Category: Little Feat

Hoy hoy! This month we’re treated to a double dose of Little Feat with some seriously tricked-out reissues of two defining albums in a pretty flawless run, Sailin’ Shoes (1972) and Dixie Chicken (1973). There’s perhaps no better reflection of Little Feat than the music a put down on these two records, which represent a crucial junction in both sound and songwriting as the band transitioned from dusty barroom boogie to their breakthrough blend of slick production and southern-fried funk.

The band’s live recording at WLIR in Long Island on April 10, 1973 is undoubtedly one of the great early Feat bootlegs, and perhaps only rivaled by the following year’s performance at the very same studio on September 19, 1974 (now officially released as Electrif Lycanthrope: Live at Ultra-Sonic Studios, 1974). Fresh from the recording sessions for Dixie Chicken, this 1973 set is red hot.

Released in 1971, Little Feat is a far cry from the studio slick boogie that eventually became the band’s trademark, but it’s also one of the best records Lowell George & co. ever made. Little Feat knew what they were all about from the start, and every tune on the album feels road-worn, frayed, and more than a little delirious. With a pinch of swagger and a sly, stony wink, Lowell George wrote about what he knew best: speedballs and hamburgers, dive bar denizens and cranked-out truckers looking for salvation.