Little Feat

LITTLE FEAT

Little Feat (1971)

Sailin' Shoes (1972)

Dixie Chicken (1973)

Feats Don't Fail Me Now (1974)

The Last Record Album (1975)

Time Loves a Hero (1977)

Waiting For Columbus (1978)

Minun Little Feat -tarinani on täsmälleen sama kuin J.J. Calen kohdalla. Eli vanhojen Soundi-lehtien kaikkien kehuvien arvostelujen ja artikkelien innoittamana päätin lainata kirjastosta kaikki levyt. Ei iskenyt kipinää, muttei ollut mitään ihan mitätöntäkään. Pikkuhiljaa alkoi tuntua siltä, että voisin tykätä jos kuuntelisin levyjä enemmän. Varsinkin Day At the Dog Racesin kohdalla jo melkein naksahti.

Yhtenä päivänä otin riskin, painuin kaupungille ja ostin kaikki kuusi ensimmäistä studiolevyä kerralla. Riski kannatti, sillä aloin aika pian pitää kovasti useimmista levyistä.

Tässä Amazonissa julkaistut englanninkieliset arvosteluni, ja perään loppukommenttini.

Little Feat
Little Feat's unpolished album

When making this debut album, Little Feat was still raw, energetic and rocking with the influences laid bare for everyone to see. The songs are not as instantaneous as on the later albums - you have to dig into them patiently and create images in your head while reading the lyrics from the booklet. The band's rawness is best exemplified by the first version of "Willin'", where Lowell's vocal performance is not an artistically successful one by any means, but here he really sounds like the kind of man the song tells about. "Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie" is an absurd story which almost feels like an outsider amongst the songs filled with grittiness and the-world-wears-you-out attitude, but it might be the song you remember best after your first listen, and sort of paves the way for getting into the rest of the material.

Lowell George became rather unhappy with this album himself, he felt it wasn't precise enough - but you should ignore that opinion and enjoy the original idea of what Little Feat should be, before increasing musicianship and polished production slowly started to ruin the creativeness and cause George to lose his interest in the band.

Itse asiassa debyyttilevy jättää minut vieläkin suurelta osin aika kylmäksi. Willin' ei todellakaan ole hyvin laulettu, ja onneksi bändi tekikin seuraavalle albumilleen toisen, paremman version. Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie on mainio humoreski.

Sailin' Shoes
Little Feat's rich album

Even if you have ever experienced a band showing on their second album what they're truly made of, compared to a debut that was obvious fumbling for the right style and strongness of songwriting, you will be surprised when listening to Little Feat's first two albums in chronological order. OK, perhaps not style in this case, as the Feats already had their style - it just took a second album to develop it to the max.

And what a festive table we have here: instantly likeable pop/rock, bluesy rock, country blues, piano boogie, country, raw blues, a ballad, and a furious rocker - the first eight tracks! The moment you hear the fabulous intro of "Easy to Slip", you know that "Sailin' Shoes" is the record to put on when you want to introduce Little Feat to someone who has probably never even heard of the band. Even "Willin'" sounds better than on the eponymous debut - it's not as gritty, but it certainly does good to your ears. And "Teenage Nervous Breakdown", which I've happened to read quite a lot of negative comments about (even George himself hated it, according to the sleeve notes of "Hoy-Hoy"), kicks like a bull in a rodeo arena.

The last three songs are, to put it bluntly, unimpressive and a bit boring, but I won't let that affect my rating. It's hard to write even eight great songs for an album, let alone 11.

Newcomers should start here, then collect the rest of the 70's LF albums in any order they happen to come across them.

Samat sanat edelleen. Suosikkilevyni Little Featilta.

Dixie Chicken
Little Feat's serious album

Little Feat went on to create an album that wasn't a "hit parade" like the previous one, "Sailin' Shoes", but was more smoothly-flowing and stylish. Here, the overall mood is rather serious - only the superb title track with its nice piano opening and powerful female backing vocals, the amusingly titled "Fat Man in the Bathtub", and perhaps to some extent, "Two Trains", represent the fun-loving side of LF. From the productive pen of Allen Toussaint came the slow, pensive "On Your Way Down" with a message worth listening to... "Fool Yourself" and "Juliette" are pretty much chipped from the same stone, both melodic pop songs made memorable by George's high pitched singing throughout. "Lafayette Railroad" is a surprisingly enjoyable instrumental despite being so simplistic. Kenny Gradney's bass repeating a simple riff over Richard Hayward's calm drumming, and the guitar weaving melodic lines throughout. Laid-back, and so soothing.

Style as well as substance, but the fun was saved for the next album, where LF took things a bit more lightly...

On Your Way Down, Fool Yourself ja Juliette, siinä paras kolmikko. Nimikappale tulee seuraavana.

Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Little Feat's party album

After the rather serious "Dixie Chicken", George & Co. just went into the studio and churned out an album that sounds like they indeed had a lot of fun doing it. "Rock and Roll Doctor" sets a relaxed mood for this album with its laid-back rhythm, and Lowell George's vocal performance that emphasises feeling rather than energy. "Oh Atlanta" is a real burst of energy, right from the frantic piano intro to the unisono vocalizing in the choruses. And dig that guitar!

The title track is an LF classic! An excellent, funky groove, harmonized vocals, a great piano solo and a hooking melody grace this sadly rather short song. "The Fan" is another favorite of mine, with its complex drum beat, synth solo, peculiar melody and nastily written lyrics about a female rock'n'roll groupie.

The culmination point is, of course, the combination of two classic "Sailin' Shoes" songs. While this suggests shortage of new material (the songwriting isn't too consistent on this album anyway, hence only a four-star rating), the band makes up for it by demonstrating their technical improvement during the two-year period between "Shoes" and "Feats". "Cold Cold Cold" is a slow song, so not much jamming has been added, but when we get to "Tripe Face Boogie", the Feats kick loose. And then some!

If you ever organize a civilised party where people just sit and mingle, and perhaps dance a bit, put this record on and watch the guests enjoy themselves!

Jostain syystä tätä ei tule soitettua niin paljon kuin Sailin' Shoesia, Dixie Chickeniä ja Time Loves a Heroa. Miksiköhän? Onko syynä vain se, että kuuntelen Cold Cold Coldista ja Tripe Face Boogiesta mieluummin alkuperäisiä versioita kuin tätä medleyä? Eikö levyllä tunnu olevan sitä pystysuoraa ulottuvuutta, sisältöä, niin paljon kuin muilla albumeilla, vaan on enemmän pinnallista hauskanpitoa? En osaa sanoa.

The Last Record Album
Little Feat's laid-back album

So what happened? Did Little Feat feel too relaxed after making "Feats Don't Fail..."? I've heard and read lots of good reviews for this album, but sadly, I have to object. I've listened to this cd quite a few times, but the pretty ballad "Long Distance Love" is still the only song I can remember anything about. Even the playing somehow feels routine, more uninspired than previously. This disc is somewhat saved by the inclusion of the two tracks which had to be left out from the single-disc edition of the live double album "Waiting For Columbus" (the cover of C&W band Fraternity Of Man's "Don't Bogart That Joint" from the "Easy Rider" soundtrack is short but hilarious, and seems to go on very well with the audience despite the subject matter). You should invest on that one instead, and preferably on the double-disc edition that contains previously unreleased material as well.

Jep, en ole päässyt sisälle tähän levyyn. Bändi soittaa vaisusti ja rutiinilla, kappaleet ovat vähäeleisiä, eikä niistä jää muistiini mitään - paitsi Long Distance Lovesta muistan ulkoa kohdan "all you ever get from her is long distance love". Siinä The Last Record Albumin ainoa anti. Kaksi ensimmäistä kappaletta, Romance Dance ja All That You Dream, kuulostavat ihan OK:lta. Kun kuuntelen niitä tarkkaan, ajattelen että ei aiempien levyjen veroista, mutta kyllä tämä vielä kelpaa. Jatkossa mennään kuitenkin siitäkin alaspäin ja haukottelu alkaa. Olen yrittänyt miettiä miksi tätä albumia niin kehutaan, mutta en voi mitään, että minusta tämä on vaisu ja pitkäveteinen levy, josta en saa kunnon otetta. Ei tällä CD:llä ole minulle muuta virkaa kuin että siinä on ne kaksi kappaletta, jotka jätettiin pois Waiting For Columbusin yhden CD:n versiolta.

Time Loves a Hero
Little Feat's polished album

I'm surprised at some of the bad rap this record has been given here, as personally I think "Time Loves a Hero" is second only to "Sailin' Shoes".

Ted Templeman, producer of many a Doobie Brothers album, was called in to sit behind the mixing desk, and brought in his fellow Doobies Michael McDonald (backing vox on "Red Streamliner"), Patrick Simmons (acoustic guitar on "New Delhi Freight Train") and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (dobro guitar on "Missin' You"). But whereas the Doobies sounded pretty stale already in 1977, Little Feat was still able to kick out one more strong album, with or without Lowell George.

"Hi Roller" kicks off the album and shows that there was still steam left in the band's wheels. The title track is pleasant, "Rocket in My Pocket" OK as well, but the centerpiece is definitely the six-and-a-half-minute long instrumental "Day At the Dog Races", which is simply stunning. Much of it is certainly improvised jamming, but I think it's the most creative effort Little Feat ever put together. "Red Streamliner" soothes my ears right from the superb intro to McDonald's vocals in the background. Somehow I've never been too excited about McDonald's voice, perhaps it's a little too recognizable for my taste, but here he really makes the song. He fits in perfectly, particularly in the chorus. "New Delhi Freight Train" is more relaxed than "Streamliner", but a killer track as well, with a story about a gunman on the run from the law. "Missin' You" is a ballad with tearful lyrics, and could also be applied as an ode to Lowell George, who passed away two years after "Time Loves a Hero" was released.

Hyvin sanottu. Day At the Dog Races on minulle levyn kohokohta, Red Streamlinerin kertosäe on upea, ja melkein kaikki muutkin biisit hienoja. Vain Keeping Up With the Joneses jää vähäpätöiseksi.


Artikkeliskannaukset:

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