Awesome compilation

I wore this record out back in the late 70's, my first introduction to this incredible musician, and am delighted that it is now available on CD. The reason for this release was because Kottke wasn't completely happy with the way some previously released songs sounded: "Every record I've made has come back to haunt me: clams I didn't spot the first time through; mixes where we went one of two ways, and went wrong; and finally some tunes on every record that worked out just right. So six of these re-releases have been edited or re-mixed according to the way they feel to me today, or according to how they are now performed. The rest felt OK the first time." He was referring to his works from 1971 through 1976.

Although I am not a huge fan of Kottke's singing, only four of the 14 tracks feature vocals, so there is plenty of his masterful guitar playing. The top track in this CD, Morning is a Long Way Home, is completely instrumental unlike the previous release, which gives the listener an opportunity to savour Kottke's mastery of his instrument. The range of emotions in this compilation is good, from the dreamy All Through the Night, the dark Power Failure and the happy When Shrimps Learn to Whistle.

The only reason I am not giving this CD five stars is because on this release of Cripple Creek, the piano and percussion sound more dominant than the guitar, which is a real shame. My old tape sounds better than this particular track. But that is the only real flaw with this much-anticipated CD. Crank your player up and feel the goosebumps his fretwork induces!

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS DISC IS!

I have been listening to a tape of my vinyl copy of this for years, and I am thrilled that it is finally on CD! What you might not gather from the information here is that half of the tracks are remixed or "alternate" in some way, and the version of "Tell Me Why" is MESMERIZING and worth the price of admission to the jangle circus.

I have grown to love Leo's singing (every citizen should own and wear out Leo's masterpiece of instrumental "luminosity" and heart-aching ballads "Greenhouse"), but there is also the excitement of the "instrumental tag" version of "Morning is The Long Way Home" and the 45 of Open Country Joy/Constant Traveler. I hope I am getting the titles correct, but this was designed by Leo and Denny Bruce to "correct" things that they wish that they had done differently on earlier albums like "Mudlark" and "Ice Water," and this rarities and "best-of" is a great introduction to Leo Kottke in his ROCK STAR phase!