aaamusic | On 21, Aug 2011

Little Feat

40 Feat: The Hot Tomato Anthology

25^th September

Proper Records

As American as rock ‘n roll itself, Little Feat’s music transcends boundaries, a freewheeling fusion of California rock and Dixie-inflected funk-boogie. Also in the mix are strains of folk, blues, rockabilly, country and jazz, inventing a hybrid sound that is truly Little Feat’s own.

In 2002, this legendary band formed their own label, Hot Tomato Records, ostensibly to release a series of what might best be described as official bootlegs (plus new studio recordings, Kicking It At The Barn, 2003 and Join The Band, 2008).  Now comes 40 Feat, a thrilling, supercharged dip into the best of Little Feat’s own live recordings. From ‘The Fan’ and ‘Crack In Your Door’, recorded in Houston in 1971 with the original quartet  through to ‘Roll Um Easy’ and ‘Down On The Farm’, recorded in 2004 (from Barnstormin’ Live Volumes 1 & 2), this three-disc set rattles off one Little Feat classic after another, including Bonnie Raitt guesting on a 1973 version of ‘Sailin’ Shoes’ and Lowell George’s solo demo of ‘Trouble’.

The band’s guitarist Paul Barrere explains: “Our first releases, the box sets called Ripe and Raw Tomatoes spanned 30 years of Little Feat live. It was really a great treat for our fans to get to glimpse into the vaults of Little Feat live.”

“Now thanks to Proper Records, here is a very cool sampling of the best of those live recordings we’ve done, past and present for Hot Tomato, as well as one song from Kickin’ It At The Barn. So check it out, 40 songs from 40 years.”

3CD collection of Little Feat’s own collection of “official bootlegs” that span 40 years from 1971 – 2011.

Disc 1: Crack In Your Door / The Fan / Trouble / Cat Fever / Texas Rose Cafe / Lafayette Railroad / Hamburger Midnight Blues / Apolitical Blues / Fat Man In The Bathtub / Cold Cold Cold / Dixie Chicken / Sailin’ Shoes / Teenage Nervous Breakdown / Long Distance Love / Down Below The Borderline / Rocket In My Pocket / Tripe Face Boogie

Disc 2: Rock And Roll Doctor / Long Time ‘Til I Get Over You / Daily Grind / Feelin’s All Gone / Shake Me Up / Strawberry Flats / Borderline Blues / Ain’t Had Enough Fun / This Land Is Your Land / Hate To Lose Your Lovin’ / One Clear Moment / Willin’ / Hoy Hoy

Disc 3: Skin It Back / Cajun Girl / Oh Atlanta / Time Loves A Hero / Spanish Moon / Old Folks Boogie / Let It Roll / Feats Don’t Fail Me Now / Bill’s River Blues / Roll Um Easy / Down on the Farm / Candy Man Blues