Customer Reviews

Thanks I'll Eat It Here

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album showcases Lowell George's abilities as a vocalist of real talent and versatility. The arrangements are tight, the slide solos short but incisive. The songs vary between the pure New Orleans style of "What Do You Want The Girl to Do" and the brilliant rocking rendition of "Easy Money". Somewhere along the way, George shows us his introspective side in two gems - " Find a River" and "Twenty Million Things to Do". This is a feel-good album, with a really great musician at his expressive best.

I guess there are many Little Feat purists who aren't into this album... Their loss, really. I think it's Lowell George's best, most cohesive album, packed with heartfelt (and heartbrreaking) songs such as "20 Million Things To Do" "Find A River" a fine rendition of "Can't Stand The Rain" (which blows Tina Turner's version away) and the irresistible Mexican-flavored "Cheek To Cheek", with a beautiful, full-on mariachi band backing Lowell up on some of his most soaring vocal work. I usually find that even the best Little Feat albums fall apart at some point -- this 'solo' album, however, is much more focused and consistently enjoyable. He had such a great voice and such an infectious sense of fun and humor, all of which comes through loud and clear on this record, with great song after great song. The only bogus tune on it is "Himmler's Ring," but even it sounds easy on the ears. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... a little-known late-'70s gem.

Having first listened to this album in the early 80's as a retrospective of Little Feat's explorations of the southern flavor of jazz-rock, I quickly became enamored with the ease and style that Lowell George brought to his art. The humor and grace found on Thanks, I'll eat it here, found its way into my regular listening rotation first on LP, then cassette, and finally CD. The Little Feat fans I turn on to this recording usually immediately order it for their own. The swing of What Do You Want the Girl to Do? has always served to cheer me up when I attempt to sing along with the trademark arpeggios that Lowell injects. Songs such as Two Trains Running, Can't Stand the Rain, and Easy Money (along with other versions by various artists) serve as a fantastic reference of how musical styles can be interpreted differently by artists. Overall, this album allows the listener to fall into Lowell's ecclectic interpretations, while simply having a fun time listening.

Nobody sounds like Lowell George. Bonnie Raitts slide guitar playing comes very close but as far as voices go nobody has the lusty, gritty , down home vocal qualities. I love Allen Toussaints version of "What do you want the girl to do?" but upon hearing Lowells version i quickly realised this song was just made for him. Perhaps i would've liked to have heard some more faster paced songs on this one (as it is very laidback) but nevertheless Lowell manages to cover everything from Tex-Mex ("Cheek to Cheek") to blues (Rikki Lee Jones's "Easy Money") to country ("20 million things to do")to R & B.(Ann Peebles's "I can't stand the rain").
"Two Trains" is done in the traditional Little Feat mode and is a masterpiece.
This c.d is a masterpiece. One of the best albums from 1979 when most folk were experiencing the punk era. I recall back in 1979 British Blues musician Alexis Korner (a.k.a. The Father of British Blues) played the album for weeks on his radio programme on BBC 2 (UK) partly in tribute to Lowell ,who had just passed away. Alexis KNEW about good music and only played what he considered essential. For me it stood out like a diamond in the rough back then and today it has the same effect on me. Sadly, it was Lowells last.

This really is an excellent album - I agree with past reviews of conflicting viewpoints. That is, it certainly sits well within the Little Feat canon and it is also very much outside of what I expected. Sleek backing vocals and brass arrangements as opposed to swamp funk across which Lowell is sliding his way to heaven. All said and done, love it. However, really had to let others know that 'Himmler's Ring' is a Jimmy Webb composition and as most would know, 'Can't stand the rain' is a Peebles song (and composition). There are only two fresh Lowell originals on the album (outside of Two Trains) and these are both co-compositions. The stunning '20 million things' with McGuinn (and temporarily Dylan) co-writer Jaques Levy and 'Cheek to Cheek' with Van Dyke Parks. Other tracks include compositions by Touissant and Fred Tackett. End o' the day, a lovely listen.

A friend of mine just told me that he loved the Beatles more than the Stones because the Beatles had more geniuses in it. I went on to argue that this may not be such a good thing in the sense of a band because geniuses usually carry the band on their shoulder and when they burn out or die, the band suffers (the Beach Boys is a prime example). And while I've been torn at just how much of a musical genius he was, Lowell George certainly had to carry Little Feat for a few years and when he crashed and burned, the band suffered. And while the Feat moved from an awesome blues-rock band to a less inspired but still highly listenable jazz-rock band and then returned in the late 80s and 90s with a vengence, when Lowell slipped away, his presence was sorely missed. This, his only solo album, was supposedly pieced together for a couple of years and works very, very well. I fell that the stuff on this album is basically what Little Feat would have sounded like had he been able to keep it together with his own band. But Lowell George seems to hone in on a little Ry Cooder territory when he begins to branch out with delicious oddities such as "Himmler's Ring" and "Cheek to Cheek." Thanks, I'll Eat it Here (which was the original title for Sailin' Shoes, as you have probably heard) IS the Last Record Album for Little Feat, if not in name then in spirit.

I've met more than my share of Little Feat fans that for some reason don't like Lowell's solo project... Why I'll never know! To me he's one of the greatest music has to offer.
This album is a bizarre gumbo. It has new creations like "Himmler's ring" and the moving masterpiece "20 Million Things". But it also has a fantastic version of the LF super fonky "Two Trains"... Even better than the original if you ask me!!!
This album, more than anything, shows Lowell's wide range and love for music Americana, and indicates what musical path he was on before the man in charge robbed us of his divine genius!
You either like Lowell or you don't... I named my dog Lowell!!!
- Enjoy!

I bought this recording on 8-track way back in 1979 when it was first released and so was delighted when I found it available on CD through amazon. Though I ferret out most music on my own, Thanks I'll Eat it Here was recommended to me by the owner of a hip little record shop in Nacogdoches TX where I was then living. I liked it from the start. Though I hate to compare two musicians, everything about What Do You Want The Girl To Do is immediately evocative of Boz Scaggs. From there, the music takes on a Southern rock hue. My favorites in addition to the aforementioned song are Honest Man, Easy Money, and the humorous and quirky Himmler's Ring. While this is not a great album, it is eminently enjoyable and easy on the ears and most unfortunately, all there is to hear of Lowell George solo. Its a pity because after listening to it, you'll have to agree that Lowell George could have been a real contender in the rock world.

As a guitar player of some 30 years, every musician I ever spoke to about the late Lowell George did so in hushed tones of deep respect...and that was "before" he died. His work on albums as the leader/guitar and vocalist of the band"Little Feat, speaks for itself. Unfortunately for all , this was the only solo album by a rock and roll icon The highlights featured; wonderful vocals on, What Do You Want The Girl To Do; masterful rythms on, Two Trains Running and screaming, melodic, and creative slide on the fun song, Easy Money(there ain't no such thing as)

Could the 1970's have had a more convincing conclusion to a decade filled with musical genius than with this release? No more compelling argument could be made as Lowell George releases a little-heard, yet pure, goose-bump treat with his only solo release - due to his untimely demise. Every track is a vocal treat and Lowell uses his voice to take the listener on the journey of life. Tears well in my eyes as I listen to "What Do You Want The Girl To Do" as it beckons remembrances of a much earlier, unjaded, time in life when young-love consumed with untold promise. "Easy Money" shows a sixties style funk combined with Dr. John-style New Orleans musical themes... I can visualize the hooker trying to set-up her john! We take a journey back-in-time with "Himmler's Ring" as a pleasant stroll through a long-ago era of pleasantries and genteel folk. Even "Cheek to Cheek" is a convincing Spanish ballad with Lowell's typical tongue-in-cheek humor. Could you really ask for anything more? This album represents a lasting tribute to a truly great artist.