The Coral Sea

Patti Smith | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Pask Records
• ASIN: B0018OZGZG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,638 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #55 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews > Poetry

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Coral Sea

Disc: 2

1. The Coral Sea

Editorial Reviews

Legendary artist Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine s Kevin Shields are set to release a double disc set of their live performance of The Coral Sea on their own PASK imprint. The Coral Sea is Patti Smith s posthumous homage to her friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and the title to her 1997 book. Kevin Shields accompanies her on guitars and effects and creates a haunting backdrop to the spoken prose. The love recordings were made June 22nd 2005 and September 12th 2006 respectively at sold out performances at the QEH in London. The set will run almost two hours with a different stylistic approach to each performance. The UK s Guardian upon reviewing
the 2005 performance gave it 5 stars and called it magical. One critic
said of the live performance: A kind of screaming requiem, The Coral Sea describes Mapplethorpe s terminal illness. Intense, layered electronics surged to a discordant climax as Patti Smith read her poem, the words sailing over the noise like an ocean liner, with the black and white video showing the ocean, the liner and the grey twilight of grief. The poem tells the story of M
(Mapplethorpe) on a final voyage to see the stars of the Southern Cross before
he dies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary work, July 10, 2008

By 

Old Norseman (Highland Park, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coral Sea (Audio CD)

This is Patti Smith's most authoritative work since the "Horses" days. She's always been a superb reader of her own work, and in this recital of her tribute to departed friend Robert Mapplethorpe she plumbs mysterious depths of emotion and artistry untapped by the wobbly albums that emerged in the wake of her 1990s return to performing. Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine provides simple, spare but never simplistic accompaniment, ranging from organ to effects-drenched guitar. The performances must have been magical, but this recording creates its own spell -- moody, powerful, touching and unbelievably intense.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving -- & highly recommended, August 25, 2008

By 

Abe Lincoln "Abe Lincoln" (Deep in the heart of Ethiopia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coral Sea (Audio CD)

One of the other reviewers said this piece echoes her earlier, less overtly political work, and I think that's true. In particular, "Birdland" from Horses comes to mind. At the same time, The Coral Sea is even more intense and demanding of the listener's attention than that. I played to it for the first time on a long drive alone in the car, late at night, so I was able to stay with it. The power of the piece creeps up on you. I was floored by it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two Music Icons Collaborate, July 27, 2008

By 

D. Lipp "Psychpoet" (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Coral Sea (Audio CD)

If someone said that punk poet laureate, Patti Smith, would be pairing up with My Bloody Valentine's, Kevin Shields, for a live performance, I would have told them to stop using drugs. The two paired up to do a live performance a few years back and the live album, The Coral Sea, is the result. The album is a musical memorial dedicated to Robert Mapplethorpe, a friend of Smith. The live disc includes excerpts from Smith's epic poem of the same title.

Smith, a legend in her own right, comes through with a heartbreaking record and Shields is brilliant as always, accompanying Smith on guitar throughout her spoken word performance. If you're a Smith fan or looking for an original kind of music, this is the album for you.

--Corey Crossfield

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