Land (1975-2002) [Remastered]

iTunes Review

Patti Smith only had one genuine “hit” single with 1978’s “Because the Night,” a song co-written with Bruce Springsteen, so Smith’s “Best-Of” collection is her personal reflection on what was at that point a 27-year recording career. The collection comes complete with new live cuts and rarities that give a full bodied overview of this punk poet’s evolution into an artistic deity. She was never an accomplished singer and her band swung wildly at times, but she made an unmistakable mark on everyone she touched. Oddly, she excludes “Land,” for which the album was named, but does include her debut single, “Piss Factory,” demos (“Redondo Beach”), a newly recorded tune (“Higher Learning”), a poem from her 2002 New Year’s Day reading at St. Mark’s Church in NYC (“Notes to the Future”), live recordings (“Birdland”), and an excellent summary of her career (“Gloria,” “Pissing in a River,” “Free Money”) that is far more balanced than might be expected. As an added bonus, she includes a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”