I Know

John Gorka | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red House
• ASIN: B000001B89
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First albums aren't always the best!, November 25, 2000

By 

"boy_howdy" (Northfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Know (Audio CD)

I grew up with this album, and with Gorka himself; my father was an early fan of the Arlington Folk scene and so Gorka, Colvin, Vega, and Massengil (among others) seem like old standards to me even as they "hit the bigtime" in the eyes of others. But let's be realistic -- this album is inconsistent. Sure, especially if you're used to seeing Gorka live the gems on this early album are fun and easy to listen to (see especially shorts "Like my Watch," Branching Out" and "Out of my Mind" for often-played-live deep cuts), but some of the strongest cuts from here can can be had on Gorka's stronger albums (see his second release Land of the Bottom Line for the same studio versions of "Love is Our Cross to Bear" and "Stranger with your Hair), and a few songs on "I Know" are just too tempting to program out of the rotation (especially that awful song about Judy Garland, and, although I'm sure others will beg to differ, "BB King" really doesn't work as well in the recorded version as it does live on stage.

The short version of all that? The short songs on this album (some less than two minutes!) are gems, but all the full-length songs can either be found elsewhere or don't hold up to Gorka's later best. Ultimately, this album is strong at beginning and end but weaker in the middle -- unless you are working towards owning the full Gorka catalog (a noble pursuit), I'd stick with Jack's Crows and Land of the Bottom Line.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First album, got better with time, August 6, 2001

By 

Mois Benarroch - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Know (Audio CD)

There is a great promise in this album, but it only got fulfilled with "Land Of The Bottom Line" where Gorka even rerecorded some songs appearing here. I guess he understood these werent the best versions. This cd is for Gorka's completist, rather than for the beginner or casual listener. There are probably quite of a few of us out there.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John's first and best album, January 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Know (Audio CD)

All of John's albums after this were more polished, more professional, with more elaborate arrangements, but none are more honest and heartfelt than "I Know". Having seen him live several times, I can tell you this is the closest to seeing him in person.

Standouts on this album are "Heart Upon Demand" and "Love Is Our Cross To Bear". If these songs don't get to you, quit breathing, you're already dead.