Patti Smith has released a new EP with seven songs. Live at Electric Lady was recorded in collaboration with Spotify in the famous New York studio. It is Smith’s first new solo recording since her 2012 studio album Banga. Listen to the full EP below.
Smith’s new album features live versions of her own songs like “Ghost Dance” and “Broken Flag” and “Birdland” (which was recorded in one take), as well as covers of Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” and Stevie Wonders “Give the Blame the sun. ”
“We’re very proud to be part of Spotify’s Live at Electric Lady series, our favorite recording studio,” Patti Smith said in a press release. She continued: “It was a unique challenge and provided us with an exciting and innovative platform. We are grateful to Spotify for their generous support and willingness to present a live performance with all its possibilities of risk and revelation. “
Electric Lady GM / Partner Lee Foster added:
Before the recordings, I spoke with Tony Shanahan, Patti’s MD and longtime bassist / pianist, about options for cover songs that I could present to Patti. We had to tell Patti that we were hoping to do a cover during the session, so she didn’t know at the time. The days went by and Tony and I couldn’t find the right song together. Then, just as we were just starting to agonize over it, he called me excitedly and asked, “Is ‘Blame It On the Sun’ from Talking Book? [Stevie Wonder’s 1972 album recorded at Electric Lady]? “I looked quickly for confirmation and said yes. That morning Patti had written him for no reason that the song was stuck in her head and she wanted the band to learn it. Kismet.
Spotify and Electric Lady Studios announced their Live at Electric Lady EP series in July. The series will include releases from Japanese Breakfast, Faye Webster, Bleachers, Remi Wolf, Natalie Bergman, and more. Jon Batiste released the first EP in the series, which landed last month.
Patti Smith was slated to co-headline We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in Central Park last weekend, but the event was canceled due to bad weather. Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, the Killers, and Paul Simon failed to perform their scheduled sets.
Check out Pitchfork’s “Patti Smith Played A Show In Brooklyn – This Is What It Looked Like”.
