Track Listing

1. People Have The Power
2. Going Under
3. Up There Down There
4. Paths That Cross
5. Dream Of Life
6. Where Duty Calls
7. Looking For You (I Was)
8. Jackson Song
9. As The Night Goes By
10. Wild Leaves

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102487 in Music
• Released on: 1996-07-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

CD Description
Patti Smith had withdrawn from the world of rock after 1979s WAVE. When DREAM OF LIFE appeared in 1988, she had a new guitarist and husband in former MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, and a smoother sound that abandoned WAVE's slickness. Though pigeonholed as disappointing on its initial release, DREAM OF LIFE is, in retrospect, a solid album with a lot to recommend it.
The album opens with the punchy "People Have the Power", the sort of song that could have easily falleninto awkward nanvetT in lesser hands. However the song is atriumphant call to arms, featuring Smith's raspy, commanding vocals, with crisp drumming from Jay Dee Daugherty, and some spiky guitar work. Also of note is "Where Duty Calls", ananalysis of the political situation in the Middle East thatoccasionally recalls Warren Zevon, though without that artist's knowing humor. "Looking for You (I Was)", is a straight-ahead pop song built on subtle hooks and Smith's literate lyrics, while "The Jackson Song" is an achingly pretty lullaby.

Customer Reviews

BETTER THAN THE CRITICS SAY
"People Have The Power" is a typical rousing Smith anthem, "The Jackson Song" is sad & beautiful -- a lullabye to her children, I think -- but the best track here is "Looking For You (I Was)"-- one of her best songs ever. These 3 should have been hits, but she never promoted this album. In my opinion this album is more melodic and passionate than Peace & Noise or Gung Ho. Somewhere between Easter and Wave. I love it!

Mature and memorable album
This album was Patti Smith's return to music after a long hiatus following her groundbreaking albums like Horses, Radio Ethiopia and Easter. It is a somewhat neglected work in her oeuvre but it features plenty of great songs.

This new edition has now been enhanced by the inclusion of two previously unreleased tracks: As The Night Goes By and Wild Leaves. The highlights include People Have The Power, a rousing anthem, the sad & beautiful The Jackson Song -- a type of lullaby in the vein of Hymn on the Wave album. My favourite is Looking For You (I Was), one of the truly great songs of her career, with poetic lyrics, a lilting beat and a hypnotic melody.

In style, the album definitely resembles her 1970s work and the 1996 album Gone Again more than her later/more recent work. It is more mature and reserved that those blazing and passionate excursions on Easter and Horses, but full of substance and genius. I highly recommend it to all fans of Patti Smith.

Patti's worst album!
I hate this album. I could never get my head round it; how it could be so rubbish compared with all her previous briliant ones but I recently read the Victor Bockris biography which explained how this album was the first one NOT done with 'the patti smith group' and was more of a colaboration with her then (and now late) husband than a solo work. I mean no disrespect to the late Fred Sonic Smith - I'm just being honest - which has to be THE whole point of writing a review isn't it? I also guess even the very best Artists of our age are allowed one rubbish album - in my humble opinion, this is Patti's duff one but PLEAEAEAEASE do not judge her other masterpieces by it. Every other album of hers is essential to any REAL muso's collection.