Leo Kottke
's voice isn't for everyone, and has led a number of guitar freaks to borrow
Frank Zappa
's unkind phrase: "Shut up 'n play yer guitar."
Instrumentals: The Best of the Chrysalis Years
will speak to these fans, as it presents 18 pieces, from
"Airproofing"
in 1976 to
"Memories Are Made of This"
in 1983. To spice the package up a bit, the folks at
Blue Note
have added a live track,
"The Fisherman,"
from a notable
Montreux Jazz Festival
performance in 1977, and a couple of unissued tracks, including
Duane Allman
's
"Little Martha."
While most of these pieces have been penned by
Kottke
, he also offers delightful versions of
Norman Petty
"Wheels"
and
the Everly Brothers
' favorite
"All I Have to Do Is Dream."
All of
's stylistic gifts come into play on
Instrumentals
. There's electric slide on
"Whine,"
the use of a lovely open-tuning on
"Dolores,"
and the clean ambience and warmth of
"Strange."
The tracks flow in chronological order, allowing the listener to follow the guitarist's evolution over his eight years with
Chrysalis
; and while the albums he recorded during this time may lack the edginess of his earlier material, the pieces on
are consistently fresh and invigorating. Guitar hero wannabes, of course, will buy the album for the extra tracks; everyone else will find it a rewarding introduction to mid-period
. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.