There’s been a lot of ground covered on male/female greats in the not too distant past here on MusicTAP. It has certainly brought out plenty of excellent observations and created streams of good conversation. and that’s the reason why TAP exists these days; to discuss what makes us love music the way we do.
I want to bridge generations. It’s like we’re lost in a forest of wild growth that has sprung up since our music changed. We hate change. But for some reason, we were able to handle it over two decades well enough.
Still…
My questions for today are simpler. Hopefully, I can get a bridged reaction but we shall see.
The question for today is this: choosing any female or male artist, which are the most definitive albums from them? Example: I think that Patti Smith is incredibly important to Rock and Roll. I probably wouldn’t get too much argument from many if I were to say that Horses was her definitive album. It is the one album that brought in a huge array of fans. However, artistically, that changes from album to album. While I agree that Horses is the most accessible, (some would say it’s Easter), I find Radio Ethiopia the most artistically representative.
Patti, by then had found an audience, allowing her to provide what she wanted rather than a selected set. After Radio Ethiopia, her attempt to legitimize her music existence by the release of Easter proves that she had forces at work to create a Pop/Rock persona.
Patti’s new one, Banga, offers a different Patti Smith as she borrows heavily from all of her past albums to create a hybrid of the full Smith Experience.
Patti Smith is but one. I have many. Hopefully, we can explore more than a few in the coming weeks as we center in on this discussion (if it takes off).