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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Greats, June 1, 2002
Patti Smith is an artist whose failures are often as interesting as her successes, and many of her recordings offer a mixture of both--but here in GONE AGAIN, which Smith dedicates to her deceased husband, there is only success piled upon success. This is easily the best of her post-comeback recordings, and it ranks along side her earlier successes HORSES and EASTER.The title cut, which opens the collection, blasts full throttle with all the ferocity one expects of Patti Smith at her best--but the cut is actually a little atypical of the album as a whole, which adopts a quiet, musing tone as Smith sings about life, love, and loss. In the process, Smith proves (as if there was any doubt) that she is just as if not more powerful without recourse to the screaming guitars and multi-layered vocals that marked her earlier recordings. "Southern Cross," "About a Boy," and "My Madrigal" are particularly fine, memorable, and haunting introspections... but simply stated, there is not a single weak track in the entire collection. It's all powerful stuff. This is easily one of Smith's best, and many will consider it her absolute best. And if you've ever wondered why Patti Smith is considered one of the most innovative, influential performers of "art" rock, GONE AGAIN will explain all you need to know. An essential recording.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of my favorite records, April 4, 2000
I was actually going to review Gung Ho, her new CD, but I got to thinking about how wonderful Gone Again is, and how much this record means to me. There is not one mis-step, musically or lyrically, on this record, and it possesses a beautiful unity of theme and texture. "Beneath the Southern Cross" is simply one of the finest, most moving songs I have ever heard - an acoustic guitar, two chords, and that voice. And that is all. A truly great album - one of her best, I think.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WONDERFUL RETURN OF THE MUSE, June 1, 2001
This brilliant 1996 return by Patti Smith overwhelmed me since it contains everything that I've always loved about her music, and that I find lacking in the subsequent Peace & Noise and Gung Ho. Although many of the songs are about loss, the overall mood is one of transcendence and strength in adversity, as encapsulated in the lines: "Dead to the world/Alive I awoke."My favourites are the four beautiful ballads Dead To The World, Ravens, Beneath The Southern Cross and the very folky Farewell Reel. Everything that makes her music great is here: poetic, inspired lyrics, great soaring melodies and that visceral, soul-wrencing voice of hers, plus the passionate playing of the band. The players include John Cale on organ, Tom Verlaine on guitar, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums, Lenny Kaye on drums and Kimberly Smith on mandolin, PLUS Jeff Buckley (R.I.P.) on backing vocals. "Gone Again" is definitely one of the Top 5 rock albums of the 90s, and ranks among her best work ever - up there next to Horses and Easter.
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