Sailin' Shoes

by Little Feat

Overview

Little Feat's debut may have been a great album but it sold so poorly, they had to either broaden their audience or, in all likelihood, they'd be dropped from Warner. So, Sailin' Shoes is a consciously different record from its predecessor - less raw and bluesy, blessed with a varied production and catchier songs. That still doesn't make it a pop record, since Little Feat, particularly in its first incarnation, was simply too idiosyncratic, earthy and strange for that. It is, however, an utterly thrilling, individual blend of pop, rock, blues and country, due in no small part to a stellar set of songs from Lowell George. If anything, his quirks are all the more apparent here than they were on the debut, since Ted Templeman's production lends each song its own character, plus his pen was getting sharper. George truly finds his voice on this record, with each of his contributions sparkling with off-kilter humor, friendly surreal imagery and humanity, and he demonstrates he can authoritatively write anything from full-throttle rock & roll ("Teenage Nervous Breakdown"), sweet ballads ("Trouble," a sublimely reworked "Willin'"), skewered folk ("Sailin' Shoes"), paranoid rock ("Cold, Cold, Cold") and blues ("A Apolitical Blues") and, yes, even hooky mainstream rock ("Easy to Slip," which should have been the hit the band intended it to be). That's not to discount the contributions of the other members, particularly Bill Payne and Richie Hayward's "Tripe Face Boogie," which is justifiably one of the band's standards, but the thing that truly stuns on Sailin' Shoes is George's songwriting and how the band brings it to a full, colorful life. Nobody could master the twists and turns within George's songs better than Little Feat, and both the songwriter and his band are in prime form here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/23/2023
Label:	Reprise / Rhino
UPC:	0603497837441
Rank:	25892

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Easy to Slip
2. Cold, Cold, Cold
3. Trouble
4. Trip Face Boogie
5. Willin'
6. A Apolitical Blues
7. Sailin' Shoes
8. Teenage Nervous Breakdown
9. Got No Shadow
10. Cat Fever
11. Texas Rose Cafe

Disc 2

12. Sailin' Shoes [Demo]
13. Easy to Fall [Easy to Slip] [Demo for Doobie Bros.]
14. Texas Rose Cafe [Demo for Doobie Bros.]
15. Cold, Cold, Cold [Alternate Version]
16. Roto/Tone
17. A Apolitical Blues [Alternate Version]
18. Boogie - Tripe Face Boogie
19. Trouble [Alternative Version]
20. Doriville
21. Willin' [Alternate Version]
22. Easy to Slip [Mono Single Version]

Disc 3

23. Tripe Face Boogie [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
24. Hamburger Midnight [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
25. Cat Fever [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
26. Willin' [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
27. Strawberry Flats [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
28. Got No Shadow [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
29. Texas Rose Cafe [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
30. Snakes on Everything [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
31. Hot Rod [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]
32. Teenage Nervous Breakdown [Live at the Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, 8/28/71]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Little Feat   Primary Artist
Sneaky Pete Kleinow   Pedal Steel,Guitar (Steel)
Debbie Lindsey   Vocals
Bill Payne   Piano,Vocals,Accordion,Keyboards,Percussion,Lead Vocals
Russ Titelman   Piano
Ron Elliott   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Richie Hayward   Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Roy Estrada   Bass,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Paul Barrere   Vocals
Sneaky Pete   Guitar (Steel)
Lowell George   Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Van Dyke Parks   Piano
Fred Tackett   Guitar
Milt Holland   Percussion
Durrie Parks   Sound Effects
Ralph Limber Jack Kibbee   Sound Effects
Clyde Bakkemo   Sound Effects
Deborah Lindsey   Vocals
Richard Hayward   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Alvin Robinson   Composer
Ted Templeman   Producer
Bob Hata   Engineer
Bill Inglot   Mastering Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Bill Payne   Composer,Lyricist
Eddie Bracken   Engineer
Russ Titelman   Producer
Greg Adams   Arranger
Dr. John   Composer
Lenny Waronker   Executive Producer
Richie Hayward   Composer
Roy Estrada   Composer
Martin Kibbee   Composer
Brian Kehew   Mixing
Donn Landee   Mixing,Engineer
Paul Barrere   Composer
Fred Martin   Composer
Lee Herschberg   Remastering
Lowell George   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Van Dyke Parks   Producer
Jessie Hill   Composer
Stillwater   Arranger
Elliot Ingber   Composer
Susan Titelman   Photography
Bobby Hata   Engineer
Russ Titleman   Producer
Daniel Hersch   Mastering Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Shawn R. Britton   Mastering
Richard Hayward   Composer
Jason Jones   Reissue Producer
Kibbee Martin Fyodor   Composer