Horses (1975)

By Patti Smith

Spare, minimal rock built on simple chord progressions and long improvised stretches, with lyrics moving between family memories and wilder, fantastical imagery. The poet and musician made her 1975 debut here, produced by former Velvet Underground member John Cale. It reached the top 50 of the Billboard 200 and entered the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2009.