Like so many albums at the time, even debut albums, this got rave reviews. Thirty years on, the buzz is rekindled as Ms. Smith 'curates' the South Bank's 'Meltdown' festival in June 2005 where, in addition to arranging appearances by Yoko Ono, Television and Antony And The Johnsons, she will play 'Horses' in its entirety on stage for the first time. Back in 1975, ‘Horses’ influenced The Clash and the legacy later extended to the likes of Sonic Youth and PJ Harvey. The LP opens with an adaptation of Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’, which was a strange choice but in the hands of this band, at that time, it was a fitting start as each track has a power and an immediacy that keeps you on edge as it builds up to the title track. John Cale's experience must have helped as ‘Horses’ takes elements from free jazz to beat poetry. It was not what punk-new wave was meant to be like so it was no surprise that it didn’t get in the UK Charts. The album is equally revered for the cover photograph, which subsequently gave her iconic status. I’ve always enjoyed this album for it’s dark nightmarishness. Happy birthday 'Horses'.