Customer Reviews

Sixty Six Steps

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

The music on this CD is great. It's fresh, and Kotke's execution is as flawless as ever. Mike Gordon and Leo Kotke blend together to deliver a unique sound. The playing of Kotke and Gordon is complemented by the capable and imaginative percussion of Neil Symonette.

While I really enjoy the music on the CD, I'm finding the copy protection on it to be extremely limiting. I'm unable to use it on any of my portable players. This includes an iPod Nano and a generic MP3 player. I'm unable to include any of the songs on this CD on compilation CDs I put together for my personal use. Because of the limitations of the copy protection on this CD I will not be purchasing additional copies of it to give as gifts to friends and family who play most of their music on portable players.

I really resent being treated like a thief by record companies when I purchase close to 100 CDs per year. For those who want to make illegal copies of this CD, the copy protection will not stop them. I would have given this CD one more star if not for the copy protection. It's a real pita.

i haven't read the other 4 reviews which are up on amazon right now, but here's my stab at one. i've been waiting all summer for this cd to come out. i had high expectations for this album and it basically lives up to them. it's hard to find fault with it, especially if you are a mike gordon aficionado first and foremost, and a more recent kottke fan due, in part, to his association with gordon (like myself). if you like clone, their 1st release together, then you'll like sixty six steps. it's pretty much the same thing as last time, with the addition of a drummer. mike gordon's songwriting skills are perhaps more prominent this time, and he continues to flourish in a post phish world with some of his best songs to date. he seems to have had the midas touch with all of his solo projects. if you are primarily a kottke fan this album may not seem as cool to you as it does to phishheads, but hopefully you'll get over that and give in the to the sheer joy these musicians obviously express when playing together. like they said on e-town recently, kottke and gordon were friends first and partners later. is any new ground covered? is it groundbreaking? will trendy hipsters even notice or care about this laid back islandy piece of work? probably not. but will it become an "island" disc for those who find themselves "off the grid" as it were, most definitely a resounding "yes". especially if that island happens to be anywhere tropical like the bahamas or costa rica and you're on a two-week vacation.

There have been a two reviews so far that say there is no chemistry between Leo and Mike (and now, Neil). Really, they couldn't be more wrong. I think what puts off a lot of Leo Kottke fans is that this "Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon", not "Leo Kottke featuring Mike Gordon in the background". Mike actually wrote more songs on this record than Leo did (5 by Mike, 4 by Leo, and 5 covers). For me, that's actually better than having Mike in the background. Kottke has tried playing with supporting musicians in the past with disasterous results. In this record, however, he shares his space and the two musicians get together incredibly well.

Anyway, the CD is fantastic. I prefer it over Clone, in part to its relaxed feel. I guess that's what happens when you make a record in the Bahamas. The album as a whole flows incredibly well. Highlights include Leo's third-and-best recording of "Rings", their cover of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion", and the Leo tune "Twice". The only complaint I have about this CD is that Mike Gordon's tune "Can't Hang" clocks in at less than two minutes, making it the shortest track on the album by almost half a minute. During their tour in 2002, that tune used to last five minutes. It's also in my opinion the best song Mike has ever written. The studio track also loses about all of the energy, fun, and funk that the live versions had.

Despite the one flawed track, this album is an awesome collection of laid back tunes. Pick it up.

Gordon and Kottke struck gold with this release. I was glad to see the Mustangs' "Ya Mar" (a long-time Phish favorite) along with "Rings" (the classic Eddie Reeves/Alex Harvey tune which was already a hit for Kottke) on the track listing. Also, I was pleasantly surprised with their take on "Sweet Emotion."

As far as the previous reviewer goes, he couldn't be any more wrong! Kottke and Gordon are a GREAT match-up. Listen to the
interplay between the two of them and tell me there isn't undeniable chemistry. Gordon's basslines bounce around Kottke's fingerpicking perfectly. The addition of the amazingly talented Neil Symonette on percussion is just what the duo needed. The assortment of instruments he used in the studio is mindblowing and it sounds so rich.

My lone complaint is that it wasn't released until mid-August. had it come out earlier in the summer, it would've made for a great chill-out mix for the beach setting. The island vibes of Costa Rica and the Bahamas are almost palpable on this instant classic.

Whether you're a Phish fan and want to keep tabs on what Cactus is up to, a long-time Kottke listener, a fan of island music, or just a curious listener... be sure to pick it up. You WON'T be disappointed. I have a feeling this one will be in heavy rotation for years to come.

Wondering why this great CD has only three stars?

... well, that's because some people think it is more important to voice their anger about the fact that the CD is copy protected than review the music on the CD ... some of them haven't even got the CD but write a review ... what the f***??

This makes me quite angry because, honestly, this CD is one of my all-time favourites, and Mike and Leo deserve better than only three stars ...

If you're reading the reviews of this CD, you probably already know what a guitar hero Leo Kottke is or what creative genius Mike Gordon is ...

To be honest, Mike's songs (no pun intended) are way better than Leo's, but the CD doesn't contain one track that I would skip.

It contains covers such as Living in the Country or Rings (old favourites of the duo's live shows), Sweet Emotion (yes ... that's an Aerosmith song) as well as Phish favourite Ya Mar, which works as well as it always did during a Phish show.

And it contains great original songs, especially the ones Mike wrote such as The Grid or Over the Dam, Can't Hang or Invisible.

I highly recommend this CD. What you get is wonderfully relaxed music from two of the most original voices in today's music scene.

And, by the way, the CD works perfectly on my CD player!

This is a fantastic effort by two stellar musicians that have incredible chemistry. I am sorry if some of the other reviewers diddnt notice it, but these two guys like each other, they like playing music together and have a hell of a time doing it. Gordons choice bass lines wrap perfectly around Kottke's meticulous finger picking to provide an aural bliss to the listener that is ready to appreciate it. To me, the standout tracks are The Grid, Rings (the best version of this classic Kottke cover), Ya Mar, and Twice. Get this cd, put your feet up, and relax. This is just plain good music.

I don't understand what the other reviewers are saying. This album is a lot better than Clone. Twice as good. It's very mellow, very relaxing, yet has a very happy vibe to it. The interplay between the two is superb they compliment each other very well. If you're a strait up Phish fan or a strait up Kottke fan this probably isn't for you. This album is geared more towards pickers and fans of acoustic music.

This is a tough one to review because it is difficult to separate the music from the copy protection. Tempted as I might be to speak from a soapbox about the latter, I won't. Many of you don't want to or don't need to hear about that. Those of you who do can find the whole business laid out pretty well in the other reviews.

Musically, this CD is simply terrific. Having listened to it several times I do not grow tired of it. It contains some of the most masterful acoustic guitar work that you will find anywhere. The sound is not overproduced. It comes across as down home and easy to listen to but the genius is there, plain to hear.

That having been said, there are issues and here are the facts. If you put this CD in your PC it will secretly install files that can harm your computer. This fact is beyond dispute. Sony/BMG has agreed to a class action settlement for damages caused by several dozen CD's including this one. If you own this CD you have until Dec. 2006 to file a claim for $7.50 cash payment or a free album download. Check the web for details and a list of other CD's involved. Enough said.

So if you play this CD in your stereo you'll be just fine. Keep it out of your PC though unless you fully understand the risks. If you must use this CD with your PC, I suggest that the safest way to do so would be to wrap the CD securely in a plastic sandwich bag for protection before inserting the disk in your CD drive. If you do that your listening experience might not be as pleasurable, but at least your system will be protected from infection.

...unless a "copy protection" free version comes out. Ironically, I got turned on to these guys after downloading a (completely legal) audience tape of them, which was free to copy and share everywhere. Afterwards, I bought "Clone" so I could hear the studio-quality versions of the songs and enjoyed it very much. It is really too bad that these guys (or, more likely, their label) decided not to release their second album as a CD, but have instead selected a format that may not play in many of the places where I listen to recorded music. I have never bought a CD with copy protection and I never will (I have over 1000 real CDs in my collection, all bought and paid for over the years). I may end up listening only to concerts and audience tapes, but so be it; in the mean time, there is plenty of music available without this reprehensible, insulting "feature" that degrades the value of its product. So, let's keep count: how many people refuse to buy a CD that is "protected" vs. those who don't buy it because they already stole a copy. Thank you Amazon for marking CDs that have copy protection.

I purchased this cd without knowing about the sunncomm deal. I unfortuantly found all about this after attempting to rip the tracks for my car mp3 disk. I will be taking a closer look at my cd backs from now on to avoid buying any further cds with this junk on it. Easy enough to get around, but on principle. I hate giving this cd 1 star as I love kottke and its good music, but I have to do it, due to sonys distrubition. It's a shame.