Patti Smith Group “Easter” released on this date, March 3rd, 1978. Her third album release, Easter finally gave Smith commercially viability. It reached #16 on the UK album charts and #20 in the US. Much of its success was due to the  single co-written with Bruce Springsteen “Because the Night,” which reached #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #5 in the UK. Smith’s voice is rich with tone and emotion and, not being a Springsteen fan, I’m grateful she recorded it rather than Bruce’s original plan to include it on Darkness on the Edge of Town.

“Because the Night” is a great track that veers heavily into mainstream pop-rock territory, but there are others a bit more experimental and worth noting on Easter. I especially enjoy the super-catchy “Till Victory,” “Babelogue,” which delivers Smith’s rapid-fire punk poetry prowess and merges into “Rock n Roll N*&*er,” a great shocking rocker, and “25th Floor” which merges art-rock and punk and spoken-word performance in that very Patti Smith way.