Patti Smith - Horses [Black Vinyl LP]

Patti Smith's Horses stands as one of the most influential debut albums in rock history, a 1975 landmark that fused poetry, punk attitude, and raw emotional power into something entirely new. Recorded with producer John Cale of the Velvet Underground, the album captured Smith's uncompromising artistic vision and her ability to transform rock and roll into a vessel for literary expression and spiritual intensity. The iconic Robert Mapplethorpe cover photograph became as legendary as the music itself, cementing Smith's status as punk's poet laureate. This black vinyl LP brings the album's groundbreaking sound to listeners with the warmth and presence that defined its original release.

The album opens with Smith's dramatic reimagining of "Gloria," transforming Van Morrison's garage rock classic into a defiant personal statement with her spoken-word introduction, "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine." "Free Money" channels longing and ambition into a surge of rock energy, while "Break It Up" features Television guitarist Tom Verlaine and showcases Smith's ability to blend abstract imagery with visceral emotion. "Horses" itself unfolds as an epic journey through Smith's consciousness, and "Land" stretches across multiple movements, creating a narrative that feels both chaotic and meticulously crafted. The album's production captures the band's live intensity while leaving space for Smith's voice to command attention.

This vinyl edition preserves the album's dynamic range and the interplay between Smith's vocals and the band's loose yet focused performances. The pressing maintains the clarity of Lenny Kaye's guitar work and the rhythm section's propulsive drive, allowing the album's sonic textures to breathe. The packaging features the original artwork that has become inseparable from the album's legacy.

• Format: Black Vinyl LP
• Standout tracks: "Gloria," "Free Money," "Land"
• Pressing details: Standard weight vinyl pressing
• Genre/style: Punk Rock, Proto-Punk, Art Rock, Poetry Rock
• UPC: 886919602814

A revolutionary debut that redefined what rock music could express and remains vital nearly five decades later.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Gloria: In Excelsis Deo
2. Redondo Beach
3. Birdland
4. Free Money

Side B:

1. Kimberly
2. Break It Up
3. Land: Horses / Land, Of A Thousand Dances / La Mer (de)
4. Elegie