Pitchfork

On two magical nights-- June 22, 2005 and September 12, 2006-- punk godmother Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine genius Kevin Shields took the stage together at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. Their collaboration was called the Coral Sea, and took both its name and inspiration from Smith's 1996 book The Coral Sea. The book and the performance served as tributes to the legendary late artist Robert Mapplethorpe, who was Smith's close friend. (He took the iconic photograph that appears on the cover of Smith's 1975 debut album Horses.)

Fortunately for those of us who couldn't make those shows, Smith and Shields have put together a double-disc set chronicling the two performances. The Coral Sea will be released on July 11 on PASK, a new imprint run by Smith and Shields.

The live album has no tracklist; it consists of Smith’s spoken word performance accompanied by Shields on "guitars and effects," according to a press release. Although Cat Power appeared at the 2005 performance, she is not featured on the album.

The stage at one of the Coral Sea performances, featuring an image of Mapplethorpe

No word on whether or not the duo will take the stage together ever again, but both of them have plenty going on in their own rights. Shields has that whole reunion thing and that ATP thing to attend to. Smith is the subject of the new documentary Dream of Life, has an art exhibition on view at Fondation Cartier in Paris, collaborated with Patrick Wolf, and wrote a song for the new Augusten Burroughs book.

My Bloody Valentine dates:

06-20 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-21 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-22 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-23 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-24 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-28 Manchester, England - Apollo
06-29 Manchester, England - Apollo
07-02 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-05 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Paris, France - Zenith
07-18 Benicassim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicassim
07-19 Madrid, Spain – Saturday Night Fiber
07-25 Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
09-05 Isle of Wight, England – Bestival
09-19 Monticello, NY – Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)