Little Feat Albums We’ve Reviewed
We can now clearly say that Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is the best sounding album of the first four the band recorded.
We think the songs are great too; we would hope that goes without saying.
Waiting For Columbus — their live masterpiece and inarguably the definitive recording statement by the band — has at least one song from this album on each of its four sides. That ought to tell you something.
If only we could find good sounding copies! But enough about that album. Let’s talk about this one.
What to Listen for
So many pressings are either dull or thin that tonality becomes a major issue on an album like this.
The copies that do well in our shootouts are rich and full-bodied, but not thick, opaque or dull. They must also of course have plenty of rock and roll energy and drive.
Side One
A+++. It ROCKS! It’s got the ENERGY and the BIG, RICH sound that no other copy could manage. The midrange is sweet and clear with clean and breathy vocal harmonies.
No other copy had the open space of this side either. It’s there on the tape but it takes a very special pressing to let you hear it.
Side Two
A++. This side starts off without all the top end extension we wanted, but by the second track the top end had opened up just fine and showed us the space and stage depth and width we knew was possible after hearing our top side one.
The energy is rockin’ and the voices are not edgy, thin or veiled. Our shootout winner for this side was bigger and richer but it had a mediocre side one so this is the best overall pressing we have to offer.
Early Little Feat albums are not known for their audiophile quality sound, so at A++ this is miles beyond the kind of sound we are used to for this era of the band’s output.
The Girls
Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Fran Tate (the future Mrs. Billy Payne) sing lovely background vocals on this record. Those Little Feat guys sure know how to pick ’em.
Side One
Rock & Roll Doctor
Oh, Atlanta
Skin It Back
Down the Road
Side Two
Spanish Moon
Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
The Fan
Medley: Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie
AMG Review
If Dixie Chicken represented a pinnacle of Lowell George as a songwriter and band leader, its sequel Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is the pinnacle of Little Feat as a group, showcasing each member at their finest. Not coincidentally, it’s the moment where George begins to recede from the spotlight, leaving the band as a true democracy… one of the best albums Little Feat ever cut. It’s so good, the group used it as the template for the rest of their career.
Billboard Review
Usual fine mix of rock, blues and country supported with superb vocalizing from this all too underrated group. Lowell George is easily one of the better rock guitarists on today’s music scene, and his vocals combined with the singing and excellent keyboards of Bill Payne are one of the most winning combinations in contemporary music. The band is excellent, potentially commercial and it’s a real mystery why they have not made it to a larger extent than they have. Band must rank near the top of any meaningful list of today’s groups. Best cuts: “Rock And Roll Doctor,” “Long Distance Love,” “Front Page News,” “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.”
Zagat Survey Music Guide – 1,000 Top Albums of All Time, 2003.
Feat frontman Lowell George was a genius of fusing country and rock as well as one of the all-time great slide guitar players, as he proved on this humorous and funky fun listen. Great for shakin’ your groove thang (“my feet never fail me”), this music for a summer day is still immensely enjoyable, even if a handful feel 1978’s live album Waiting for Columbus is even better. * * * *