Wicked Messenger

Wicked Messenger

By early 1996, Patti Smith had only released one new album since 1982's Wave, her fourth record, 14 years before. Prior to Wave's release, Smith had separated from long-time partner Allen Lanier, and met Fred Sonic Smith, former guitar player for Detroit's MC5 and his own Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Fred adored poetry as much as Patti did and Wave's 'Dancing Barefoot' and 'Frederick' were both dedicated to him. The running joke at the time was that she married Fred only because she would not have to change her name. They had a son, Jackson (b. 1982), who would go on to marry The White Stripes' drummer Meg White in 2009, and a daughter, Jesse (b. 1987). Through most of the 1980s Patti Smith was in semi-retirement from music, living with her family north of Detroit in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. In June 1988, she released the album Dream of Life, which included the song 'People Have the Power'. Fred Smith died on 4th November, 1994, of a heart attack. Shortly afterward, Patti faced the unexpected death of her brother Todd. When Jackson turned 14, Smith decided to move back to New York. After the impact of these deaths, her friends Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Allen Ginsberg (whom she had known since her early years in NYC) urged her to go back out on the road. She toured briefly with Bob Dylan in December 1995 (chronicled in a book of photographs by Stipe). In 1996, Smith worked with long-time colleagues to record Gone Again, featuring 'About a Boy', a tribute to Kurt Cobain. That same year she collaborated with Stipe on 'E-Bow the Letter', a song on R.E.M.'s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, which she has also performed live with the band. After the release of Gone Again, Patti went out on tour, starting her jaunt in Europe, and she performed at the Markthalle in Hamburg, Germany on 1st August '96, where the set featured on this CD was recorded, via an FM Broadcast which was simulcast and transmitted across a number of US stations.
Country USA
Brand UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
Manufacturer Zip City
Binding Audio CD
ReleaseDate 2016-07-08
UnitCount 1
UPCs 823564678726
EANs 0823564678726

Country	USA
Brand	UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
Manufacturer	Zip City
Binding	Audio CD
ReleaseDate	2016-07-08
UnitCount	1
UPCs	823564678726
EANs	0823564678726

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