When I picked up Patti Smith's Land, I wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, it's full of songs I've heard before and listen to all the time and the collection itself came out way back in 2002. I'm a bit late to the party, but it's a party I've wanted to buy for years but just never had enough money in my pocket to pick it up. Until now. I gathered up some old CDs around the house and went to trade them in and finally got Land 1975-2002 in my greedy little hands.
Where do I begin? The case itself is enough to make me happy for years to come. It contains a thick booklet with old and newish photos of Patti and her band and various lyrics and original manuscripts. She includes a small note to her fans on the last page, and finishes it off with, "I leave you with these fleeting thoughts and I leave you this work. Disc One - you have chosen for me. Disc Two - has been chosen for you. Farewell, friends. I offer my LAND with gratitude."
Now, the music. For those who don't know, Land is a two disc collection of Patti's best songs (30 of many, mind you).
Disc one starts off with the classic "Dancing Barefoot", which has long been a favorite. In "Babelogue" the poet/singer states boldly "I haven't fucked much with the past, but I've fucked plenty with the future" and continues on in a rambling, raw, poetic way, stumbling over her words while, in the background, an audience claps to her words and shouts to her. It's like listening to fucking Jesus Christ delivering a sermon to his disciples.
But it gets better. "Babelogue" surges on, builds up and goes right into one of the best songs ever created, "Rock 'N' Roll Nigger". Now, I wasn't around back in '78 so I don't know what kind of response it got from the conventional, conservative masses, but jesus, this song, simply put, shakes me to the core and just gets everything going. The whole song is my idea of perfection. It's like slapping everyone you ever wanted to slap in the face.
Article comments