Significant longplayers from yesteryear
10 November 2025
PATTI SMITH (78 now) released her debut magnum opus,
HORSES today 50 years ago, on 10 November 1975.
It peaked at #47 in the US, but went on selling for decades afterword.
Recognized as a seminal recording in the history of punk and later rock
movements, Horses has appeared in numerous lists of the greatest albums
of all time.
Rolling Stone said: “Wonderful in large measure because it recognizes the overwhelming importance of words” in Smith’s work, covering a range of themes “far beyond what most
rock records even dream of.”
The music was informed by the minimalist aesthetic of the punk rock genre, then in its formative years. Smith and her band composed the album’s songs using simple chord progressions, while also breaking from punk tradition in their propensity for improvisation and embrace of ideas from avant-garde and other musical styles.
The title Horses reflected Smith‘s desire for a rejuvenation of rock music, which
she found had grown “calm” in reaction to the social turmoil of the 1960s and
the deaths of numerous prominent rock musicians of that era.
Recognized as a seminal recording in the history of punk and later
rock movements, Horses has appeared in numerous lists of the greatest
albums of all time.
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