Sixty Six Steps [Content/Copy-Protected CD] [Enhanced]

Sixty Six Steps [Content/Copy-Protected CD] [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Sixty Six Steps--the second collaboration between guitarist Leo Kottke and erstwhile Phish bassist Mike Gordon--is both an homage to and an experiment loosely involving island rhythms. "There are these syncopations within Leo's guitar playing that twist around in a way that remind me of calypso," explains Gordon. "So this album took form as an experiment in my mind to see whether Leo's unique style of playing could be mixed with this kind of music I discovered and really loved when I was younger. And it worked far beyond my expectations." "Mike was the first to notice that aspect in my playing, and I think I'd forgotten it was in there," says Kottke. "No one else had done that. He's very intuitive that way."

The pair had already successfully tested the waters as collaborators with the album Clone, released in 2002. When they crossed paths in 2004 at a music festival, Gordon told Kottke that he really wanted to do an island experiment as his first project following the Phish era. Rehearsed in Costa Rica and recorded in the Bahamas, Sixty Six Steps is seasoned with the buoyant rhythms and freewheeling spirit of the tropics. It is not literally a calypso album but one that uses the calypso feel as a touchstone for a set of performances by two of the most imaginative and mold-breaking musicians on the planet.

Sixty Six Steps is a mixture of originals and interpretations performed in ways that are vaguely familiar yet largely without precedent. For instance, you'll find a cover of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" sung in a deadpan monotone and performed on baglama (a Turkish banjo/mandolin-type instrument), guitar and bass. Then there's a pastoral Pete Seeger composition ("Living in the Country") given a spritz of equatorial light and air. A twisted Mike Gordon original ("Stolen Quiet") professes mock gratitude for a partner's exodus from their shared abode: "The sheer amount of surface space increased around here/With your diet soda gone, there's more room for my beer." An equally offbeat Leo Kottke original ("Balloon") features such lines as "When the raccoon steals the cheese behind Pandora's other box/Or the one you love is shopping for a helmet made of rocks/Balloon, balloon, balloon..."

Incidentally, the title Sixty Six Steps is taken from a sign at the base of a staircase leading to what is reputedly the highest point on the island. The steps curve around and go to the top of the hill, which is a great spot from which to view the sunset. In its own way, Sixty Six Steps winds and ascends to a point from which the listener can savor some truly unique musical vistas.

Sixty Six Steps,Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon,Leo Kottke,Mike Gordon,RCA,Contemporary Folk,Finger-Picked Guitar,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Progressive Folk,Rock/Pop,United States of America

Average customer rating:

Forget The Whiny Naysayers! This is GREAT Music!

Wow, AMAZING album! But, don't buy it because it's Sony DRM. Period. Sorry, Mike!

Amazon review right on, but spotlight's got it wrong

Five stars for the music. No stars for the virus.

Brilliant CD; ignore the foo-foos.....

Sixty Six Steps
Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon , Leo Kottke , and Mike Gordon
Manufacturer: RCA Victor
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Clone

6- and 12-String Guitar

Best of Leo Kottke

Try and Stop Me

Shine

ASIN: B000A2APV2
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Tracks:

Living In The Country
The Grid
Oh Well
Rings
Cherry County
Sweet Emotion
The Stolen Quiet
Balloon
Over The Dam
Can't Hang
From Spink To Correctionville
Ya Mar
Twice
Invisible

Album Description

Sixty Six Steps--the second collaboration between guitarist Leo Kottke and erstwhile Phish bassist Mike Gordon--is both an homage to and an experiment loosely involving island rhythms. "There are these syncopations within Leo's guitar playing that twist around in a way that remind me of calypso," explains Gordon. "So this album took form as an experiment in my mind to see whether Leo's unique style of playing could be mixed with this kind of music I discovered and really loved when I was younger. And it worked far beyond my expectations." "Mike was the first to notice that aspect in my playing, and I think I'd forgotten it was in there," says Kottke. "No one else had done that. He's very intuitive that way."

The pair had already successfully tested the waters as collaborators with the album Clone, released in 2002. When they crossed paths in 2004 at a music festival, Gordon told Kottke that he really wanted to do an island experiment as his first project following the Phish era. Rehearsed in Costa Rica and recorded in the Bahamas, Sixty Six Steps is seasoned with the buoyant rhythms and freewheeling spirit of the tropics. It is not literally a calypso album but one that uses the calypso feel as a touchstone for a set of performances by two of the most imaginative and mold-breaking musicians on the planet.

Sixty Six Steps is a mixture of originals and interpretations performed in ways that are vaguely familiar yet largely without precedent. For instance, you'll find a cover of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" sung in a deadpan monotone and performed on baglama (a Turkish banjo/mandolin-type instrument), guitar and bass. Then there's a pastoral Pete Seeger composition ("Living in the Country") given a spritz of equatorial light and air. A twisted Mike Gordon original ("Stolen Quiet") professes mock gratitude for a partner's exodus from their shared abode: "The sheer amount of surface space increased around here/With your diet soda gone, there's more room for my beer." An equally offbeat Leo Kottke original ("Balloon") features such lines as "When the raccoon steals the cheese behind Pandora's other box/Or the one you love is shopping for a helmet made of rocks/Balloon, balloon, balloon..."

Incidentally, the title Sixty Six Steps is taken from a sign at the base of a staircase leading to what is reputedly the highest point on the island. The steps curve around and go to the top of the hill, which is a great spot from which to view the sunset. In its own way, Sixty Six Steps winds and ascends to a point from which the listener can savor some truly unique musical vistas.

Customer Reviews:

Forget The Whiny Naysayers! This is GREAT Music!.......2007-07-21

If you play music in your car, your boombox, or your home audio system, you will love this CD! If you're part of the "new" generation of whiny, self-indulgent, music-should-be-free clowns who makes multiple copies and believes there is nothing wrong with stealing music, then you'll be crying like an ex who got the credit cards cut off!

Leo Kottke has been giving his fans aural pleasures for decades and this CD is no different. His impeccable musicianship, arrangements, and songwriting skills will keep you enthralled from the opening track. I wasn't familiar with Mike Gordon before this CD but the two of them mesh harmoniously and give an updated sound to Kottke's music.

Wow, AMAZING album! But, don't buy it because it's Sony DRM. Period. Sorry, Mike!.......2007-06-16

Mike will probably leave Sony after this, just like Trey did. Notice how Sony got into trouble with their illegal "digital rights management" virus spyware using Trey's album as a guinea pig... and Trey's next album was released elsewhere? Good for Trey! (BTW, I bought the Shine Dual Disc w/ bonus DVD for $[...] and there was no drm on it, so Sony REALLY fudged up there, huh?)

My guess is Mike will do the same thing-- leave Sony. I am positive Mike wasn't asked if this "copy protection" was okay by him. I'm sure Mike would've said no. He may be contractually obligated to put out another album, but if not, Sony can probably kiss another artist bye-bye! :-) Taste the curb, Sony! Oh, you like that? How's it taste, huh? You like the curb, Sony?

That being said, this album is PHENOMENAL! I am floored by it (and truly sad I wasn't able to support Mike by buying it brand new from the store). This won a Jammy award and I can see why.

This album is truly right up there with the best early 70s Grateful Dead acoustic stuff and the best mellow Phish stuff. I absolutely LOVE this album!!!

So, how can you hear it, since you don't want to support Sony and their illegal copy protection shenannigans?

Simple!

1. Buy it USED.
2. Make mp3s with an mp3 player/recorder such as MobiBlu's B-153 which is $[...] for a 2GB player/recorder. (Do not risk infecting your computer with Sony's virus/spyware drm copy protection crap all over this disc. You have no reason to trust these jerks.)

So, if it's USED and has worn out its copy limitation feature, it doesn't really matter because if you want to record it to mp3s, you can just use an mp3 player/recorder.

I bought mine USED. I popped the CD into my stereo-- it plays fine! And if I feel like listening ot it on the go, I can easily plug the MobiBlu mp3 player into the the headphone jack of the stereo (or line out jack), press "record" on the mp3 player and make my own 192 bitrate mp3s from the stereo.

Using this method, you don't have to worry about Sony's ILLEGAL drm tactics.
You won't have to reinstall Windows or uninstall the rootkit spyware.
You won't have to WORRY about Sony's unethical, illegal and generally STUPID business practices.
You won't have to support these crooks.

I LEGALLY purchased the album and I can LEGALLY make mp3's out of it if I want using a simple mp3 player.

And Sony made no money from the deal.

Sony's 2006 profits were way, way down and I am very happy about that. F them.

I'm very happy about sticking it to Sony. i'm not so happy about sticking it to Mike, but I've given him plenty of support over the years and will continue to check him out on tour.

GREAT ALBUM! Just wanted to say that once again!

Amazon review right on, but spotlight's got it wrong.......2006-10-18

This is a delightful recording and musically even better and more fun than their first CLONE. (the whole formating/copyright protection issue doesn't concern me as I don't try to copy or play it in my computer and is not germane to these reviews, but it does seem Sony has gone too far with their solution) I love the originals (songs and instrumentals) and the covers and the sound of these guys playing in their loose, playful, virtuostic, calypso influenced way reminds me of the great stuff David Lindley and Wally Ingram have done... This is happy, fun easy listening yet highly skilled music. My only complaint is that the percussionist Neil Symonette didn't get equal billing. He really helps make this a great recording.

Don't let the technical comments distract you from the important stuff, if you like the great MUSIC these guys make (alone or together), you'll love this one too.

Five stars for the music. No stars for the virus........2006-09-15

This is a tough one to review because it is difficult to separate the music from the copy protection. Tempted as I might be to speak from a soapbox about the latter, I won't. Many of you don't want to or don't need to hear about that. Those of you who do can find the whole business laid out pretty well in the other reviews.

Musically, this CD is simply terrific. Having listened to it several times I do not grow tired of it. It contains some of the most masterful acoustic guitar work that you will find anywhere. The sound is not overproduced. It comes across as down home and easy to listen to but the genius is there, plain to hear.

That having been said, there are issues and here are the facts. If you put this CD in your PC it will secretly install files that can harm your computer. This fact is beyond dispute. Sony/BMG has agreed to a class action settlement for damages caused by several dozen CD's including this one. If you own this CD you have until Dec. 2006 to file a claim for $7.50 cash payment or a free album download. Check the web for details and a list of other CD's involved. Enough said.

So if you play this CD in your stereo you'll be just fine. Keep it out of your PC though unless you fully understand the risks. If you must use this CD with your PC, I suggest that the safest way to do so would be to wrap the CD securely in a plastic sandwich bag for protection before inserting the disk in your CD drive. If you do that your listening experience might not be as pleasurable, but at least your system will be protected from infection.

Brilliant CD; ignore the foo-foos............2006-07-21

Okay, so it has copyright protection; it still plays, and this is quite possibly the best CD I have heard all year (and I have heard a lot). My only complaint is that they do not give equal billing to the percussionist, Neil "Goat Hooves" Symonette. The last Kottke-Gordon effort had some great moments, but with the addition of Symonette, this baby just hums along like my VW Beetle on biodiesel. It sounds warm and inviting, like a real group, as opposed to a couple of virtuosi who got together in a studio. Great selection of songs and a wonderful coherency throughout the entire CD. Seriously, ignore the pretentious, self-righteous, foo-foo, nancy boys who would rate such a wonderful CD as this based on their Freudian-technological issues rather than the music. May they be sentenced to an eternity fixing Leo's car!

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