RAW PATTI

I don't know how I came across this over at Aquarium Drunkard. It's from 2014 for crying out loud. Buried their old posts, a couple Patti Smith demos, "Redondo Beach" and "Distant Fingers". I've always liked "Redondo Beach". The version I knew was the one from her first LP. Most would call it reggae. Some would call it cod reggae. Some would call it Patti Smith. Some would who the fuck cares? As long as it sounds authentically Patti Smith, that's all I care about. I long ago decided to just dig it and quit the nitpicking. It's Patti fucking Smith.

The Patti Smith Group was not trying to pass their song off as Jamaican reggae. They knew the real thing. Right around this time guitarist Lenny Kaye had a record label, Mer Records. It was short lived and put out only a few releases. All but one of the releases were Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, or a combination of the two. That one that wasn't either of them was the American release of Jamaican DJ Tapper Zukie's Man Ah Warrior (repackaged with a cover photo by Robert Mapplethorpe). I went on over to YouTube tonight and streamed the Zukie LP. I have it somewhere but it's buried, so it was the first time I'd heard in in years. I forgot how laid back it was, and barren. Fuck yeah, good to hear you again old friend.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Patti Smith - Redondo Beach / Distant Fingers mp3s at Aqwuarium Drunkard Go there to get them.
Patti Smith - Redondo Beach (from Horses LP) (streaming) at YouTube
Patti Smith - Distant Fingers (from Radio Ethiopia LP) (streaming) at YouTube
Tapper Zukie - Man Ah Warrior (Side 1) (streaming) at YouTube
Tapper Zukie - Man Ah Warrior (Side 2) (streaming) at YouTube