Sailin Shoes

Little Feat | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002KE0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,643 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

Sailin' Shoes demonstrates just how briskly Little Feat was developing in their early 1970s formative years. A pronounced step up from the Southern California quartet's critically praised 1971 debut, it's not as fully realized as the Feat's 1973 zenith, Dixie Chicken. But it's not far behind, and that's saying something. The final recording made by the original quartet (the band swelled to six members after founding bassist and Mothers of Invention alumni Roy Estrada split), Little Feat circa 1972 is a lean, energetic outfit. "Cold, Cold, Cold," "Tripe Face Boogie," "Apolitical Blues," and "Teenage Nervous Breakdown" are blunter rockers than what would follow. Lowell George's title track and Bill Payne's "Got No Shadow" and "Cat Fever," meanwhile, presage the more limber direction the group was headed. --Steven Stolder

Product Description

Japanese only SHM pressing. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've loved Sailin' Shoes for 28 years, June 10, 2000

By 

John Stodder "a.k.a. Juan La Princi" (livin' just enough) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailin Shoes (Audio CD)

The history of Little Feat consists of three phases: The first two albums, including this one, constitutes phase one, when they were at their most creative, veering between the worlds of Ry Cooder and Frank Zappa to create the freshest sounds they could think of. Sailin' Shoes churns with musical energy, layers of guitars and keyboards tweaked for maximum enjoyment, supporting lyrics that were both quirky and wise. Phase two, which is when they built their fan base, runs from Dixie Chicken thru Waiting for Columbus, and the death of founder Lowell George in about 1979. This is the sound they are most known for, when they gained the singularly inapt term "Southern Fried," as if this band had something to do with Marshall Tucker or Lynard Skynard. There is great music in this phase, but each album became more mannered and less inspired than the one preceeding it. No question, the band suffered from Lowell's bad habits, declining health, and reduced commitment to writing. But fat, drunk, stoned and creatively blocked as he might have been, during this period Lowell still gave the band a unique spark. Now they are in their third phase, as kind of a career party band known mostly for putting on a fun show. Nothing wrong with that, but if you like today's Little Feat, do yourself a favor and reach back into 1972 for the creative flash that started it all.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kick Off Your Sailin' Shoes, January 9, 2005

By 

William Scalzo (Niagara Falls, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailin Shoes (Audio CD)

As a collection of songs, this might be Little Feat's strongest effort ever. Americana Rock in the general vein of Moby Grape, The Band or American-Beauty era Dead.

While the songs are great, this record's secret weapon lies in the fact that you kind of slip into it's groove and before you know it, a collection of rather short songs becomes a groove album! This doesn't happen on most Little Feat albums due to their more mercurial nature in styles.

The original version of the almost-standard "Willin'" is here too.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Better!, July 11, 2000

By 

Patrick Crain (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sailin Shoes (Audio CD)

Building on the brilliant musicianship of their excellent debut, Little Feat released their sophomore effort, "Sailin' Shoes," one of their finest efforts ever. A tightly constructed release with not a bum track in sight, "Sailin' Shoes" is an even better album than their debut partly because of the more relaxed nature that was on hand after the critical acclaim that was awarded "Little Feat." In this package, the Feat outdid themselves with a reworking of Lowell George's truck driving ballad "Willin'" and they also put down "Trouble," one of their best ballads ever. Also in the selection are the clever "Texas Rose Cafe (one of my favorites)," the concert staple title track and the radio hit "Easy To Slip." Alas, despite the strong critical acclaim, the poor sales contributed to one of the many Feat breakups and bassist Roy Estrada went back to the Mothers of Invention and then to Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. Remaining members Lowell George, Richie Hayward and Bill Payne pressed on...