LIttle Feat

Little Feat

Early little Feat

Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles.

Although the band has undergone several changes in its lineup, the music remains an eclectic blend of rock and roll, blues, R&B, boogie, country, folk, gospel, soul, funk and jazz fusion influences.

Guitarist Jimmy Page stated Little Feat was his favorite American band in a 1975 Rolling Stone interview.

Lowell George met Bill Payne when George was a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Payne had auditioned for the Mothers, but had not joined. They formed Little Feat along with former Mothers' bassist Roy Estrada and drummer Richie Hayward from George's previous band, the Factory. Hayward had also been a member of The Fraternity of Man whose claim to fame was the inclusion of their "Don't Bogart Me" on the million-selling Easy Rider film soundtrack. The name of the band came from a comment made by Mothers' drummer Jimmy Carl Black about Lowell's "little feet." The spelling of "feat" was an homage to The Beatles.

There are three legends about the genesis of Little Feat. One has it that George showed Zappa his song "Willin'," and that Zappa fired him from the Mothers of Invention, because he felt that George was too talented to merely be a member of his band, and told him he ought to go away and form his own band. The second version has Zappa firing him for playing a 15-minute guitar solo—with his amplifier off. The third version says that Zappa fired him because "Willin'" contains drug references ("weed, whites and wine"). George often introduced the song as the reason he was asked to leave the band. On Oct 18, 1975 at the Auditorium Theater in Rochester New York while introducing the song, George commented that he was asked to leave the band for "writing a song about dope.[1]
The band in 1975.

In any version, Zappa was instrumental in getting George and his new band a record contract. When "Willin'" was recorded for the Little Feat album, George had hurt his hand in an accident with a model airplane, so Ry Cooder sat in and played the song's slide part. Lowell's accident is referenced on the cover art of the band's 1996 album Under the Radar. "Willin'" was re-recorded (this time with Lowell playing) on Little Feat's second album Sailin' Shoes, which was also the first Little Feat album to include cover art by Neon Park, who had painted the cover for Zappa's Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

Later Little Feat

Little Feat-Down on the Farm

Down on the Farm

"Down on the Farm" was the last album to feature leadsinger, guitarist and songwriter Lowell George. Actually George had left the band before the album was finished, and sadly during a solo tour in 1979 he died from a heart-attack. George had always been the driving force in the band, but due to healthproblems ( drugs/alcohol) his position in the band had diminished after "Feats Don't Fail Me Now".

The previous album "Time Loves a Hero" had very little input from George and their musical style had become much more slick and and funky.

After George's death the other bandmembers decided to finish the album they had been working on before George left. Fortunately George had recorded vocals for most of the tracks, and he wrote 5 of the songs on the album. The album is often referred to as one of the weaker albums from the George era, a fact I never understood. It's no exaggeration that it's one my personal favourites.

George's vocals were never better and his songs are outstanding. "Be One Now" is simply heartbreaking. "Kokomo" and "Six Feet of Snow" are as good as anything on "Dixie Chicken" or "Feats". The title track written by Barrere is catchy and funky and featuring one his strongest vocal performances - I used to believe it was George singing.

Among the rest of the album's tracks "Straight From the Heart", written by George and Payne also deserves to be brought out.

The final two tracks could be the reason that the album as a whole is often underrated. They are nice tracks; a little too polished for my taste, with very litle, if any, input from George. Still a great album.  This is an album which which has got largely obscured by other Feat heavyweights like Dixie Chicken and FDFMN. However, it has some exhilarating music, with "Six Feet of Snow" and "Perfect Imperfection" simply outstanding. It is THE perfect introduction to Little Feat for any one who hasn't heard them before. One of my all time favourites.

Craig Fuller

Craig Fuller

Craig Fuller is an American musician and songwriter. Co-founder of Pure Prairie League, along with John David Call and George Ed Powell. Fuller departed in 1973 after their second album, Bustin' Out, due to draft board problems. He returned to the music business in 1976 for two LPs with American Flyer. After American Flyer dissolved, Fuller returned to record one LP with former Flyer member Eric Kaz.

In 1987 Fuller was hired by Little Feat to front the band, who had long ago noticed an uncanny resemblance in his voice to their late frontman and founder, Lowell George. Fuller's first LP with the band was Let It Roll, although he left the band in 1993. He made a guest appearance on their 1996 live album Live From Neon Park. He is one of several guest artists on Little Feat's 2008 album Join the Band duetting with percussionist Sam Clayton on the Lowell George classic "Spanish Moon".

Fuller reformed Pure Prairie League in 1998.Craig Fuller opened for and sat in with Little Feat on New Year's Eve 2011 at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD when the band performed their classic album Waiting For Columbus.

Albums

with Pure Prairie League

    Pure Prairie League (1972)
    Bustin' Out (1972)
    Mementos 1987
    All In Good Time (2005)

with American Flyer

    American Flyer (1976)
    Spirit Of A Woman (1977)

with Fuller and Kaz

    Craig Fuller and Eric Kaz (1978)

with Little Feat

    Let It Roll (1988)
    Representing The Mambo (1990)
    Shake Me Up (1991)

Craig Fuller is a powerhouse musician and one of the most admired singer, guitar player, song writers of this generation. His music is fueled by merging country with rock & roll to create Country Rock. His songs like “Amie,” “Fallin’ In and Out Of Love” and “Let Me Love You Tonight” are forever stamped on the consciousness of a generation. Their distinctive harmony and combination of instruments makes them instantly identifiable.

Little Feat- Dixie Chicken

Dixie Chicken

Little Feat was reinvented during the interim of Sailin' Shoes as bassist/founding member Roy Estrada left after its release in Feb. of '72. For the next few months, Lowell George, Ritchie Hayward and Bill Payne were augmented by bassist Kenny Gradney, percussionist Sam Clayton and an old High School friend of George's, guitarist Paul Barrere whom, later in the year, began the sessions for Dixie Chicken and thus entering into the 2nd phase of the band.

This is probably the most significant and important album for the band as it truly establishes a unit that really defines what Little Feat music is all about. Although the first two releases are the foundations from which they were built on, the opening title track shows an influence rooted into New Orleans-styled funk/rock which was refined and honed by bands like the Meters, and begins the record off in a very strong fashion. Two Trains follows in and has a sweet R&B shuffle to it and the slide flourishes of George propels this number into another instant classic tune. Roll Um Easy is an acoustic track that is sparse, yet beautiful, coupled with some great vocal harmonies and also, some electric slide to help accentuate the quiet power of this number. On Your Way Down is an Allen Toussaint song covered by the band quite well and has a laid-back bluesy arrangement rendered within its five and a half minutes. Kiss it Off is an eerie, quieter song that has elements of tablas and synthesizer wrapped within George's sweetened tenor range that results in a number that is kinda the backside of the previous Roll Um Easy.

Fool Yourself begins with a simple kick/snare beat and the plunking of Payne's electric piano notes introducing a positive vibe to this upbeat number. Paul Barrere proves to be a great accomplice alongside George within the guitar arrangements and his playing throughout the disc is noteworthy. Which leads to the next track, Walkin' All Night; written by Barrere and Payne, this song is an ode to the "sidestreet swingers" of the night which has a great funky/rock arrangement coupled with Barrere's debut vocal sounding like a rougher version of Lowell. Fat Man in the Bathtub would become another Feat concert staple and has the quirkiness of early Feat within time signature changes and odd chord progressions, a pure classic! The album bookends with George's Juliette, similar in tone to the previous Kiss it Off, and features a flute part courtesy of George, yet another glimpse into his talents as a musician. The quiet, stately Lafayette Railroad ends the record on a wonderfully mellow mood and is an instrumental performance driven by George's whining slide guitar, Gradney's solid bass, Payne's moody electric piano and the sparseness of Hayward and Gradney's percussions.

Dixie Chicken is by far, a deliciously produced package of great popular music and is truly a release that should be in everyone's classic album collection, bar none. 5 big stars.

Little Feat- Kickin' it at the Barn

Kickin' it at the barn

Maybe More Jazz than Country rock, But you should try it out.

Kickin' It At The Barn shows Little Feat continuing to expand their musical horizons. While their musicianship continues to be impressive and the performances here are first rate, the songwriting is somewhat inconsistent with most of the best songs comprising the album's first half.

The album starts out strong with "Night On The Town" and "Heaven Foresaken." Paul Barrere's lead vocals on these tracks are as smooth as ever and Bill Payne's piano work on the former continues to be first rate. The female backing vocals add a nice touch to these tracks. In another time when radio emphasized music over image, "Heaven Foresaken" would have been a hit. "I'd Be Lyin" is a blues shuffle which spotlights Shaun Murphy's soaring lead vocals. The band continue to add to their musical stew with the Mexican sounds of "Corazones y Sombras" which is one of the best tracks here. The true standout on the album is the instrumental "Stomp", a killer 9-minute fusion jam which features great solos from Barrere, Payne, and a relentless pace provided by drummer Richie Hayward, bassist Kenny Gradney, and percussionist Sam Clayton that never lets up. The remaining tracks such as "Why Don't It Look Like The Way It Talk", "Walking As Two", and "Fighting The Mosquito Wars" are decent songs but are very laid back and with their long track lengths could numb you to sleep. Songs like "I Do What The Telephone Tells Me To Do" and "A Night Like This" don't stand out. The album ends with "Bill's River Blues" which although very mellow is a pretty sweet tune along par with the great slower songs that Lowell George once penned for the band. All told, a solid and very well performed album that would have been stronger if a few of the more laid back tunes weren't included.