Iconic Albums: Patti Smith's Horses
Patti Smith's debut album Horses and its iconic cover marked her explosive entry into the music world, blending punk rock’s raw energy with poetic lyricism. Often hailed as one of the most influential albums of the 20th century.
Punk Scene
The album, released on December 13, 1975, emerged from New York’s burgeoning punk scene, recorded at Electric Lady Studios with producer John Cale. Smith, alongside her band—Lenny Kaye on guitar, Ivan Král on bass, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums, and Richard Sohl on piano—crafted a sound that was both primal and sophisticated. Tracks like “Gloria” (a reimagining of Van Morrison’s classic) and “Land” showcased her ability to fuse spoken-word intensity with rock rebellion, cementing her as the “punk poet laureate.”
Robert Mapplethorpe The album’s cover, photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe, is as legendary as the music itself. Shot in black-and-white in a Greenwich Village apartment, it features Smith standing against a plain wall, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and suspenders, with a jacket slung casually over her shoulder. Her direct gaze and androgynous, unpolished look defied the era’s polished pop imagery, embodying the album’s ethos of authenticity and defiance. Mapplethorpe, Smith’s close friend and collaborator, used natural light streaming through a window, giving the image a stark, timeless quality. The photo wasn’t planned as the cover initially—Smith picked it from a series of shots because it felt “true.” Together, Horses and its cover became a cultural touchstone, symbolizing a shift toward raw individuality in art and music. The album’s influence ripples through punk, post-punk, and beyond, while the image remains an enduring emblem of Smith’s unapologetic spirit.Learn more about how you can display your cover art at wagthewall.com
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