To make a hit record is, for many musicians, equivalent to summiting Mt. Everest. But, to make a record that is just as potent and relevant 50 years after its release is comparable to walking on the moon. Few people can boast this particular achievement, and one of them is Patti Smith.
Smith, 78, released Horses, her debut LP, in November 1975, and it was unlike anything listeners— not to mention her peers— had ever heard before. As much a collection of poetry as a collection of songs, Horses marked the start of Smith’s career as a solo artist and paved the way for her to earn the title of Godmother of Punk.
Produced by John Cale, one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground, Horses permanently altered the rock music scene. And now, 50 years later, Horses is being honored with a 50th anniversary double vinyl reissue that includes eight never-before-heard tracks.
Smith announced the news on her Instagram account with a characteristically poignant caption. “This is the 50th anniversary double vinyl offering of Horses. Thanking all those who made it possible and the people who have kept it alive for half a century.”
However, it was gratitude for Smith and the record that changed so many lives that poured in instead.
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“This album kept me alive more than once. 💜🙏🏽,” wrote one fan.
“As Lester Bangs once wrote, ‘Horses’ is one of the greatest records I’ve ever heard. Thank you, Patti, Lenny, Richard, and Jay Dee 🐎🐎,” commented another.
“This album changed my life 💘” said a third.
“We saw you perform this in Boston spring 1976–this album had gotten me through a tough year and seeing you perform it live? Pure magic. ❤️🐎,” added yet another fan.
“I remember as a teen, my cousin Richard arriving at the front door, record in hand, his eyes big as saucers saying, ‘ya gotta hear this.’ Our ears, heart and mind were never the same. Gratitude Patti, to you and your band. 🙏🙏🙏,” recalled a nostalgic commenter.
Countless comments poured in sharing similar sentiments.
Patti Smith Found Music Through Poetry
Smith didn’t grow up with dreams of becoming a rock star. Raised in the suburbs of New Jersey, Smith briefly attended college before heading north to New York City.
“Sometimes [people] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar,” Smith told NPR in 2010. “I think it’s important for people to realize that we were all young, all naive, and also we had lived in a time that had magic.”
At the age of 20, Smith was living in Manhattan. She found a job at a bookstore, and it was while she was working there that she first met legendary photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, her lover-turned-friend whose life story became deeply intertwined with her own.
Smith found her way to music through her poetry. She first met guitarist, Lenny Kaye, during her early days in New York City. He played electric guitar while she recited her poetry, the duo serving as the opening act for Gerard Melanga at a 1971 performance. Kaye and Smith have remained close collaborators to this day, including his performance on Horses.
In 2010, Smith published a memoir, Just Kids, that documented her artistic journey as well as much of her personal life. It also focused on her often turbulent relationship with Mapplethorpe, from their first meeting to his untimely death in 1989. The book won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and became a New York Times bestseller.
