Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ Gets the 50th Anniversary Treatment It Deserves (Finally)

You’re listening to Patti Smith’s beautiful songs like “Free Money” from her album ‘Horses’ and digging through your music collection, wondering why certain albums get the royal anniversary treatment while others languish in obscurity. Well, Patti Smith fans can finally exhale because the punk priestess herself is giving Horses the 50th anniversary reissue it’s been begging for since, oh, at least about 25 years ago.

Patti Smith’s Horses Reissued October 10

Coming October 10th via Legacy Recordings, this isn’t just another reissue with fancy packaging and an expensive price tag. Smith has delivered something worth getting excited about—and trust us, that’s saying something in an era where “deluxe reissues” often mean adding three demos and calling it a day.

What Makes This Reissue Actually Worth Your Money

The Patti Smith Horses 50th anniversary edition comes loaded with goodies that’ll make even the most jaded music nerds perk up. We’re talking about four previously unreleased tracks that have been sitting in the vault longer than some of us have been alive: “Distant Fingers,” “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game,” “We Three,” and “Snowball” (which you can stream currently).

But here’s where it gets interesting—this isn’t just Smith throwing together some B-sides and hoping for the best. The album has been remastered directly from the original 1/4-inch master tapes, because apparently someone finally realized that’s how you properly honor a landmark record.

The Emotional Weight of “Snowball”

The newly released track “Snowball” hits different when you realize it features longtime guitarist and co-writer Lenny Kaye alongside Smith.

The lyrics pack an emotional punch with lines like “Your face, that I used to see / Places that we used to be / There’s time to hold me, dear / Memories, coming loud and clear.”

It’s vintage Patti Smith—raw, nostalgic, and human.

This isn’t some throwaway track that got left off the original album because it wasn’t good enough. “Snowball” sounds like it could’ve easily found a home on Horses back in 1975, which makes you wonder what other gems have been collecting dust all these years.

Why Horses Still Matters (And Why This Reissue Is Long Overdue)

Let’s be real for a second—Horses didn’t just influence punk rock, it basically wrote the blueprint. Smith’s approach to combining poetry with raw rock energy was revolutionary, and the album still sounds fresh nearly five decades later. As Smith herself explained back in 2014, she felt like someone had to save rock‘s cultural voice, and while she didn’t expect it to be her, she stepped up anyway.

The fact that we’re just now getting a proper 50th anniversary treatment feels almost insulting. Other artists have been milking anniversary editions for decades, but Patti Smith waited until the moment actually mattered. Maybe that’s the punk rock approach—do it when it feels right, not when the marketing department says it’s time.

The Complete Anniversary Package

This reissue comes in both 2xLP and 2xCD formats, because Smith knows her audience spans generations of music lovers. The tracklist includes the original album plus Smith’s 1975 RCA demo tape and those precious unreleased songs. It’s comprehensive without feeling bloated—a lesson other artists should take notes on.

Classics like “Birdland,” “Kimberly,” and “Break It Up” all offer fascinating glimpses into the creative process. Sometimes these alternate versions feel like curiosities, but given the raw, immediate nature of Horses, these takes might actually enhance your understanding of the album’s creation.

A Tour to Remember

Of course, Patti Smith isn’t content to just release a reissue and call it a day. She’s announced a fall tour performing Horses in its entirety across Europe, the UK, and the US. The press release promised to “help celebrate the final ride of our irreverent thoroughbred,” which sounds both celebratory and slightly ominous.

Given Smith’s legendary live performances, these shows will likely be essential viewing for anyone who considers themselves a serious music fan. It’s amazingly poetic about experiencing Horses live 50 years after its creation. It’s witnessing both rock and punk history intertwine.

The Bottom Line

This Patti Smith Horses 50th anniversary reissue feels like the right move at the right time. It’s substantial enough to justify the purchase, emotionally resonant enough to matter to longtime listeners, and comprehensive enough to serve as a proper introduction for newcomers.

In a world where anniversary editions often feel like contractual obligations, Smith has crafted something that actually honors the spirit of the original album. Horses deserves this level of care and attention—it unfortunately took five decades to get here.