Customer Reviews

Great Big Boy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Striking songs + exceptional acoustic guitar work = really worth buying

An unusual release by Kottke: no instrumentals, only his own outstanding folk-pop songs - with blues and jazz overtones and voicings.

He sings accompanied by his own guitar, supported by modest backing (keyboards, bass, drums). Steve Berlin's production provides a clear, strong, up-front sound.

The melodies and arrangements fix deep in one's mind. There are many exceptionally strong tracks: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 & 10. Other songs are more complex, discordant and inaccessible. Kottke nimbly moves from unusual hybrid chords to finger-picking and strumming to produce matchless, sometimes bewildering guitar work.

Songs here are unusual and memorable - you'll find yourself compulsively seeking another listen. It's not always easy to fathom what some songs are about, as his lyrics reflect his unique, quirky, surreal outlook.

`Running Up The Stairs', `Pepe Hush', `Big Mob On The Hill' - all draw you in and involve you with intricate guitar and atypical lyrics.

`Great Big Boy' describes youthful reflections on being in the rat trap and is full of Kottke's sardonic wit and irony. `Driver' relates a strange tale of the terrible fate of bus passengers - and employs an utterly stunning guitar arrangement.

Last track is his cover of `I Still Miss Someone' by Johnny and Roy Cash - effortlessly superior in every respect to Cash's version. It employs punchy, attacking guitar and a slower tempo, to underpin the wistful emotions perfectly - a must hear.

This CD proves that Leo Kottke is amusing, can sing, write songs and skillfully play the steel strung acoustic guitar like no other on earth - this man, yes, can do all these things.

Well, I didn't really mind this album, although it's completely different from any of the other albums of his I have gotten. It's quite strange, all of the songs have Kottke either singing or chanting... No solo guitar pieces on this one.

If you're looking for a good solo guitar Kottke album to start with, try "6- and 12- String Guitar," his first, but one of the best. Most of the solo guitar stuff ended up on lots of different albums; I wouldn't part with any of my Kottke discs, but several times I have gotten albums which only have 2-3 songs on them which I liked.

BTW, I'm not too fond of his vocal pieces, so I may be slightly biased, but I didn't think these even sounded like any of his other ones. "Big Mob on the Hill" and "Pepe, Hush" are the only ones I really liked enough to listen to over and over again... (I usually just HAVE to listen to a new Kottke disc over and over again... This one only lasted me a day or so, "6- and 12-" held me for at least a couple of weeks, solid, and I can still listen to it.)

Anyway, to sum up, if you are new to Kottke, or just looking for something along the lines of some other album you have, I would advise choosing a different one, although if you have all the other ones, and need a fix, this is better than nothing!

Everyone knows what a talented guitarist Kottke is. This album features his gifts with his second instrument--his voice. Sure, his trademark guitar sound is there on every track, but these are all vocal tracks and his voice is used to wonderful effect. Some fans may feel this was a wrong-headed turn for Kottke, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Go back to Kottke's 1974 Ice Water and listen to "Tilt Billings and the Student Prince" and you hear the genesis for this album. I've always loved Kottke's voice as well as his guitar playing. As such, this is one of my favorite albums. RECOMMENDED

Leo's masterpiece--really! Fabulous song writing--more poignant and funny than weird--arresting melodies and typically good guitar work. His voice is at its best and the lyrics are a marvel. There are a couple mood pieces, but mostly he tells great stories, about dying migrants, yappy dogs, funerals, deflated wealth and a guy looking for hippie chicks. It came out in 1990 or so, and I thought it was better than anything that arrived in the decade that followed. So did Rickie Lee Jones.

At first I was pleasantly surprised to here Kottke's wholesome drone on the first track .. then like others, I became concerned to realise there are no instrumentals, no guitar solos. I am now on my fourth pass and it keeps getting better. There are layers there if you dig for them. Like all Kottke, well worth having. I just couldn't stand to see a Kottke with only 3 stars.

I got this disc around thirteen years ago when I was in a 'new Kottke music drought'. I listened to it once; but not again until I was ripping stuff for my mp3 player.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a Leo geese fart fan from way way back. But this disc is not for the usual Kottke fan, nor is it appropriate as an introduction of Leo's body of work to the uninitiated.

Leo always serves up a good effort of guitar picking. His voice is best when used in sincere ballads, such as 'Pamela Brown', 'Saginaw Michigan', 'Louise', or 'Sonora's Death Row'. He'll even surprise you now and again with something like 'Hear the Wind Howl', 'Eight Miles High', or 'Power Failure'.

I'm sorry to say, the song choices and vocal stylings on 'Great Big Boy' are just plain awful.

There are zero instrumentals on the disc, a Kottke abomination. The song choices are far too esoteric. Leo's voice just doesn't sound right uttering stream of consciousness.

I totally agree with the reviewer who said it's as if Leo "made a whole concept album centered around *Till Billings and the Student Prince*". I think one song like that on an album can be a jewel. More than one is pretentious.

If you want a few Kottke instrumentals snuck in between songs featuring Leo's pleasant baritone, I recommend 1983's Time Step.

I've always loved leo's guitar standing alone. Why Oh Why does a drum track show up with his work? I'm spoiled by "One Guitar, No Voice" perhaps but this has no "driving solo" if you will excuse the cliche, nor does it satisfy. It's like committee Kottke if you will. Backup singers, flute (although i kindda liked that; i play)and the drumming. Leo carries a pulse all of his own and i think putting other percussion instruments in his mix obscures his sound. Had i known i would have bought the Stevie Nicks album i was also considering, i could only afford one.....peace-ken