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Patti Smith — Nine
Album: Banga
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2187









Released: 2012
Length: 4:54
Plays (last 30 days): 3
Night a nine of diamonds
A woman lay and cries
At the sister of Mercy
On a Sabbath day
Night a nine of diamonds
As revelers commence
To shiver as she bore
In a babe, a radiance

Brave in constant motion
Wherein perfection brews
Darkness as his brother
Mischief as his moon
Summoning beneath
With his gypsy moves
Yearning as the foal
Shy and beautiful

Every card he drew
Had a different face
Lingering and lost
Unholy holy ghosts
I tend to play them all
He spoke with confidence
Another kind of strange
To shift in loneliness

He sought not for himself
The empire he would find
Save the golden womb
He enter in his mind

We will die a littler
The rogues whistling
Nine blue-eyed sailors
Tip their caps to him
As he passes through them
More vagabond than king
With diamonds on his sleeves
Like a harlequin
Comments (144)add comment
 alexandersmcmillan wrote:

Who is playing guitar on this track? Great tone and phrasing.



The late great Tom Verlaine
Who is playing guitar on this track? Great tone and phrasing.
 Akazungu wrote:

have to assume this is a troll, because the alternative is stupidity on a mind-boggling scale.


Gotta be!
 idiot_wind wrote:

this song remind me of bob dylan 



Yep.  And for that reason I'm skipping.  Bleh. 
 Akazungu wrote:

have to assume this is a troll, because the alternative is stupidity on a mind-boggling scale.
perhaps it was sarcasm...

 rednred wrote:


If you ever get a chance to see Patti perform live, do it. I have seen her 8 or 10 times and each time is totally unique and brilliant. One of the best live performers ever, and I have been to hundreds of rock concerts going back to the mid-60s.


Same. I am going to see her twice next week, in San Luis Obispo and in Monterey. She is incredible live. I have also seen her many times over the years, and she never disappoints. 
Nine just became a ten!
 nightdrive wrote:



My guess is much simpler. The comment was meant for another song. Especially after checking theirongiant's comment history, he does have lots of upvotes.


Yeah, that's probably it.  Still, Patti Smith *is* using a lot of AutoTune here.  You can't deny that part.  The song is great regardless.

They turned it off for the last verse.  She sounds REAL and authentic here.  Much grittier. 
Nine it is and the last three hours  is the reason I spend all my music listening money on RP. Keep it up!
OK William/Alanna, you made your point, Lee DeWyze' "Blackbird Song" does have sonic similarities with this lovely tune 
Reading her book, Just Kids. Fascinating--highly recommend.
this song remind me of bob dylan 
 theirongiant wrote:

Over reliance on AutoTune. Cher, she is not.


 Akazungu wrote:

have to assume this is a troll, because the alternative is stupidity on a mind-boggling scale.


My guess is much simpler. The comment was meant for another song. Especially after checking theirongiant's comment history, he does have lots of upvotes.
 h8rhater wrote:

Especially since the OP is not idiot_wind!


that dude leads the league in dumb comments
 Akazungu wrote:

theirongiant wrote:

Over reliance on AutoTune. Cher, she is not.


have to assume this is a troll, because the alternative is stupidity on a mind-boggling scale.

Especially since the OP is not idiot_wind!
I have every album.............................!
 hayduke2 wrote:

Windy afternoon and bright sunshine, I'm in the yard refinishing a maple table with Patty Smith's encouraging voice transporting me. ✌


Hope it turned out well. Patti's voice has that ability.
9 for Nine!!!
I've been a Patti Smith fan since the late 70s. I generally don't like punkish music but I like her style of punk-pop. She's an amazing songwriter.

Do yourself a favor and watch her greatness with "Dancing Barefoot" live. She's on a show called Later With Jools. I'm pretty sure it's from 1979. I'm pretty sure too she has to zip her pants mid performance but that's okay. Happens to us all.

And if if don't know about her relationship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, check him out. RM was a world-class artist too.

Patti Smith - Dancing Barefoot (Later with Jools)
 rednred wrote:


If you ever get a chance to see Patti perform live, do it. I have seen her 8 or 10 times and each time is totally unique and brilliant. One of the best live performers ever, and I have been to hundreds of rock concerts going back to the mid-60s.
 
I will definitely do that.  I regret that I did not realize her greatness when I was young.  
 khardog145 wrote:
The guitar work is utterly amazing.  Well that is redundant - i didn't look at the other comments below.  Still true, tho.
 

If you ever get a chance to see Patti perform live, do it. I have seen her 8 or 10 times and each time is totally unique and brilliant. One of the best live performers ever, and I have been to hundreds of rock concerts going back to the mid-60s.
The guitar work is utterly amazing.  Well that is redundant - i didn't look at the other comments below.  Still true, tho.
 theirongiant wrote:
Over reliance on AutoTune. Cher, she is not.
 
have to assume this is a troll, because the alternative is stupidity on a mind-boggling scale.
this is just so..... patti smith. 


T    om   V    erlaine

 
rdo wrote:

So, why was it called Television and why did this song make you realize that?  I have been racking my brains here.
 

 memoryboxer wrote:
thankful to RP for the many Patti Smith offerings; had never really known more than Because the Night.
 Memory Between radio paradise and WFMU I have gotten to hear music that I have never heard of before, it is so wonderful
 theirongiant wrote:
Over reliance on AutoTune. Cher, she is not.
 
the hell er you talkin about?
wow, that last verse... beautiful piece of work
A master at work.  What a body of work she has given us….
thankful to RP for the many Patti Smith offerings; had never really known more than Because the Night.
Such a distinctive voice. Volume turned down very low at 2 am while I'm in the bathroom (the room without a squeezebox), thinking `nice to hear Patti again on RP´.
Over reliance on AutoTune. Cher, she is not.
This song is amazing.
This is a rockin' dirge
 idiot_wind wrote:
I hear Emmylou Harris singing "Deeper Well". 

 
What a divine mash-up that would be....
Sublime.
 dragon1952 wrote:
Holy shit...what a segue from Yoshida Brothers, Storm.....wow. It might be my vodka haze but I don't think so. Now you just need to segue into Eight Miles High or something similar.....Time by Chambers Brothers? ( long version please)

 
Can I have some vodka too? And all those songs are even better. 
This is a good album and a great song!{#Cheers}

And Verlaine adds just the right trimmings.  Mighty Fine.
Holy shit...what a segue from Yoshida Brothers, Storm.....wow. It might be my vodka haze but I don't think so. Now you just need to segue into Eight Miles High or something similar.....Time by Chambers Brothers? ( long version please)
I hear Emmylou Harris singing "Deeper Well". 
 lemmoth wrote:
Bill

Upon hearing Tom Verlaine on this track I renew my call for more Television on RP.

Just saw them last month and they were still incredible.

Marquee Moon anyone, 

 
Yes, I'm surprised there isn't more Television on RP, especially tunes from their first album.  The title track is the only track from that album here, and that hasn't been played since 2010.
Windy afternoon and bright sunshine, I'm in the yard refinishing a maple table with Patty Smith's encouraging voice transporting me. ✌
 lemmoth wrote:
Bill

Upon hearing Tom Verlaine on this track I renew my call for more Television on RP.

Just saw them last month and they were still incredible.

Marquee Moon anyone, 

 
I have submitted several TV tunes only to be rejected.
 garyalex wrote:
Tom Verlaine's guitar work on this is amazing.

  

Stephenater wrote:

I concur.

 

Yes 2 on Verlaine and Patti the High Priestess. 
 garyalex wrote:
Tom Verlaine's guitar work on this is amazing.

 
I concur.
Tom Verlaine's guitar work on this is amazing.
open to her as an example, a person who writes, sings and lives the strong feelings and emotions of a Teacher, a sample of life lived successfully and to the fullest as a kick-ass rocker       : )   Peace
Not heard this before and quite sorry to have missed it. Nice, but, as per her usual output, fairly impenetrable to me.
                         
                     Night a nine of diamonds
                  Nein !  with his gypsy moves.
                  I was at 19 and she was at 66
                      Way of telling her nine
                    We both a league ahead.
                 
How about her and Shakey Graves on the same bill?
 hayduke2 wrote:
She's a fabulous artist!  (amazing December evening, high 50's and star filled sky, off Elm St. there is a house with a large yard, walking my Patterdale terrier Jake he stops, his brindle hackles slowly rise and I have to listen to sense what's up, too dark to spot anything I hear it, from several locations, owl hoots (!) there an individual style to each series, coming from the deep shadowy banks of trees in turns of three, one close to us, then a response further away judging by its lower volume, and then  seconds later a third, from the opposite area of darkness, hoooo hoooooooooo
whoa, Jake turns his head to catch each of their calls, tense leg and shoulder muscles ready to chase whoever is responsible but also wondering, trying to figure out who could that be ...  )

 
Whoa... nice.
Happy Birthday
 
She's a fabulous artist!  (amazing December evening, high 50's and star filled sky, off Elm St. there is a house with a large yard, walking my Patterdale terrier Jake he stops, his brindle hackles slowly rise and I have to listen to sense what's up, too dark to spot anything I hear it, from several locations, owl hoots (!) there an individual style to each series, coming from the deep shadowy banks of trees in turns of three, one close to us, then a response further away judging by its lower volume, and then  seconds later a third, from the opposite area of darkness, hoooo hoooooooooo
whoa, Jake turns his head to catch each of their calls, tense leg and shoulder muscles ready to chase whoever is responsible but also wondering, trying to figure out who could that be ...  )
See her live if you get a chance. Fantastic performer.
This album is solid
Like this more every time I hear it. Great bluesy groove too! Really like the drumming. Love how the bass sort of wanders around and then drops into the end of each lyric phrase. Strange lyrics, still have not figured them out. Great bridge. Just amazing texture and musicianship: everyone on this is superb!
She is Bursting with Positive Mojo
Saw this doc on her at Sundance years ago.  Ran away from South Jersey to NYC and found her way to the Factory.  Most of her friends from the Warhol/Band crowd had died young, from drugs, accidents and aids.  She was living alone upstate NY in a country hovel, basically withdrawn and depressed.

Hope she has recovered some mojo...
 z11355 wrote:
The Doors 'The End'.

 
Yep...despite  the blatant rip-off of almost the exact guitar riff , and with a little Roger McGuinn Eight Miles High thrown in, a most excellent song.
Bill

Upon hearing Tom Verlaine on this track I renew my call for more Television on RP.

Just saw them last month and they were still incredible.

Marquee Moon anyone, 
Love the bass in this
 sirrus wrote:
Maybe my ears deceive me but I hear a lot of auto-tune in this. Patti, say it ain't so!

 
Your ears are probably deceiving you.  I don't hear anything in this vocal track that resembles auto-tune, there's hardly even any reverb on her voice.  
 BillG wrote:

Tom Verlaine

 
That explains a lot. I finally stopped what I was doing to listen more carefully. Thought maybe Thurston Moore. Gave it an 8.
"Nine" is reportedly a birthday song for Smith's friend Johnny Depp." according to Wikipedia..
Maybe my ears deceive me but I hear a lot of auto-tune in this. Patti, say it ain't so!
Thrilled to see Patti finally get rated in the "7s" here. If all the RP listeners had the chance to see her perform live I am certain her ratings would be much higher. I've seen her live show in San Francisco around 7 times in the past 10 years and she is right up there with the all-time greats I have seen live over the past close to 50 years. Yeah, I am getting up there in years, but still a Rock 'n' Roller at heart, mind, and body. And being in my 60s now means I got to see many of the greats like Dylan, Springsteen, Neil Young, and the Stones in their prime in the 70s.
This is amazingly overwritten, even for Ms Smith. Like something from a symphonic metal band.
Yeah, saw her once at a small folk fest in Chicago about 10 years ago.   She is the real deal...for authentic rocked up, punked up, pure artistic creative, raw music.
patti smith
Recommended Thursday Show: Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, and Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers at Southpaw

There’s a lot of really great things about this show, but the bottom line is that you’ll get to see Patti Smith perform in a fairly intimate venue for $20.  That is some serious bang for your buck, especially if you’ve never seen Patti Smith before (I mean, look at that picture, the woman is 100% all-out amazing).  But there’s some even better details.  First of all, the show is a benefit for a publication called Fortnight Journal.  I’d never heard of it, but I looked it up, and here’s the mission statement: FORTNIGHT IS AN ONLINE MULTIMEDIA JOURNAL THAT PAIRS 14 UNHERALDED YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS FROM THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION IN CRITICAL & CREATIVE DIALOGUE WITH LUMINARY MENTORS. FORTNIGHT PROMOTES THE UNIQUE CAPACITIES OF THE NEW MEDIA GENERATION, WHILE REASSERTING ITS COMMITMENT TO PRECEDENT. FORTNIGHT IS NOT AN ACADEMIC, POLITICAL OR LITERARY JOURNAL; RATHER, IT IS A MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVE OF A GENERATION IN THE MIDST OF THEIR LIFE AND WORK. THERE IS MUCH SAID ABOUT OUR GENERATION’S FAILURE TO LAUNCH; FORTNIGHT IS A MODEST REBUTTAL.”

Woah!  What a brilliant idea!  I love that!  That really gets right at so many things that I have issues with when it comes to music journalism.  The need to move forward, but the failure of the craft in so many ways on the Internet.  Hey, if you guys need a budding wannabe music journalist to pair with a mentor, I am GAME.  Anyways, it seems like a really good organization to support.  On top of THAT you get to see Shilpa Ray, which is always an energetic, boozy pleasure.

in newyorkrockmarket, on


8 to 9 and could be riding
A good song and an incredible Tom Verlaine.
We miss you Tom!
9 to 10
 lemmoth wrote:

The great awesome, innovate, legendary Tom Verlaine.

Bill - How bout some Television on RP

Marquee Moon hasn't been played since 2010.

Surely we can get some Elevation or See No Evil.

Thanks

 
I did not know Tom Verlaine played on this album, but it sure sounded like someone of his majestic talent, and had to look it up. Still Brilliant!
reads as a poem, and the sound of her voice with that guitar arrests me totally   She is a Grand Master, a student can watch her way of moving, obstacles are effortlessly passed by 
I respect her place in Rock music. She has a good Rock voice. I just have never cared for her style or repertoire. 
Nice song!
 kcar wrote:

Regrettably, I got distracted from reading The Master and Margarita after the first two chapters, but they were brilliant. Bulgakov got blacklisted by the Soviet government but had the crazy courage to make a fuss, even writing Stalin himself to complain and request permission to emigrate. For some reason Stalin personally supported and protected Bulgakov even though government censors were suppressing his work. 
 

Very interesting...

this song rocks...  love it...
 
 BillG wrote:

Tom Verlaine

 
The great awesome, innovate, legendary Tom Verlaine.

Bill - How bout some Television on RP

Marquee Moon hasn't been played since 2010.

Surely we can get some Elevation or See No Evil.

Thanks
if six was
outstanding music, with exceptional company to enjoy it with!  Thank you all for the great info
 grant wrote:
who's playing the tasty electric geetar in this tune?  it's good stuff. 
 
Tom Verlaine
who's playing the tasty electric geetar in this tune?  it's good stuff. 
 Lazarus wrote:


Thank you!  Love this song...

Patti Smith named this album — Banga — after Pontius Pilate’s dog in a novel called The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov...  the novel was written in 1937 in the Soviet Union, but it was not published until 1967...  the novel is a satire of the Soviet bureaucracy...  the novel alternates between two settings—  the first is in Moscow, and Satan visits Moscow...  the second is Jerusalem, and it is about the trial of Jesus...

“Truthfully, when you look at that story,” she replies of the 1940 novel, “Pilate is made to wait for 2000 years on the edge of heaven to talk to Christ. And Banga sits patiently with him, and watches over him. Then they say, ‘OK, you can talk to Christ’, and Banga gets up with him and they walk down the Golden Road...



 
Regrettably, I got distracted from reading The Master and Margarita after the first two chapters, but they were brilliant. Bulgakov got blacklisted by the Soviet government but had the crazy courage to make a fuss, even writing Stalin himself to complain and request permission to emigrate. For some reason Stalin personally supported and protected Bulgakov even though government censors were suppressing his work. 


 
Are we allowed to rate this anything but 9?  {#Nyah}
 Sloggydog wrote:
After seeing her two years running at the Hop Farm Festival I am a total convert.  She proper kicks arse live.

 

"It is with great sadness that Hop Farm 2013 has been cancelled."
 Carl wrote:

I was thinking, "She really looks old in that photo…" Then remembered that she's a couple years younger than I. Gulp! She's still great!

 
My guess is that she has had more ... experience. 
The Doors 'The End'.
 The_Enemy wrote:
A friend took this shot at Patti's recent concert in Toronto.  One of the best live performers I've ever seen — and I've seen quite a few. A large part of that is that she has a great rapport with the audience.
 
I was thinking, "She really looks old in that photo…" Then remembered that she's a couple years younger than I. Gulp! She's still great!
A friend took this shot at Patti's recent concert in Toronto.  One of the best live performers I've ever seen — and I've seen quite a few. A large part of that is that she has a great rapport with the audience.

Patti Smith in Toronto
 gvan wrote:

Ha! Good one.
 

Thank you!  Love this song...

Patti Smith named this album — Banga — after Pontius Pilate’s dog in a novel called The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov...  the novel was written in 1937 in the Soviet Union, but it was not published until 1967...  the novel is a satire of the Soviet bureaucracy...  the novel alternates between two settings—  the first is in Moscow, and Satan visits Moscow...  the second is Jerusalem, and it is about the trial of Jesus...

“Truthfully, when you look at that story,” she replies of the 1940 novel, “Pilate is made to wait for 2000 years on the edge of heaven to talk to Christ. And Banga sits patiently with him, and watches over him. Then they say, ‘OK, you can talk to Christ’, and Banga gets up with him and they walk down the Golden Road...


That's Numberwang! www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6RbP3CNUg
 Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
 
Ha! Good one.

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
 Nadine wrote:
not at all familiar with her work. but this tune caught my attention :o)
 
Get familiar.  Start with the Land collection.
Collaboration of two great artists (plus her great band) that meant so much to me back in the days when I frequented the Mudd Club, CBGBs and especially Max's Kansas City.

Always interested in anything new from Patti or Tom
Hear this song for the first time and I thought that it was Joan Osborne...
Apart from her vocals, the sound and arrangement are very reminiscent of Fairport Convention at their best.
Good material for a segue Bill?
A great album, once I put it on I couldn't take it off for a couple of weeks!
You know, Patti is a unique talent.  We've known her since before Wild Horses; her poetical talent is surpassed only by her wit and all-embracing love of expression.  She;s had some very difficult times —- once again she emerges from her chrysalis of pain and love ...
 
 rdo wrote:

So, why was it called Television and why did this song make you realize that?  I have been racking my brains here.
 
Tom Verlaine = T.V. = Television. You're welcome...
 Dave_Mack wrote:
Tom Verlaine sounding good. And I must be the thickest guy around, since it only just occurred to me why his band was called Television. But hey, better late than never.
 
So, why was it called Television and why did this song make you realize that?  I have been racking my brains here.
those opening vocals are quite amazing.
 ncollingridge wrote:
Very impressed with this at first hearing. Might even be the best thing she's ever done for me.
 

My first listen, too.   Might just be her best, and that's saying a lot.
Pretty good tune....  TV jamming good indeed!  Absolutely makes me want to hear some good old Television soon, like Marquee Moon!
 Dave_Mack wrote:
Tom Verlaine sounding good. And I must be the thickest guy around, since it only just occurred to me why his band was called Television. But hey, better late than never.
 
Wow. Never thought of that. So don't feel too bad...
 On_The_Beach wrote:
I'm not a huge PS fan, but it's great to hear a tune now and then in the RP mix.
 
Same here. Besides, I like this infinitely better than Because The Night. Great guitar sound and vocals. Might well earn it's title (for now I'll stick with an 8).
Tom Verlaine sounding good. And I must be the thickest guy around, since it only just occurred to me why his band was called Television. But hey, better late than never.
Candy Slice is back!!
Like, OMG!  It's Candy Slice!
I'm hearing a lot of Velvet Underground too. 
That's Numberwang!
Strong "8" on first hearing this. Wow indeed...
 rdo wrote:

Reminds me of PJ Harvey.

 
^^
..uh, the other way..  {#Meditate} 
Interesting segue of album covers from Jack White's "Blunderbuss"

Reminds me of PJ Harvey.


We saw Patti Play Brighton a couple of weeks back. Yep, Patti rocks! Glad to see her still spitting on the stage. Glad to see she still has oodles of power in her voice. Glad to see she is still well loved. Glad to see she is still political. Blessed to be able to see her live.
Love Patti.....8.
After seeing her two years running at the Hop Farm Festival I am a total convert.  She proper kicks arse live.
Nine=9