So why is Patti Smith’s Easter on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
I was vaguely aware of Patti Smith by the time I was in college and sort of understood her importance to the New York City punk scene. But of all things, it was the shocking and ultra-violent movie Natural Born Killers, which was released in the summer of 1994, that really put Smith on my radar forevermore.
The movie’s soundtrack, produced by Trent Reznor, is amazing, and includes tracks by Dr. Dre, Nine Inch Nails (naturally), Cowboy Junkies (the incredible cover of “Sweet Jane”), L7 (a band I went on to get heavily into), and the great Patsy Cline. And it also included one of the best two song’s from Patti Smith’s 1978 LP, Easter, by the name of “Rock ‘n N—–.”
A song title that so pushes the line that I can’t even spell it out, and a song that is about as punk rock as it gets in terms of attitude, lyrics, and music. That it also manages to be endlessly catchy is even more remarkable.
What’s downright breathtaking is that the other “best song” on Easter, “Because the Night,” could not be more different than “Rock ‘n N—–.” It’s a hopeful, upbeat, and beautiful anthem that features Smith’s strong and passionate vocals.
“Easter,” the title track, is a soaring and epic piece that showcases Smith’s poetic lyrics and her ability to create a sense of wonder and mystery in her music.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with Patti Smith’s Easter
It’s kind of interesting that Rolling Stone placed Patti Smith’s Horses at #26 on its greatest 500 albums list – rarified air indeed – whereas I had it at a still very respectable #681 of the best 1,000 albums ever. For me though, Easter is Smith’s greatest album to date.
Some stats & info about Patti Smith – Easter
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Punk Rock, New Wave, Rock Music, Alternative Singer-Songwriter, Album Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Easter released? 1978
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #547 out of 1,000
Patti Smith’s Easter on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Patti Smith’s Easter that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Take me now baby here as I am. Pull me close, try and understand. Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe. Love is a banquet on which we feed.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.