Peace & Noise (Remastered) Patti Smith

• 1 Waiting Underground 05:20
• 2 Whirl Away 05:01
• 3 1959 03:58
• 4 Spell 03:17
• 5 Don't Say Nothing 05:52
• 6 Dead City 04:15
• 7 Blue Poles 05:19
• 8 Death Singing 03:44
• 9 Memento Mori 10:34
• 10 Last Call 05:09
• Total Runtime 52:29

Info for Peace & Noise (Remastered)

One of the most important figures of the musical revolution of the late '70s, Patti Smith later went into a self-imposed exile, returning to form after nearly a decade with 1996's "Gone Again". On "Peace & Noise", she proves that the comeback was no fluke. While themes of death and loss pervade, Smith tries to make sense of it all.

On "1959" she take a nostalgic look at a turning point in our cultural history, continuing the lesson with "Spell," an excerpt from Ginsberg's Howl read over a bed of acoustic guitars and strings. On "Dead City," Smith mourns the economic death of Detroit, working a proletarian fury worthy of her late husband Fred's Detroit proto-punk band MC5. This sentiment is furthered on "Blue Poles," a powerful ballad of a family losing hope in the Dust Bowl. Where "Gone Again" served as the document of one woman's loss, "Peace & Noise" finds the godmother of punk taking a parental view; looking at the world her children (both biological and spiritual) have inherited, and she's flying the flag of discontent for a whole new generation.

"After a prolonged retirement, Patti Smith returned to action in 1996 with Gone Again. It was recorded after she suffered the loss of both her brother and her husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, two losses so great that it's not surprising she is still exploring that pain on Peace and Noise, which quickly followed Gone Again in 1997. Patti had been working on Peace and Noise with Fred before his death, and its issues are appropriately more domestic than those on Gone Again. Throughout most of the record, she explores aging and raising children, trying to find a place for her family in the modern world while coming to terms with her aging rebelliousness. The music on Peace and Noise trims away the sonic bluster and anthemic rocking of Gone Again, preferring a sparse, piano-based musical foundation. As a result, her words resonate clearly and have a succinct, poetic power that was lacking on the otherwise worthy Gone Again." (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG)

Patti Smith, vocals, clarinet
Lenny Kaye, guitar, pedal steel
Jay Dee Daugherty, drums, organ, harmonica
Oliver Ray, guitar
Tony Shanahan, bass, piano
Additional musicians:
Michael Stipe, background vocals

Recorded 1997 at IIwII Studio, Weehawken
Engineered and mixed by Roy Cicala
Produced by Patti Smith

Digitally remastered

Patti Smith
Part-Punk, Part-Folk, but 100% rockstar, Patti Smith has proven herself to be an enduring legend within Rock & Roll. For her work as an early pioneer of the punk movement, Patti Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Also an author and an activist, Patti Smith maintains a relatively low profile, but still performs and records. Patti Smith tour dates are currently scheduled nationally. Use Eventful as your Patti Smith concert calendar.

The Chicago native moved to New York City in 1967 with no money and survived through near impoverished conditions to become a rock icon. After cultivating her poetic craft on the streets of New York City and Paris, Smith began to perform rock music in 1974 and was signed by Clive Davis in 1975. She released her debut album, Horses, in 1975 and started a musical revolution. Smith was at the forefront of the punk movement and was a frequent performer at the legendary CBGB. Smith released her biggest commercial success, Easter, in 1978; the album included the massively successful single "Because of the Night", and Smith toured aggressively.

Smith remained largely out of the spotlight in the '80s, preferring to raise her kids outside of the limelight. She reemerged in the mid-90s with Peace in Noise (1997) and Gung Ho (2000), both of which earned her Grammy nominations for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 2006, Smith returned to where it all began and performed a near four-hour concert at CBGB the night that the iconic club closed down. Smith has returned her attention to writing and won a National Book Award for her memoir, Just Kids, in 2010. Patti Smith is a rock legend whose music spans punk, folk, and politics.

This album contains no booklet.