Posts Tagged ‘Little Feat’

LITTLE FEAT – ” Little Feat ” Classic Albums Released January 1971

Posted: January 10, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer songwriter and lead vocalist and guitarist  Lowell George and keyboard  player Bill Payne in 1969 in  Los Angeles. George disbanded the group due to creative differences in 1979, shortly before his death. Surviving members reformed Little Feat in 1987, remaining intermittently active to the present day.

Although the band has undergone several changes in its lineup, the music has always remained an eclectic blend of rock and roll, blues, R&B,boogie, country, folk, gospel, soul, funk and jazz fusion influences.

Lowell George had met Bill Payne when playing in Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention, Lowell says that Zappa fired him because “Willin'” contains drug references (“weed, whites and wine”). George often introduced the song as the reason he was asked to leave the band. On October 18th, 1975 at the Auditorium Theater in Rochester New York while introducing the song, George commented that he was asked to leave the band for “writing a song about dope”.

Zappa was instrumental in getting George and his new band a contract with Warner Bros. Records. The eponymous first album delivered to Warner Bros. was recorded mostly in August and September 1970, and was released in January 1971. When it came time to record “Willin’,” George had hurt his hand in an accident with a model airplane, so Ry Cooder sat in and played the song’s slide part. Lowell’s accident is referenced on the cover art of the band’s 1998 album Under the Radar. “Willin'” would be re-recorded with George playing slide for Little Feat’s second album Sailin’ Shoes, which was also the first Little Feat album to include cover art by Neon Park, who had painted the cover for Frank Zappa’s Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

The cover shows a mural in Venice California, painted by the L. A. Fine Arts Squad in 1970 – “Venice in the Snow”.

Guitarist Jimmy Page stated Little Feat was his favorite American band

Released 45 years ago today.

LITTLE FEAT – ” Midnight Special ” 10th June, 1977 Burbank, California

Posted: December 23, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: ,
0

Midnight Special June 10, 1977
Hosted by Little Feat feat Emmylou Harris and Guests – Bonnie Raitt, Jesse Winchester, Weather Report, & Neil Young

0:14 Intro
0:24 Queen of the Silver Dollar – Emmylou Harris
4:45 Dixie Chicken – Little Feat
8:18 Runaway – Bonnie Raitt
12:40 Rhumba Man – Jesse Winchester
16:06 Like a Hurricane – Neil Young
25:25 Old Folks Boogie – Little Feat
29:22 I Can’t stand Up Alone – Jesse, Bonnie, Emmylou
32:38 Birdland – Weather Report
38:04 Home – Bonnie Raitt
41:51 Nothing But a Breeze – Jesse & Emmylou
46:22 Rocket in My Pocket – Little Feat
50:24 My Songbird – Emmylou Harris
53:43 Sugar Mama – Bonnie Raitt
57:45 Rhumba Mama Teen Town – Weather Report
1:02:17 Rock and Roll Doctor – Little Feat

LITTLE FEAT – ” Electrif Lycanthrope ” Recorded September 19th, 1974, New York

Posted: September 19, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Nestled between the classic LP releases “Dixie Chicken” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” and performed for a small and intimate assembled studio audience, this recording finds Little Feat in their prime, live from Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, NY on September 9th, 1974.Often discussed as their ‘best’ line up, this recording features the 1974 version of Little Feat containing Lowell George (Guitar, Vocals), Paul Barrere (Guitar, Vocals), Kenny Gradney (Bass), Richie Hayward (Drums, Vocals) Sam Clayton (Percussion, Vocals), and Bill Payne (Keyboards). With excerpts of this performance only available previously as a legendary ‘70s bootleg, this Record Store Day Black Friday release is the first time the full-length performance is available, directly from the original pre-FM broadcast master tapes, and serves as an excellent introduction to one of rock ‘n’ roll’s best – yet criminally unsung – outfits. The recording captures the band cranking out songs from what are arguably two of their three best studio albums, at the pinnacle of their chemistry.

When Electrif Lycanthope appeared on The Amazing Kornyphone Record Label in 1975, the quality was so high the rumour was that Lowell George himself was behind its release. Recorded for WLIR, New York at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, it captures the classic Little Feat lineup at its peak, and surpasses 1977’s sanctioned live double, Waiting For Columbus. Electrif Lycanthrope (the title remains a mystery) offers the ultimate setlist, drawing heavily from Dixie Chicken and the then-recently completed Feats Don’t Fail Me Now;

Allen Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down” segues into “Spanish Moon”, and the result is pure New Orleans funk, albeit played by a bunch of California misfits. The nine-song vinyl is bolstered on a later CD edition by three further Ultrasonic recordings, and you can find film from the Ultrasonic sessions of “Rock’n’Roll Doctor” and “Oh Atlanta“ on YouTube. This boot is the Feats’ own Dylan/Royal Albert Hall, 1966. Seriously, that good.
Sound quality: Excellent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f0iZY_RSTI
See also: Rampant Syncopation, aka Live In San Francisco 1976

LITTLE FEAT – ” Live At Ebbets Field ” 1973

Posted: June 12, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , , , ,
0

Little Feat – In Concert from Ebbets Field, Denver Colorado – Late Show – July 19, 1973 –

I can’t believe this concert is 43 years old.

Perennial, desert-island favorites Little Feat played this weekend, in concert from Ebbets Field in Denver – recorded on July 19th, 1973. For fans, it’s the late show – if you’re new to Little Feat, they had the hands-down reputation of being one of the best American live bands of the 70s, and they were always a pleasure to see live in concert.

Not that their studio albums weren’t great – they were. But like many bands at the time, seeing them live and hearing them in the confines of a recording studio were two different things. And Little Feat were a great band to catch live. Guided by the musical genius of Lowell George, Little Feat were an institution beginning in 1969 when George had left Frank Zappa’s The Mothers Of Invention and teamed up with Bill Payne, along with Mothers alumnus Roy Estrada and Fraternity Of Man drummer Ritchie Hayward. The band underwent a number of personnel and direction changes in the coming years; breaking up in 1978 and with Lowell George going solo before sadly succumbing to a heart attack in 1979.

Although Little Feat had reunited in 1987, it was the early period that stuck in most fans minds – and this concert from 1973 is a reminder of just how admired they were – prompting even Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page to declare in a 1975 Rolling Stone interview that Little Feat were his favorite American band.

Live at Ebbet’s Field. July 19th, 1973

Lowell George: Vocals and Guitar
Bill Payne: Keyboards
Paul Barrere: Guitar
Sam Clayton: Percussionist
Richie Hayward: Drums
Kenny Gradney: Bass

Hit the play button and find out why.

If someone recorded these shows in 1973 off of FM radio, they definitely had a top-notch tuner and reel-to-reel tape recorder. But I’m wondering if these weren’t “pre-FM tapes” because the quality is superb and the noise levels quite low. In addition, the tuning, stage comments, and repeated songs are all included. The link listed below is to a description of the venue and the recordings, and suggests these really were professional recordings at the venue. The crowd noise, comments (including banter with the band) and ambience add character to the show.

The performances are, as I am discovering as I explore the many shows on Internet Archive, typically outstanding for mid-70’s Little Feat. Most of the songs are from Little Feat’s typical stage shows for the time, but “Snakes on Everything” adds an interesting (and not overlong) jam and “Texas Rose Cafe” is another song I don’t see popping up on other recordings.

I am increasingly sorry I was unable to catch this band live in 70’s, especially but in part due to the airplay from the fantastic WHFS, whose DJ Cerph introduces the band on the “Waiting for Columbus” live CD recorded at George Washington Univ’s Lisner Auditorium. Both Cerph and Lisner are still going strong today in DC. For the songs repeated on the two discs (perhaps the come from two distinct sets) it is interesting to hear the variatons.

Doing a little exploring, I found this link, http://stillisstillmoving.com/?p=325, which says that “Ebbets Field” was really a small club in an office building. And they professionally recorded a lot of shows, some of which have apparently been released piecemeal on CD.

LITTLE FEAT – ” Dixie Chicken ” Live On The Midnight Special

Posted: April 22, 2016 in MUSIC
Tags: , ,
0

Little Feat perform Dixie Chicken with Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Jesse Winchester Live in 1977 on ‘The Midnight Special’………..I just wish it had been an extended version going into ‘Tripe Face Boogie’!!!

Lowell George , the original lead singer, songwriter, and slide guitarist of Little Feat, would have turned 71 years old today. What better way to celebrate this American music legend than by watching this performance of “Dixie Chicken” featuring special guests, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and Jesse Winchester.

LITTLE FEAT feat LOWELL GEORGE – ” Willin “

Posted: January 20, 2015 in MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

Little Feat performing “Willin'” probably their best known song. Written by and sung here by the hugely talented and sadly missed Lowell George Live in 1977 from the Rockpalast video recorded in Germany. What an amazing band collectively they were then….such sensitivity for each others playing.

There are three stories about the genesis of Little Feat. One has it that George showed Zappa his song “Willin’,” and that Zappa fired him from the Mothers of Invention, because he felt that George was too talented to merely be a member of his band, and told him he ought to go away and form his own band. The second version has Zappa firing him for playing a 15-minute guitar solo with his amplifier off. The third version says that Zappa fired him because “Willin'” contains drug references (“weed, whites and wine”). George often introduced the song as the reason he was asked to leave the band. On October 18, 1975 at the Auditorium Theater in Rochester New York while introducing the song, George commented that he was asked to leave the band for “writing a song about dope”

In any version, Zappa was instrumental in getting George and his new band a contract with Warner Bros. Records. The eponymous first album delivered to Warner Bros. was recorded mostly in August and September 1970, and was released in January 1971. When it came time to record “Willin’,” George had hurt his hand in an accident with a model airplane, so Ry Cooder sat in and played the song’s slide part. Lowell’s accident is referenced on the cover art of the band’s 1998 album Under the Radar. “Willin'” would be re-recorded with George playing slide for Little Feat’s second album Sailin’ Shoes, which was also the first Little Feat album to include cover art by Neon Park, who had painted the cover for Zappa’s Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

LITTLE FEAT – ” Live at Pink Pop Festival Holland ” 7th June 1976

Posted: January 17, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
Tags: , , ,
0

littlefeatholland

Little Feat are one of the most influential American bands of the seventies. Founded by Lowell George and Bill Payne in L.A. in 1969 they produced a series of highly original albums over the next decade featuring an eclectic blend of rock n roll, blues, country, folk, soul and jazz before the death of Lowell George in 1979 brought the first phase of the band s existence to an end. This CD+DVD live set captures the band at their best and for many years this was a renowed bootleg, the band s performance at the famous Dutch festival Pinkpop on 7 June 1976 the band s classic line-up at the peak of their powers performing many of their best known tracks.

This  CD + DVD of the live show packaged in a slimline CD jewelcase. First ever release of this 1976 concert in any format. The four surviving members of this classic line-up are still performing and recording as Little Feat today. Includes the classics: Rock And Roll Doctor , Dixie Chicken , Feats Don t Fail Me Now , Skin It Back , Teenage Nervous Breakdown , Fat Man In A Bathtub and more. Now available on Amazon.

littlefeatback

Newer Entries