Little Feat: Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Album #236 - August 1974
Episode date - November 13, 2024
This album is a great example of why “All-Time Best Of” lists are made.
It’s an album that was somehow overlooked by a large percentage of the band’s target audience and it received precious little airplay in its time, so a lot of people missed out on one of the very best albums from the mid-seventies. There was just enough recognition to break the album into the top 40 (just barely), but it deserved so much more.
Their previous album, “Dixie Chicken” introduced the ‘classic’ lineup for the band, bringing in three new members (guitarist Paul Barrere, bassist Kenny Gradney and percussionist Sam Clayton) to ‘flesh out’ the original three of guitarist Lowell George, pianist Billy Payne and drummer Richie Hayward. “While “Dixie Chicken” was an amazing album, “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” eclipses it because of the rawness of Lowell George’s production.
The album sports a ‘live-in-the-studio’ feel that sounds almost spontaneous, and the energy never lets up, not even for a second. With three songwriters and vocalists sharing the spotlight, the diversity in styles never lets up, and is relentlessly surprising. Every song on this album is essential listening. It also doesn’t hurt that it has what may be the best album cover of all time. If you are even slightly interested in Little Feat, “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” is the perfect starting point.
Featured tracks include:
Rock and Roll Doctor
Oh Atlanta
Skin It Back
Down the Road
Spanish Moon
Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
The Fan
Cold, Cold, Cold/ Tripe Face Boogie
August 1974 - Billboard Charted #36