Album Reviews

Little Feat was never an "album" band, even though they released many good records. They were low concept and high boogie. The groove was cerebral though, not the mindless "good time" endless fist pump variety mainly because of the playful and smart Lowell George. Lowell was from Baltimore.

The group's great records like Sailin' Shoes  and Dixie Chicken were simply collections of great tunes, not unified intellectual statements like, say,  Dark Side of the Moon or Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy.

But they were still too cerebral for general audiences and so they never took off in the big commercial sense. They were the jam band of choice for Boston's “hipeoisie” and really popular on WBCN-FM. Everyone I knew loved Little Feat back then but don't think they were like The Allman Brothers because they weren't but the record label wished it was so and so did the fans. Everybody rooted for Lowell and the boys. About two years after this album was recorded and released, he died of a drug overdose.

Even though Lowell George, his voice and distinctive wailing slide guitar was the heart and soul of the band, the group carried on. I saw them a few years ago at the local YMCA and they were still great. Little Feat was best consumed live and that's why this live collection is Little Feat's best. 

If you're not acquainted, this is the Little Feat  gateway drug. If you're a fan you already have this in one form or another. It was recorded at various venues and spliced together to produce one great Little Feat concert starting with the pre-performance pep fest and joint sucking. If you can't hear the boys taking hits before breaking into an a cappella chant, check your  tweeters. 

When they launch into "Fatman in the Bathtub" you realize that not only is the groove hypnotic, the recording is spectacular. This is one of the great live recordings of the rock era in my opinion. It's even better than the Sheffield Drum Record. Honest! 

So when you combine a great live band that can simultaneously entertain your brain and your ass (which for some are the same thing, I know) how can you go wrong? You can't.

You get seventeen Little Feat faves and I won't name them but among them are "Oh Atlanta," "Time Loves a Hero" "Dixie Chicken"  "A Apolitical Blues" and "Don't Bogart That Joint." 

Speaking of which (and if I wrote this once before please stop me), I once got permission from Lowell at a Paul's Mall concert to tape the show using a Sony Dolby cassette deck with chrome dioxide tape and a pair of decent mikes. Paul's Mall was a small basement venue that was a real nightclub. A few hundred people sat at tables like actual adults. None of this standing around on sticky cement floors.

Bonnie Raitt was dating Lowell George at the time and she sang back up on some tunes. I think Raitt was living in Boston at the time and the college town was a hot bed of Little Feat fandom, which wasn't the case everyplace. So the vibe was outstanding. It was a memorable night. If you have the Little Feat CD box set look at the picture in the book of the Paul's Mall show. I'm pretty sure the guy with the Jewfro in the middle was me.

As I was packing up my stuff, someone walked by and "Bogarted" the tapes. Gone. This was the era of white jacket vinyl bootlegs and all I could think of was "Little Feat LIve at Paul's Mall" records and it would all be my fault. Mr. George was at the bar and I went over and apologized profusely for what happened and I promised to go after any bootlegger that could be found, which fortunately, wasn't necessary.

When I'd finished my apology he casually reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a joint and handing it to me said "Smoke this and don't worry about it. We play that well every night."  That was so great!

If your system can do it, when you crank these records up, it's just about as good as live and I'm not kidding. You're right in front looking up at the band. The late Richie Hayward's drum kit is huge and explosive. The snare should just about snap your head off and the kick drum should threaten to  move your bowels. Kenny Gradney's bass has weight and a rich textured grip that just about rips up the soundstage but best of all the vocals are really convincing of what they might sound like on a stage.

The blend between the live feed and the stage monitor bleed gives you a great sense of the stage and the size of the venue. Even the audience has been reasonably well captured. You should really notice the venue changes when you listen to this new Mobile Fidelity two LP set. Less so on the very good CD (for a CD).  The CD, though tonally very fine and not "digital sounding" puts the entire presentation on a straight line between the speakers. The LPs put before you plausible three-dimensionable space.

This recording has everything: deep bass, clean, extended highs, ultra-wide dynamics, a well-organized soundstage and three dimensional imaging. Put the recording and music together and you have the reason why the original Mobile Fidelity double LP, half-speed mastered set  pressed in Japan is so treasured. It's fantastic.  

So how does this new one, also half-speed mastered but pressed at RTI in Camarillo stack up sonically? Well the tapes are about thirty years older and that never helps. The new issue does not sound like the previous one. It's not as bright nor is it as airy or spacious. Is the original one too bright? Is the space in the recording or was it a mastering concoction? Or is this one too rolled and/or soft? Surely to some degree which you might prefer is system and taste dependent.

I took a comparison CD-R to the Consumer Electronics Show and played it in many rooms at the show on a variety of gear and the response was pretty much oonsistent: people preferred the brighter, edgier original and so did I.

But now I've changed my mind.

This new version is probably flatter and more honest. It's not as bright but that lets you crank it up without your ears bleeding and when you've got it at non-lethal concert dB levels (95dB) if your system can do that, the brightness and the overall balance is perfect.

The top end is completely open, extended, transparent and silky smooth, yet the transients are naturally sharp. At that point you'll notice how much more physical and well-textured is the bass compared to the original. Now the band is an organic whole.

The original is different but equally fine and if you have it, unless this is one of your "must haves," you're done.

Fans will definitely want to have this one too while its available. For those who are unfamiliar with the band and/or this album, just get it.

This new Waiting For Columbus was well-worth the wait!