Wave (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wave | ||
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| Studio album by The Patti Smith Group | ||
| Released | May 1979 | |
| Recorded | Bearsville, New York, 1978 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 37:45 | |
| Label | Arista Records | |
| Producer(s) | Todd Rundgren | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| The Patti Smith Group chronology | ||
| Easter (1978) |
Wave (1979) |
Dream of Life (1988) |
Wave is a 1979 album by The Patti Smith Group.
The title track was a tribute to Pope John Paul I, whose brief papacy coincided with the recording sessions. This was the least commercially successful of the Patti Smith Group's four albums, even though it continued the evolution towards radio-friendly mainstream pop with Todd Rundgren's production, and demonstrated on the previous album, Easter. Songs such as "Frederick" (a play on words on topic of the song "Broken Flag," about Barbara Fritchie, as well as a love song for her husband-to-be Fred "Sonic" Smith) and "Dancing Barefoot" (covered later by U2 and a cover of the Byrds' bitter "So You Want to Be (a Rock 'n' Roll Star)" stand out.
While the album was relatively well-received commercially, continuing to bring the Patti Smith Group into the mainstream limelight, many critics felt that the material was bland and that Smith had become lazy and self-important following the success of "Easter".
The band broke up after this album was made, and Smith went on spend many years in semi-retirement after her marriage to Fred Sonic Smith and the birth of their children, Jesse and Jackson.
The 1996 remaster/re-issue included Smith's original version of "Fire of Unknown Origin." Blue Öyster Cult's version was released on their album of the same name in 1981.
The track "Dancing Barefoot" was used in the episode "Anamnesis" of the TV series "Millennium"
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Frederick" (Patti Smith) – 2:59
- "Dancing Barefoot" (Smith, Ivan Kral) – 4:16
- "So You Want to Be (a Rock 'n' Roll Star)" (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 4:16
- "Hymn" (Smith, Lenny Kaye) – 1:10
- "Revenge" (Smith, Kral) – 5:04
- "Citizen Ship" (Smith, Kral) – 5:07
- "Seven Ways of Going" (Smith, Kaye, Kral, Jay Dee Daugherty, Richard Sohl)– 5:10
- "Broken Flag" (Smith, Kaye) – 4:53
- "Wave" (Smith) – 4:53
[edit] Bonus tracks (2002 reissue)
- "Fire of Unknown Origin" (Smith, Kaye) – 2:07
- "54321/Wave" (Live) (Paul Jones, Michael Hung, Manfred Mann) – 2:41 Recorded May 23, 1979, New York, produced by Thom Panunzio
[edit] Personnel
- Lenny Kaye - bass, vocals, autoharp
- Ivan Kral – guitar, bass, keyboards, cello on 9
- Jay Dee Daugherty - drums
- Richard Sohl – piano
- Patti Smith – guitar, vocals, piano on 9
[edit] Additional personnel
- Todd Rundgren – bass on 2
- Andi Ostrowe – timpani drums on 7
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Billboard Pop Albums | 18 |
