Mudlark rates highly on many a Kottke fan's favorite list. This was Kottke's Capitol Records debut, and his solo instrumental sound is augmented with the addition of studio sidemen (bass, drums, piano). His playing is superb (no surprise there) and full of youthful vigor -- a fusion of high-speed picking, brash slide work, funky folk, acoustic rock, and melodicism. Most importantly, Mudlark marked the debut of Kottke as a singer, an indication that Capitol was trying to shoehorn him into the singer/songwriter genre. Kottke himself has made disparaging remarks about his own vocals, but they add personality to his virtuosic guitar chops. His acoustic 12-string cover of "Eight Miles High" is particularly strong at showing off the vocal richness. On later albums, the vocals would become more mannered; here Kottke takes a more forward approach -- belting out the melodies with gusto. Kottke's sound was too raucous and unpredictable to guarantee commercial success on a major label. Stylistically, Kottke is all over the map (as usual), blending traditional folk, bluegrass, blues, singer/songwriter, and classical into his own brand of high-octane eclecticism. There's no mistaking the Leo Kottke "sound," but it's hard to label it. Versatility is paramount, from the down-home high-speed picking of "Cripple Creek" to the steely bottleneck slide work on "June Bug" to the Baroque classicism of "Bourr e" by J.S. Bach, all of it wrapped by Kottke's wry, surreal wit. A landmark early album, Mudlark increased Kottke's visibility and helped establish his reputation as a homegrown American original. ~ Jim Esch, All Music Guide
T**D
Poor quality CD - unable to play because of skipping.
this was a gift to my daughter and unfortunately, she was unable to listen to it because the disc was apparently of such poor quality that it constantly skipped making it un=playable on any of her CD players. Very disappointed.Would Amazon send a replacement? Don't know how you handle such a thing.
S**H
Leo Kottke: "Mudlark"
This CD is actually good enough for this to be the third copy I've ordered; one was destroyed in a car fire, and the other was lent and never returned.As far as I've been able to find-except maybe on a compilation-this has the only slowed-down/studio version of "Stealing", which i really like. The one on one of the "live" cds is too fast, as is "Busted Bicycle", another favorite ruined by him obviously being rushed when he performed it.[Since then he's hand right hand surgery and in concert he only cranked it up to speed on a 12-string once-a real let-down].It's worth buying.
M**C
Leo is still Great
After all these years Leo's music holds up. The kind of "country" that sooth the soul.
N**R
Good condition
Good condition
S**S
Master of the guitar
A magical guitarist.
H**T
Still his best
Glad to have found it on CD, as the vinyl didn't survive the nearly 40 years I've owned it. Still my favorite Leo album.
C**E
The Maestro
The master of 12 string fingerstyle, changed my life.
C**N
Five Stars
Received in good condition, nice sound quality.
D**.
Leo on Form
This is one of Leos early albums and dates from around 1971.As to be expected from one of the worlds truly great Acoustic guitar playes this is a must for anyone who plays or just likes to listen to great fingerstyle guitar.Some solo playing but also with Bass, Piano and Percussion on other tracks,many which have become classic Leo Kottke such as Machine No2, June Bug, Hear the Wind Howl and Eight Miles High. No one really plays guitar like Leo Kottke just listen to this cd and hear why.
P**A
Brilliant
A great start to my collection of music by this unique artist. It arrived quickly and was of good quality.
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