Pitchfork

Raw, intelligent, and shockingly original, Patti Smith's 1975 debut LP Horses stands as one of the defining albums of the 1970s. With its mix of beat poetry, innovative song structures, and Smith's distinctive street smart yowl, the John Cale-produced disc proved a major jumping point for up and coming punks, as well as a landmark sonic blueprint for countless generations of forward-thinking artists.

November 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the classic release, and Smith is throwing a healthy birthday party for the album with a double shot of year-end Horses-themed activity. Kicking off the proceedings is a new two-disc expanded release of the album via Arista/Columbia/Legacy, which will arrive in U.S. stores on November 8.

Horses/Horses will include the original '75 album on the first disc, with a cover of the Who's "My Generation" tacked onto the original eight-song running order. The second disc is a live performance of Horses in its entirety, recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London on June 25, 2005. The performance features Smith backed by guitarist Lenny Kaye, drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, bassist Tony Shanahan, as well as legendary Television guitarist Tom Verlaine and, um, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. Kaye, Daugherty, and Verlaine all played on the original album. Flea did not.

Songs about your dreams of horses:

>>Disc 1
01 Gloria
02 Redondo Beach
03 Birdland
04 Free Money
05 Kimberly
06 Break It Up
07 Horses / Land Of A Thousand Dances / La Mer (De)
08 Elegie
09 My Generation

>> Disc 2
01 Gloria
02 Redondo Beach
03 Birdland
04 Free Money
05 Kimberly
06 Break It Up
07 Land: Horses / Land Of A Thousand Dances / La Mer (De)
08 Elegie
09 My Generation

That same lineup will mark the anniversary with a pair of shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House on November 30 and December 1, performing Horses and other favorites. Prior to those bashes, Smith will play a trio of West Coast dates with guitarist Kaye, before joining U2 in New York City as openers on the Nobel Prize-losing band's tour in support of their latest LP, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Wake up mom and dad, it looks like the punks have finally made the big time!

If only Joey Ramone was alive to see this..:

11-11 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café *
11-14 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
11-15 West Hollywood, CA - The Troubadour *
11-21 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden #
11-22 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden #
11-30 Brooklyn, NY - Howard Gilman Opera House $
12-01 Brooklyn, NY - Howard Gilman Opera House $

* with Lenny Kaye
# with U2
$ Horses shows

Smith has even more reason to celebrate in 2005, as she has been selected as this year's recipient of the Woman of Valor Lifetime Achievement Award by the ROCKRGRL Music Conference. The conference, an offshoot of ROCKRGRL Magazine, will take place in Seattle on November 11-12, with Smith receiving her award at an honorary dinner on the first night, and delivering the keynote address on the morning of the second day.

Speaking about the punk poet's selection for the award, conference founder Carla DeSantis said, "Patti has always been such a force and inspiration to so many women. We are thrilled to be honoring her contributions."

As previously reported, Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Bonnie Raitt, and Ann Wilson (Heart), among others, are scheduled to appear at the conference.

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