Customer Reviews

Early Work, 1970-1979

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Excellent compilation of the early stuff that would be hard to get now. I also have the "originals" small chap books containing most of the same works. It is great to have it all together on one book. Not for everyone, but for those who "know" her this is a "must" to add to your collection. Reading this work is highly inspirational to poets like myself. Those who are new to her works and those who are wanting to really "know" Patti should read this book of her early stuff. I have followed her since the ealy 1970's. A true Patti fan will not be disappointed. Buy this book !

Patti's fans (and foes) will find plenty of ammunition in this collection of lyrics and poetry from the 1970s. From the earliest, it is obvious that Patti's a romantic mythmaker at heart, with syntax and meaning almost losing out to the sheer power and rhythm of the word. It's difficult to read her lyrics without hearing the rock'n'roll that carried them aloft. Patti's subject matter on the earliest albums -- art, drugs, and mysticism in full romantic swoon -- she delivered with nearly Biblical passion. Her lyric styles and confessional soul-searching owe a debt to Jim Morrison, which Patti has always acknowledged, and the power of Patti's words (like Morrison's) is often in their performance and not on the printed page. Her fans will appreciate having a written record of Patti's earliest lyrics, but the simply curious may not be converted.

Patti, you've got to love her. She's either wonderful and sublime, or she falls flat on her face. Think about Radio Ethiopia, gems like Pissin in a river, combined with the incredibly self indulgent title cut. This book is a bit like that, all over the lot. Her poetry, however, sounds a lot better coming from her mouth than on the printed page. What we need from Patti is a live album, taken from her glory days. It would be one of the greatest ever, better than the new Clash live album.

Regarding this book, my main gripe with Patti is that she edited some of the poems from Seventh Heaven so that they're missing the lesbian erotic content. This change seems both deceptive and cowardly, and I think Patti needs to have her [...] kicked for it.

I fell in love with Patti's first album,Then later when this book came out i fell in love with her poetry this is an excellent Book for anyone thats into Poetry in a style influnced by poets such as Rimbaud and Jim Morrison who was also influnced by Rimbaud

EARLY WORK is an ideal intro to Patti Smith the writer, and - if you're already a fan of the music - it's an essential companion.

Compiling material that appeared in earlier chapbooks and the BABEL collection from 1978, the selection of poems and prose-poems appearing here dive farther into the varied personas and philosophies suggested on her many engaging recordings. Here we have Patti the priestess, Patti the punk generalissimo, Patti the diva, Patti the provocateur...

Most provocatively, I will always love her splintering of sexual roles - ostensibly within the context of her rock world (posing like Keith Richards, the diva-as-cock-rocker), but with implicit greater applications as well. And her conflicted spirituality comes through quite eloquently.

EARLY WORK presents some of the key work of New York's grass-roots artistic comeback. Not to be missed.

-David Alston

FINE PIECE OF WORK. NICE PHOTOS,AND ALL. ANYTHING RELATED TO
PATTI IS A TRUE PLEASURED ART PIECE. THE WORLD WAS GIVEN A GIFT
WHEN PATTI SMITH ERRECTED INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
GREAT BOOK TO GET TO LEARN ABOUT THE WOMAN OF PUNK AND POETRY.
WAY TO GO PATTI.