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Product Description
About the Artist
Radio Ethiopia is the follow up to Smith's widely acclaimed debut Horses (MOVLP018). In interviews surrounding the album's release, Smith explained that she chose producer Jack Douglas in hopes of making the album a commercial success. But the record turned out to be one of Patti Smith's most experimental pieces of music she has ever produced in her ingenious career. What this album does is, take the complexity and experimentation of the vocal poetry of 'Horses' and infuses it into the sound. The record comes with a 4 page insert written by Mrs. Smith herself.
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CD Incl.Never Rel.Bonus Tracks
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
One of Smith's two best albums, Horses being the other one - and I think I slightly prefer this one. While the first was ascribed to 'Patti Smith' alone, this one is 'Patti Smith group'; she is still the One, but there is a guitar playing here that goes straight down the spine (Ain't it strange beginning, for instance). Isn't it all a tad pretentious, with all that Rimbaud and poetry stuff? You bet. But does it work? Oh yeah. "Ask the angels" and "Pumping my heart" are wonderful rock'n'roll, guaranteed to get your heart and fists pumping, while tracks like "Poppies" and "Distant fingers" are the best of seventies cool, surely. 'Pissing in a river' is another fantastic highlight, this grows on you (and me, for 32 years already...). Not a bad track on the album (well, maybe ~Abyssinia~). "Ain't it strange" is the absolute high point from the high priestess of rock (sorry if I grow a tad pompous, must be the music) - electric, understated, tense and wonderful. This is an album that is performed from both the heart and the brain, and the two mesh to perfection.Total abandon!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The Patti Smith Group's second album is less "poetic" and more "heavy metal" than the spectacular debut Horses or the commercially successful follow-up Easter.
The compelling mid-tempo rocker Ask The Angels is followed by Aint It Strange, a slow number with intense vocals and hints of reggae in the rhythm. Poppies resembles Aint It Strange in tempo, beat and vocals although it contains some quite subdued segments with tender spoken moments. Thematically it recalls the Velvet Underground's Heroin on their legendary debut album.
The slow rock ballad Vrinating In A River recaptures some of the first album's poetic qualities in both structure and imagery. The band's power and passion explodes in full fury on the uptempo Pumping (My Heart) whilst Distant Fingers stands out. A melodious ballad, Distant Fingers ranks among Smith's most memorable love songs like Looking For You, Farewell Reel and Frederick.
However, the title track and Abyssinia are somewhat unstructured and messy, no doubt very avant garde but I prefer songs to be tuneful and accessible. In retrospect, this album reminds me a lot of Peace and Noise. There are gorgeous "anarchic" pics and stream-of-consciousness liner notes.
The compelling mid-tempo rocker Ask The Angels is followed by Aint It Strange, a slow number with intense vocals and hints of reggae in the rhythm. Poppies resembles Aint It Strange in tempo, beat and vocals although it contains some quite subdued segments with tender spoken moments. Thematically it recalls the Velvet Underground's Heroin on their legendary debut album.
The slow rock ballad Vrinating In A River recaptures some of the first album's poetic qualities in both structure and imagery. The band's power and passion explodes in full fury on the uptempo Pumping (My Heart) whilst Distant Fingers stands out. A melodious ballad, Distant Fingers ranks among Smith's most memorable love songs like Looking For You, Farewell Reel and Frederick.
However, the title track and Abyssinia are somewhat unstructured and messy, no doubt very avant garde but I prefer songs to be tuneful and accessible. In retrospect, this album reminds me a lot of Peace and Noise. There are gorgeous "anarchic" pics and stream-of-consciousness liner notes.
By JJKelsall
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I first heard this album, I was a little dissapointed. I liked some tracks, but Ain't It Strange, Distant Fingers, Radio Ethiopia/Abyssina were all terrible, or at least that is what I thought to begin with. Unlike Horses, which I instantly liked, Radio Ethiopia, while still not as good, becomes more an more of a classic with each time I hear it.
Ask The Angels is a nice rock track and astonishing opener, it is followed by Ain't It Strange? with its plodding, reggee inspired beat. While this has grown on me, I think Redondo Beach worked a lot better. Poppies also has a reggee influence, but it works better and features some of Patti's talk/singing, which I really love.
Pissing In A River is a piano centred ballad and I like how the vulgar title is in complete contrast to the wonderful beauty of the song itself. It is probably my favourite on the record. I would say that Pumping (My Heart) is the most commercial effort on the record, but that doesn't make it an awful song. Distant Fingers was another track that took a couple of listens first, but now it ranks among my favourites.
Radio Ethiopia is a mixed bag and I probably will only ever listen to it if I am listening to the album as a whole, the same goes for Abysinna. I think the first half of Radio Ethiopia is really good but the outro/intro into Abysinna could have been shortened. Still, I think it really demonstrates how the band aren't willing to compromise and proves why Patti was so influential to punk. As she said in an interview: "In Radio Ethiopia I play guitar. I don't even know how to play guitar but I just get into perfect rythm and play." She has the punk attitude and I think that this demands respect for Radio Ethiopia/Abysinna, whether you like the pieces themselves or not.
Ask The Angels is a nice rock track and astonishing opener, it is followed by Ain't It Strange? with its plodding, reggee inspired beat. While this has grown on me, I think Redondo Beach worked a lot better. Poppies also has a reggee influence, but it works better and features some of Patti's talk/singing, which I really love.
Pissing In A River is a piano centred ballad and I like how the vulgar title is in complete contrast to the wonderful beauty of the song itself. It is probably my favourite on the record. I would say that Pumping (My Heart) is the most commercial effort on the record, but that doesn't make it an awful song. Distant Fingers was another track that took a couple of listens first, but now it ranks among my favourites.
Radio Ethiopia is a mixed bag and I probably will only ever listen to it if I am listening to the album as a whole, the same goes for Abysinna. I think the first half of Radio Ethiopia is really good but the outro/intro into Abysinna could have been shortened. Still, I think it really demonstrates how the band aren't willing to compromise and proves why Patti was so influential to punk. As she said in an interview: "In Radio Ethiopia I play guitar. I don't even know how to play guitar but I just get into perfect rythm and play." She has the punk attitude and I think that this demands respect for Radio Ethiopia/Abysinna, whether you like the pieces themselves or not.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Amazon MP3
No idea what the album is like as It's impossible to download using Amazon's own App.
Rubbish system don't waste your time trying to use it.
Rubbish system don't waste your time trying to use it.
Published 3 months ago by B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Patti Smith's masterpiece
Synthesizing poetic free-form lyrics and emotionally intense vocals, Patti Smith reinvented the unstable relationship that exists between life and art in the spirit of Janis... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Daniel Margrain
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing but flawed
The Patti Smith Group's second album is less "poetic" and more "heavy metal" than the spectacular debut Horses or the commercially successful follow-up Easter. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2010 by Pieter Uys
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of her finest work
Horses and Easter are such wonderful albums that it's easy not to be carried away by Radio Ethiopia, which has some of her more difficult tracks. Read more
Published on 26 May 2007 by amantedofado
5.0 out of 5 stars
an underrated album - my favourite
This is my favourite Patti Smith album - it abandons the "poppy" aspect of Easter and picks up where Horses left off. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2001
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