Leo Kottke, John Fahey & Peter Lang "Fahey/Kottke/Lang" (Takoma, 1974)
Leo Kottke "1971-1976: Did You Hear Me?" (Capitol, 1976)
Leo Kottke "The Best" (Capitol, 1976)
Leo Kottke "Essential" (Chrysalis, 1991)
Leo Kottke "The Leo Kottke Anthology" (Rhino, 1994)
Leo Kottke "The Instrumentals: The Best Of The Capitol Years" (Blue Note, 2003)
Leo Kottke "The Instrumentals: The Best Of The Chrysalis Years" (Blue Note, 2003)
Leo Kottke "12-String Blues" (Oblivion, 1969) (LP)
Leo Kottke "6- and 12-String Guitar" (Takoma, 1969)
Leo Kottke "Circle Round The Sun" (Symposium, 1970) (LP)
Leo Kottke "Mudlark" (Capitol, 1971)
Leo Kottke "Greenhouse" (Capitol, 1972)
Leo Kottke "My Feet Are Smiling" (Capitol, 1973)
Leo Kottke "Ice Water" (Capitol, 1974)
Leo Kottke "Dreams And All That Stuff" (Capitol, 1974)
Leo Kottke "Chewing Pine" (Capitol, 1975)
Leo Kottke "Leo Kottke" (Chrysalis, 1976)
Leo Kottke "Burnt Lips" (Chrysalis, 1978)
Leo Kottke "Balance" (Chrysalis, 1978)
Leo Kottke "Live In Europe" (Chrysalis, 1980)
Leo Kottke "Guitar Music" (Chrysalis, 1981)
Leo Kottke "Time Step" (Chrysalis, 1983)
Leo Kottke "A Shout Towards Noon" (Private Music, 1986)
Leo Kottke "Regards From Chuck Pink" (Private Music, 1988)
Leo Kottke "My Father's Face" (Private Music, 1989)
Leo Kottke "That's What" (Private Music, 1990)
Leo Kottke "Great Big Boy" (Private Music, 1991)
Leo Kottke "Peculiaroso" (Private Music, 1994)
Leo Kottke "Live" (On The Spot, 1995)
Leo Kottke "Standing In My Shoes" (Private Music, 1997)
Leo Kottke "One Guitar, No Vocals" (Private Music, 1999)
Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon "Clone" (RCA Victor, 2002)
Leo Kottke "Try And Stop Me" (RCA Victor, 2004)
Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon "Sixty Six Steps" (RCA Victor, 2005)
To my knowledge, I've actually never heard a single album or song by the now-defunct jam band, Phish, so it's hard for me to comment on how much influence their bassist Mike Gordon has on the shape of this acoustic pick-fest... But a lot of the album sounds like vintage Kottke, with his trademark circular, waterwheel guitar riffs, dry sense of humor, and whimsical covers of classic rock tunes such as Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion." Midway through, the disc does get a bit spacy, indulgent and dino-delic, so I suppose something phishy might be going on there... At any rate, I'm sure fans of either artist won't be disappointed by this good-natured, easygoing, super-mellow album... It's very technically adept, kinda cutesy... and doubtless fun to get zonked out to, with the aid of whatever illicit substances all those latter-day hippies are using these days... Note: some folks might be miffed by the copy control technology that's locked onto the content... If you buy CDs to transfer the music onto a digital player, this disc might bum you out. (When will those silly record companies ever learn??)
Leo Kottke was one of the most innovative acoustic guitarists on the 1970's American folk scene... He is also almost as well-known for his storytelling and between-song banter (which can sometimes go on as long -- or longer! -- than the music...) A puckish, playful character, he was one of the most prominent pioneers of the "new acoustic" style -- along with John Fahey he helped reshape the vocabulary of acoustic guitar music... and provided many smiles and laughs along the way. Here's a quick look at his work...
