Mystic Journey (album)

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Mystic Journey
Mystic Journey (album).jpg
Studio album by
Arlo Guthrie
Released1996
StudioDerek Studios
Genre Folk rock
Label Rising Son [1]
Producer Arlo Guthrie, Abe Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie chronology
Alice's Restaurant: The Massacree Revisited
(1996)		Mystic Journey
(1996)		This Land Is Your Land: An All American Children's Folk Classic
(1997)

Mystic Journey is an album by the American musician Arlo Guthrie, released in 1996. [2] [3] It was Guthrie's first album of mostly new material in a decade. [4]

Contents

The album is dedicated to Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Guthrie's Hindu guru. [5]

Production

The album was produced by Guthrie and his son, Abe. [6] [7] Cyril Pahinui played on the album. [8]

The songs were in part inspired by Guthrie's work as a hospice volunteer. [9] Many were written three to four years before the recording sessions. [10] "Moon Song" was written for The Byrds of Paradise , on which Guthrie starred. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

The Washington Post wrote that, "derivative as they are, these tunes nonetheless possess a charm of their own, and Guthrie slides into them as if they were an old pair of slippers." [15] The Wisconsin State Journal called Mystic Journey "an intimate, acoustic album about love, family and spiritualism." [16]

The Independent deemed "Doors to Heaven" "a well-meaning but horribly 'Imagine'-esque piece of whimsy." [17] The Toronto Star stated that "Arlo continues his life mission of slyly confounding fans and foes alike... This time around, it's done by recording a rootsy, folk rocking set of tunes, a long haul from the gently paced acoustic album most fans likely expected." [18] The Gazette determined that the album "contains relatively innocuous love songs for the Prairie Home Companion set." [19]

AllMusic wrote that "the lyrics also had a Dylanish twinge in their highly poetic, sometimes obscure language, though Guthrie commented on a variety of contemporary issues." [12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide considered the album "a richly crafted and introspective record that shows he's hardly played out." [14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Moon Song" 
2."Face of Time" 
3."The Mystic Journey" 
4."Under Cover of Night" 
5."You Are the Song" 
6."Doors to Heaven" 
7."Wake Up Dead" 
8."When a Soldier Makes It Home" 
9."Stairs" 
10."All This Stuff Takes Time" 
11."I'll Be with You Tonight" 

References

  1. ↑ "Guthrie Still Going Strong as Storyteller". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. April 2, 1996. p. 2.
  2. ↑ "Arlo Guthrie Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Hello, again". Los Angeles Daily News. January 25, 1996. p. L2.
  4. ↑ Matsumoto, Jon (January 30, 1996). "Guthrie Gets His Show Back on the Road". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 3.
  5. ↑ "Optimistic Arlo Guthrie on the road again". Edmonton Journal. Associated Press. March 15, 1996. p. D9.
  6. ↑ Reineke, Hank (June 23, 2012). Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years. Scarecrow Press.
  7. 1 2 (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 351.
  8. ↑ Harris, Paul (September 26, 1996). "Arlo's Hawaiian Eye". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 22.
  9. ↑ DellaFlora, Anthony (February 23, 1996). "Hospice Work Fuels Arlo's Intimacy on Stage". Albuquerque Journal. p. E18.
  10. ↑ McGarrigle, Dale (May 22, 1996). "Guthrie coming to Maine". Bangor Daily News. p. 1.
  11. ↑ Findlay, Prentiss (November 14, 1996). "Guthrie plays the Farm". The Post and Courier. p. E16.
  12. 1 2 "Mystic Journey". AllMusic.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 45.
  14. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 516.
  15. ↑ "Guthrie's 'Journey' a Familiar One". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  16. ↑ Siegel, Rob (April 4, 1996). "Arlo and Son Lead Quirkers into B'more". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 6.
  17. ↑ Harper, Colin (July 25, 1996). "Folk". The Independent. p. 11.
  18. ↑ Stoute, Lenny (December 5, 1996). "Guthrie on tour and giving back". Toronto Star. p. A28.
  19. ↑ Simon, Jeremy (August 8, 1997). "The Son Also Rises". Go!. The Gazette. p. 10.
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