Wave

The final album of the original Patti Smith Group’s run, Wave is often seen as an uneven attempt to attract more of the mainstream attention Smith and company had gathered with Easter and “Because The Night.” Certainly some of its polished production by Todd Rundgren sounds perfect for late 1970s rock radio playlists, as the opening “Frederick” shows. But the cover of the Byrds’ “So You Want To Be (A Rock’n’Roll Star),” the unsettling flow of “Dancing Barefoot” or the intense rampage of “Citizen Ship” all show much more was happening.