Patti Smith
Land 1975-2002
Arista

When there is a new greatest hits disc on the shelves at the local Coconuts, who doesn't check out the list of tracks to see what made the cut? Sometimes a greatest hits collection is on the money; sometimes it ignores whole phases of an artist's career.

Patti Smith is weighing in with Land 1975-2002, a two-CD compilation. Disc one features tracks chosen from her previous eight albums by fans who voted via the Internet and at Smith's live dates. Disc two is a compilation of unreleased studio tracks, live cuts and demos. There's also a 36-page booklet to leaf through, if you're inclined; it's negligible, although the lyric sheet for the spoken-word "Babelogue" on the inside flap is a nice companion piece to the exquisite rant, which appears on disc one. But now comes the nagging question: does the format suit Smith?

In her heyday, Smith was an undeniable force of nature: an inspiration, a model, a true rock-and-roller. Television's Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine, the New York Dolls, the Ramones, the Dead Boys' Stiv Bators and Smith meshed the music of such influences as Iggy Pop, the Stones, Chuck Berry, the Velvet Underground and, especially for Smith, Bob Dylan with their own poetic, sometimes literate, sometimes violent, always theatrical sensibilities. As a result, the New York music scene, for lack of a better word, became "punk." Smith's lyrics had depth without bathos; her music was raw and forceful. And music writers referred to her in superlatives; a review of one of her CBGB shows led one Hit Parader columnist to write, "Patti Smith has an aura that'd probably show up under ultraviolet light. She can generate more intensity with a single movement of one hand than most rock performers can produce in an entire set." She released two classic albums, Horses in 1975 and Easter in 1978, and her influence can be heard in the music of R.E.M., Courtney Love, the Pretenders, P.J. Harvey, and Babes in Toyland. She deserves a "greatest hits," if any artist does.

But Smith's output has been pretty sparse. Eight albums with Arista stretched out over a period of 25 years and periods of nine and eight years in which she released nothing. This is not a lot to draw from. Great hits collections are generally are of two types; first, there is the Neil Young Decade type, in which the artist makes selections from a vast library of material and gives an overview of a diverse and varied career. The other is of the Creedence Clearwater Revival type, in which a band cops to the fact that what they're really about is churning out one great hit song after another. For bands like CCR, the greatest hits is the best and only album you need.

Smith hasn't put out enough material for a Decade-type "best of". Nor does she satisfy herself churning out radio-ready songs with pervasive pop hooks. She makes albums, each one thematically and musically rich, honest, and emotionally expressive. How do you extract a few songs from Easter or Wave? Smith's relegation of this job to her fans was a good idea, but Land 1975-2002 is only necessary if it leads you to Horses, Easter or even to the sadly underestimated Gone Again.

That said, these discs are packed with great songs. "Pissing in a River" and "Ain't it Strange", from Radio Ethiopia, are blessed with gorgeously heavy guitar riffs and Smith in fine, relentless, in-your-face voice. The four cuts from Easter are tremendous — "Babelogue," "Rock 'N' Roll Nigger," "Ghost Dance" and, especially, "Because the Night," the collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, whose message of love's power is still invigorating. The music is rich and diverse, and, man, that voice — one of the greatest female voices in the history of rock and roll. Smith snarls, barks, croons, uses every nuance and shading in her vocal canon to present her lyrics. Smith's phrasing is every bit as persuasive as Frank Sinatra or Jimmy Scott's, and her ferocity is the equal of her male contemporaries'. Listen to the way she tears into "Summer Cannibals" and "Gloria" and then look at the photos of her in the booklet — how does this odd waif with the mop of hair and the face of Keith Richards' kid sister sing with such unholy abandon?

The second disc is one of those "for diehards only" affairs; it's not without merit, but much less essential for those seeking an introduction. The live cuts are, for the most part, worth listening to, but offer scant evidence why Smith is such an electrifying live performer. The studio outtake "Come Back Little Sheba" confirms Smith's Dylan influence; the "Redondo Beach" demo is a harmless and enjoyable alternative to the Horses version, and the spoken-word "Notes to the Future," performed this year, is a nice tribute to New York City. Best of all is the cut "Piss Factory," recorded independently in 1974 (with Tom Verlaine playing lead guitar) before Smith made her New York splash. It may be a bit earnest, even awkward in spots, but it's a fascinating tale of working class resentment and anger, and is the best example on these two discs of Smith's ability to mix improvisational poetry and rock riffs without compromise.

Oh, and there's a special bonus at the end of disc two; suffice it to say, I haven't heard a better cover of a beloved song from a musical about a homeless redhead than this one. And it's an oddly fitting final track on a double-disc set that provides a good introduction to a punk pioneer.

— Christopher Hickman (hickatz at mindspring dot com)