''Balance'' is an album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

guitarist

Leo Kottke Leo Kottke (born September 11, 1945) is an acoustic guitarist. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies. He overcame a series of personal obstacles, including parti ...

, released in 1978. It was re-issued on CD by BGO Records (263) in 1996. On this album, only ''Whine'' and ''Dolores'' are Kottke's familiar acoustic guitar solos. ''1/2-Acre of Garlic'' is a unique blend of acoustic guitar wizardry and Kottke's vocal, with electric guitar and bass supporting. ''Learning the Game'' is a straight ballad rendition of the

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

classic. The remaining tracks are essentially rock songs. Even ''Embryonic Journey'' is given more of a rock band style of treatment than in

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

's original version.

Track listing

All songs by Leo Kottke except as noted.

Side one

# "Tell Mary" – 2:59 # "I Don't Know Why" – 2:30 # " Embryonic Journey" (

Jorma Kaukonen Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bassist J ...

) – 3:15 # "Disguise – 3:09 # "Whine" – 3:28

Side two

# "Losing Everything" – 2:32 # "Drowning" – 3:16 # "Dolores" – 4:09 # "1/2-Acre of Garlic" – 2:43 # "Learning the Game" (

) – 4:06

Personnel

*Leo Kottke – Acoustic Guitar, Vocals *

Kenneth Buttrey Aaron Kenneth Buttrey (April 1, 1945 – September 12, 2004) was an American drummer and arranger. According to CMT, he was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history". Buttrey was born in Nashville, Tennessee, became a ...

– Drums, Clavinet (on “Disguise”) *Mike Leech – Bass *Bobby Ogdin – Piano *John Harris – Piano Production notes: LP Chrysalis CHR 1234 *Produced by

*Engineered and remixed by Marty Lewis *Recorded at

Quadrafonic Sound Studios Quad Studios Nashville was a four-studio recording facility established as Quadrafonic Sound Studio in 1971 on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The studio was the location of numerous notable recording sessions, including Neil Young's ''Harvest'', ...

,
mixed at

Westlake Audio Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio in West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name Westlake Audio. Hidley was experien ...

,
mastered at Mastering Lab by Mike Reese *Assistant Engineers: Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Connie Potter, Paul Ray *Art Direction:

John Van Hamersveld John Van Hamersveld (born September 1, 1941, Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands from the 1960s onward. Among the 300 albums are the covers of ...

*Photography: Larry Williams

References

External links

Leo Kottke's official site

Unofficial Leo Kottke web site
(fan site) {{Authority control 1979 albums Leo Kottke albums Chrysalis Records albums