Described, variously, as the perfect fusion of poetry and garage band rock and roll, Horses belongs as much to the world of literary and cultural criticism as it does to the realm of musicology. This book demonstrates how Horses transformed the possibilities of both poetry and rock music.
Described as the perfect fusion of poetry and garage band rock and roll (the original concept was "rock and Rimbaud"), Horses belongs as much to the world of literary and cultural criticism as it does to the realm of musicology. While Horses pays homage to the record's origins in the nascent New York punk scene, the book's core lies in a detailed analysis of Patti Smith's lyrics and includes discussions of lyrical preoccupations: love, sex, gender, death, dreams, god, metamorphosis, intoxication, apocalypse and transcendence. Philip shaw demonstrates how Horses transformed the possibilities of both poetry and rock music; and how it achieved nothing less than a complete and systematic derangement of the senses.
Armed with an amazing depth of knowledge and insight on Smith's life from childhood to the release of her debut masterpiece, Shaw contributes yet another stellar entry in this excellent series of books.
