Patti Smith is a musician that I’ve listened to in the past, but not very much and certainly not a whole album of hers all the way through. Smith is an influential figure in the earlier days of punk rock in New York City, a highly acclaimed poet, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This album, Easter (1978), is the Patti Smith Group’s third album, and has a song that reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the album’s Wikipedia page, Easter (1978) was the most commercially accessible release from Patti Smith Group thus far, ranging from pop, rock and roll, punk rock, spoken word, and even new wave. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Till Victory” gets started with some really groovy classic rock and roll sounds in the bass, beat, organs, and vocals. I really dig the use of the electric guitar in this track, which sort of has a squishiness to the distortion and the chords are left to hang nicely in a sort of new wave style. Holy smokes, the track segues into what sounds like some pure rock and roll. Oh wow, I’m really digging Smith’s vocals in this track, which seem to have a certain silkiness to them. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Space Monkey” gets started with some super interesting organs that almost have a bit of a prog rock sort of sound. Oh wow, Smith demonstrates some super groovy range in this track, reaching some guttural tones at times. Holy smokes, the sort of rock and roll/new wave soundscape mellows out and the vocals become a bit of a spoken word section. Oh wow, the soundscape gets into a bit of a funky sort of section that reminds me a bit of Tim Buckley’s later work. Oh wow, the end of the track is filled with chaotic punk energy that’s presented in a super sweet, funky rock and roll style. Great track.
Oh wow, “Because the Night” is a song that I recognize right away but had no idea that this song was by Patti Smith. It turns out that this song was co-written by Bruce Springsteen. The sweet, warm piano beckons my ears closer and closer to my speakers, and the particular pop rock style of the track very much reminds me of a sort of proto-80s rock track, sort of in the same manner that Cheap Trick does. The hook of the song is super catchy, and has me tapping my heels along with the beat. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Ghost Dance” gets started with some sweet, vaguely folksy acoustic guitar and some percussion that sort of sounds like a tabla with some raga flavors, especially as the chorus vocals seem to gently drone into the soundscape. This song sounds like a super interesting mixture of the raga-inflected folk stylings of The Incredible String Band and the anti-folk stylings of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Oh wow, there’s a super interesting flute sound that adds more folksy flavors to the soundscape. I’m really digging this track so far. Wow, great tune.
“Babelogue” starts out with the sounds of a live audience clapping and cheering, and soon Patti Smith comes in with some spoken word poetry with punk energy, in a manner that vaguely reminds me of Jim Morrison. Oh wow, some rock and roll instrumentation gradually fades in until it sounds like the group is dropping into a track. Super sweet tune.
Holy smokes, “Rock N Roll N****r” drops right into place from the previous track with some hard rockin’ flavors somewhat reminiscent of John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” or “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” that’s been infused with a bit of punk energy. Holy smokes, I really dig the playing from the piano and the guitars in this track, which really get the track rockin’ nicely. The overall feel of the track has a bit of the vulgarity of punk rock bands, especially as Smith digs down and gets guttural in her vocals in a way that sort of reminds me of Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys. Great track.
Oh wow, “Privilege (Set Me Free)” starts out with some somewhat ominous organs that seem to be building up to something massive, especially as Smith’s vocals and the drums come in. Oh wow, the track breaks through to a really groovy rock and roll movement for the chorus. Holy smokes, the song mellows back down to the ominous organs, some spoken word from Smith, and what sound like Gregorian chanting as background vocals, as though Smith is praying on some sort of church altar. Oh wow, I really dig the chorus of this track, especially as the background vocals come in and accentuate Smith’s vocals. Great track.
“We Three” starts out with some mellow piano chords that gradually fade in alongside what sounds to be a distant violin or perhaps a synth of some sort. Oh wow, Smith’s vocals come in with some super sweet flavor. Holy smokes, the soundscape gets grooving along with some super sweet piano chords that have a lot of forward feeling movement reminiscent of John Lennon’s solo work. Holy smokes, the soundscape almost reminds me of the sort of gospel-inflected rock and r&b stylings of musicians like Merry Clayton or Patti LaBelle. Great track.
“25th Floor” gets grooving with some classic, churning rock guitar that is soon accompanied by some groovy organs, some really interesting effects from a synth, and a steady, rockin’ beat. Oh wow, the track seems to gradually be building on itself. I’m reminded a lot of the Los Angeles-inflected classic rock sound of Jo Jo Gunne. Oh wow, there’s a layer of spoken word poetry on top of the classic rock-sounding track, which really brings an interesting, avant-garde punk sort of sound that I’m really digging. Wow, great track.
Holy smokes, “High On Rebellion” segues right in from the previous track and keeps the jams grooving along. The guitar work almost has a bit of a new wave sound reminiscent of groups like The Psychedelic Furs. Oh wow, the track becomes like some sort of melodic, chaotic, avant-garde punk rock anthem as the spoken word poetry seamlessly transforms into guttural lyrics that intensify the instrumentation in a really groovy way. Great track.
Oh wow, “Easter” starts out with an interesting, somewhat clangy beat from the drums that seem to have strong strikes that create a mellow swing, and some really mellow organs that gradually swirl about the soundscape. I really dig what sounds to be a combination of a bass guitar and a synth that provide a really smooth, wavy low end to the track. Holy smokes, the combination of Smith’s vocals and the lead guitar is super enchanting as they seem to walk in line with each other. Oh wow, Smith comes back in with some spoken word poetry/vocals. Holy smokes, some bagpipes and church bells come in as the song seems to come a smooth crescendo at the end in a manner that suggests Christmas (or rather Easter) mass at church is coming to an end. Wow, awesome track, and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, after listening to this I know I need to check out more of Patti Smith/Patti Smith Group’s discography. The tracks seemed to teeter between punk and gospel energies, and were presented with some super sweet rock and roll and punk flavors, while even meandering into folksy territory at times with a very natural progression. If you’re a fan of classic rock and roll and early 80s rock, or you’re interested in artful approaches to a punk rock sort of sound, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A