Personnel includes: Patti Smith (vocals, clarinet); Jeff Buckley (vocals, acoustic guitar); Lenny Kaye (vocals, guitar); Tom Verlaine, Fred "Sonic" Smith, Ivan Kral, Oliver Ray (guitar); Richard Sohl (piano, keyboards); Bruce Brody (piano); John Cale (organ); Tony Shanahan (bass); Jay Dee Daugherty (drums); Rick Kierman (musical saw); Michael Stipe, Wade Raley, Andi Ostrowe (background vocals).
Producers include: John Cale, Jack Douglas, Jimmy Iovine, Todd Rundgren, Fred Smith.
Recorded between 1974 & 2002. Includes liner notes by Susan Sontag and Patti Smith.
Personnel: Patti Smith (clarinet); Tom Verlaine (guitar, electric guitar); Jeff Buckley (acoustic guitar, background vocals); John Cale (organ); Rick Kiernan (musical saw); Wade Raley, Andi Ostrowe, Michael Stipe (background vocals).
Liner Note Author: Patti Smith.
Recording information: Denmark (1974-2002); Eugene, OR (1974-2002); Los Angeles, CA (1974-2002); Paris, France (1974-2002); Portland, OR (1974-2002); St. Mark's Poetry Project, St. Mark's Church, New York, (1974-2002).
Photographers: Sue Rynski; Kate Simon ; Laura Lakeway; Jem Cohen; Jody Caravaglia; Annie Liebovitz; Paul Kasko; Steven Sebring; Allen Ginsberg; Oliver Ray; Tony Shanahan.
The two-disc set LAND (1975-2002) is post-punk icon Patti Smith's own selection of her finest work from the first quarter-century of her career. The first disc, a best-of collection, is a non-chronological sampling of her key songs ("Dancing Barefoot," "Because the Night," and many more) and adds one new track, a surprisingly effective cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" that sounds like an outtake from 1978's EASTER. (Confusingly, the track list doesn't include the "Land" medley from 1975's HORSES.) The second disc starts with Smith's incredibly rare 1974 DIY single "Piss Factory," but then runs through previously unheard demos (like a skeletal early version of "Redondo Beach" that sounds more like crazed calliope music than the reggae song it became) and revelatory live tracks. LAND (1975-2002) is a thoughtful, idiosyncratic compilation, but it's more for fans than newcomers, who are still best advised to get a copy of HORSES and move on from there.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (4/11/02, p.132) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Distills Smith's rock & roll life into 17 classic tracks, 14 studio and live rarities and 2 basic truths: There is no revolution without toil, and no euphoria without communion..."
Spin (6/02, p.107) - "...Worth scoring for 'Piss Factory' alone. An incandescent 1974 B-side that sounds like a teenage Rickie Lee Jones dry-humping Bruce Springsteen in a closet..."
Entertainment Weekly (3/22/02, pp.110-1) - "...The rare numbers make this a retrospective to be reckoned with..." - Rating: A
Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.73) - Ranked #8 in Mojo's "Best Box Sets & Compilations of 2002"
Mojo (Publisher) (5/02, p.114) - "...A master of the 3-minute rush of emotion...her songbook, never before combed for hits, is ripe for the picking..."
