PATTI SMITH “Horses” LP

Patti Smith, godmother of US punk, political activist, poet and freedom fighter, was the first artist of the New York CBGB scene to get a major label deal (even before The Ramones). Smith’s debut album invokes the spirit of her 1960s influences (Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix etc), updating them with a typically cool twist of NY art-rock. Produced by the Velvet’s John Cale and featuring a powerful sleeve photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe, this inspiring 1975 set includes the classic gender-bending cover version of Van Morrison’s “Gloria” and seven other self-composed tracks. In 2003 Horses ranked in the Top 50 of Rolling Stone magazines’ “500 most influential albums”.