Track Listing

1. Are You Experienced
2. Everybody Wants To Rule The World
3. Helpless
4. Gimme Shelter
5. Within You Without You
6. White Rabbit
7. Changing Of The Guards
8. Boy In The Bubble
9. Soul Kitchen
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit
11. Midnight Rider
12. Pastime Paradise

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31732 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .17 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Both a stopgap release until Patti Smith writes another album's worth of material and a way to keep her name in front of the public after her highly publicized 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this set of a dozen covers finds the singer/poet in an unusually reflective mode. Some of the sources are obvious for those familiar with Smith's influences (the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan), some less so (Paul Simon, Nirvana, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young), and a few come out of left field (the Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears). Smith's innate class and approach guarantees there's nothing awful here, but there also isn't much that stamps these versions with her own vision. She does little more than deliver the words in her unique spoken/sung voice and--except for adding a banjo and her own poetry to an acoustic "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--keeps the arrangements close to the originals. At times she seems distant from the material, running through the Doors' "Soul Kitchen" and Young's "Helpless" with an oddly soulless detachment. Likewise, her band seems to be on autopilot, playing with little emotional involvement or attempts to bring fresh interpretations to tunes that are, with the exception of Dylan's "Changing of the Guard," surprisingly unimaginative choices. Considering the raging and extreme overhaul Smith did on Van Morrison's "Gloria" and the Who's "My Generation" in her younger days, this quieter, gentler approach seems flaccid, even bland in comparison. --Hal Horowitz

CD Description
'Twelve', Patti Smith's tenth studio album, sees her tacklea selection of cover versions while being reunited with theoriginal Patti Smith Group line up of Lenny Kaye, Dee Daugherty and Tony Shanahan. The album features radical re-workings of original songs by the likes of Nirvana, Jim Morrison, Tears For Fears and Stevie Wonder and harks back to their legendary early live performances which would feature a mix oforiginal material and unlikely cover versions.

Customer Reviews

Understated brilliance
I was intrigued by the idea of this covers album: Patti Smith's voice is so distinctive that I couldn't imagine how it might work with some of the songs selected. As others have said, the songs are (musically) quite faithful to the originals -- apart from Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's also more or less unadorned in terms of production. Patti's voice, however, makes the overall sound unique. My current favourite track is Everybody Wants To Rule The World -- a song I didn't like before now and could never imagine her covering. This album certainly isn't a new landmark in rock music, or full of musical fireworks...but it does have subtlety and an understated brilliance. Hopefully, it might also serve as an accessible introduction to her work for the curious.

I know it's only covers
I was disappointed to find that Patti's new album would be just cover versions of favourite songs until I heard it. However I really like this record, she has done very little to change the original songs, it is an homage after all but somehow she is able to remind us of how good this material really is. I don't think that I ever managed to listen to the lyrics of "Are you experienced" before now. Just look at the range of these songs, from Stevie Wonder to Nirvana via the Stones, and try to imagine another artist who could manage to do them all justice.
These are faithful renditions but unmistakably Patti at the same time and should encourage listeners to revisit the originals.

Power to Patti
Like other reviewers I came to this album uncertain that it would amount to much. But then I was in HMV and I heard the unmistakable tones of Patti playing on the shop sound system. I stood still for the whole of the song and was transfixed by it. Turned out to be the first track 'Am I experienced' originally by Jimmy Hendrix and I thought the Patti version was every bit as good as the original. The real star track is 'Smells like teen sprirt' with a section of classic Patti stream-of-words-poetry delivered in her fabulous New Jersey accent. I admit to being a Patti fan so I am pre-disposed to liking it but for anyone who is unsure whether to buy I would certainly recommend it simply for the fact that it offers a new take on so many good songs.