Foot fetish? No, no, no. (never could figure that fetish out). I distract. Little Feat, the glorious band from the late 60s and 1970s founded by guitarist and songwriter Lowell George (RIP). Formed as something of an inspirational off shoot from Frank Zappa's The Mothers Of Invention, in the hollow suburbs of Los Angeles, but not as eclectic as The Mothers, Little Feat led by Lowell George marked their musical territory and developed a style that borrowed from the California Folk Rock scene, New Orleans Jazz and Zydeco and flirtations of Southern Rock, all woven together by the Blues and Rock n' Roll.Witty & introspective lyrics and some serious grooves and hooks. My first introduction to them was early mornings before working at a Mental Hospital, while my friend Jim and I smoked our brains out before work. Sitting there in an early 70s Oldsmobile, cranking up some BASF tapes of various Little Feat albums taped by Jim. This musical introduction had a profound effect on me and the beginning of a love for this band that has remained with me. Those various mornings, I heard all the albums - Dixie Chicken, Sailin' Shoes, Time Loves A Hero, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, Last Record Album and, of course, the brilliantly recorded live album - Waiting For Columbus. Admittedly, my appreciation for their debut self titled album wouldn't come for many years.
Sailin' Shoes sported the gem "Cold Cold Cold" and the brilliant "Willin'". Dixie Chicken slipped a wee bit for memorable songs except for "Fat Man In The Bathtub", but lots of really good depth tracks. Feats Don't Fail Me Now was the masterstroke of a 4th album and hosted some of their all time best songs - "Rock N' Roll Doctor", "Oh Atlanta", "Skin It Back" and the title track. The Last Record Album followed suit the next year with another great selection of Feat songs, more of which were now being written by Bill Payne and Paul Barrere, as Lowell George's substance abuse problem began to show the wear. Time Loves A Hero in 1977 showed more of the same new finesse in their song writing with more Feat classics - "Old Folk's Boogie" "Time Loves A Hero" and " Rocket In My Pocket". Most all of these classics were covered on one of the best live albums ever recorded - Waiting For Columbus.
This is high recommendation for all of the younger music fans out there - if you are looking for a band and a sound you've never heard (quite possibly), then come to the world of Little Feat. It's easy for it to become a fetish. http://www.littlefeat.net/
another of my faves!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what prompted me to pick up Time Loves a Hero (it was the 70s, I was probably under the influence of something), but once I did I was hooked; into their back catalogue I went and loved it
my roommates in the next few years fell under the spell too!