Twelve - Album
Twelve (Album) by Patti Smith
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Artist Biography For Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith Born December 30 1946 Is An American Singer Poet And Visual Artist Who Was A Highly Influential Component Of The New York Punk Rock Movement Particularly With Her 1975 Début Album 'Horses'. Called The "Godmother Of Punk" She Integrated The Beat Poetry Performance Style With Three-Chord Rock. Smith's Most Widely Known Song Is "Because The Night" Which Was Co-Written With Bruce Springsteen And Reached Number 13 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1978. In 2007 She Was Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Smith Was Born In Chicago Illinois USA. Her Mother Beverly Was A Jazz Singer And Father Grant Worked At The Honeywell Plant. She Spent Her Entire Childhood In Deptford New Jersey. Raised The Daughter Of A Jehovah's Witness Mother She Claims She Had A Strong Religious Bible-Based Education But Left Organized Religion As A Teenager Because She Felt It Was Too Confining. She Later Wrote The Opening Line Of Her Cover Version Of Them's Gloria In Response To This Experience. After Graduating From Deptford Township High School In 1964 Smith Went To Work In A Factory. In 1967 She Left Glassboro State Teachers College Now Rowan University And Moved To New York City. She Met Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe There While Working At A Book Store With Friend Poet Janet Hamill. Mapplethorpe's Photographs Of Her Became The Covers For The Patti Smith Group LPs And They Remained Friends Until Mapplethorpe's Death In 1989. In 1969 She Went To Paris With Her Sister And Started Busking And Doing Performance Art. When Smith Returned To New York City She Lived In The Hotel Chelsea With Mapplethorpe. The Two Frequented The Fashionable Max's Kansas City And CBGB Nightclubs. The Same Year Smith Appeared With Wayne County In Jackie Curtis's Play "Femme Fatale". As A Member Of The St. Mark's Poetry Project She Spent The Early '70s Painting Writing And Performing. In 1971 She Performed – For One Night Only – In Sam Shepard's "Cowboy Mouth". The Published Play's Notes Call For "a Man Who Looks Like A Coyote And A Woman Who Looks Like A Crow". She Collaborated With Allen Lanier Of Blue Öyster Cult Who Recorded Several Of The Songs To Which Smith Had Contributed Including Debbie Denise After Her Poem "In Remembrance Of Debbie Denise" Career Of Evil Fire Of Unknown Origin The Revenge Of Vera Gemini And Shooting Shark. During These Years Smith Also Wrote Rock Journalism Some Of Which Was Published In Creem Magazine. By 1974 Patti Smith Was Performing Rock Music Herself Initially With Guitarist And Rock Archivist Lenny Kaye And Later With A Full Band Comprising Kaye Ivan Kral On Bass Jay Dee Daugherty On Drums And Richard Sohl On Piano. Financed By Robert Mapplethorpe The Band Recorded A First Single "Hey Joe/Piss Factory" In 1974. The A-Side Was A Version Of The Rock Standard With The Addition Of A Spoken Word Piece About Fugitive Heiress Patty Hearst "Patty Hearst You're Standing There In Front Of The Symbionese Liberation Army Flag With Your Legs Spread I Was Wondering Were You Gettin' It Every Night From A Black Revolutionary Man And His Women..." . The B-Side Describes The Helpless Anger Smith Had Felt While Working On A Factory Assembly Line And The Salvation She Discovered In The Form Of A Shoplifted Book The 19th Century French Poet Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations. Patti Smith Group Was Signed By Clive Davis Of Arista Records And 1975 Saw The Release Of Smith's First Album Horses Produced By John Cale Amidst Some Tension. The Album Fused Punk Rock And Spoken Poetry And Begins With A Cover Of Van Morrison's Gloria And Smith's Opening Words "Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins But Not Mine." As Patti Smith Group Toured The United States And Europe Punk's Popularity Grew. The Rawer Sound Of The Group's Second Album Radio Ethiopia Reflected This Development. Considerably Less Accessible Than Horses Radio Ethiopia Received Poor Reviews. However Several Of Its Songs Have Stood The Test Of Time And Smith Still Performs Them Regularly In Concert. On January 23 1977 While Touring In Support Of The Record Smith Accidentally Danced Off A High Stage In Tampa Florida And Fell 15 Feet Into A Concrete Orchestra Pit Breaking Several Neck Vertebrae. The Injury Required A Period Of Rest And An Intensive Round Of Physical Therapy During Which Time She Was Able To Reassess Re-Energize And Reorganize Her Life. Patti Smith Group Produced Two Further Albums Before The End Of The 1970s. Easter 1978 Was Her Most Commercially Successful Record Containing Single Because The Night Co-Written With Bruce Springsteen. Wave 1979 Was Less Successful Although Songs Frederick And Dancing Barefoot Both Received Commercial Airplay. Before The Release Of Wave Smith Now Separated From Long-Time Partner Allen Lanier Met Fred Sonic Smith Former Guitar Player For Detroit Rock Band MC5 And His Own Sonic's Rendezvous Band Who Adored Poetry As Much As She Did. "Wave"'s "Dancing Barefoot" And "Frederick" Were Both Dedicated To Him. The Running Joke At The Time Was That She Only Married Fred Because She Would Not Have To Change Her Name. Patti And Fred Had A Son Jackson And Later A Daughter Jesse. Through Most Of The 1980s Patti Was In Semi-Retirement From Music Living With Her Family North Of Detroit In St. Clair Shores Michigan. On June 1988 She Released Dream Of Life Which Included Song People Have The Power. Fred Smith Died On November 4 1994. Shortly Afterward Patti Faced The Unexpected Death Of Her Brother Todd And Original Keyboard Player Richard Sohl. When Her Son Jackson Turned 21 Smith Decided To Move Back To New York. After The Impact Of These Deaths Her Friends Michael Stipe Of R.E.M. And Allen Ginsberg Whom She Had Known Since Her Early Years In New York Urged Her To Go Back Out On The Road. She Toured Briefly With Bob Dylan In December 1995 Chronicled In A Book Of Photographs By Stipe . In 1996 Smith Worked With Her Long-Time Colleagues To Record The Haunting Gone Again Featuring About A Boy A Tribute To Kurt Cobain. Smith Was A Fan Of Cobain But Was More Angered Than Saddened By His Suicide. That Same Year She Collaborated With Stipe On E-Bow The Letter A Song On R.E.M.'s New Adventures In Hi-Fi Which She Has Also Performed Live With The Band. After Release Of "Gone Again" Patti Smith Has Recorded Two New Albums Peace And Noise In 1997 With The Single 1959 About The Invasion Of Tibet And Gung Ho In 2000 With Songs About Ho Chi Minh And Smith's Late Father . A Box Set Of Her Work Up To That Time "The Patti Smith Masters" Came Out In 1996 And 2002 Saw The Release Of "Land 1975–2002 " A Two-CD Compilation That Includes A Memorable Cover Of Prince's When Doves Cry. Smith's Solo Art Exhibition "Strange Messenger" Was Hosted At The Andy Warhol Museum In Pittsburgh On September 28 2002. On April 27 2004 Patti Smith Released Trampin' Which Included Several Songs About Motherhood Partly In Tribute To Smith's Mother Who Died Two Years Before. Smith Curated The Meltdown Festival In London On June 25 2005 The Penultimate Event Being The First Live Performance Of "Horses" In Its Entirety. Guitarist Tom Verlaine Took Oliver Ray's Place. This Live Performance Was Released Later In The Year As "Horses/Horses". In August 2005 Smith Gave A Literary Lecture About The Poems Of Arthur Rimbaud And William Blake. On July 10 2005 Smith Was Named A Commander Of The Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres By The French Ministry Of Culture. In Addition To Her Influence On Rock Music Minister Also Noted Smith's Appreciation Of Arthur Rimbaud. On October 15 2006 Patti Smith Performed At CBGB Nightclub With A 3½-Hour Tour De Force To Close Out Manhattan's Music Venue. She Took The Stage At 9 30 P.M. EDT And Closed For The Night And Forever For The Venue At A Few Minutes After 1 00 A.M. Performing Her Song Elegie And Finally Reading A List Of Punk Rock Musicians And Advocates Who Had Died In The Previous Years. Smith Was Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame March 12 2007. She Dedicated Her Award To The Memory Of Her Late Husband Fred And Gave A Performance Of The Rolling Stones Classic Gimme Shelter. As The Closing Number Of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Smith's "People Have The Power" Was Used For The Big Celebrity Jam That Always Ends The Program. From March 28 To June 22 2008 The Fondation Cartier Pour L'Art Contemporain In Paris Hosted A Major Exhibition Of The Visual Work Of Patti Smith "Land 250" Drawn From Pieces Created Between 1967 And 2007. At The 2008 Rowan Commencement Ceremony Smith Received An Honorary Doctorate Degree For Her Contributions To Popular Culture. Smith Is The Subject Of A 2008 Documentary Film "Patti Smith Dream Of Life". Http //www.Dreamoflifethemovie.Com/ In June 2012 Smith Released Her 11th Studio Album "Banga." In An Interview On CBS News Sunday Morning On April 1 2012 Smith Explained The Album's Title "for Those Who Are Curious You Can Find What Banga Is If You Read The Master And Margarita By Bulgakov." In The Master And Margarita Banga Is Pontius Pilate's Dog Who Pilate Could Freely Complain About The Hemicrania That Tortured Him. Other Songs On The Album Were Also Inspired By Literature Particularly "April Fool " Inspired By Nikolai Gogol. Www.Pattismith.Net
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Biography - Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith Born December 30 1946 Is An American Singer Poet And Visual Artist Who Was A Highly Influential Component Of The New York Punk Rock Movement Particularly With Her 1975 Début Album 'Horses'. Called The "Godmother Of Punk" She Integrated The Beat Poetry Performance Style With Three-Chord Rock. Smith's Most Widely Known Song Is "Because The Night" Which Was Co-Written With Bruce Springsteen And Reached Number 13 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1978. In 2007 She Was Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Smith Was Born In Chicago Illinois USA. Her Mother Beverly Was A Jazz Singer And Father Grant Worked At The Honeywell Plant. She Spent Her Entire Childhood In Deptford New Jersey. Raised The Daughter Of A Jehovah's Witness Mother She Claims She Had A Strong Religious Bible-Based Education But Left Organized Religion As A Teenager Because She Felt It Was Too Confining. She Later Wrote The Opening Line Of Her Cover Version Of Them's Gloria In Response To This Experience. After Graduating From Deptford Township High School In 1964 Smith Went To Work In A Factory. In 1967 She Left Glassboro State Teachers College Now Rowan University And Moved To New York City. She Met Photographer Robert Mapplethorpe There While Working At A Book Store With Friend Poet Janet Hamill. Mapplethorpe's Photographs Of Her Became The Covers For The Patti Smith Group LPs And They Remained Friends Until Mapplethorpe's Death In 1989. In 1969 She Went To Paris With Her Sister And Started Busking And Doing Performance Art. When Smith Returned To New York City She Lived In The Hotel Chelsea With Mapplethorpe. The Two Frequented The Fashionable Max's Kansas City And CBGB Nightclubs. The Same Year Smith Appeared With Wayne County In Jackie Curtis's Play "Femme Fatale". As A Member Of The St. Mark's Poetry Project She Spent The Early '70s Painting Writing And Performing. In 1971 She Performed – For One Night Only – In Sam Shepard's "Cowboy Mouth". The Published Play's Notes Call For "a Man Who Looks Like A Coyote And A Woman Who Looks Like A Crow". She Collaborated With Allen Lanier Of Blue Öyster Cult Who Recorded Several Of The Songs To Which Smith Had Contributed Including Debbie Denise After Her Poem "In Remembrance Of Debbie Denise" Career Of Evil Fire Of Unknown Origin The Revenge Of Vera Gemini And Shooting Shark. During These Years Smith Also Wrote Rock Journalism Some Of Which Was Published In Creem Magazine. By 1974 Patti Smith Was Performing Rock Music Herself Initially With Guitarist And Rock Archivist Lenny Kaye And Later With A Full Band Comprising Kaye Ivan Kral On Bass Jay Dee Daugherty On Drums And Richard Sohl On Piano. Financed By Robert Mapplethorpe The Band Recorded A First Single "Hey Joe/Piss Factory" In 1974. The A-Side Was A Version Of The Rock Standard With The Addition Of A Spoken Word Piece About Fugitive Heiress Patty Hearst "Patty Hearst You're Standing There In Front Of The Symbionese Liberation Army Flag With Your Legs Spread I Was Wondering Were You Gettin' It Every Night From A Black Revolutionary Man And His Women..." . The B-Side Describes The Helpless Anger Smith Had Felt While Working On A Factory Assembly Line And The Salvation She Discovered In The Form Of A Shoplifted Book The 19th Century French Poet Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations. Patti Smith Group Was Signed By Clive Davis Of Arista Records And 1975 Saw The Release Of Smith's First Album Horses Produced By John Cale Amidst Some Tension. The Album Fused Punk Rock And Spoken Poetry And Begins With A Cover Of Van Morrison's Gloria And Smith's Opening Words "Jesus Died For Somebody's Sins But Not Mine." As Patti Smith Group Toured The United States And Europe Punk's Popularity Grew. The Rawer Sound Of The Group's Second Album Radio Ethiopia Reflected This Development. Considerably Less Accessible Than Horses Radio Ethiopia Received Poor Reviews. However Several Of Its Songs Have Stood The Test Of Time And Smith Still Performs Them Regularly In Concert. On January 23 1977 While Touring In Support Of The Record Smith Accidentally Danced Off A High Stage In Tampa Florida And Fell 15 Feet Into A Concrete Orchestra Pit Breaking Several Neck Vertebrae. The Injury Required A Period Of Rest And An Intensive Round Of Physical Therapy During Which Time She Was Able To Reassess Re-Energize And Reorganize Her Life. Patti Smith Group Produced Two Further Albums Before The End Of The 1970s. Easter 1978 Was Her Most Commercially Successful Record Containing Single Because The Night Co-Written With Bruce Springsteen. Wave 1979 Was Less Successful Although Songs Frederick And Dancing Barefoot Both Received Commercial Airplay. Before The Release Of Wave Smith Now Separated From Long-Time Partner Allen Lanier Met Fred Sonic Smith Former Guitar Player For Detroit Rock Band MC5 And His Own Sonic's Rendezvous Band Who Adored Poetry As Much As She Did. "Wave"'s "Dancing Barefoot" And "Frederick" Were Both Dedicated To Him. The Running Joke At The Time Was That She Only Married Fred Because She Would Not Have To Change Her Name. Patti And Fred Had A Son Jackson And Later A Daughter Jesse. Through Most Of The 1980s Patti Was In Semi-Retirement From Music Living With Her Family North Of Detroit In St. Clair Shores Michigan. On June 1988 She Released Dream Of Life Which Included Song People Have The Power. Fred Smith Died On November 4 1994. Shortly Afterward Patti Faced The Unexpected Death Of Her Brother Todd And Original Keyboard Player Richard Sohl. When Her Son Jackson Turned 21 Smith Decided To Move Back To New York. After The Impact Of These Deaths Her Friends Michael Stipe Of R.E.M. And Allen Ginsberg Whom She Had Known Since Her Early Years In New York Urged Her To Go Back Out On The Road. She Toured Briefly With Bob Dylan In December 1995 Chronicled In A Book Of Photographs By Stipe . In 1996 Smith Worked With Her Long-Time Colleagues To Record The Haunting Gone Again Featuring About A Boy A Tribute To Kurt Cobain. Smith Was A Fan Of Cobain But Was More Angered Than Saddened By His Suicide. That Same Year She Collaborated With Stipe On E-Bow The Letter A Song On R.E.M.'s New Adventures In Hi-Fi Which She Has Also Performed Live With The Band. After Release Of "Gone Again" Patti Smith Has Recorded Two New Albums Peace And Noise In 1997 With The Single 1959 About The Invasion Of Tibet And Gung Ho In 2000 With Songs About Ho Chi Minh And Smith's Late Father . A Box Set Of Her Work Up To That Time "The Patti Smith Masters" Came Out In 1996 And 2002 Saw The Release Of "Land 1975–2002 " A Two-CD Compilation That Includes A Memorable Cover Of Prince's When Doves Cry. Smith's Solo Art Exhibition "Strange Messenger" Was Hosted At The Andy Warhol Museum In Pittsburgh On September 28 2002. On April 27 2004 Patti Smith Released Trampin' Which Included Several Songs About Motherhood Partly In Tribute To Smith's Mother Who Died Two Years Before. Smith Curated The Meltdown Festival In London On June 25 2005 The Penultimate Event Being The First Live Performance Of "Horses" In Its Entirety. Guitarist Tom Verlaine Took Oliver Ray's Place. This Live Performance Was Released Later In The Year As "Horses/Horses". In August 2005 Smith Gave A Literary Lecture About The Poems Of Arthur Rimbaud And William Blake. On July 10 2005 Smith Was Named A Commander Of The Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres By The French Ministry Of Culture. In Addition To Her Influence On Rock Music Minister Also Noted Smith's Appreciation Of Arthur Rimbaud. On October 15 2006 Patti Smith Performed At CBGB Nightclub With A 3½-Hour Tour De Force To Close Out Manhattan's Music Venue. She Took The Stage At 9 30 P.M. EDT And Closed For The Night And Forever For The Venue At A Few Minutes After 1 00 A.M. Performing Her Song Elegie And Finally Reading A List Of Punk Rock Musicians And Advocates Who Had Died In The Previous Years. Smith Was Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame March 12 2007. She Dedicated Her Award To The Memory Of Her Late Husband Fred And Gave A Performance Of The Rolling Stones Classic Gimme Shelter. As The Closing Number Of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Smith's "People Have The Power" Was Used For The Big Celebrity Jam That Always Ends The Program. From March 28 To June 22 2008 The Fondation Cartier Pour L'Art Contemporain In Paris Hosted A Major Exhibition Of The Visual Work Of Patti Smith "Land 250" Drawn From Pieces Created Between 1967 And 2007. At The 2008 Rowan Commencement Ceremony Smith Received An Honorary Doctorate Degree For Her Contributions To Popular Culture. Smith Is The Subject Of A 2008 Documentary Film "Patti Smith Dream Of Life". Http //www.Dreamoflifethemovie.Com/ In June 2012 Smith Released Her 11th Studio Album "Banga." In An Interview On CBS News Sunday Morning On April 1 2012 Smith Explained The Album's Title "for Those Who Are Curious You Can Find What Banga Is If You Read The Master And Margarita By Bulgakov." In The Master And Margarita Banga Is Pontius Pilate's Dog Who Pilate Could Freely Complain About The Hemicrania That Tortured Him. Other Songs On The Album Were Also Inspired By Literature Particularly "April Fool " Inspired By Nikolai Gogol. Www.Pattismith.Net
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According To Her Brief Liner Notes Patti Smith Indulged The Idea Of A Covers Album Considering Songs As Far Back As 1978 On The Back Pages Of Jean Genet's Thief's Journal When She Was Still Assembling Her Groundbreaking Early Catalog It's Evident She Feels That Covers Have Been Part And Parcel Of Her Recording Experience From The Outset. Her Debut Horses Has Her Own Apocalyptic Version Of Van Morrison's "Gloria" As Well As A Healthy Portion Of Chris Kenner's "Land Of A Thousand Dances" Inside "Land." On 1979's Wave She Covered The Byrds "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star " And Scored With The Single. Her Intuitive Reading Of Bob Dylan's "Wicked Messenger" Was A Beautiful Aspect Of Gone Again In 1996 And She Paid Tribute To Allen Ginsberg By Using One Of His Poems In "Spell " On 1997's Peace And Noise. And Who Can Forget Her Reading Of Pete Townshend's "My Generation" Issued On The 30th Anniversary Edition Of Horses? While It's A Popular Notion These Days To Consider A Covers Album A Stop-Gap Between Albums The Truth Is That Smith Has Never Been In A Hurry When It Comes To Recording Though She Has Been Very Productive Over The Last Decade. She Has Always Paid Tribute In One Form Or Another To Her Heroes However Disparate. This Collection Is A Wondrous Sampling Of Pop Hits Hard Rock Ballads And Soul Done In Smith's Inimitable Way Of Interpreting Songs -- By Getting Inside Them And Breathing Their Meaning And Often Uncovering New Shades Of Meaning -- From Within. She Begins With A Newer More Spiritual Reading Of Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" Letting Her Fine Band -- Jay Dee Daugherty Lenny Kaye And Tony Shanahan -- Pulse The Tune's Changes And Vibe While She Comes Across As A Shaman Leading The Way Down Into The Underworld. Her Taking On Tears For Fears' Smash Hit "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" May Come As A Surprise But In Her Open-Throated Take The Tune Brims With The Wisdom Of A Prophetess Proclaiming The Folly Of Humankind's Need For Power And Greed. And While Her Version Of Neil Young's "Helpless" May Come Across As A Bit Too Reverent The Seed Of Memory Is What Infuses Her Take On This Beautiful Ballad. Loss And Remembrance Become A Memento Mori An Effigy To Those Who Who've Traveled On From This Plane Of Existence. "Gimme Shelter" Is A Natural And It Carries All The Foreboding Of An Apocalypse Out The Original Nearly 40 Years Later As If To Say That Jagger And Richard Were Right All Along. The Tune Becomes A Plea For Shelter Rather Than A Demand. George Harrison's "Within You Without You" Is The Complete Blending Of Spiritual Longing With Droning Acoustic Guitars Skittering Snares And Open Chord Drones From Kaye's Electric And Fleshly Experience. Smith's Read Of Dylan's "Changing Of The Guard" Is Ambitious. Where The Original Was Drenched In Mariachi Horns And A Female Backing Chorus She Overturns Those Trappings And Accents Dylan's Last Expressionistic Lyric. She Sings As If Everything Is At Stake In This Clash Between The Forces Of Light And Darkness Where Melville Dumas Joan Of Arc The Myth Of Orpheus And The Tales Of Ovid Are Informed By Both Biblical Prophecy And The Tarot. The Meld Of Acoustic Guitars Brushed Drums And Muted Kickdrum Wind Around Her. The Piano And Kaye's Muted Electric Guitars Fill The Space Where Most Of The Backing Vocals And Horns Once Were -- Except Where Smith's Daughter Jesse Paris Smith Harmonizes -- And Seduce The Emotion Out Of The Nearly Surreal Narrative Of Renunciation. Perhaps No Tune Moves Here Like Smith's Reading Of "Smells Like Teen Spirit " With Help From Sam Shepherd And John Cohen On Banjo Peter Stampfel On Fiddle And Kaye And Duncan Webster On Guitar In A Strange Dreamscape Driven By A Standup Bass. Smith Digs Into The Lyric And Then Offers A Poem That Is As Much An Early American Folk Song Elegy To The Environment Kurt Cobain Grew Up In As It Is To What's Happening To America Itself But With Current Touches. Her Poet's Heart Not Only Complements The Original But Makes The Song Timeless And Brings Cobain's Mature Spirit To Flesh Once More. It Is The Most Moving Track On The Set And The Most Visionary. Smith Closes Her Set With A True Outlaws Campfire Song In Gregg Allman's "Midnight Rider " And A Darker Than Written Sparsely Textured Elegiac Cover Of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise " With A Truly Haunting Piano By Luis Resto. Her Small Notes Annotating Each Track Are Welcome And Revealing In And Of Themselves. If This Is Truly The Covers Album Smith Has Always Wanted To Record She's Succeeded On A Level With The Best Of Her Studio Recordings And A Welcome Addition To Her Catalog. Each Song Has Her Imprint Without Sacrificing The Intent Or Spirit Of The Original. Full Of Slow Burning Passion And Emotion Twelve Is Magnificent.
Published: 06 Jun 2010, 02:17
According To Her Brief Liner Notes Patti Smith Indulged The Idea Of A Covers Album Considering Songs As Far Back As 1978 On The Back Pages Of Jean Genet's Thief's Journal When She Was Still Assembling Her Groundbreaking Early Catalog It's Evident She Feels That Covers Have Been Part And Parcel Of Her Recording Experience From The Outset. Her Debut Horses Has Her Own Apocalyptic Version Of Van Morrison's "Gloria" As Well As A Healthy Portion Of Chris Kenner's "Land Of A Thousand Dances" Inside "Land." On 1979's Wave She Covered The Byrds "So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star " And Scored With The Single. Her Intuitive Reading Of Bob Dylan's "Wicked Messenger" Was A Beautiful Aspect Of Gone Again In 1996 And She Paid Tribute To Allen Ginsberg By Using One Of His Poems In "Spell " On 1997's Peace And Noise. And Who Can Forget Her Reading Of Pete Townshend's "My Generation" Issued On The 30th Anniversary Edition Of Horses? While It's A Popular Notion These Days To Consider A Covers Album A Stop-Gap Between Albums The Truth Is That Smith Has Never Been In A Hurry When It Comes To Recording Though She Has Been Very Productive Over The Last Decade. She Has Always Paid Tribute In One Form Or Another To Her Heroes However Disparate. This Collection Is A Wondrous Sampling Of Pop Hits Hard Rock Ballads And Soul Done In Smith's Inimitable Way Of Interpreting Songs -- By Getting Inside Them And Breathing Their Meaning And Often Uncovering New Shades Of Meaning -- From Within. She Begins With A Newer More Spiritual Reading Of Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" Letting Her Fine Band -- Jay Dee Daugherty Lenny Kaye And Tony Shanahan -- Pulse The Tune's Changes And Vibe While She Comes Across As A Shaman Leading The Way Down Into The Underworld. Her Taking On Tears For Fears' Smash Hit "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" May Come As A Surprise But In Her Open-Throated Take The Tune Brims With The Wisdom Of A Prophetess Proclaiming The Folly Of Humankind's Need For Power And Greed. And While Her Version Of Neil Young's "Helpless" May Come Across As A Bit Too Reverent The Seed Of Memory Is What Infuses Her Take On This Beautiful Ballad. Loss And Remembrance Become A Memento Mori An Effigy To Those Who Who've Traveled On From This Plane Of Existence. "Gimme Shelter" Is A Natural And It Carries All The Foreboding Of An Apocalypse Out The Original Nearly 40 Years Later As If To Say That Jagger And Richard Were Right All Along. The Tune Becomes A Plea For Shelter Rather Than A Demand. George Harrison's "Within You Without You" Is The Complete Blending Of Spiritual Longing With Droning Acoustic Guitars Skittering Snares And Open Chord Drones From Kaye's Electric And Fleshly Experience. Smith's Read Of Dylan's "Changing Of The Guard" Is Ambitious. Where The Original Was Drenched In Mariachi Horns And A Female Backing Chorus She Overturns Those Trappings And Accents Dylan's Last Expressionistic Lyric. She Sings As If Everything Is At Stake In This Clash Between The Forces Of Light And Darkness Where Melville Dumas Joan Of Arc The Myth Of Orpheus And The Tales Of Ovid Are Informed By Both Biblical Prophecy And The Tarot. The Meld Of Acoustic Guitars Brushed Drums And Muted Kickdrum Wind Around Her. The Piano And Kaye's Muted Electric Guitars Fill The Space Where Most Of The Backing Vocals And Horns Once Were -- Except Where Smith's Daughter Jesse Paris Smith Harmonizes -- And Seduce The Emotion Out Of The Nearly Surreal Narrative Of Renunciation. Perhaps No Tune Moves Here Like Smith's Reading Of "Smells Like Teen Spirit " With Help From Sam Shepherd And John Cohen On Banjo Peter Stampfel On Fiddle And Kaye And Duncan Webster On Guitar In A Strange Dreamscape Driven By A Standup Bass. Smith Digs Into The Lyric And Then Offers A Poem That Is As Much An Early American Folk Song Elegy To The Environment Kurt Cobain Grew Up In As It Is To What's Happening To America Itself But With Current Touches. Her Poet's Heart Not Only Complements The Original But Makes The Song Timeless And Brings Cobain's Mature Spirit To Flesh Once More. It Is The Most Moving Track On The Set And The Most Visionary. Smith Closes Her Set With A True Outlaws Campfire Song In Gregg Allman's "Midnight Rider " And A Darker Than Written Sparsely Textured Elegiac Cover Of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise " With A Truly Haunting Piano By Luis Resto. Her Small Notes Annotating Each Track Are Welcome And Revealing In And Of Themselves. If This Is Truly The Covers Album Smith Has Always Wanted To Record She's Succeeded On A Level With The Best Of Her Studio Recordings And A Welcome Addition To Her Catalog. Each Song Has Her Imprint Without Sacrificing The Intent Or Spirit Of The Original. Full Of Slow Burning Passion And Emotion Twelve Is Magnificent.