Little Feat - Feats Don't Fail Me Now

Just What The Rock And Roll Doctor Ordered

"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. August 2, 2008

CD

I am very pleased with this purchase. very reasonable price and quick delivery. Gets an A plus in my book. November 25, 2007

Better than DisneyLand, Sex and Chocolate

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.

January 11, 2007

Little Feat Don't Fail Me

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. June 15, 2006

Unsteady Feat

The sound's there but the songs ain't. After intially missing Little Feat in the Seventies, I caught up through Sailin' Shoes
and Dixie Chicken. Lowell George's laid back vocals and that
spacious, loose funk caught a real groove. Don't Fail Me Now's
got the funk but much less George and little melody, boogie
without the verse. Where's the tunes like Easy to Slip and Dixie Chicken? It really deserves two and half stars but fans of boogie
will argue. August 8, 2005

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