Everything about Wave Album totally explained
Wave is the
rock album by
Patti Smith Group, released
May 17,
1979 on
Arista Records. This album was the less commercially successful than
Easter, even though it continued, with
Todd Rundgren's production, the band's evolution towards more radio-friendly mainstream
pop.
History
The title track was a tribute to
Pope John Paul I, whose brief papacy coincided with the recording sessions. The first
single off the album was "
Frederick", a love song for her husband-to-be
Fred Sonic Smith with a melody and structure bearing resemblance to "
Because the Night", the group's biggest hit. The second single, "
Dancing Barefoot", has been covered by many artists.
The band broke up after this album was released, and Smith went on to marry Fred Smith and spend many years in semi-retirement following the birth of their children, Jesse and Jackson, until her 1988 solo comeback album,
Dream of Life. The 1996
remaster of
Wave includes 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 back cover of the original
LP bore a quote from
Jean Genet:
Oh go through the walls; if you must, walk on the ledges
Of roofs, of oceans; cover yourself with light;
Use menace, use prayer...
My sleepers will flee toward another America
Upon its release in 1979, the album garnered mix reviews, attracting either positive or negative commentary on its polished production and conventionality. Reviewers such as
Rolling Stone's Tom Carson and Julie Burchill were not favourable in their reviews of the album, with the former negatively likening it to "Radio Ethiopia", Smith's last album to be critically maligned and the latter concluding her review with "is this the blandest record in the world?". Simon Frith of
Melody Maker was more appreciative of the album, praising Rundgren's hand in the production and considered the songs to represent a newfound focus for Smith and the band.
Track listing
All songs were written by
Patti Smith, except where noted.
Side one
"Frederick" – 3:01
"Dancing Barefoot" (Smith, Ivan Kral) – 4:18
"So You Want to Be (A Rock 'n' Roll Star)" (James McGuinn, Chris Hillman) – 4:18
"Hymn" (Smith, Lenny Kaye) – 1:10
"Revenge" (Smith, Kral) – 5:06
Side two
"Citizen Ship" (Smith, Kral) – 5:09
"Seven Ways of Going" – 5:12
"Broken Flag" (Smith, Kaye) – 4:55
"Wave" – 4:55
Bonus tracks (CD reissue)
» *"Fire of Unknown Origin" (Smith, Kaye) – 2:09
*"5-4-3-2-1/Wave" (Live) (Paul Jones, Mike Hugg, Manfred Mann) – 2:43
Personnel
Band
Patti Smith – vocals
Lenny Kaye – guitar, bass on "Wave", vocals
Jay Dee Daugherty – drums, consultant
Ivan Kral – bass, guitar, cello on "Wave", keyboards
Richard Sohl – piano
Additional personnel
Andi Ostrowe – percussion, timpani on "Seven Ways of Going"
George Carnell – assistant engineer
Maude Gilman – design
Robert Mapplethorpe – art direction, photography
Todd Rundgren – production, engineering, bass on "Dancing Barefoot"
Tom Edmonds – assistant engineer
Vic Anesini – mastering
Charts
Release history
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wave Album'.
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