Rewind: Gung Ho - Patti Smith (2000)

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Gung Ho - Patti Smith

Arista

Produced by Gil Norton

Released 21st March 2000

US Chart #178

Singles on Gung Ho

There were actually no single releases as such from the album but there were a few promos that came from the album.

Gung Ho Giveaway Live EP

1 Gone Again (Live)    
2 Beneath The Southern Cross (Live)    
3 Spell (Live)    
4 People Have The Power (Live)

Listen to the EP Here.

Coalition Of Independent Music Stores Sampler given away with initial copies of the Gung Ho album at independent music stores in the US.
Tracks 1-3 recorded live at Riviera Hall, Chicago, 1998.
Track 4 recorded live at Tibetan Freedom Concert, 1997.

Glitter In Their Eyes

Promo CD

1 Lo And Beholden - Radio Edit    
2 Lo And Beholden - Album Version

Promo CD

Band
    Patti Smith – vocals, guitar, photography
    Lenny Kaye – guitar
    Jay Dee Daugherty – drums
    Oliver Ray – guitar
    Tony Shanahan – bass, keyboards
Additional personnel
    Ben E. Franklin - Mandolin "Libbie's Song"
    Danton Supple – Engineer (Sear Sound recording studio, NYC); Mixing (The Church Studios, London) and (Eden Studios, London)
    Gil Norton – Production; Mixing (The Church Studios, London) and (Eden Studios, London)
    Grant Hart – Piano, Farfisa "Persuasion"
    Grant Smith – album cover model Townsend, Australia; 1942
    Jackson Smith – Guitar solo "Persuasion"
    Jake Davies - Computer Engineer (Sear Sound recording studio, NYC)
    Kimberly Smith – Mandolin "Libbie's Song"
    Mark Phythers - Computer Engineer (Sear Sound recording studio, NYC)
    Margery Greenspan – Art Direction
    Michael Stipe – Backing vocalist "Glitter in Their Eyes"
    Paul Angelli – Mastering Engineer (Sterling Sound, NYC)
    Penny Whistle - Mandolin "Libbie's Song"
    Rebecca Weiner – Violin "Libbie's Song"
    Skaila Kanga – Harp "Lo and Beholden"
    Steven Sebring – Band photography
    Ted Jensen – Mastering Engineer (Sterling Sound, NYC)
    Todd Parker – Assistant Engineer (Sear Sound recording studio, NYC)
    Tom Verlaine – Guitar solo "Glitter in Their Eyes"
    Wade Raley – Backing vocalist "Glitter in Their Eyes"

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Gung Ho was the 8th Studio Album from Patti Smith and is actually her least successful album of her career. It was the first album not to feature a picture of Patti Smith on the Cover (the man in question on the cover is her Father) and it is the first to contain a song that bears the same name as the album (just incase you question that and say Horses had a title track as well, it didn't. The song that has the lyrics Horses on the 1975 Debut Album was actually called Land and Horses was actually one part of the three part song).

Glitter In Their Eyes was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards (Sheryl Crow's There Goes The Neighborhood won it).

 

The song New Party was used as the official song for the 2000 Ralph Nader's Presidential Campaign. 

 

Gung Ho is not necessarily one of Patti Smith's finest albums but there are some redeeming qualities to it. She still showed that she had a really great poetic heart and could still get angry about things in life.

I listened to the album this morning for the first time in at least 16 years and was quite taken with it so much so that I put it aside to play again.