Customer Reviews

Feats Don't Fail Me Now

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When the big toe died,he took the feats with him. This was their best studio work. The writing, the musicianship, and most importantly, the groove--it all came together right here on two inch tape in a way they could never quite repeat in the studio ever again. I have listened to this album at home and in my car over and over for last 30 years and have never tired of it. I have learned and performed every song on this album in my own band, and while I love every song he wrote, I also have silently cursed the genius of Lowell for making something so complex and deeply funky sound so easy. If you break these songs down, you're going to find the chord structure on every verse is slightly different, the slide playing is nothing short of virtuostic, and the bass lines Kenny lays down are jaw-dropping. This album is easy to put on at a party and talk over, but you are missing one of the great productions of the twentieth century if you don't study it a bit. If you don't know who these guys were, but want to find out, I would recommend you start right here.

So I'm at this party in the winter of '74, typical college affair, and I was sitting in front of the stereo trying to decide what to play next. My then-GF, just back from visiting her folks in California, hands me an album from a stack of new stuff she'd brought back with her. Now, at this point I was pretty jaded on rock and had been listening to fusion and jazz. She was smart enough to realize that Weather Report would kill a party so she says "put this on to keep the vibe going" and it was Feats Don't Fail Me Now.

I was instantly hooked. What chops! Who are these guys! Remember, this was in the day of no Internet, no real underground college radio, no nothing. It was hard to hear new bands, and they were new to us on the East Coast.

What really caught my ear was "Skin It Back" with those odd rhythms and changes, and over all George's slinky slide playing. I ran out and bought "Dixie Chicken" the next day and those two albums stayed on my turntable for months, only surplanted when Steely Dan came on the scene to also blow me away. And whenever I think of the general excellence of music in the mid-70s, Little Feat and Steely Dan come to mind

So, Denise, if you read this - hope you are happy and life has treated you kindly. Thanks for turning me on to Little Feat. I hope I can continue the karma by turning someone else on to them.

First off, I have to say that I own this disc. I also own the old vinyl. The music in these grooves is nothing short of beautiful art. Lowell George created original, deep south, jukin' rhythms and harmonies that were often imitated but never duplicated. Unfortunately, Warner Bros has not seen fit to give this disc the audio treatment it deserves. The disc suffers from the usual 16-bit, wimpy, AM radio sound quality. Sure, it doesn't have the cracks and pops that appear on the worn vinyl but it also lacks the warmth of the vinyl. Therefore, I give the old vinyl record five stars and this disc gets three for artistic integrity. If WB ever gets on the ball and remasters this in 24-bit (or better yet, DTS at 96) I will surely run out and purchase yet another copy. If I were you, thinking about this as a next purchase, I would hold out until a re-release before buying. Buy something with better sound quality, like the Band remasters. Unfortunately, the sound quality on the entire LF catalogue suffers from the neglect of it's current curators.

Of the 3 Best Little Feat recordings, (Sailin' Shoes, Dixie Chicken, and Feats Don't Fail Me Now), I'd say that that this Album is the BEST "GROUP EFFORT" of the 3. It's not "DOMINATED" by Lowell, thus the "ENTIRE GROUP" plays its "TIGHTEST" and most "ECLECTIC" set. Also, there are no "SPARTAN" or "SPARSE" cuts on this Wonderful Recording; every song is "FULL" and "RICH." So, Sailin' Shoes is the best "LOWELL GEORGE" album by The Feat, Dixie Chicken is their most "SEMINAL" album, while Feats Don't Fail Me Now is their most "ELABORATE" and most "ENERGETIC" work.

I'd say this is the first Little Feat recording a person should buy, for there is not one "weak cut," and every song is played with a high level of ENERGY and VERVE. As soon as Lowell opens up with the "funky shuffle" Rock & Roll Doctor, the listener KNOWS they are in for ONE "GREAT RIDE" of absolutely DYNOMITE TUNES. Skin it Back, could well be the most "FUNKY" song ever played by a predominately white group. The horns on Spanish Moon are TIGHT AND NASTY; and so it goes until the record is done. If anybody isn't tappin' their feet and "PUMPED UP" after listening to Feats Don't Fail Me Now, then take their pulse, because they may well be dead..........recordings like this NEVER get stale or old........they just keep "ROCKING ON!"

Little Feat is "THE" LOST CLASSIC BAND, however, eventually more and more people seem to find em, because their entire catalog is just TOO GOOD to "stay hidden." Okay, GET OFF of YOUR "A**," GET ON YOUR FEAT, and BUY ONE OF THEIR OUTSTANDING RECORDINGS.....NOW!!! Adios all, and wherever you're at LOWELL, I hope that you've found some peace.

People, if ya'll can't get into the deep-fat, southern-fried greasy funk of this release, check your pulse! "Skin It Back" (with its' tasty stop-start bass line) and "Spanish Moon" (three minutes or so of the most sincere, slippery Southern Soul on wax - punctuated by the Tower Of Power horn section, no less) are worth the price of admission alone. That's funk with extra hot sauce on it.
Lowell George, rest in peace, good brother for a job well done!!!
Funkier than a pot of neck bones, greasier than a slab of ribs and guaranteed to satisfy your musical appetite!

Funk, Soul, Boogie, and Rock smothered in Bar-b-que sauce. This multi-talented, multi-cultural, bi-racial,...band from somewhere in Dixie produces amazing music. Like a Global symphony of music and happiness, Little Feat finally received the acclaim they deserved with the release of Feats Don't Fail Me Now. Even the harshest critics gave it a big thumbs up. The high leader of Little Feat - Lowell George - maintains focus and consistency in a recording that culls it's rythym from all over the map. The final tune, The Triple Medely, provides perfect closure to this hallmark recording. Well worth a listen.

After the rather serious "Dixie Chicken", George & Co. just went into the studio and churned out an album that sounds like they indeed had a lot of fun doing it. "Rock and Roll Doctor" sets a relaxed mood for this album with its laid-back rhythm, and Lowell George's vocal performance that emphasises feeling rather than energy. "Oh Atlanta" is a real burst of energy, right from the frantic piano intro to the unisono vocalizing in the choruses. And dig that guitar!

The title track is an LF classic! An excellent, funky groove, harmonized vocals, a great piano solo and a hooking melody grace this sadly rather short song. "The Fan" is another favorite of mine, with its complex drum beat, synth solo, peculiar melody and nastily written lyrics about a female rock'n'roll groupie.

The culmination point is, of course, the combination of two classic "Sailin' Shoes" songs. While this suggests shortage of new material (the songwriting isn't too consistent on this album anyway, hence only a four-star rating), the band makes up for it by demonstrating their technical improvement during the two-year period between "Shoes" and "Feats". "Cold Cold Cold" is a slow song, so not much jamming has been added, but when we get to "Tripe Face Boogie", the Feats kick loose. And then some!

If you ever organize a civilised party where people just sit and mingle, and perhaps dance a bit, put this record on and watch the guests enjoy themselves!

Form the opening of Rock and Roll Doctor to the closing notes of Cold, Cold, Cold/ Tripe Face Boogie medley, this album is filled with exceptional music. Just a few listens and you'll be singing along with every inspired lyric and in awe of a truly amazing band at the height of its powers.

"Feats Don't Fail Me Now" is arguably the greatest studio album from Little Feat. There really isn't a bad track in the lot, and the highlights are among the best of the best. The album is upbeat, the musicianship is first rate (Lowell George's slide guitar work is especially brilliant), and the material is top notch, all of which leads to a superior album.

My favorite on the CD is the opener, "Rock and Roll Doctor", which to me is the most autobiographical of all of George's songs. The slide work and vocals intertwine perfectly, although I think the best single recording of the song is the live version from the "Waiting For Columbus" sessions. "Oh Atlanta" is a somewhat more mainstream offering from Bill Payne, and while pleasant is not as distinguished as the rest of the album. "Skin it Back" has some interesting musicianship and time signature features: again, I also recommend the live version as well. I have always loved the combination blues and Caribbean feel of "Spanish Moon", and think the signature track "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" is an upbeat composite of all the various sounds the band was comfortable dabbling in: I only wish it were longer. The concluding medley of "Cold, Cold, Cold" and "Tripe Face Boogie" shows off both the flexibility and virtuosity of the band, and is a piece worth much more attention than it routinely gets.

I have a hard time picking my favorite Little Feat studio album, and go back and forth on the issue. One thing I am sure of, though: "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" is definitely on the short list, and I couldn't recommend it more highly.

It was 1974. I was 15. A friend of mine,(Jack F. aka Pumpkin) a few years older than me,joined the Army and gave me his record collection to keep safe (everything from the Allman Bros. to Billy Holiday). Mom and Dad were gone for the weekend and my older brother and I threw one of our legendary parties. Sometime during the wee hours, we started looking into the stack of records. Like buried treasure, we found "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" and "Sailin Shoes".

While friends my age liked the pop on the radio, I had older brothers who had me listening to the best of Rock n Roll...Stones, Beatles, Cream, Santana, Led Zepplin, Woodstock stuff, CSN & Y, etc...I loved it all but was never a crazed fan of any band, until Little Feat.

I (along with 20 or so of our closest friends) went to six concerts in the LA area. They were all magical. The performance at the Shrine was unbelievable. After one concert, we all stayed at a house on the beach in Long Beach, CA. We took a walk and we were singing Dixie Chicken (ok, we were a little high... it was the 70's) and we looked up... right in front of us was "The Commodore Hotel", swear to God.

But the best for me was at The Roxy in Hollywoood. I caught one of the mariachi's (when they were playing Fat Man in the Bathtub). God it was Great. Thank you Jack (Pumpkin), where ever you are for leaving those albums with me.

I felt like every lyric, every beat, was written just for us. I cried (alot) when Lowell died. I still go see the band when I can. (I want "All that you Dream" played at my funeral... along with John Prine's Please don't bury me down in this cold cold ground.

It is hard for me to pick a best album, but if I have to, this is it. I love all the old stuff. Some of my favorites from various albums: Lonesome Whistle, Roll Um Easy, Two Trains.