The Coral Sea

Legendary artist Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine s Kevin Shields are set to release a double disc set of their live performance of The Coral Sea on their own PASK imprint. The Coral Sea is Patti Smith s posthumous homage to her friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and the title to her 1997 book. Kevin Shields accompanies her on guitars and effects and creates a haunting backdrop to the spoken prose. The love recordings were made June 22nd 2005 and September 12th 2006 respectively at sold out performances at the QEH in London. The set will run almost two hours with a different stylistic approach to each performance. The UK s Guardian upon reviewing
the 2005 performance gave it 5 stars and called it magical. One critic
said of the live performance: A kind of screaming requiem, The Coral Sea describes Mapplethorpe s terminal illness. Intense, layered electronics surged to a discordant climax as Patti Smith read her poem, the words sailing over the noise like an ocean liner, with the black and white video showing the ocean, the liner and the grey twilight of grief. The poem tells the story of M
(Mapplethorpe) on a final voyage to see the stars of the Southern Cross before
he dies. Product Description

Very moving -- & highly recommended

One of the other reviewers said this piece echoes her earlier, less overtly political work, and I think that's true. In particular, "Birdland" from Horses comes to mind. At the same time, The Coral Sea is even more intense and demanding of the listener's attention than that. I played to it for the first time on a long drive alone in the car, late at night, so I was able to stay with it. The power of the piece creeps up on you. I was floored by it. August 25, 2008

Two Music Icons Collaborate

If someone said that punk poet laureate, Patti Smith, would be pairing up with My Bloody Valentine's, Kevin Shields, for a live performance, I would have told them to stop using drugs. The two paired up to do a live performance a few years back and the live album, The Coral Sea, is the result. The album is a musical memorial dedicated to Robert Mapplethorpe, a friend of Smith. The live disc includes excerpts from Smith's epic poem of the same title.

Smith, a legend in her own right, comes through with a heartbreaking record and Shields is brilliant as always, accompanying Smith on guitar throughout her spoken word performance. If you're a Smith fan or looking for an original kind of music, this is the album for you.

--Corey Crossfield

[...] July 27, 2008

Extraordinary work

This is Patti Smith's most authoritative work since the "Horses" days. She's always been a superb reader of her own work, and in this recital of her tribute to departed friend Robert Mapplethorpe she plumbs mysterious depths of emotion and artistry untapped by the wobbly albums that emerged in the wake of her 1990s return to performing. Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine provides simple, spare but never simplistic accompaniment, ranging from organ to effects-drenched guitar. The performances must have been magical, but this recording creates its own spell -- moody, powerful, touching and unbelievably intense. July 11, 2008

Fitting Homage

This is more like it. Patti's dramatic reading of her lengthy poem The Coral Sea allows her talents as a Shaman to shine, channelling her greif into an atmospheric hymn. It's Patti at her finest and certainly makes up for the weaker sentimental, dated politics of Trampin. Patti is at her best when traversing the internal landscape. It's nice to have a solid reading of hers finally on CD. Go for it! July 9, 2008

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