Customer Reviews

Anthology

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Leo Kottke has never sold a lot of records. Over the course of three decades and four record labels he has released twenty-plus albums, and his debut (6- and 12-String Guitar) is the only album to have sold more than 500,000 copies. That's a damn shame, too. In a perfect world Kottke would be outselling disposable pop icons like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys (but I digress).

Kottke is on my short list of artists who I will go out and buy their new album without waiting to read reviews first. With Kottke I am never disappointed. I was first introduced to Kottke by a co-worker nearly 25 years ago. I have since acquired his entire catalog (including a cherished vinyl copy of his long out-of-print Circle Round the Sun).

What I like about this anthology is that it allows me to have a on CD a representative overview of his career without replacing all of my vinyl. [Unfortunately a teacher's salary demands certain limitations!] The two-disc set begins with Kottke's debut on Takoma in 1969 and then through his years with Capitol and Chrysalis, ending with 1983's Time Step. [Rhino was evidently unable to negotiate with Kottke's current label Private Music to bring this set into the nineties.]

Unlike Capitol's Best Of (which used a thematic approach: singing, acoustic, electric, etc.), Anthology is presented chronologically. While Kottke is a master guitar player, many of my favorites are his vocal numbers: "Tiny Island," "From the Cradle to the Grave," "Louise" (a song about the death of a prostitute that I would sing to my daughter as a lullaby!), "Pamela Brown" and "Learning the Game." Kottke is self-deprecating about his vocal talents, but he has a warm baritone voice which can be powerful when he selects the right song.

Of course, Kottke's reputation is based on his guitar playing and he doesn't disappoint. He is the master of technique on originals like "Vaseline Machine Gun," "Bean Time," "Mona Ray" as well as on his covers, like John Fahey's "In Christ There Is No East or West," Jorma Kaukonen's "Embryonic Journey" or Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk."

The only thing missing from this set is Kottke's marvelous storytelling and deadpan humor that you only get on his live albums. What you do get is 37 tracks from a master guitar player, an informative 32-page booklet with Kottke's song-by-song comments, and enough music to make you a convert to the music of Leo Kottke. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I just had the good fortune to see Leo Kottke live in Santa Barbara last weekend and the only fault I found was that the night was over all too soon. Intelligent, easy, dryly funny...the concert was uplifting and down to earth at the same time.

It was also the first time I'd heard Kottke sing...after reading the "geese farts" comment about his voice I was hesitant to buy vocal albums. But I was not disappointed. In person, and older now than when this album was published, his voice has more of a softness and sweetness than on this recording. But the recording is still wonderful. "Pamela Brown" is wryly moving, and "Tiny Island" ... ah well... I could single out just about every song for one reason or another. So true, so rich. There's nothing like him.

The only fault of the album would be that you can't just put it in and not sit and listen. You can't work to it..you need to sit outside and watch the day, or put it in the car and go for a long drive. And of course, smile.

Another top-notch anthology from Rhino Records! 37 tracks (on 2 CDs) which cover his career from the legendary 1969 "Armadillo" LP, through his years with Chrysalis Records. Kottke talks at length in the booklet about each song included, and he does it in true Kottke humorous style! Many very funny stories are included about the sessions, the song titles, and his life (Why an armadillo on the cover of his 1st LP?? Why name a song "Bean Time"?? You'll have to read the booklet to find out ;) Great sound quality throughout, and a wonderful anthology/overview of Kottke's career, and a extremely gifted acoustic guitarist. Well worth having... especially if you don't have all his LPs. If you don't know who Kottle is, this is an excellent introduction. END

This anthology of Leo Kottke's work does an admirable job of doing the impossible: somehow compile a representative sample of a prolific artist's work. It's not proper to call this a "best of" album. Rather, I think one should see it as being a snapshot of the artist's many skills and styles. Leo Kottke is a magnificient guitarist - perhaps one of the world's finest to date - but the truth is that there is no CD that will give the listener an appreciation for his talents like a trip to one of his concerts. After you see Leo perform, you will find your admiration for this 2-disk anthology skyrocket. When you see his masterful work in person, you will conclude that this album does the best that it possibly can given the limitations of the media.

This is a great selection of Leo Kottke's work, including the vocals. I found some things I hadn't heard before, some things I had almost forgotten, and some of my favorites. I enjoyed them all. No, I don't mind the vocals. There is something about some artists, Dylan and Louie Armstrong among others, that makes the voice a real positive part of the performance even though they aren't opera stars.

This is a great collection of a guitar playing master. Twelve string guitar pieces are especially powerful. The singing is warm and soulful. If you like great guitar playing you will enjoy this collection of songs.

Gary Gloris

Lake Worth, Florida

I've read all of the reviews of this and other music from Leo Kottke and everyone seems to refer to his 1969 lp "6&12String" as being his debut, it's not.

I had hoped that a retrospective would include (at long last) some if not all of his earlier lp on symposium Records "Circle Round the sun". there is an even earlier lp by Leo which includes a song about "Mary" (and my memory fails me as to the exact title) that Leo claimed in the liner notes "people listen to this song for the same reasons that people stop to look at car wrecks". This may be the earliest recording Leo made and only hints at what was to come later.

"Circle 'Round the Sun" is a wonderful lp, full of Leo's rich baritone, and more straightforward "folk" style lyrics (If Mamma Knew and Tell me this ain't the Blues being my favorites)

I hope someone, somewhere can convince the powers that be to reissue this long lost treasure.

Fans of Leo Kottke will have all these tunes already. This is a showcase for Kottke's remarkable technique and innovation on 6 and 12 string guitars, and his droning unforgettable voice.

If you like music and especially play guitar Leo Kottke is fantastic.

First off, a little disclosure. I'm a professional musician. Been playing acoustic guitar for about 30 years. Along the way, I've found there are guitarists that are not bad, some that are great, and then there are some that are a quantum leap beyond great - in a league of their own, chop-wise. At the top of this group in acoustic players stands Leo Kottke. The guy's a monster. I don't know of anybody who has the technique, the expression, the tone, and the talent of Kottke. The man just flat out knows his instrument. He is emblematic of the musician that becomes one with his instrument.

So, one day, I was flipping through my trust iPhone's music collection, and I realized that it was a little light on the Kottke tunes. So I said to myself, "Brad," (for that is my name), let's check iTunes for a cannonical collection of Kottke's killer tracks." (Yes, I often do speak in alliteration.) Alas - iTunes was bereft of some serious Kottke collections. So I availed myself of Amazon.com's search engine. Lo and behold, there was my dream set - a 2-CD collection of not just the best of Kottke, but the best of the best. A veritable tour de force of the man's career. So I bought it.

It did not disappoint.

Flipping through the tracks, you'll find everything you expect in a canonical collection, and a whole lot more. If you're a Kottke fan (and if you're not, why are you reading this review), buy this collection now. If you're new to Kottke, this set is the best place to start, to become a member of the Leo Kottke Appreciation Society.

Two thumb(pick)s up.