Well, it is the end of our Leo Kottke week. A week of music is very different for you than it is for me. I end up listening to far more music than I post. In this case, pretty much all of his first 12 albums. It’s kind of hard to believe, although his albums don’t tend to be that long. Regardless, it was very enjoyable. There are a lot of great technicians — especially on the guitar — who lose sight of making their music enjoyable. But that never happens to Kottke. He always makes really enjoyable music.

The following is a performance of his at the Bottom Line. It revisits a couple of tunes, and moves into some of his later work. It is well worth listening to. And then after you are done, check out the second part.

You will have to forgive me for spending a second day on Leo Kottke. This is the end of the week, except for tomorrow when I plan to post a whole set by Kottke. And I realized that I hadn’t made it very far through his career. But at this point, he starts to mix it up more — singing, using a band, and also not being on YouTube. So I figured we would stop on this album and it would make a good overview of his early music.

Today we listen to a very nice slide guitar number, “Up Tempo.” It’s a beautiful tune — managing to be both upbeat and sad at the same time. Also, kind of funny.

In 1976, Leo Kottke moved to the now defunct Chrysalis Records. His first album for them was the self-titled, Leo Kottke. It consists only of instrumentals — except for the first song, Nashville session musician Bob Morris’ “Buckaroo.” The songs are produced in a much more evocative way than had been the case before. They could easily have been used for a film score.

Today, we are going to listen to “Airproofing.” It is hard driving, relentless number. I haven’t mentioned it this week, but Kottke has done a number of Baroque pieces. There are a lot of Baroque aspects to his music. “Airproofing” doesn’t sound Baroque, but it still contains a lot of the techniques typical of the period. And the first time you listen to it, it’s kind of like watching a tightrope walker. But trust me: he doesn’t fall. Just enjoy the music.

In 1974, Leo Kottke put out one of his most successful albums, the all instrumental Dreams and All That Stuff. There is a lot of production on the album, which I tend to think is more about making the process more fun for him than us. Although it is generally effective, especially on When Shrimps Learn to Whistle (which you should check out).

Today, we listen to a very pretty song that still makes me slightly sad with its longing, “Mona Ray.” It’s easy to get caught up in his technique, but the music really is beautiful. It’s easiest to experience by not watching him as he plays. But it is wondrous regardless.

Next in our journey through the career of Leo Kottke, we have 1972’s Greenhouse. He sings a lot more on this album. And at times, he’s very good. For example, check out Tiny Island. He also does a few songs by John Fahey — probably the biggest influence on Kottke’s style. The album is a true solo album — except for the last track on the album, it is just Kottke with his guitar. And it was recorded in just three days.

The song I’ve chosen today is, “The Spanish Entomologist.” It is really too delightful for words. It’s a medley. It starts with “Grand Texas” — but you probably know it from the Hank Williams classic “Jambalaya (On the Bayou).” (That would be a good week of music — following that progression.) And then he transitions into the Sons of the Pioneers song “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.” And then back. Unfortunately, I can’t find a live version of the song, so here is the title track with nothing to look at but the album cover. Not that it matters; it’s two and a half music of joy.

In 1971, Leo Kottke had his major label debut with Mudlark. I’m very inclined to present his 12-string version of Eight Miles High. But you can check that out on your own. Instead, we can listen to another song where he sings, “Hear the Wind Howl.” The truth is, I’m not that fond of him singing. It’s not that it’s bad, but he is the kind of musician where you want him to just shut up and play his guitar. Of course, his playing is as great regardless of what else he’s doing. That’s true here where he does some beautiful slide work.

I was going to get back onto my history of classical music, but it’s kind of time consuming and I’m working a lot right now. Also, I was listening to Pandora the other day and a song came on that blew me away. The guitar playing was unbelievably great. So I rushed back to the computer and saw that it was Leo Kottke. That didn’t surprise me. But it had been a while since I had listened to him. It’s easy to forget just how awesome he is.

So let’s start with a track from his first album 6- and 12-String Guitar, “Busted Bicycle.” This is from a recent concert, shot on a phone. But the sound is okay and the video doesn’t annoy me. What it shows is how much you can do with an open tuning. But if it weren’t for his amazing right-hand picking, it just wouldn’t work. That’s not to say that his left hand isn’t great. He makes it look easy. But then, he always does.

We will end this week of Japanese punk with a very early band, The Stalin. They formed in 1979, and put out their first EP in 1981, Stalinism. It was the brainchild of Michiro Endo — who was already in his thirties by the time the band was recording. He reminds me of Lee Ving of Fear when he was at his most unhinged. But I don’t think he ever was as unhinged as Endo.

Here is a song off their first LP, Trash. The song is called “Kaibōshitsu,” which apparently means, “Autopsy Room.” And that’s, well, very hardcore punk.

After discovering Hi-Standard, I became interested in finding more of their music. It turns out that one of the founders of the band, Ken Yokoyama, started another band when Hi-Standard stopped working in 2000. The band’s name is BBQ Chickens. And they are great too. At the same time, Yokoyama created Pizza of Death Records, which seems to be doing very well, and currently includes Garlic Boys.

In 2002, they released a video of two of their songs, “Sick Guy/Stupid Magazines” off the album, Indie Rock Strikes Back.

Today, we listen to Hi-Standard — a Japanese band formed in 1991, whose members clearly listened to a lot of American punk rock from the 1980s. They mostly sing in English, which doubtless makes them sound more American. But they just have the sound down. And they are great players. And they have a sense of humor with covers of Saturday Night and The Kids Are Alright and a great version of California Dreamin’. (Really. Listen to it. Click it. I’ll wait… Great, right?)

We are going to listen to “Maximum Overdrive” off their first album, Growing Up. Special attention should be paid to Akira Tsuneoka on the drums. He’s just amazing. I mean, they all are, but especially him. I love this band. They are the find of the week.

54 Nude Honeys was a very successful punk band out of Tokyo — formed in 1992. They are silly and generally over the top. As you will see in the video below and on the cover at the left, they dress is skimpy leather and generally try to seem like bad girls. It’s all got the same campy feel as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Despite their success, the only album of theirs that is widely available is the 2006 compilation, 54 Nude Honeys (Greatest Hits). The song we are going to listen to is the title track off their second album, “Drop the Gun.” It is also on the the greatest hits album. The video features Yuri pointing a gun at things. If an action hero were doing it, people would think it was cool. But Yuri makes it look as silly as it actually is.

Today we have a real treat: Teengenerate. They were a short-lived band out of Tokyo know for having a sense of humor. Of course, I think that’s one of the things that distinguishes punk from heavy metal. As a genre, heavy metal takes itself very seriously. Or maybe what I’m really talking about are the fans. Certainly Blue Öyster Cult always knew they were hilarious and that’s one of the main reasons I like them.

Anyway, on this video we get two songs that one commenter was nice enough to list: “Sex Cow” and “Gonna Feel Alright.” (I checked, and he was right.) They are off the album, Live At Shelter. What I especially like is the song that the guitarist is playing while he’s waiting for the rest of the band. Yes, this was a fun group.