Leo Kottke's debut came about after he sent a cassette to John Fahey 's Takoma label. Not surprisingly, it recalls Fahey´s work in a number of respects: the synthesis of numerous influences from blues, pop, classical, and folk styles, the weirdly titled instrumentals, even the tongue-in-cheek liner notes.
Kottke's brand of virtuosity, however, is more soothing and easy on the ear than Fahey´s . It's far from sappy, though, the rich and resonant picking intimating some underlying restlessness, like peaceful open fields after a storm.
Establishing much of the territory Kottke was to explore throughout his career, this release was also one of his most popular, eventually selling over 500,000 copies.
Personnel:
Leo Kottke (guitar)
Alternate frontcover
Tracklist:
01. The Driving of the Year Nail (Kottke) 1:57
02. The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds (Kottke) 3:18
03. Ojo (Kottke) 2:14
04. Crow River Waltz (Kottke) 3:20
05. The Sailor's Grave on the Prairie (Kottke) 2:33
06. Vaseline Machine Gun (Kottke) 3:12
07. Jack Fig (Bach) 2:13
08. Watermelon (Kottke) 3:10
09. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach) 2:23
10. The Fisherman (Kottke) 2:31
11. The Tennessee Toad (Kottke) 2:40
12. Busted Bicycle (Kottke) 2:48
13. The Brain of the Purple Mountain (Kottke) 2:09
14. Coolidge Rising (Kottke) 2:48
ARMU 2254 (zippyshare)