Hello, weekend! Last night Sheila
and I went to the Urbanite event at the Art Gallery. This is a pretty slick
event, with grade A people watching opportunities. I was made better this time
by keeping the overcrowding and I met some very nice people (some of them for
the second time!).
I didn’t like the art
installation, which featured performance artist Anna Banana. What she is doing
is definitely art and I give kudos to anyone who inspires us creatively.
However, it did not appeal to me. It felt a bit obvious and preachy. The
section featuring stamps was kind of cool, but overall it was disappointing.
We went with our friend Elaine,
who is the person responsible for me knowing about this next band!
Disc 797 is….Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
Artist: Little
Feat
Year of Release: 1974
What’s up with the Cover? George Washington and Marilyn
Monroe took the big blue Buick deeper into the mountains. Marilyn pressed
herself hard against George as he steered the car up the steep and treacherous
road. The dame had a thing for presidents; wouldn’t stop singing happy birthday
to him. Right now she was a distraction he couldn’t afford. George floored it,
hugging close to the cliff face as he tried to outrun the lightning storm that
had been crackling close behind ever since they’d left that freaky scene in Denver…
How I Came To Know It: Our friend Elaine bought me two
Little Feat albums for my birthday a couple of years ago; this one and “Dixie
Chicken.” Before that I had never even heard of them. Thanks, Elaine!
How It Stacks Up: I have the two albums noted. I seem to recall
“Dixie Chicken” is slightly better, so I’ll put “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” in
second place.
Ratings: 3 stars
If you don’t know them, Little Feat is the
brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Lowell George and is southern boogie
woogie with a healthy helping of hippy dope-fiend on the side. Bands like Molly
Hatchet definitely grew up listening to these guys, and borrowed heavily from
their sound.
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” is the band’s fourth
album, and I could immediately tell I was dealing with a group of musicians that
were established and confident in their sound. The band is tight and there is a
laid back vibe throughout.
The music has the feeling of excess permeating it. Even
though the underpinning of these songs is a basic blues riff, Little Feat are
never satisfied grooving through a by-the-numbers track. Pianos, horns, drums
and bass – every instrument needs to chime in for a pseudo-solo as the song
meanders its way to the end. It feels like the band composed spontaneously in
the studio and there is a lot of jamming throughout.
This means that sometimes the songs lose their focus
and devolve into noodle fests. When they don’t, you get a lively arrangement,
with horn riffs that would make James Brown break out in a cold sweat. Couple
this with the southern guitar boogie woogie and you have something that is not
easy to describe, but definitely feels like a party.
Side One of this album is definitely better than
Side Two, principally because the songs feel more focused, albeit loosely. “Rock and Roll Doctor” and “Skin it Back” are both funky and
energetic. If you listen to these songs while walking you will be compelled to
strut your stuff like you are in some gritty seventies film.
As the record progresses it is almost like it was
recorded in a single session and everyone just kept smoking dope long after
they should’ve stopped. The second to last song, “The Fan” starts with a modicum of control still but is chorus “wait ‘til the shit hits the fan’ ends up
being prophetic, as halfway through the song loses its thread and descends into
aimless noodling. The final track, “Medly:
Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie” is 10 minutes long and exactly as
directionless as you would expect from a title that long and random.
The lyrics on this album are secondary. They sing
about being on the road and being groovy but don’t have a lot of insightful
things to say about either topic. That said, I like this line from “Rock and
Roll Doctor”:
“Two degrees in be-bop, a PHD in
swing
He's the master of rhythm, he's a
rock and roll king, yeah.”
That’s the kind of post-graduate work I could get
behind. It’s also a good thumbnail of what the record sounds like.
There were times that the record felt like it was
only intended for people who were really high, and I was beginning to feel
emotionally distant from it on my walk home last night. Then I got into
downtown and was surrounded by people heading home at rush hour. All of a
sudden everything made sense. The music is decidedly urban and its restless
energy works best when the mass of humanity is all around you. It made me feel
connected to strangers through the delicate dance we all do as we weave our way
down a crowded street. And yes, it made me strut a little.
“Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” is a hot mess in places,
but overall it has a celebratory energy that just makes you feel good. It’s not
for everyone, but well worth a listen to see if it’s for you.
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