Patti Smith: Live at the Free Music Store 1975

Space Monkey... is so outta line.

Or so sings Patti Smith and her band in this ground breaking performance at the Free Music Store back in the spring of 1975. One of her first sets recorded live and the first prepared for radio broadcast, Smith moves mountains with her rapturous vocals and down to earth soliloquies. Listen in as she sings about floating in birdland, cries out to angels, dedicates songs to Patti Hearst, and tells the story of Scheherazade. All the while, committing herself to being just a girl from South Jersey.

The concert, staged six months prior to the release of her groundbreaking album Horses, aired on WBAI and was recorded by David Rapkin. Special thanks to the program's original producer, Ira Weitzman. With his help, Clocktower Radio has re-mastered this program from the original reel-to-reel tapes.

Eric Salzman founded and organized the Free Music Store in 1962. It was a weekly concert series that were performed before a live audience and recorded for WBAI listeners. The acts included folk singers, chamber musicians, electronic composers, Brazilian percussionists, and poets.The performances were free of charge, however, donations were accepted and used as compensation for the acts and refreshments. The FMS took place at a decommissioned church on East 62nd Street, in New York City. Ira Weitzman took over as director after Salzman left the radio station in 1971.

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