Patti Smith – Piss Factory (1974)

Following on from Donna Summer’s careful dissection of the pros and cons of flexible working patterns in the late 1970s, I invite you to step back three years to one of the best records of all time: Patti Smith’s remarkable proto-punk classic “Piss Factory”.

In the classic traditions of this blog, the B-Side of a single that sold very few copies even in Patti Smith’s extended family.

For the economists out there, the song features an interesting discussion on whether piece-work is an effective method of incentivising higher productivity. Patti’s conclusion appears to be a qualified no (a more detailed description can be found here)

Simple video to accompany the track.