "Gloria."

Customer Reviews:

"my sins are my own".......2007-05-22

After an evening with friends playing Patti and many other 70's and 60's luminaries this album got a lot of votes. As we all treat Christianity as a stupidly unfunny joke the opening lyric "...Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" followed by a lesbian eulogy to the joys of womankind seemed to work. Our general consensus was not only that this stands as one of the best 'dirty-boogie' records ever recorded, and one of the most influential in the world of rock, but also that it is exists as a near perfect smack in the face for religious crap in the defence of personal freedom.

So...

Altogether now...

G L O R I A

What Hasn't Been Said About This One?.......2007-04-20

Definitely one of the best albums in the history of recorded music, made even BETTER than the original! What more can be said? What more can you ask for?

Highly recommended. Unfortunately, Patti will never better this one no matter how long she keeps recording.

Art.......2006-08-28

As a long time lover and student of pop music, I declare Patti Smith's Horses album to be THE most original and greatest rock and roll record of all time. I seriously doubt there can be another record that will topple it from this position.

Dylan's dog, he's got wings, he can fly!.......2006-05-17

I've already reviewed the earlier version of Horses so no cheap recap. I was at BAM in NYC November 2005 to celebrate the 30th year. Was struck by the generational cross section & diversity -parents with teen children (maybe 'Boomers with grandkids, certainly Gen X & offspring,) twentysomethings, lesbians who cherish the message in "Gloria," curiosity seekers, the tragically hip who missed it on the first (or several)go-rounds. That we're even writing about an album thirty years old speaks to its importance. Can I quibble about the new version of "Land"? Sure. Do I care? No. When I first heard some of these songs 30+ years ago they had completely different lyrics entirely (like "Birdland" - which started with Patti's poem "bar stools were made for women like this...") Patti was, and is, not one to take the safe road. Other than having to put on reading glasses to read her poetry (I sympathize - sucks doesn't it?) she is still a most vital force. If you don't own "Horses," what are you waiting for? If you do, buy this version for the 2005 version live. Long may she Wave.

Patti .......2006-04-02

Some friends and I saw Patti and her band while we were freshmen at college, circa 1975-76. GLORIA is a classic of the rock & roll canon, of course, and Patti's version cuts into the heart of that song like none other, into the soul of being human, into the bones of being young and on the prowl.

Western Tunesmith / He Rides The Wild Horses

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Western Tunesmith / He Rides The Wild Horses
Chris LeDoux
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

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Watcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy / Under This Old Hat

ASIN: B000NOKADK
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Tracks:

Country Star
Ten Seconds In The Saddle
Cowboy And The Rose
Old Paint
Dream On Cowboy
Dirt And Sweat Cowboy
Navajo Wrangler
Come Riding Joe Cy
Get Along Little Doggies
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
I Don't Want To Be A Cowboy Anymore
He Rides The Wild Horses
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Back When We Was Kids
Just Riding Through
I Got You
Freedom's Just A State Of Mind
The Cowboy And The Hippie
Misfortune's Own Son
Old Tom Horn
When The Rodeo Comes To Town

Album Description

Two classic Chris LeDoux CDs combined on one CD, 24-bit digitally remastered and presented with their original album cover art.

Average customer rating:

Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Bmg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000PSHY60
Release Date: 2007-06-30

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Van Morrison Version]
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation [Live][*]

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007.

Album Details

2007 Japanese Digitally Remastered Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating:

Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Bmg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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American Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000J10E38
Release Date: 2006-11-22

Tracks:

Gloria
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land
Elegie
My Generation(Bonus Track)

Album Details

24bit Digitally Remastered Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork. Features the Bonus Track "my Generation".

Average customer rating:

Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Proto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Easter

ASIN: B00008EOTU
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Van Morrison Version]
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation [Live][*]

Average customer rating:

Rock as poetry

Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Sony / Bmg Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0009XFMXI
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Van Morrison Version]
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation [Live][*]

Album Description

Vinyl Classics reissue of the 1975 album comes as a vinyl look-a-like CD that's packaged in a die-cut see-through Slipcase. Arista. 2005.

Album Details

Limited Edition Reissue of this Classic Album Presented in a Special Package featuring a CD with a Top Side that Resembles an Original LP Vinyl Album, but Don't Let the Looks Deceive You...it's A Fully Playable CD.

Customer Reviews:

Rock as poetry.......2007-01-11

With this album, Patti Smith reinvigorated rock in the mid 1970s. A lot of British Punk was just 3-chord anger, but Horses opened up new worlds with its poetic lyrics and melodicism. This ominous version of Gloria, the lilting reggae of the sad Redondo Beach, the evocative surrealism of Kimberly and the violently erotic title track were like nothing else in rock music, and they're still unique and special. I'm not crazy about each & every track but they all have great worth and Horses will forever stand as a monument to the best in rock music. Excepting the title track, the aforementioned are quite accessible and hummable to the mainstream (as opposed to Art Rock) fan. This reissue includes a live version of My Generaton. Oh and Patti looks so sensual on the cover.

Heroes and Horses: Corridos From the Arizona-Sonora Borderlands

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Heroes and Horses: Corridos From the Arizona-Sonora Borderlands
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000060PC4
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

El Corrido De Nogales
El Moro De Cumpas
La Carcel De Cananea
La Tolota
El Palomino Y El Gancho
Corridos De Oquitoa
El General Santa Cruz
Rafaelita
Jose Lizardo
Maquina
Joaquin Murrieta
El Corrido Del Palomino
El Corrido Del Minero
Los Indios Con Obergon
Canal Del Infiernillo
El Corrido Del Guasiado

Album Description

The corridos in this collection come from the region comprising southern Arizona and northern Sonora, one that was divided politically by the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, but is unified by a Mexican folk culture. These corridos-- the word translates loosely as "ballads" -- are story songs that tell tales of revolution, crime, heroic showdowns, horse races, and disasters in this overlooked part of the world. Heroes and Horses is a slice of life along the Arizona-Sonora border as it has been lived and memorialized in corridos over the course of the 20th century. Rich with the folk traditions of northern Mexico, rarely are the engaging voices of these balladeers accompanied by more than a guitar and an accordion. Tales of triumph and tragedy fill this collection and bring the Arizona-Sonora borderlands to life. This enhanced CD includes 71 minutes of music, extensive notes, photos, and complete lyrics in Spanish and English on the disc.

Los corridos de esta colección vienen de la región del sur de Arizona y del norte de Sonora, una región dividida políticamente por el acuerdo Gadsden Purchase de 1853, pero que está unificada por la cultura popular mexicana. Estos corridos son historias cantadas que cuentan sobre la revolución, el crimen, heroicos encuentros, carreras de caballo y desastres en esta región olvidada del mundo. Heroes and Horses (Héroes y caballos) es una dimensión de la vida a lo largo de la frontera Sonora-México como ha sido vivida y conmemorada en los corridos en el transcurso del siglo XX. Rica en tradiciones populares del norte de México, rara vez las voces cautivantes de estos corridistas son acompañadas con más de una guitarra y un acordeón. Historias de triunfo y tragedia llenan esta colección y traen a la vida las regiones fronterizas entre Arizona y Sonora. Este disco compacto incluye 71 minutos de música, extensas notas, fotos y letras completas en español e inglés.

Horses
Average customer rating:
Horses
Patti Smith
Manufacturer: Bmg/Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sound of Silver

Land (1975-2002)

ASIN: B000BV7TBQ
Release Date: 2006-01-02

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Version]
Redondo Beach
Birdland
Free Money
Kimberly
Break It Up
Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer (De)
Elegie
My Generation

Tracks:

Gloria: In Excelsis Deo/Gloria [Live][#][Version]
Redondo Beach [Live][#]
Birdland [Live][#]
Free Money [Live][#]
Kimberly [Live][#]
Break It Up [Live][#]
Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer (De) [Live][#]
Elegie [Live][#]
My Generation [Live][#]

Album Description

2 CD set. Limited edition Japanese pressing includes a bonus track and booklet packaged in a digipak. Arista. 2005.

Average customer rating:

Horses
Greg Johnson
Manufacturer: Johnson Music America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000Q6O5D6

Product Description

Horses (3:39)

Album Review:

Album Review

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