Mystic Journey (album)

Mystic Journey
Mystic Journey
Studio album by Arlo Guthrie
Released	1996
Studio	Derek Studios
Genre	Folk rock
Label	Rising Son
Producer	Arlo Guthrie, Abe Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie chronology

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]

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
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[13]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	^[14]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[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.	Title	Length
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

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