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.
