Little Feat’s fourth album, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, arguably ranks just a notch below the earlier Dixie Chicken and Sailin’ Shoes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t loaded with fine examples of the group’s boundary-bending R&B-flavored Southern rock. The last Little Feat LP where cofounder and original lead vocalist Lowell George plays a big role, this 1974 LP is also the first to feature major contributions from the group’s other members. One highlight is keyboardist Bill Payne’s funky “Oh Atlanta.” Another is George’s “Spanish Moon,” a brassy, jazzy gem that sounds like something the late New Orleans R&B master Allen Toussaint—an apparent major influence—might have created. [Listen to several previously unreleased tracks below from 2024’s expanded 50th anniversary edition.]
Related: Our Album Rewind of Dixie Chicken
Like Dixie Chicken and Sailin’ Shoes, this album is now available in a multi-disc edition. Its first CD presents a remaster of the original record while a second adds seven alternate versions, four outtakes, and the single edit of “Spanish Moon.” A third and final CD delivers a consistently entertaining nearly hour-long 1975 Paris concert that features several numbers from Feats Don’t Fail Me Now plus Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down” and George’s best-known song, “Willin’,” which first appeared on Sailin’ Shoes.
The expanded Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, released on June 14, 2024, is available on 3-CD and 2-LP in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. Both versions include the studio album newly remastered from the original multi-track and two-track stereo tapes.
On May 17, Little Feat issued their first new studio album in 12 years, Sam’s Place. Details here. They’re touring all summer. Tickets are available here and here.
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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