Customer Reviews

Join the Band

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I greeted the release of this album with some apprehension. Established artists have been known to enlist the support of 'friends' in an attempt to make their music more acceptable to a 'contemporary' audience, and this has sometimes resulted in performances which oldskool fans find less than palatable. 'Join the Band' might bring LF to the attention of a wider audience but, from even a cursory glance at the credits, it should be obvious that these collaborations are not a ploy to entice the post-pubescent iPod toting brigade into the 'featster' fold.

LF are an outstanding rock band - the quality of their playing has rarely failed to impress me (I have 12 of their albums), and this album is no exception. Vince Gill, Jimmy Buffett and Brooks & Dunn are popular and well respected artists whose styles of music will appeal to many. Their vocal contributions lend an unmistakable country/soft-rock flavour to the album and some listeners might welcome this; but I don't buy LF albums to hear this type of music - it somehow doesn't sound 'quite right' to me (and I don't need 'two degrees in be-bop' or a 'PhD in swing' to be able to say this) - mind you, this is coming from someone who thinks Craig Fuller never sounded 'quite right' either. On the other hand, I should emphasize that there is some phenomenal playing on this album - not only by the regular band members, but also from Sonny Landreth (electric slide), Vince Gill (acoustic guitar), Bela Fleck (banjo) and Sam Bush (fiddle/mandolin).


Some comments about what I think are the standout tracks (subject to a few reservations) :

FATMAN IN THE BATHTUB ('JOIN THE BAND') (Lowell George) - Of all the guest vocalists, Dave Matthews with his spirited and greasy drawl, seems to have the most empathy with LF's music (and also, surprisingly, Emmylou Harris on 'Sailing Shoes'). As an added bonus, you get some mean electric slide from Sonny Landreth (including a 1 minute plus solo), underscored by Bill Payne's classy keyboard playing.

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (Woody Guthrie) - I first heard this song, many moons ago, by Peter, Paul and Mary. Well, this version is definitely not like theirs - more country blues than folk. There are some pretty decent solo and harmony vocals from Paul Barerre and Shaun Murphy and, to cap it all, Paul Barrere peels a juicy acoustic slide.

OH ATLANTA (Bill Payne) - It's good to know that LF haven't forgotten how to boogie. Ballsy vocals from Chris Robinson, helped along by Bill Payne (but vocals are not his strong suit). Also, listen out for Fred Tackett's electric guitar solo and Bill Payne's piano accompaniment - boogie-rock in the classic LF tradition.

SPANISH MOON (Lowell George) - The longest track at 7:39; providing you can live with the bizarre pairing of Sam Clayton's baritone gargle and Craig Fuller's mediocre crooning (he sounds well past his sell by date), this track has a lot to offer. It features over 3 minute's worth of instrumentals - including an accomplished and tasteful acoustic guitar solo by Vince Gill, and amazing keyboards (synths, piano and Hammond) from Bill Payne.

TROUBLE (Lowell George) - Inara George has a pleasant voice, and she gives a poignant rendition of her dad's song; Bill Payne provides piano accompaniment - no other instruments are played.

SAILING SHOES (Lowell George) - Emmylou Harris kicks off this 6 minute track with some fine (and uncharacteristically 'ripe') vocals, accompanied by tasty mandolin playing from Fred Tackett and Sam Bush. At just under 3 minutes into the song, the tempo switches from its more familiar slow backbeat to an up-tempo hoedown - Paul Barrere and Emmylou Harris join forces to produce some strong harmony vocals. The playing throughout is outstanding - of particular note are : Fred Tackett (mandolin), Sam Bush (mandolin and fiddle), Bill Payne (piano and Hammond) and Richie Hayward (drums); and, towards the end, there's a storming banjo/fiddle duet from Bela Fleck and Sam Bush.

It might come as no surprise, to long standing fans of the band, that many of my favourite tracks are songs written by Lowell. I think most of the remaining songs are 'fair to middling' - but I dislike 'Something In The Water' and 'Champion Of The World'.


There's no harm in the LF band members (and their pals) giving themselves a well deserved pat on the back - but, judging from a few songs, it isn't entirely justified. There are 4 or 5 songs that really rumble my runway, and there can be no question that the band and guest musicians certainly know how to play. However, I think some of the vocals are rather lacklustre, and a few of the songs are incompatible with LF's musical style (at least, as I have come to know it). There are some things about this album that are inconsistent with my expectations of this band, and my rating of 3.5 stars reflects this - I rest my case.

Since Little Feat re-formed after a 10-year hiatus following the death of cofounder Lowell George, the band has expanded its repertoire in a variety of directions. Join The Band is the culmination of decades of exploration and collaboration (without undue alliteration). What JTB lacks in new original material it makes up for with fresh makeovers of classics, along with Featerized covers displaying enormous range and virtuosic musicianship. These sessions were hosted by Jimmy Buffett in his Shrimp Boat Sound studio in Key West, and there is a laid-back feel on some tracks. But there's also a freewheeling vibe -- it sounds like making this album was a boatload of fun.

Among the Feat classics, Dave Matthews growls and yowls through a slow but soulful Fat Man in the Bathtub, and Sonny Landreth pays tribute to Lowell's legendary slide guitar on Dixie Chicken -- the shortest serving since 1973. The funky Spanish Moon is more stretched out. Vocals are shared by Feat percussionist Sam "Big Willie Johnson" Clayton, former Feat singer Craig Fuller and guest Vince Gill. The spooky jam is as close as JTB gets to the live Feat sound. On the other hand, the much loved and covered Willin' gets the full country flavor of Brooks & Dunn. If they still have jukeboxes in truckstops, this version is made to order.

The highlight in the remake category is Sailin' Shoes. The first section sounds familiar, with a surprisingly earthy Emmylou Harris trading vocals with an inspired Shaun Murphy. Then it accelerates into the up-tempo version originated by bluegrass wizard Sam Bush on fiddle, joined by Bela Fleck on banjo and Featster Fred Tackett on mandolin. If they don't get your toes tappin', please consult a physician immediately.

It's tough to mention only a few of the great covers. Something in the Water, with Bob Seger singing at full throttle, is the hardest rocker. The rollicking Don't Ya Just Know It has been showing up on Feat set lists. A couple of others have been live Feat staples for years, starting with The Weight. This is a tremendous recording, with kudos to Feat keyboardist Bill Payne. Just as The Band original had Garth Hudson's organ overlaid by Richard Manuel's piano, Bill has that sweet Hammond swooping under his amazing piano. It's also ideally suited for Paul Barrere's voice. The Weight may be an impossible song to screw up, but here it is sublime.

Another live staple is This Land Is Your Land. There is no better example of what makes Little Feat one of the great American bands. This is not the folky sing-around-the-campfire tune I taught fifth graders to play on guitar. It's a funky, full throated tour de force, with nasty acoustic slide work from Paul and Shaun singing her heart out. In the months after 9/11, the live performances were tearjerkers for more than a few of us. I would give a lot to see the look on Woody Guthrie's face at the sound of the Feat's take.

If you are new to Little Feat or want to introduce a friend, Join the Band is a great place to start. If you're a featfan wary of a release with no new material, don't make the mistake of passing this one up. It's got lumped into the classic rock category, for understandable reasons, but I think of it as Americana: rock and jazz, funk and blues, country and bluegrass... it's all here and it's all uniquely Little Feat.

Good grouping of great musicians you know. While I miss Linda Rondstat(spelling-3) checking in ( Where are you kiddo?), the album is certainly worth listening to as soon as possible.
Not every day so many legendary folk get together to do a project like this.
Buy it and I promise you will like it.
It's an album like they used to be. No details needed, it is good plain and simple.
Turn the volume up and have a beer. Well done guys!

What a great surprise to see this collection from one of THE great seminal bands of the 70's. Superb new treatments of the greats like Dixie Chicken, Willin', Oh Atlanta, and Time Loves a Hero, and other chestnuts from the era like This Land is Your Land and The Weight. With help from the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Vince Gill, Dave Matthews, Sonny Landreth, Chris Robinson, Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck, and Brooks and Dunn, this will be one of the most listenable releases this summer. If you just like to listen how far good material can go in the hands of great artists, the collection is a must.

I automatically, and faithfully purchase every album released by The Feat. This particular album was initially an obligatory buy for me because I believe bands like The Feat need to be supported - forever. They have provided me with unending pleasure, sometimes bordering on euphoria (particularly after meeting the lady with the turban...) for years and years. If, for instance, I grab a handful of CD's to keep me company on a long drive there's still always a few Feat albums in the bunch - late night, sleepy, window open, and *almost* at Jackson Hole...just gotta hang on.

I was initially "tickled" by this particular release - but not knocked out. Persistent listening allowed for a change in my perception and therefore, my opinion, of what I ultimately decided were outstanding performances of some of my favorite Feat tunes. Rather than listening to tunes that were "not quite like Lowell" I was able, with repeated exposures, to hear this as a brand new album of unique and high quality, often rearranged versions of familiar tunes - a la Jennifer Warnes' renderings of Leonard Cohen songs. So, in my opinion, this really an album unto itself and not just rehashed Feat material. I took back 1/2 a star for one less than stellar (pun intended) vocal track, but aside from that, highly recommended. And I would *love* to hear Emmy record a whole album in her big-girl voice!

I gave it 5 stars *graphically* because I couldn't figure out how to only give the last 1/2 star picture, but I rate the album 4 1/2 stars for the reason given above.

DSC

All in all a good CD. The addition of all of the special guest musicians on some of the old songs really gave it a nice flair. The newer music was good as well. Would recommend to any Little Feat Fan.

With the personnel on this disk maybe I was expecting too much. I have seen Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett a couple times recently and they were great.

This CD was lackluster and I don't think I'll be playing it much.

There are some really great re-imaginings of some Little Feat songs here. Some take on new life in the hands of different singers, w all new arrangements. Others are good, but not great, and there are a few that really don't add anything at all.

Some of the highlights include

***** Fat Man in the Bathtub - w Dave Matthews: Completely different feel. Dave's low gravelly growl is different that Lowell's (still miss him, nearly 30 years later), but it works well, particularly w this arrangment.
**** Oh, Atlanta - w Chris Robinson: This one is not dramatically different in terms of arrangement, but Chris Robinson's vocals rock.
**** The Weight - w Bela Fleck. Feels a little rushed, but this is one of my alltime favorites, & I'm glad to hear Feat record it. One thought: they had Sam Bush around, why not have him play mando instead of Fred on this one?
***** Time Loves a Hero - w Jimmy Buffett: I'm not a huge Parrothead, but Jimmy really was made for this song.
***** Trouble - w Inara George: Inara does a great job balancing all the melancholy and sweetness in this song. A bittersweet, but lovely, tribute to her dad.
***** Sailin' Shoes: w Emmylou, Sam Bush & Bela Fleck: I'm a huge Newgrass Revival fan, so hearing Sam & Bela, along w some great earthy vocals by Emmylou. Sam has done this for years, though this one is bluesier than his, until they kick it into gear at about the 2:55 mark.

Something in the Water (Seeger), Dixie Chicken (Vince Gill), Willin' (Brooks & Dunn) & I will play for Gumbo were all good, if not particularly exceptional.

This disk could have lost at least 2 and as many as 4 tracks. Why did they bother w See you Later Alligator or Don't Ya Just know it, which do not include any outside participants? Pure filler, & not very memorable even by filler standards. I also didn't need a 2nd Buffett contribution (Champion of the World - yawn). This Land is Your Land "features" Mike Gordon on bass - while this is a fun re-casting of a well known folk fave, it is not like it is a staple of the Little Feat catalogue, & I for one didn't pick out anything extraordinary in Gordon's bass playing per se that made his guest turn worthwhile. I could have done w/o any of these tracks. And as others have commented, it would have been great to hear some Linda Ronstadt or Bonnie Raitt. or how 'bout some John Hiatt?

On balance, there's a lot to recommend this disk. It is a worthy addition to any Feat fan's collection. It could have been better, but that doesn't obscure that this is a fun, rockin' disk. A solid 4 stars.

I am a fan of this band, as a quick check of my other reviews will show.

I have two minor issues.

1). Craig Fuller returns for a cameo with Vince Gill on "Spanish Moon" and Sam Clayton still holds on to co-lead vocal duties. With all due respect, the ultimate version of this song is on "Waiting For Columbus," served up by Lowell George. If it's a choice between Sam and Shaun Murphy on lead vocals, I will go with Sam, but when Craig is back in the fold, Sam should stick to percussion and background vocals. "Spanish Moon" is a signature Feat track, but Sam has never come within spitting distance of Lowell's "Columbus" take.

2). The two GREATEST female supporters / compatriots of the band are absent (Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt). I'm not the first reviewer to point this out.

That said, YES...let's pay tribute to the band, let's join the band. But if they ever decide to do it again, dont do it without Linda and Bonnie, and give Fuller the spotlight on his track.

I was tempted to give this only three stars but I must evaluate on its own merits, not merely in comparison with previous efforts. It's pretty good music in its own right. But the songs are generally inferior to the earlier versions by Little Feat in its heyday. The songs sound relatively bland and lifeless by comparison to me. So for me, no compelling reason to get this in addition to the earlier albums.