Sixty Six Steps [ENHANCED]

Leo Kottke

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 23, 2005)
• Original Release Date: August 23, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: RCA Victor
• ASIN: B000A2APV2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,283 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Sixty Six Steps--the second collaboration between guitarist Leo Kottke and erstwhile Phish bassist Mike Gordon--is both an homage to and an experiment loosely involving island rhythms. "There are these syncopations within Leo's guitar playing that twist around in a way that remind me of calypso," explains Gordon. "So this album took form as an experiment in my mind to see whether Leo's unique style of playing could be mixed with this kind of music I discovered and really loved when I was younger. And it worked far beyond my expectations." "Mike was the first to notice that aspect in my playing, and I think I'd forgotten it was in there," says Kottke. "No one else had done that. He's very intuitive that way."

The pair had already successfully tested the waters as collaborators with the album Clone, released in 2002. When they crossed paths in 2004 at a music festival, Gordon told Kottke that he really wanted to do an island experiment as his first project following the Phish era. Rehearsed in Costa Rica and recorded in the Bahamas, Sixty Six Steps is seasoned with the buoyant rhythms and freewheeling spirit of the tropics. It is not literally a calypso album but one that uses the calypso feel as a touchstone for a set of performances by two of the most imaginative and mold-breaking musicians on the planet.

Sixty Six Steps is a mixture of originals and interpretations performed in ways that are vaguely familiar yet largely without precedent. For instance, you'll find a cover of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" sung in a deadpan monotone and performed on baglama (a Turkish banjo/mandolin-type instrument), guitar and bass. Then there's a pastoral Pete Seeger composition ("Living in the Country") given a spritz of equatorial light and air. A twisted Mike Gordon original ("Stolen Quiet") professes mock gratitude for a partner's exodus from their shared abode: "The sheer amount of surface space increased around here/With your diet soda gone, there's more room for my beer." An equally offbeat Leo Kottke original ("Balloon") features such lines as "When the raccoon steals the cheese behind Pandora's other box/Or the one you love is shopping for a helmet made of rocks/Balloon, balloon, balloon..."

Incidentally, the title Sixty Six Steps is taken from a sign at the base of a staircase leading to what is reputedly the highest point on the island. The steps curve around and go to the top of the hill, which is a great spot from which to view the sunset. In its own way, Sixty Six Steps winds and ascends to a point from which the listener can savor some truly unique musical vistas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sixty Six Steps, August 24, 2005

By	tanner llewellyn (Manakin Sabot, VA United States) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play it Leo!, August 23, 2005

By	Priscilla E. Flanagan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great music, but copy protection limits usability, November 14, 2005

By	Ivan Hrvatska (New York) - See all my reviews

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.