Horses (1975), produced by John Cale, was this benchmark debut and set the pace for many good things to come. "Redondo Beach", "Gloria" & "Break It Up" are still on the Patti Smith Group's live set.

Horses was ranked in the Top 50 of Rolling Stone magazines' "500 most influential albums".

Patti Smith, godmother of US punk, political activist, poet and freedom fighter, was the first artist of the New York CBGB scene to get a major label deal (even before The Ramones).