Tag Archives: Outside Society

Patti Smith – Outside Society, Track 4. “Pissing In A River” – Radio Ethiopia

Posted on by Musicofourheart
Pissing in a River

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“Pissing In A River” is the second track Patti Smith curates on Outside Society from Radio Ethiopia. I heard Patti Smith sing this song live from the stage of the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I found her rendition to be poignant and captivating, especially in such an artistic setting.

Should I pursue a path so twisted ?
Should I crawl defeated and gifted ?
Should I go the length of a river,
[The royal, the throne, the cry me a river]
What about it, what about it, what about it ?
Oh, I’m pissing in a river.

(Written by Ivan Kral and Patti Smith)

Patti Smith says of “Pissing In A River”:

The ballad that grew from Ivan Kral’s moving and relentless chord progression is still one of my favorite songs to sing. It exhibits the best of Jack Douglas’ production and arranging expertise and Kral’s depth of expression. The lyrics grew from my own concerns as I considered what path to pursue and remain just as meaningful to me now.

(Patti Smith’s words from  the Outside Society CD liner notes, Copyright 2011, Sony Music Entertainment)

Richard Sohl and Patti Smith

Photograph Copyright Lynn Goldsmith

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Coming Soon, Patti Smith’s Greatest Hits – Outside Society

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Courtesy of Paste Magazine Music News, Anti-Music and Oh No They Didn’t! Live Journal. Thank you for reporting this information. (See end of post for Web links.)


Patti Smith has announced that she’ll be releasing a greatest hits compilation on Aug. 23 via Columbia/Arista/Legacy.

I imagine this means that Patti Smith will be pushing back the release date of the studio recording she is presently working on, (I am not sure what stage of completion that recording is in now.) But when it arrives I will embrace it readily :)

The song choices for Outside Society were personally supervised by Patti Smith, and the CD’s booklet includes notes by the artist for each song.

Outside Society

Of “Because The Night,” for example, Patti writes: “Bruce Springsteen gave me a great gift in allowing me to lend verses to his beautifully constructed anthem. My contribution was written for my future husband, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith. Though we have performed it hundreds of times, the strong response it draws always makes it fresh and exciting to sing.”

The landmark 18-song release marks the first single-CD collection to span Patti Smith’s recorded work on both Arista and Columbia. The chronologically arranged tracks move from 1975 (her debut album, Horses, with “Gloria” and “Free Money”) through 2007 (Twelve, with her cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”).

Also released on vinyl as a double-LP set, Outside Society will be available everywhere August 23rd. The music on Outside Society is newly remastered by award-winning engineer Greg Calbi and Patti Smith band member Tony Shanahan.

Image of Patti Smith

1. Gloria (Horses, 1975) *
2. Free Money (Horses, 1975) *
3. Ain’t It Strange (Radio Ethiopia, 1976) *
4. Pissing In A River (Radio Ethiopia, 1976) *
5. Because The Night (Easter, 1978) *
6. Rock N Roll Nigger (Easter, 1978) *
7. Dancing Barefoot (Wave, 1979) *
8. Frederick (Wave, 1979) *
9. So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star (Wave, 1979) *
10. People Have the Power (Dream of Life, 1988) *
11. Up There Down There (Dream of Life, 1988) *
12. Beneath The Southern Cross (Gone Again, 1996) *
13. Summer Cannibals (Gone Again, 1996) *
14. 1959 (Peace and Noise, 1997) *
15. Glitter In Their Eyes (Gung Ho, 2000) *
16. Lo and Beholden (radio edit) (Gung Ho, 2000) *
17. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Twelve, 2007) *
18. Trampin’ (Trampin’, 2004)

Writing about “Trampin’,” the final track onOutside Society, Patti muses in autobiographical style reminiscent ofJust Kids: “This unique spiritual, originally sung by Marion Anderson, was performed live in the studio with my daughter Jesse. It sings for the weary traveler seeking a home after years of work, words, and wandering.”

Don’t you just wish you could bottle and imbibe their energy, from a 1976 CBCB performance, the Patti Smith Group, “Gloria”

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/07/patti-smith-releasing-best-of-album.html

http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/july/01Patti_Smith_Career_On_One_Disc.shtml

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/60733765.html