The Patti Smith Group was signed by Clive Davis of Arista Records, and in 1975 recorded their first album, "Horses", produced by John Cale amid some tension. The album fused punk rock and spoken poetry and begins with a cover of Van Morrison's "Gloria", and Smith's opening words: "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine" (an excerpt from "Oath", one of her early poems). The austere cover photograph by Mapplethorpe has become one of rock's classic images. As the popularity of punk rock grew, Patti Smith Group toured the United States and Europe. The rawer sound of the group's second album, "Radio Ethiopia", reflected this. Considerably less accessible than "Horses", "Radio Ethiopia" initially received poor reviews. However, several of its songs have stood the test of time, and Smith still performs them regularly in concert. She has said that "Radio Ethiopia" was influenced by the band MC5.