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Leo Kottke — When Shrimps Learn to Whistle
Album: Dreams And All That Stuff
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1393









Released: 1974
Length: 3:22
Plays (last 30 days): 1
(Instrumental)
Comments (126)add comment
This is a quietly satisfying piece of music for me. 

Looking at the ratings distribution I note that while the real number and percentage is very low, there are still some ratings of one. Picking this song to note that is deliberate in that, while in theory, it makes sense that tastes vary widely and I accept that folks like a lot of music that I don’t particularly enjoy, and dislike music that I particularly do enjoy, in practice, it’s still difficult to wrap my head around a one rating for something like this.

Please don’t misunderstand me: I’m not questioning individual taste variance, or the right to it, no. In theory I believe I understand that quite well. Still, in practice, while I can imagine this is not to everyone’s taste, and they might rate it a five or lower, I have a hard time getting to a one rating.

But then I suppose that’s precisely how some folks feel about any of my one ratings, so there we are.

Radio Paradise has been and is very instructive in getting a glimpse into the workings of individual music preference even into a self-selecting group of enthusiasts who are drawn to an eclectic mix of music. Maybe it’s for that very reason that you see such a broad range of ratings on every song, and it appears, at least a few one ratings for every song.
yeah…even though I’m an atheist, Kottke earns a 9 or even a ”godlike” rating. 
“You shall hear his strings and his strings shall set you free.”
☮️😉
9 -> 10
 DChas wrote:

This was one of my very first albums . . on vinyl . . I still have it


That's a funny cover and title for such sweet music
Easy 9 from this waterboy
A late friend stated that Leo has some of the most creative abuse of a 12 string guitar he's heard. 
1974...geez...still sounds new
He's good to see live, too.
Been a fan of Mr Kottke since the early 70's.  One superb guitarist!
my foot just taps when i hear this
 Jelani wrote:
 
 
You're confusing it with Vaseline Machine Gun.
I thought the title of this was Vaseline Shrimp.
 Art_Mickey wrote:
Every RP session has a song that gets me to turn it up. This was it. 
 
Agreed, with one slight alteration to what you said "...at least one song...." and this is one of them to me too!  Long Live RP!!
This was one of my very first albums . . on vinyl . . I still have it
Every RP session has a song that gets me to turn it up. This was it. 
Whoah! How bout that album cover! How bout that pickin?
Just heard him in concert. Small venue. What a treat. 
I never would have guessed this is 43 years old. Nice.
Gosh! I haven't heard this in ages, and of course still love it. I'm dating myself but will say I fancy a "run around" with my pristine vinyl copy. {#Guitarist} 
I really like this one but I've found that with Leo's music a little goes a long way. For me, it's like eating a very rich piece of cake.  One small piece is enough.  More right away is too much.
 TreborG2 wrote:
now to follow this with Journey of the Sorcerer .. that would be awesome..

 
Heh. Yep.

This song is such a great memory for me. Love it. 
Never ceases to amaze.
{#Bananapiano}{#Guitarist}{#Guitarist}
 WonderLizard wrote:

I can't find any independent corroboration that's Sean Penn next to Leo on the album cover. Can you—or anyone—provide same, please?

 
Naw...It's just a dead-ringer look-alike.  Penn didn't really get famous until the 1980's.
 
It's still a great song/title anyway!! 
 TerryS wrote:
In my London family a trump was a loud noise form your nether regions, so why can't a shrimp whistle, I ask.

 
I haven't seen anything in the meejah relating D. Trump and fart.
My relatives in Poland laughed and thought it most apposite when I told them of the connection. 
In my London family a trump was a loud noise emanating from your nether regions, so why can't a shrimp whistle, I ask.
 
 exurbia wrote:
Gotta be a contender for "Best song title ever"

 
I agree totally! I saw him perform a couple months ago solo without shrimp. He is still one the best players ever.
Gotta be a contender for "Best song title ever"
So great....not long enough!
Marvelous! {#Cheers}
 wtango wrote:
I wonder if this playing is current-event driven?...
'Sea monster' of prehistoric era resembled 7-foot giant shrimphttps://news.discovery.com/animals/7-foot-long-sea-monster-was-ancestor-of-shrimp-150311.htm

shrimpy

 
Prescience, perhaps?
One of my favorite magical Kottke moments...more please!
 hayduke2 wrote:
wow cool, I have the same plaid shirt Sean Penn's wearing in that photo

 
I can't find any independent corroboration that's Sean Penn next to Leo on the album cover. Can you—or anyone—provide same, please?
 skooba wrote:
I once had a sea monkey (brine shrimp) that could hum, but I could never teach him to whistle.{#Roflol}

 
{#Lol}
This is really guitar played with the balls. Awesome sound.
If I were a believer, musicians like Leo Kottke would be my prove of God's existence.
I wonder if this playing is current-event driven?...
'Sea monster' of prehistoric era resembled 7-foot giant shrimphttps://news.discovery.com/animals/7-foot-long-sea-monster-was-ancestor-of-shrimp-150311.htm

shrimpy
Leo is awesome {#Bananajam}
 Baby_M wrote:
Right before this track, the PSD button had served up John Prine's "Fish and Whistle."

The RP software is almost spooky some times.

 
John Prine, a musical hero. So glad RP plucks out a few of his gems every now and then. {#Clap}
I once had a sea monkey (brine shrimp) that could hum, but I could never teach him to whistle.{#Roflol}
Right before this track, the PSD button had served up John Prine's "Fish and Whistle."

The RP software is almost spooky some times.
Is that cow bells I am hearing? Coolio!
wow cool, I have the same plaid shirt Sean Penn's wearing in that photo
now to follow this with Journey of the Sorcerer .. that would be awesome..
{#Bananajam}
Saw him recently at the Birchmere in Alexandria VA.  Not only was his playing phenomenal, his story telling had the audience roaring with laughter.  He's an astounding muscian and just comes across as a very intelligent man who is somewhat bemused by the world around him. 
Would be interesting to follow this up with "Song of the Shrimp" by Frank Black, off "Honeycomb" cd. I think they would go well together, musically and thematically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fImyrOt_DZs
 TerryS wrote:
Fortunately, I hear no geese farts on a foggy day (as Leo famously described his own voice).

 

But those geese farts sound so sexy...
love this guy.
Fortunately, I hear no geese farts on a foggy day (as Leo famously described his own voice).
Decent (5) for both of the melodies. Total = 10.
 Cynaera wrote:
Anything Leo Kottke plays is, to me, a ten. SUCH talent, and he doesn't go for the flash and dazzle - he just plays from the heart and soul, and that's what resonates with me. And he's a very modest, unassuming guy, too, which only makes me love his music more.
 

Well said...  I agree...

miss you...
 
Huge Leo fan.  Was lucky enough to see him several times in small venues before his fingers started giving him trouble.
   Smokin!
 Antigone wrote:
I have a very specific memory associated with this music ... to the first comedy performance I saw by two friends of mine, years and years ago. They used this as music during one of the breaks between scenes. Hearing this takes me back, instantly to that time and venue.
 
And now it breaks my heart because one of those friends, the one I dated, committed suicide several years ago. Such a loss.
this is from the same guy who did a child should be a fish or something?
Watching this genius play guitar is an amazing thing. So many sounds coming from ONE guitar. Yep amazing!Cool
 Hannio wrote:
Is that Les Claypool on the cover with Leo?  I'm joking, of course.  Still, I gotta wonder.

 

Haha, nice.  Claypool and Kottke, now that would be an awesome combo.  Then again, the Mike Gordon/Kottke collaboration was pretty damn nifty.
So good for the ear holes, Pandalus cochleanus
Reminds me a lot of Mike Oldfield - which is around the same time period.  I wonder if they ever collaborated?
Anything Leo Kottke plays is, to me, a ten. SUCH talent, and he doesn't go for the flash and dazzle - he just plays from the heart and soul, and that's what resonates with me. And he's a very modest, unassuming guy, too, which only makes me love his music more.
 DigitalJer wrote:
I wish I had half of this mans talent
 
While I don't deny that he has talent, what he really has in abundance is SKILL.  And that skill came from a hell of a lot of hard work and practice.  Dude worked his fingers to the point where he had to change his style due to RSI.  So I admire his hard work and dedication, as well as his creativity and musical aesthetics.

Is that Les Claypool on the cover with Leo?  I'm joking, of course.  Still, I gotta wonder.



I wish I had half of this mans talent
Once I got past my fear of Oklahoma feedlot scary man, I too played the bejeezus outta this on vinyl, too!

Thanks, Leo

Maybe shrimp can't whistle, but they're noisy as hell. The majority of natural ambient noise in shallow warm water has been attributed to shrimp in several published studies. Mostly popping and snapping. If I were a shrimp, I'd certainly be snapping to this!

I had this on vinyl way long ago. What an absolutely amazing album.
 alux wrote:
Is this the highest rated acoustic guitar piece on RP?  It is certainly deserving.
Correction:  Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries is at 8.3, which is also very deserving.  
 


Embryonic Journey is the highest rated acoustic guitar piece if I'm not mistaken
Is this the highest rated acoustic guitar piece on RP?  It is certainly deserving.
Correction:  Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries is at 8.3, which is also very deserving.  
 Frater_Kork wrote:
Memories...

I remember that album cover from my dads vinyl collection, we used to play the dog out that record (and the others as well of course).
Kottke drove dad into buying an acoustic guitar, pretty much like everyone else back in the 70:s I guess. The sounds he wrenced from that poor instrument were pretty horrid... He got over it after a few years and picked up photography instead wich was easier on the ears but created interesting chemical stenches from the cellar darkroom instead.

Thanks for playing that record Bill. Time to visit dad, raid his old vinyls and share a beer.
 
That's great {#Bananajam}
Personally my favorite is Maryland blue crab, but shrimp are right up there!

Memories...

I remember that album cover from my dads vinyl collection, we used to play the dog out that record (and the others as well of course).
Kottke drove dad into buying an acoustic guitar, pretty much like everyone else back in the 70:s I guess. The sounds he wrenced from that poor instrument were pretty horrid... He got over it after a few years and picked up photography instead wich was easier on the ears but created interesting chemical stenches from the cellar darkroom instead.

Thanks for playing that record Bill. Time to visit dad, raid his old vinyls and share a beer.
 forge wrote:
Kottke is such a god. I hear he's been suffering carpal tunnel from all these years of mind-bogglingly great guitar playing, which is probably one of the great injustices in all the Universe.
 
There was a great interview with him and Mike Gordon on NPR where he talked about it.  It wasn't the carpal tunnel stuff so much as he the fingering style he was using ended up really damaging his hands, and he couldn't play for something like a year.  He came back and learned how to work around it and is now playing like crazy (again :)

See the section on the wikipedia page related to this:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Kottke#Injury_and_new_playing_style


jayhawks to the shins to leo kottke...  this is why they call you mix-master-bill.  i love it..

 sunnysideandy wrote:
When my avocados learn to salsa, then I will expect shrimps to whistle.
 
LOL! Ah well, at least you can get bananas to dance - {#Bananajam}

So, which one's Leo on the album cover? ;-)

Pretty damn good on the ol' gittar, in't he? 7 from the Nottingham jury.
 ick wrote:
I had endless shrimp last night, some Cajun, some scampi, some were coconut but none of them knew how to whistle.
 
It is hard to tell at that point.
Kottke is such a god. I hear he's been suffering carpal tunnel from all these years of mind-bogglingly great guitar playing, which is probably one of the great injustices in all the Universe.


When my avocados learn to salsa, then I will expect shrimps to whistle.
I had endless shrimp last night, some Cajun, some scampi, some were coconut but none of them knew how to whistle.
This guy sure can pick a guitar.  Signature voice as well.
Follow this one with John Prine's Fish and Whistle. Just a suggestion.
Mmmmmm . . . shrimp!
Just saw Leo two nights ago (2/7/08, 3rd row center) and I believe this was the best I've ever seen him play. He was so on that night! What a genius of his instrument. I just sat slack jawed at his complex chord structures, his phrasing and his ability to find and squeeze in all those amazing notes. It's nice to know that in this day and age, that there's still something we Americans can be proud of. Kottke is certainly an American original. Absolutely amazing performer/musician. Oh yeah, and his twisted sense of the world, let us not forget his storytelling.
pkimbrel wrote:
It's Matt Damon and Chuck E. Cheese after a shave, isn't it?
The guy on the right is Les Claypool, I think.
Wizzuvv_oz wrote:
LOL I'm sorry Kentucky, but I've seen that face there
It's Matt Damon and Chuck E. Cheese after a shave, isn't it?
My favorite Kottke track. Just amazing, and a 10.
I have a very specific memory associated with this music ... to the first comedy performance I saw by two friends of mine, years and years ago. They used this as music during one of the breaks between scenes. Hearing this takes me back, instantly to that time and venue.
cc_rider wrote:
Those aren't masks.
LOL I'm sorry Kentucky, but I've seen that face there
Wow, haven't heard this in ages. It was such a departure from "My Feet Are Smiling" and "Ice Water."
Just the title gets a 7. Kind of cool, a little different than what I expect from Mr. Kottke. In a good way. c.
MojoJojo wrote:
Kentucky. They're everywhere.
Those aren't masks.
prairiedogj wrote:
Great album cover. Great music.
and great song title.
WonderLizard wrote:
Ever wonder what Kottke and Hedges would have sounded like together live?
I saw them both live @ the "Count Basie" theater in Red Bank, NJ. It was in the early 90's. Hedges came on first, then Leo came on. They did a couple of songs together. The concert venue was packed with recording devices - recording was encouraged by the artists and people brought all kinds of rigs. I wish I had known. It was an amazing evening, to say the least.
mojoman wrote:
...by the way, where can I get that cool mask?
Kentucky. They're everywhere.
prairiedogj wrote:
Great album cover. Great music.
Monument Valley.
Ever wonder what Kottke and Hedges would have sounded like together live?
Great album cover. Great music.
Pearhead wrote:
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Thanks, Pear.
Not deaf, shortie, TONE-deaf. shortie wrote:
For being deaf, he sure responded well to what the audience called out when he played. Vaseline Machine Gun (from 6 and 12 String Guitar) was my first Kottke experience. What a sublime song to hear in your formative years. :)
great
one word MAGIC
Need an emoticon for shivers running down my back. By the way, where can I get that cool mask?
Music too good for words.
Cynaera wrote:
... Did y'all know that Leo Kottke is tone-deaf? I remember hearing an interview with him on a now-defunct Eugene, Oregon radio station, Acoustic Cafe. Mr. Kottke admitted that he's deaf as a post, and has to tune his guitars to certain frequencies so he can hear what he's playing. He hates the way he sings, but he feels that it's only right he portrays his songs. Just thought I'd share that.
For being deaf, he sure responded well to what the audience called out when he played. Vaseline Machine Gun (from 6 and 12 String Guitar) was my first Kottke experience. What a sublime song to hear in your formative years. :)
I love Leo Kottke - he did a song called "Machine #2" that our local radio station radical used as his opening theme, just before he played the likes of Lindesfarne, Jethro Tull, It's A Beautiful Day and killer Rolling Stones. Did y'all know that Leo Kottke is tone-deaf? I remember hearing an interview with him on a now-defunct Eugene, Oregon radio station, Acoustic Cafe. Mr. Kottke admitted that he's deaf as a post, and has to tune his guitars to certain frequencies so he can hear what he's playing. He hates the way he sings, but he feels that it's only right he portrays his songs. Just thought I'd share that.
I can still remember when I relocated to Minneapolis, MN. Kottke lived in Minnetonka, a little suburb, and gave a concert every Christmas at a little theater in downtown Mpls. What a wonder he was! And he's got new material out with one of Phish's folks.
Can he EVER. I agree... you gotta see him in concert, it's a blast if you like guitar. This song's a great pick from him, too... he's got a lot more technical pieces, but this one's fun. DMay wrote:
The dude can tear up the guitar.
The dude can tear up the guitar.
i highly recommend seeing him in concert if you get the chance. he sounds great live, and his stories are really engaging and hilarious (at least they were to me).
As soon as I heard good (really good, not "I-kiss-Mark-Knopfler's-Dire-Straits-sounding-ass" "good") I knew it had to be Kottke. How about "Jack Gets Up"?
"chopsticks" lick in there. Love Leo, he sounds like no other.
oldslabsides wrote:
I really dig Leo; and I want some of whatever he's smoking when he names his tunes...
From the liner notes in a compilation CD, the title is a reference to something Nikita Khrushchev had said: "Those who wait for the Soviet Union to abandon Communism will wait until shrimp learn to whistle."
oldslabsides wrote:
grammatically, you are correct....but you need to consider the rest of the title...."whistling shrimp?"
Maybe he's referring to small people and/or kids rather than creatures of the sea...
Chinto wrote:
I thought it was Shrimp..no 'S'....ahem.so I'm picky. A part of my life is R P
grammatically, you are correct....but you need to consider the rest of the title...."whistling shrimp?"
I thought it was Shrimp..no 'S'....ahem.so I'm picky. A part of my life is R P
I really dig Leo; and I want some of whatever he's smoking when he names his tunes...
Actually, that's "goose farts on a muggy day" but who's keeping track?
frednic wrote:
This whole album is most exellent! It's all instrumental. Leo has said that his voice sounds like farting ducks. I disagree but for people who do, here ya go.
Actually, leo said he never wanted to sing because he thought his voice sounded like goose farts in the wind. It's just a matter of how fowl you want to be in the quote (sorry 'bout that!)graphics/smiles/eusa_whistle.gif
Thank god we have Leo in this world with us!!! Who else would give us a song titled "When Shrimps Learn to Whistle"? What a great tune! I've been remiss in not pulliing this record down off my shelf and listening to in years. Many kudos to Bill for his continued mastery at pulling rabbits out of the hat!!!
frednic wrote:
This whole album is most exellent! It's all instrumental. Leo has said that his voice sounds like farting ducks. I disagree but for people who do, here ya go.
Let's just say he's achieved greater mastery of the instrument that he wasn't born with. As for the other.......
This whole album is most exellent! It's all instrumental. Leo has said that his voice sounds like farting ducks. I disagree but for people who do, here ya go.
My first Leo Kottke album.....many happy returns!
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)