Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon - 2002-11-15 - St.Louis, MO

Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon
2002-11-15
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis, MO
Soundboard recording, excellent quality
mp3 @ 320kbps

More Leo Kottke, and this show brings us up to more contemporary times (and finishes this brief retrospective of his career). In 2002, Leo released a duet collaboration album with Mike Gordon (bassist for the band Phish) titled Clone. Although this may seem an odd pairing, Gordon (as well as fellow bandmate Trey Anastasio) had been of fan of Leo's ever since he played at the University of Vermont (where Gordon and Anastasio were students) back in the '80's, and had communicated with Kottke and they wanted to collaborate for years. They finally got their chance during a Phish hiatus in 2001, and they got together and recorded Clone, featuring new songs written by both artists. The album was critically acclaimed and featured intricate interplays of Mike's bass and Leo's guitar, as well as vocal collaborations and harmonies as well. The collaboration was so succesful that the duo recorded another album together in 2005, Sixty Six Steps, as well as another tour together. However, although Kottke continues to perform and tour regularly (he is currently on tour in 2015), Sixty Six Steps remains his last studio album released to date. The show featured here is from the tour in support of the 2002 album, and in addition to songs from that duets album, features re-workings of songs from both the artists past catalog. Here is an excellent soundboard recording from their St. Louis show.

Tracklist:
1. Disco
2. Living in the Country 
3. I'm Going Back to the Old Home 
4. The Collins Missile 
5. William Powell 
6. Stage Banter
7. Rings 
8. Stage Banter
9. From Pizza Towers to Defeat 
10. I Can't Hang 
11. Standing in My Shoes 
12. Last Steam Engine Train 
13. Crowd-Banter
14. Te Veo 
15. Crowd-Tuning
16. Cripple Creek 
17. Banter
18. Clone
19. Middle of the Road
20. Corinna  Corinna
21. Car Carrier Blues 
22. Ya Mar 
Encore:
23. Deep River Blues 
24. Eight Miles High 

New Links (Updated 07/04/21)
Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon_2002-11-15_St.Louis.part1.rar
Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon_2002-11-15_St.Louis.part2.rar

Leo Kottke - 1993-04-02 - Bottom Line - New York, NY

Leo Kottke
1993-04-02
The Bottom Line, New York, NY
Digital Soundboard recording (Jerry Moore's dat clone), excellent quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (@320 kbps) versions

More Leo! A bit later. This was several years after his return following his near career-ending bout with tendonitis and nerve damage in his hand. As part of his therapy and adjustment for the tendonitis, he changed his picking style to a more classical, less aggressive approach, and changed his hand positioning to reduce stress on his tendons. He also began to delve more into jazz and classical style compositions and playing styles. Thus, beginning with his return to recording in 1986 (A Shout Toward Noon), he moved to the new age-oriented label Private Music, and his albums showed a kinder, gentler, more jazzy styling, but still just as impressive, and probably even more beautiful sounding. Subsequent releases included Regards From Chuck Pink (1988), My Father's Place (1989), That's What (1990), and Great Big Boy (1991). At the time of this show in 1993, he was preparing songs for his next album, which would be Peculiaroso (1994).  So, here is Leo in those middle years, with a sweeter sound, but still showing some of the finest acoustic picking and slide work you will ever hear, as well as a plethora of great songs and his quirky personality and stories. Plus, a stellar digital soundboard recording and bonus tracks from the 2nd (late) set to boot. 

Tracklist (early show):
01 - William Powell
02 - Porky And Pale
03 - Rings
04 - Oddball
05 - Airproofing - Conductor story - Griddle Slide
06 - Everybody Lies
07 - Living In The Country
08 - Jesus Maria
09 - The Driver
10 - Twilight Time
11 - Peg Leg ('Filbert') - Heimlich Story
12 - Louise
13 - Medley - Available Space/June Bug/Train and The Gate/Vaseline Machine Gun/Jack Fig
14 - Lying in the Arms of Mary

Bonus tracks (from late show)
15 - Eggtooth
16 - Ojo
17 -  Eight Miles High
18 - Last Steam Engine Train
19 - Echoing Gilewitz
20 - Little Martha
21 - Room At The Top Of The Stairs - Minnesota Story
22 - Griddle Slide
23 - Jack Gets Up - History Book Story
24 - Closing Instrumental (Mona Ray)

Note: Several late show songs that were repeated from the early show were excluded here.

New Links (Updated 03/07/26)
Mp3 - Leo Kottke_1993-04-02_Bottomline_mp3.part1.rar
Leo Kottke_1993-04-02_Bottomline_mp3.part2.rar

FLAC - Leo Kottke_1993-04-02_Bottomline_FLAC.part1.rar
Leo Kottke_1993-04-02_Bottomline_FLAC.part2.rar

Leo Kottke - 1978-09-29 - Washington DC

Leo Kottke
1978-09-29
Washington, D.C
Soundboard recording, very good quality
mp3 @ 256


Here's more from virtuoso guitarist Leo Kottke, a few years after the previously posted show. By this time, Kottke had released 2 albums for his new label Chrysalis, Leo Kottke (1976) and Burnt Lips (1978), and this show features several selections from those newer albums, in addition some of his older material, both with and without vocals, but far more guitar-playing than singing, which is as it should be. Kottke would record 3 more albums for Chrysalis (Balance-1978, Guitar Music-1981, and Time Step-1983). However, by this time (early eighties), his unusual, hard-driving finger-picking style of playing was taking its toll on his body, as he developed severe tendinitis and nerve damage in his hand, which almost ended his career. He took 3 years off from recording and performing, in which time he changed the way he played to reduce stress on his hand, and basically re-learned how to play the guitar in a way that would work with his affliction. So, in 1986, he came back, with a new album on the Private Music label, which featured more slow, somber, jazzy, and beautiful songs over the more high-speed workouts of earlier years. His guitar-playing was still sensational, despite the difficulties, but more about that later. For now, enjoy Leo during these last years of his pre-injury playing featuring his unique style and songs.

Tracklist:
01. June Bug
02. Vaseline Machine Gun
03. Pamela Brown
04. Julie's House
05. Grim to the Brim
06. Last Steam Engine Train - Stealing
07. Range
08. Medley
09. Can't Quite Put it Into Words
10. Endless Sleep
11. Orange Room
12. The Fisherman
13. Bean Time
14. Airproofing
15. The Quiet Man
16. Louise
17. Don't Know Why
18. Driving of the Year Nail
19. I Called Back
20. Up Tempo
21. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
22. Standing in My Shoes - Busted Bicycle

Leo Kottke_1978-09-29_WashDC.rar

Leo Kottke - 1975-10-31 - Champaign IL

Leo Kottke
1975-10-31
Champaign, IL
FM broadcast recording, very good quality
mp3 @ 256 kbps

Here's more from the amazing Leo Kottke. This show, a fine FM broadcast from 1975, a couple years after the previously posted show. Thus, in addition to his earlier songs, this show features several songs from his subsequent Capitol albums, Ice Water (1974), Dreams and All That Stuff (1974), and Chewing Pine (1975) for a rousing and wonderful show from the gifted guitarist. This actually was around the time I first saw him live at a small college in Illinois, and as great as he is to hear on a recording, it was really awesome to see him play in person. Just a totally unique talent, and a really interesting personality. More Leo Kottke, from the old days.
 
Tracklist:
01. "Hello Ladies and Germs" / Mona Ray
02. Morning is the Long Way Home
03. Ojo
04. Eight Miles High
05. Eggtooth
06. Power Failure
07. Sailors Grave on the Prairie
08. Pamela Brown
09. "Self Defense"
10. Can't Quite Put it Into Words
11. Tiny Island
12. Bean Time
13. Monkey Money
14. The Scarlatti Rip-Off
15. June Bug
16. San Antonio Rose / America the Beautiful
17. Shadowland
18. Grim to the Brim
19. Louise
20. Tennessee Toad
21. Hear the Wind Howl
22. Busted Bicycle
23. Crow River Waltz
24. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
25. Jack Fig

Leo Kottke_1975-10-31_Champaign.rar
New Link (Updated 07/07/21)

Leo Kottke - 1973-05-09 - Clark University, Worcester, MA

Leo Kottke
1973-05-09
Clark University, Worcester, MA
Soundboard recording, very good quality
Mp3 @ 256 kbps

Listening to Ry Cooder's acoustic slide work on the 1979 Cambridge Folk Festival recordings reminded me of another great American acoustic slide guitarist from the '70's that I love but hadn't listened to in a long time, and who also could be placed in this elusively diverse category labelled 'Americana' or 'Roots' music. Leo Kottke, one of the all-time great acoustic guitar players, and certainly the most unique, plays in a blistering fast, aggressive, syncopated, polyphonic, unconventional picking style that is all his own, and is totally amazing to hear. He began playing in and around coffeehouses in the late 'sixties and recorded his first album live at a coffeehouse in Minnesota (12-String Blues) in 1969, and then recorded an all-instrumental album for John Fahey's Tacoma Records (6- and 12-String Guitar), which established his reputation as a dynamic and powerhouse guitarist. His popularity increased with a series of albums for Capitol in the 1970's, which featured his unconventional singing voice, in addition to his virtuoso guitar playing. Here is a show from 1973, from around the time of his 3rd Capitol album, My feet Are Smiling, which was a live album, and followed Mudlark-1971 and Greenhouse-1972. Although his vocals (a resonant, but sometimes shaky baritone) are something of an acquired taste (I happen to like it), his guitar-playing (and guitar compositions) are spectular, and no one else played like him. Check out the sick picking and slide work on songs such as 'June Bug', 'The Spanish Entomologist', 'Vaseline Machine Gun', and 'Busted Bicycle', to name just a few. Just unbelievable. He also is a great story-teller with an offbeat sense of humor, and his between song commentary is always entertaining. 

Tracklist
01 - Cradle to the Grave (2:43)
02 - Chuck Pink (5:43)
03 - Louise (4:20)
04 - Living in the Country (1:38)
05 - Last Steam Engine Train (2:39)
06 - Fisherman (3:21)
07 - Eight Miles High (3:58)
08 - Ojo (3:31)
09 - June Bug (2:56)
10 - Spanish Entomologist (4:16)
11 - Bean Time (2:51)
12 - Tiny Island (3:25)
13 - Stealing (3:55)
14 - Sailor's Grave on the Prarie (3:55)
15 - Vaseline Machine Gun (3:41)
16 - Busted Bicycle (2:18)
17 - Standing in My Shoes (3:29)
18 - Crow River Waltz (3:10)
19 - Jesu, Joy of man's Desiring (1:59)
20 - Jack Fig (2:04)

Leo Kottke_1973-05-09_WorcesterMA.rar