Personal Favorites 1: Waiting For Columbus-Deluxe Version by Peter Reum

Courtesy of the Little Feat Website 

When people ask me what music that I would take to a deserted island, I have no problem identifying what it would be. While my love for a number of artists is huge, this is the album I would take. It chronicles the first edition of Feat, with founders Lowell George, Bill Payne, and Ritchie Hayward playing at the top of their game. The band evolved so quickly. Their first three albums are given 5 stars on the All Music site. Little Feat, Sailin' Shoes, and Dixie Chicken all contribute songs to the double cd set. I don't kid myself that this is the way they sounded each and every night. There was some extensive work that Lowell did after the raw tapes were heard and contents were outlined.

Neon Park's Starlet Tomato, Waiting to Be "Discovered" 

Lowell's biography, Rock and Roll Doctor, indicates that the work Lowell did was so long and grueling that he did not recover his health afterward. Despite his legendary stamina and use of mood altering substances, this album apparently became an albatross for Lowell. It is brilliantly produced and mixed, and the fidelity is impeccable. Feat has always been a group that did not have any showoffs, but always  has played as a tight ensemble. Their musicianship is legendary, and they became crack studio cats for hire when they were not touring, working with an unending number of other artists. Recently, I purchased the triple cd Tomato Anthology, and Feat rolled on after Lowell's tragic passing, first with Craig Fuller as lead vocalist until 1993, then with Shaun Murphy through 2009. The three cd set is divided by eras, Lowell and First/Second Feat, Fuller Feat, and Feat with Shaun Murphy.

Waiting For Columbus was distilled from 7 shows in 2007 that were played in Washington DC and London. Feat fans already know that the greater Washington area is a hotbed for Little Feat appreciators. London has always been good to them as well. In the case of this set of live performances, the band was accompanied by the Tower of Power Horns, who continue to make music in this new century.  The lineup for this set is Lowell George, slide guitar and vocals, Bill Payne, keyboards and vocals, Paul Barrere, guitar and vocals, Ken Gradney, bass guitar and vocals, Ritchie Hayward, drums and vocals, and Sam Clayton, percussion and vocals. Like many early Feat albums, the cover was designed and painted by the late Neon Park,  and features a starlet type tomato, reclining in a hammock, and waiting to be "discovered." Perhaps Columbus was the so-called discoverer, but the tomato was unknown in the Old World until Europeans came to the Americas. For its first 150 years afterward it was thought to be poisonous. The album took its title from Neon's surreal cover painting.

The album went gold quickly, garnering acclaim by the music press of the Seventies. It was issued as a double vinyl lp set, with a gorgeous gatefold cover. The MFSL edition of the cd and lps follows the 17 track lineup, which had been altered by Warner Records to fit the first cd time limit of 60 minutes. A few tracks were put as bonus tracks on other Feat compact discs. This was later made right when cd lengths were extended to eighty minutes. The double cd set released by Rhino is the one I am choosing to highlight on this blog, due to the inclusion of so many wonderful tunes left off the original set on vinyl.   

The deluxe version, which may be heard on both Spotify and Rdio, adds 10 extra selections to the previously issued 17 songs from the original double set. At least half of them are essential, if not all. Nearly all of the bonus tracks were mixed and produced by Lowell George and then mysteriously left on the shelf until Rhino accessed the Warner Vault and put them out in the early new century.  Some of the songs, namely Teenage Nervous Breakdown and Red Streamliner, are unenhanced in the studio, and perhaps it is noteworthy to remark that they still sound exceptional. The tunes left off are typically ones Lowell did not care for quite as much for as those in the original track lineup. Those that I am aware of Lowell not liking are Teenage Nervous Breakdown, Rock and Roll Doctor, and Day At the Dog Races.

This double set cd package with the 10 extra tunes rounds out what would be a typical Feat concert from 1977.  The band had a chemistry playing together that is still  there in the current band, though Ritchie Hayward and Lowell are not with us anymore. Their chemistry together made for the stuff of legend, and they always were at the top of their game when they played Washington DC, because they also recorded in Maryland with George Massenburg nearby in 1974 and 1975. The original album begins with Lowell telling the engineer to "roll the tape." The group breaks into Join the Band, which is an adaptation of a tune that first appeared on Harry Smith's Folk Music Anthology in the late Fifties. Fat Man In the Bathtub follows, introducing the first ensemble of characters in Lowell George's songwriting universe. Cowbell starts the track, probably pleasing Christopher Walken's hip producer character from Saturday Night Live. 

Slowly, rhythm guitar, drums, keyboards, and slide enter. The song oozes the influence of The Meters and the New Orleans music scene. It chronicles the story of a hapless hipster whose money runs out. He is staying in one of those cheap motels on the Sunset Strip, and the streetwalker who he has been paying to keep him satisfied leaves when he runs out of funds. Hence the fat man in the bathtub. The uptempo All That You Dream follows, with a killer Lowell lead vocal. He is at once soulful and his slide literally rings. The band contributes a great musical background. Bill Payne plays a cool  synthesizer bridge. Next is Oh, Atlanta, with Bill on lead vocal. This is a straight ahead 4/4 number designed to be accessible on record and live. Typically, time signatures on Feat tunes change without warning, but this one you can clap to all the way through. The timekeepers here are wonderful. The twin guitars have a dialogue, and the slide goes high. You can actually hear the band speed up and end the tune. Old Folks Boogie follows, with Paul Barrere on lead vocal. Sam Clayton chimes in one of his bass vocals, and Bill's keyboard solo is tasteful. Lowell's slide takes the next solo, and is unusually lengthy. Once again, Lowell goes way up the frets to make the slide sing.

The Last Record Album-Cover by Neon Park

The classic Dixie Chicken/Tripe Face Boogie medley is next. Feat stretch out here, with Dixie Chicken providing some time to improvise. This tune is a Lowell classic, what he used to call a "cracked mosaic." The tune lyrically and musically goes places you don't expect it to travel. One gets the feeling Lowell is telling this story in a dimly lit tavern, and Bill Payne's keyboards lend that feel to the tune. The Tower of Power Horns contribute a Dixieland Jazz horn riff, and Bill returns for another solo. Lowell gets back to his story, commiserating on how he got married in an alcohol blackout.  Paul Barrere takes a brief solo, the Lowell and Paul wind it down. Lowell then shares how he got abandoned by the woman, and shares the story with the other barflies, who know the tune and the woman in question. The song then shifts into high gear as the transition is made to Tripe Face Boogie. The tune bops along for a few minutes, then, suddenly goes into a full blown fusion jam. It could be Weather Report playing. It all drops out, leaving only Lowell's slide. He then goes into one of my favorite slide solos by anyone, then back to the verse. The tune ends with Lowell hitting very high notes  and then closes. 

Neon Park's Dixie Chicken Cover

Rocket In My Pocket, of course, is a play on the Dr. Seuss children's book title. The song is a great live number, offering Lowell a chance to solo, which he rarely does, and for the group to percolate. The whole tune is contrapuntal and once again there are terrific guitar conversations between Paul and Lowell.  The Horns add a flavor that is infectious. The title track from the Time Loves a Hero album is next. This is an ensemble vocal and is head and shoulders over the studio version.  The tune moves well and Paul's guitar  playing is wonderful. Paul's vocal is great, and the tune percolates. It segues into Day or Night, and the two tunes fit like hand and glove. The tune concludes with a nice Lowell trip up the frets again.

Neon Park's Times Loves a Hero Cover

Mercenary Territory follows, an incredible tune that shines on an album full of great performances. The tune is sung by Lowell George, who sings about a toxic relationship that he can't free his heart from. The tune goes into a searing solo from Lowell, followed by a tenor sax solo that burns. The slide and the tenor sax sound like a couple who love each other but cannot be together. They both fly loudly to the top of their range. Lowell comes back with a wistful sad vocal that makes the point.  Water and oil, they say. Spanish Moon is next, and this is by far my favorite version. The horns make the tune even more ominous than it usually is,  Bill's organ offers discordant color to the tune. One gets the feeling that Lowell's character didn't want to go there, but couldn't stay away. Lowell's vocal is simply fabulous. The tune ends without resolution, simply winding down, and we never find out what happened. Side 4 of the original album begins with Lowell's classic Willin'. It is acoustic, the only time he plays acoustic all night.  We are introduced to a pillpopping truck driver who has been from "Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonopah." Bill Payne contributes a tasteful piano bridge, then Lowell comes back and talks about smuggling "smokes and folks" from Mexico.

The Little Feat Album, their first

The old Fraternity of Man tune "Don't Bogart That Joint" follows. It is a fun interlude that pays tribute to the band's pre-Feat history. Apolitical Blues is next, and the tune is a monologue on the black moods that people who use have. The tune recalls Lowell's love of Howlin' Wolf, and earlier Feat. Sailin' Shoes is next, and extols the wonders of cocaine. The tune's oblique references to "the life" are probably lost on the new generations. Lowell invites the people in Washington DC to sail on with him. Predictably, the crowd goes nuts. The final tune of the original album is Feats Don't Fail Me Now, the title track of Feat's fourth album. The tune percolates along, using truck lingo to describe rollin' through the night. You can hear the Washington DC crowd singing along. There is some killer bass playing here from Ken Gradney.

Sailin' Shoes Album Cover by Neon Park

Neon Park's Cover for Feats Don't Fail Me Now

The bonus material begins with my favorite tune from the set, One Love Stand. The song is simple, soulful, and unusually straight forward. It is a Blues tune that doesn't sound like the Blues. Lowell's solo here literally cries. Slowly the tune winds down with a Lowell "worry" type vocal, which then segues into Rock and Roll Doctor. The tune is sung in the third person, which is another of Lowell's unusual methods to present this tune's character. The solo here is vintage Lowell,and the band percolates throughout magnificently. Ritchie Hayward's drumming is great here. Lowell does a call and response with Sam that kills.

Paul Barrere's Skin It Back  follows. The tune describes touring and getting laid. Perhaps the narrative describes the internal dialogue that a band member has with himself about what he will say to this evening's girl to get her in the sack.  Allen Toussaint met Lowell when he recorded Robert Palmer's first album at Sea-Saint Studios in New Orleans. The tune is a meditation on not forgetting who your friends are when you are a nobody in the music business. If you get too cocky, those people won't be there for you when your star bubble has burst. Don't lose your ethics to stardom's intoxication.

Walkin' All Night is a tale of a couple whose female will not settle down and be monogamous. Paul Barrere wrote the tune, and his character laments not being able to find someone he can rely on for sex. Lowell plays a ringing slide solo here. Cold, Cold, Cold is next, and is a tune about a guy who is out of money, and whose streetwalker ran away when there as no more nose candy. Lowell's loneliness is emphasized, and being jilted and led along the phony primrose path really hurts. For once, a woman used a man up, then cast him away. Day At the Dog Races is next, and it is essentially a fusion workout that Bill Payne worked out. It again is reminiscent of Weather Report. The band carry it off famously. It is nearly an album side's length at 12 plus minutes.

A second version of Skin It Back  follows. The song again addresses the touring life. Paul asks himself what he will say to that night's potential conquest. He begs to be able to relax and move at a slower pace. The Tower of Power Horns add a dimension that is not heard on other live versions. Red Sreamliner is next. Bill Payne sings lead. At times the tune almost sounds like the Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers. The tune is gorgeous. Lowell's Fraternity of Man/Standells tune Teenage Nervous Breakdown is next. It is a tune Lowell disliked, but that the crowd always adored. There are lyrics that sound as frantic as the music underpinning them. The slide here is searing and magnificent.

This album is a document of its era. It is a recording of a time when bands still played as unified ensembles, and lyrics were erudite, and, at times, witty. These are six virtuosos on their own instruments who came together and made themselves into one instrument. This is a live album that ranks with the finest in the Rock Era. If you have not heard it, perhaps this article will whet your appetite. I hope so....thanks for reading about it!

Text Copyright 2013 by Peter Reum-All Rights Reserved