Customer Reviews

Land (1975-2002)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I didn't exactly grow up with the music of Patti Smith, and I've never seen her play live. But in the past few years, I've had the good fortune of being exposed to some of her fine songs -- "Gloria," "Because the Night," "People Have the Power," "1959," "Glitter in Their Eyes" -- thanks to radio and TV; and back in January, I finally caved and bought the classic album Horses (1975) at a used-CD store when the guy behind the counter recommended it to me. Sure enough, the aforementioned songs -- and the Horses track "Free Money" -- can be found on Disc One of Land: 1975-2002. I've also discovered new favorites like 1976's moving "Pissing in a River," 1978's ferocious "Rock 'n' Roll Nigger" ("Outside of society / That's where I want to be!"), 1979's tender and catchy "Frederick," 1996's powerful "Beneath the Southern Cross," and a surprisingly soulful new rendition of the Prince hit "When Doves Cry." Okay, so I would have deleted "Babelogue" (1978), "Ghost Dance" (1978), and "Paths That Cross" (1988) in favor of "Land" (1975), "Kimberly" (1975), and "Lo and Beholden" (2000). Otherwise, Disc One is a pretty solid and entertaining retrospective.

Disc Two is less consistent, and more problematic for newer fans like yours truly. I really like the stripped-down demos "Redondo Beach" (another favorite Horses track) and "Distant Fingers," as well as the Gone Again-era outtakes "Come Back Little Sheba" and "Wander I Go;" but I think the early single "Piss Factory" and the live version of 1978's "25th Floor" will more likely enthrall older fans. The rest -- including the new studio recording "Higher Learning" and a handful of live tracks recorded during a 2001 tour -- is hit-and-miss, although I find "Dead City" and "Wing" especially stirring. Oh, and stay tuned after the 2002 live track "Notes to the Future" -- the old live version of "Tomorrow" (from the musical Annie) makes for an entertainingly odd closer. Ultimately, Disc One (with its hits and choice album cuts) is a must-have for young rock 'n' roll fans curious about this revered and influential punk/alternative-rock figure; while the uneven-but-intriguing Disc Two may require a little more time and patience to be fully enjoyed.

Hearing Patti Smith's music for the first time in the mid-70s was an electrifying experience. The whole "rock poet" thing was cool, but what really caught my ear was Patti's primal, free singing style plus Lenny Kaye's powerful electric guitar licks. "Land" is an really fine collection of Ms. Smith's material, with all of her biggest songs and (more importantly to me) an entire disc of previously unreleased demos, live cuts, and alternate takes. When a set like this comes out and I already own many albums by the artist, there's always a dilemma of "should I spend the bucks when there are only 3 or 4 new songs?" In this case the decision was easy -- a baker's dozen of good stuff like a demo of "Redondo Beach" (raw but compelling) or an incendiary live version of "Dead City." I highly recommend this anthology. My only minor complaint is there are no musician credits for the CD of unreleased tracks. It would have been nice to find out who played what.

This is the perfect CD to replace those scratched vinyl albums, as it contains the best of Smith's seventies and eighties masterpieces like Babelogue, Gloria, People Have The Power, Frederick and Because The Night, plus live versions of old and more recent classics and interesting demo versions of Redondo Beach and Distant Fingers. Even if you have already replaced your vinyl with CD's, this is still a must have. The rare early single P-Factory, a true collector's item, makes this an essential purchase for the true fan. There is no one quite like Patti Smith with her talent for merging rock and poetry. It is luxuriously packaged with an informative booklet. Watch out for the hidden track - it's a lovely surprise to hear her take on the Broadway song Tomorrow!

This collection was my introduction to the work of Patti Smith. Before that I was familiar only with her legend, made of heavy stuff. And while the first CD has some great music on it, what sold me on Patti's genius was actually the second CD, lambasted by my fellow reviewers. It struck me that, in my own inability to appreciate some of the songs on the first CD, and another person's inability to appreciate the second CD, it really comes down to Understanding. And if I'm not getting it, I'm going to keep trying... Patti challenges us. And if I didn't want to be challenged, I'd buy Britney Spears.

Patti's work "is" contemporary poetry. It has been there when I've needed to vent- to rant, to rage, to cry and to re-assemble and to compose myself. Hopefully, in more open and enlightened times, her work will be critiqued as is the work of (conventional) contemporary poets.

I have seen Patti each time she has been in Sydney in the past 15-20 years. She is *always* amazing. In many cases (as cited above) she is the "support act" to someone such as Dylan a "great" in his own way, (just wish I could hear his words -most important to me- above the music and the background noise).

While I now have doubles and (soon) will have triples of Patti Smith's published works, as Bill Merrill asks, rhetorically, in his review "why should I spend the bucks for only a few new songs?" My answer is that Patti always is a "work in progress." Each version of a track is slightly different to the previous version. It is *never* the same. It's like catching a butterfly in a net and holding it up to the sun ... it'll always look different.

"Mathewslaughter", speaks volumes regarding "holy." Perhaps he goes a bit "over the top" in his (tongue in cheek) exposition. Regardless, having a 14yr old male and his 11 yr old sister turn up at a Patti Smith concert with their parents and then turn up willingly 3 yrs later for more of the same (and, later, with little protest from the back seat of Mum's car as she drives and grooves to Patti) says a lot for the artist. My kids are not known for their tolerance of music "not to their liking" on the car CD as we head up the Freeway. My God, they've even been known to sing along with her tracks and request some.

Patti is a beacon of strength, talent and musicianship which cuts across the age groups so-beloved of the music industry.
She is a writer, a poet, a musician, and a voice for all of the thoughts and feelings that many of us have, these days, but are unable to express. As always, she is now more than ever *a voice* of the people ... "people have the power ..."

Personally, I love it when she requests " [go]...Lenny" during her music.

For those of you who are not aware of the "long Lenny Kaye" and Patti Smith connection, I suggest you check out Patti's biog' at Amazon.com. and then (perhaps) take a second listening to her music. She is an *amazing* woman who makes *amazing music. Long may she continue to make such gut wrenching, soul-searching and wonderful music.

Excellent collection from this exciting singer/writer. Only one serious letdown: Where is the song Land itself, aka Horses? The absence of her haunting and thrilling masterpiece is weird and disappointing. "The boy was in the hallway drinking a glass of tea...The boy looked at Johnny, Johnny wanted to run,
but the movie kept moving as planned..." Should have been included!

Patti Smith burst onto the rock and roll scene in the mid-1970s. Her album "Horses" created a sensation, just as "Easter." The concept for this album is rather intriguing. CD # 1 is a standard set of "greatest hits." CD # 2 is replete with demos, live performances, and alternate versions of songs, adding an interesting dimension to the 2 CD set. Smith has a unique voice and style; if one's eyes were blindfolded and one of her cuts was played, you would know who was singing, without having to depend on looking at the CD being played. Some reflections on the collection:

"Gloria" is a great Van Morrison song, but Smith makes it her own. Among the earliest lines is the great set of words:

"Jesus died for someone's sins--
But not mine."

Her unique voice makes this a fascinating cover. When she spells out "G-L-O-R-I-A," the effect is compelling.

"Because the Night" (a Smith-Springsteen song) is one of her more accessible songs. The backing instrumentation is terrific. Some great lines:

"Because the night belongs to lovers
Because the night belongs to us. . .
Love is an angel disguised as lust."

"Ain't It Strange" features nice guitar work. Her almost hypnotic voice holds the listener's attention well.

"When Doves Cry" features some interesting lines, such as:

"The sweat on your body";
"They feel the heat between you and me";
"Why must we scream at one another,
This is what it sounds like when doves cry."

The simple instrumentation makes this cut awfully effective in counterpoints to Smith's singing.

The demo version of "Redondo Beach" is kind of neat. The version isn't quite the same as the final recorded effort, but it is nonetheless interesting. Some poignant lines:

"A girl washed up on Redondo Beach.
Poor little girl, everyone cried,
She was a victim of sweet suicide."

Not uplifting, but an intriguing, dark song.

There is also a live version of "Birdland." The spare instrumentation works well; the song lasts over 9 minutes but the time moves by quickly.

Finally, there is a song that does not show up in the printed material. The Broadway song, "Tomorrow," is sung for Smith's mother. An interesting live version that is simply lots of fun.

So, all in all, a worthwhile 2 CD set. One gets to listen to some of the best of her standard works, as well as live versions and demo versions of others.

I didn't expect to be so moved by this collection. If you are a long term fan buy this, switch the lights off, open a good bottle (or else) and then let go... expect waves of emotions and memories to hit you. What it's strange is that if, like me, you have the whole opus, the sequence of the song doesn't follow 20 years or so of track listening .Your memory is just not prepared for it. Dear patti, thank for this. The disc case is great, all black and white and smart. One CD pale is grey - the fans' choice, all the old "easy" numbers, but When Dove's Cry reduced me into tears. The other CD, the black one, patti's choice, starting with ... factory -shame Good's Speed is not there - is Patti's and has poems and is just as good and even better. If you love patti don't miss this collection, even if you have the whole discography. The only disappointment is patti's farewell picture and words in the booklet. That can't be true. Ehi patti, don't even think about it!

The P. Smith fan can look at disc one and make his or her own decision about the pitfalls of a 'best of'. It's a good selection, though (as everyone will say) not the one I would make...
the second disc however is a different kettle of fishes. From the FINALLY available track 'Piss factory' - all of Patti in 1974 embryo through very high quality and passionate live recordings, very strong unreleased tracks, and even a torch song finale, this is the concert we all missed. Though the notes make the collection sound like a farewell, the contents of the second disc alone justify the 4 stars. The fifth would have been for the inclusion of 'Break It Up' and/or a live track with Tom verlaine on guitar (or is he lurking there on disc two?)

I am so glad I picked this cd set up. It reminds me why I fell in love with Patti Smith's lyrics and music in the first place; mostly because she challenges her audience. She has passion. Her work is from a time before there were so much self conscious marketing and commerical tweeking, when brash, hard edged music and lyrics had a more unique touch. The tracks are nicely assembled on disc one. I particularly liked Disc 2, as some of the new music was a real pleasant surprise. Now I want to go back and rediscover some of her other stuff.