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Post by honeyboy on Aug 14, 2010 22:27:37 GMT
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 15, 2010 8:52:05 GMT
That is very sad news.
I know they still have the name, but without Lowell George........
Shine On
Michael
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Post by Steverb on Aug 16, 2010 16:13:42 GMT
I was there at Cropredy on Friday and I have to say that Little Feat were absolutely storming - definitely one of the festival highlights. Paul Barrere played lots of very tasty slide, mostly in standard tuning, and Fred Tackett also played some bottleneck. Obviously no Lowell George, but a righteous slab of lowdown southern swamp funk all the same. They dedicated the show to Ritchie Hayward, who died the night before, and played their socks off. Fat Man in the Bathtub was especially fab.
It's always a bit heart-in-mouth when you see a band without one or more of their originators/main men; will they be a pale shadow of their former selves? On this occasion the answer was a resounding no.
Steve
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Post by honeyboy on Aug 16, 2010 17:26:44 GMT
Ritchie was an amazing drummer.  I had the good fortune to see him when he was playing in London with Stevie Winwood and Robert Plant back in '83.  On Little feat's The Last Record Album (1975), I remember that Lowell George decorated the album sleeve with all the medical bills racked up by Hayward following a serious motorcycle accident (one of several suffered by the drummer). At the time, Mel Blanc (voiceover artist for Bugs Bunny and a huge Little Feat fan) sent a tape to Ritchie whilst he was recovering from his latest motorcyle accident. Hear Mel Blanc's message to Ritchie here. |
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 16, 2010 17:44:54 GMT
That is a great recording of Mel Blanc!
I saw Little Feat twice in the 70s in London. I think one of the concerts was at the Rainbow in 77, the other was earlier in 75, but I can't remember where it was.....either The Venue or the Hammersmith Odeon.
I first heard about Little Feat from hearing a radio interview (probably around 73/74) with Robert Plant. As a total Zeppelin fanatic at the time, if Robert says this band is good......I guess they must be. He was right too.
Cropredy sounds like it was fun. I have heard good reports from a few people.
Shine On
Michael.
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Post by percythewonderant on Aug 16, 2010 18:48:52 GMT
RH will be missed. We fans are in good company along with Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite etc..
Fred Tackett Had a hard job following Lowell George. I was a big fan of 'Pure Prairie League' in their time and FT had more than proved his worth with them. Since he stepped up to fill the vacancy, Little Feat have made some good records, which would be regarded far more favourably were it not for the impossible comparison with LG. Paul Barre is a remarkable player in his own right. I'm glad that the show in his memory was a good one.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2010 20:58:27 GMT
Really sad news. One of my all time favorite drummers and my all time favorite bands.
Never got to see them with \Lowell but saw them at least 10 times in the '80s and '90s.
Several memorable gigs were:
Little Feat opening for the Grateful Dead - July 1988 in Oxford, Maine. 2 days in a row!
An intimate studio show in NYC. I had won tickets through a local radio show. This musta been around 1992
An Acoustic only show at a TINY club in Ammangenset, NY called The Stephen Talkhouse. The worst seat in the house was only 20 feet from the stage. Paul, Fred, Ritchie and all the guys hung out after the show.....this was 1994.
They added a female singer after this and for some reason the band sounded different to me and I lost interest...
The Lowell era is my fav. Lots of great bootlegs out there from this era...
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Post by Mairena Red on Aug 19, 2010 8:36:00 GMT
Hi everybody, This is indeed sad news. I have been a huge Little Feat fan for years but sadly never saw them live. As an impoverished student in London during the 70s I had several opportunities, but my priorities at the time lay elsewhere (Pink Floyd, Santana, Eric Clapton). Of course I kick myself now  Richie was an important part of that wonderful funky sound. May he rest in peace. Thanks for the clip honeyboy, how on earth did Lowell George get such a wonderful sound out of those crappy old CBS Strats? All the best, Joe (aka Mairena Red) |
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Post by Steverb on Aug 19, 2010 13:05:38 GMT
Presumably the same way Jimi Hendrix did! ;D
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 19, 2010 13:21:29 GMT
.....all done with smoke & mirrors.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by Stevie on Aug 19, 2010 16:55:19 GMT
It's all about perception. When I bought my second hand 1973 Strat, I was sort of aware that pre-CBS was the way to go, but back then, that would have rushed me about £800 compared to the £190 that I shelled out. I drove home with my genuine article replacement for a crappy Columbus pleased as punch but somehow doubts kept nagging me.
As time passed by, I began to see the Strat as a really second class instrument. This despite the fact that it had a rock solid 3-bolt neck attachment. The person that I bought it from spun me a story about it having once belonged to Bunny Wailer (was there actually a Bunny Wailer?) The years didn't improve my opinion of it until just recently when prices started to creep up, the lacquer started to yellow, hell- it even sounded better! Now I find that I look upon it with some fondness. It kind of makes me a little undiscerning and shallow but as I said, it's all about perception both my own and others. At least I'm prepared to admit it. Water Trout is another who is satisfied with a '73 and there must be a legion of others but we must avoid lists! It can't hold a candle to my Pacifica 904 though.
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 19, 2010 17:12:35 GMT
....not was, there actually is a Bunny Wailer.  Bunny Wailer was one of the original members of Bob Marley & The Wailers. He and Marley were brought up together in the same house. Shine On Michael. |
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Post by Stevie on Aug 19, 2010 19:19:25 GMT
I knew that there was a Bunny Livingston in the early days and I heard an interview with him on GLR recently. Hence the confusion on my part. I wasn't a big Marley fan but I do have a few reggae el-pees- notably "Super Ape" by Scratch. It's nice to think that some of Bunny's DNA is (was) on my Strat but it was probably just spiel.
On topic again, fave track by the Feats- "Spanish Moon" A school friend used to live with the drummer of "The Inmates" He also drummed for Ian Matthews before that. Jim Russel his name was. We used to talk Little Feat and one day he said "Have you ever REALLY listened to "Spanish Moon"? I did. He was right. Thanks Jim, wherever you are now. He got Best beloved and myself into the Rainbow on the guest list when "The Inmates" were supporting Elvis Costello at trhe time of the "Imperial Bedrooms" recording. Knocking on the stage door and speaking through the little slide door, walking into an empty auditorium during the sound check- never managed anything like that a second time.
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Post by Stevie on Aug 19, 2010 19:22:39 GMT
Just looked at Wikipedia and they are one and the same person?
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 19, 2010 20:52:47 GMT
Bunny Wailer's real name is Neville Livingstone.
Shine On
Michael
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Richie was an important part of that wonderful funky sound. May he rest in peace.
