FINGER CLICKIN’ GOOD – Little Feat & ‘DIXIE CHICKEN’ (1973)

[email protected] August 7, 2023

By 1973, four years into a spluttering career that could not even be described hit and miss given both albums they had so far released went nowhere near the charts, Little Feat, an eclectic at times, inspirational L.A. based rock troupe, were at a crossroads.

Led by Hollywood-born slide-guitar whizz/songwriting ace Lowell George, he fronted a quartet that comprised an Texan piano maestro Billy Payne, ex-Fraternity of Man drummer Richie Hayward and bassist Roy Estrada, who like George had been a Frank Zappa sideman in the Mothers of Invention. There was no shortage of critical acclaim or deference toward the band – James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt were early converts – but their country influenced music with a post-psychedelic twist, while undoubtedly innovative went for the most part, ignored.

Their likeable 1970 self-titled debut and even more impressive follow-up ‘Sailin’ Shoes‘ (1972) each largely a vehicle for the idiosyncratic songs of George (both contain versions of his truck drivers anthem ‘Willin‘ a song that entered the repertoire of every Southern California bar band), revealed Little Feat to be a group apart from those concurrently purveying smooth country rock – their sound more Cajun than Laurel Canyon, the vibe closer to Creedence than Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Indeed, failure to make any commercial headway was best summed up by 1972 single ‘Easy to Slip‘ not charting, this appetising slice of early ’70s soft rock perhaps a little too edgy for the popularist palette when set beside a song such as ‘Take it Easy‘.

Despite creating work of such high quality, the lack of tangible reward, along with negligible support from Warner Bros, led to Estrada leaving in the late summer of 1972 to join Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band. There followed inevitable rumours of Little Feat being on the verge of breaking up, this amid talk of George about to go solo. But rather than splinter in losing one member, the remaining trio defied speculation by enlisting three new recruits as Kenny Gradney (bass), Paul Barrere (guitar) and Sam Clayton (percussion) swelled the band to a six-piece unit.

Not only did the numerical dynamic change, there was also a shift in musical emphasis, the new, extended line-up quickly becoming an accomplished, cohesive outfit who added a funk dimension to their ambience.

The third Little Feat album, ‘DIXIE CHICKEN‘, the first as the reconstituted band, appeared at the start of 1973 and underlined just what a classy proposition they were. Among other changes taking hold was a female harmony vocal presence where Raitt and Bonnie Bramlett both made delightful contributions, while George took responsibility for production in replacing Warner Bros house producer Ted Templeman at the controls.

There was continuation, however, when it came to the album cover, where illustrator Neon Park came up with another eye-catching effort.

With George playing distinctive slide guitar solos, taking a writing credit on seven of the ten tracks, this while recording the whole shooting match, he shapes this infectious, often uproarious record that proved a touch too quirky for mainstream tastes in becoming their latest album to come and go almost unnoticed – yet was still a triumph for musical panache and witty lyrical candour.

The mood is immediately set by the conga beats and saloon bar piano that usher in the irresistible first up title track.

Credited to George and old college friend Martin Kibbee, the protagonist tells the story of how he has been wronged by a flighty woman in what amounts to the most uplifting song ever written about infidelity. Falling prey to her allure under a full moon, from the start he is helpless to resist:

‘I’ve seen the bright lights of Memphis/And the Commodore Hotel/And underneath a street lamp, I met a southern belle/Oh, she took me to the river, where she cast her spell/And in that southern moonlight, she sang this song so well.’

Through the second verse he spends a fortune on her while drinking too much in trying to maintain the relationship, (‘Well, we made all the hotspots/My money flowed like wine/Then the lowdown southern whiskey, yea, began to fog my mind‘), his judgement clouded to the extent of not remembering the wedding or deposit paid on ‘the house at the end of town‘ – in fact all he can remember are the nights they spent together and her beguiling voice.

During the instrumental break between the chorus (‘If you’ll be my Dixie chicken I’ll be your Tennessee lamb/And we can walk together down in Dixieland‘), the music in reflecting the confused mindset of the narrator becomes gloriously cluttered as the guitars, piano and percussion go careering away until they are virtually out of control. Some semblance of order is restored with the final verse that reveals his affections, like those of many others, have been misplaced:

‘Well it’s been a year since she ran away/Yes that guitar player sure could play/She always liked to sing along/She’s always handy with a song/Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel/I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well/And as he handed me a drink, he began to hum a song/ And all the boys there at the bar/Began to sing along.‘

Given the humorous twist George inserts into the last couple of lines, it remains an ironic tale rather than hard luck story, the music ricocheting from instrument to instrument with a blues harp thrown into the mix for good measure.

With ‘Exile on Main Street‘ in all its majesty still fresh in the memory, the six-piece Little Feat had come along, picked up on New Orleans funk, Southern R&B, soaring background vocals and coursing rhythms to out roll the Stones.

On the equally compelling ‘Two Trains‘ (written solely by George), Little Feat come across as a tightly wound soul revue, Payne on electric piano providing the platform upon which the composer reflects on a long-standing love affair that has hit the rocks, or better still given the railway connotations, the buffers:

‘In 1966 I found my love/In 1967 I had all there was/And as my time went by I was satisfied/Until that situation took me by surprise/Now there’s two trains runnin’ – on that line/One train’s me, and the other’s a friend of mine.‘

With Bramlett and Raitt behind him adding fire at the chorus, George produces another superb lead vocal turn – and although fearful of being hurt is anxious not to lose the object of his affections:

‘Now I’m not one to hide my love behind a lock and key/But if things keep on the way they are, be no place left for me.’

While the track is further testament to their remarkable musical intuition, the utterly sublime ‘Roll ‘Um Easy‘ stands as a Lowell George solo track in being written and performed by the author (Clayton just discernable on background vocals) who plays acoustic guitar while adding electric slide for decoration.

It is an eloquent (to quote one of his own words back at him), poignant ode to a lover, George striking the perfect balance between affection and self-deprecating humour:

‘Oh I am just a vagabond/A drifter on the run/And eloquent profanity/It rolls right off my tongue/And I have dined in palaces/Drunk wine with Kings and Queens/But darlin’, oh darlin’/You’re the best thing I’ve ever seen.’

Taking inspiration for the cover art from the closing lines of the second verse, ‘Play that Concertina, I’ll be your temptress/And baby I’m defenseless‘ – Parks giving the instrument in question a pair of snake eyes – many in the L.A. songwriting fraternity have stated just how enamored they were with this serene song, Linda Ronstadt producing an exquisite cover two years later.

Appearing on the first side of this album it offers a delightful change of tone, yet also serves as evidence to how revered George was likely to have become as a solo artist had Little Feat split when Estrada departed. In the fulness of time he did strike out on his own, although sadly George died of a drug-induced heart attack at the age of 34 in June 1979 only weeks after release of ‘Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here‘ a muddled individual effort (consisting mainly of covers) having left Little Feat late the previous year.

Of the two songs Little Feat cover on ‘Dixie Chicken‘ the first is an atmospheric reading of a gem written by New Orleans soul maestro Allan Toussaint entitled ‘On Your Way Down.’

In this cautionary tale on the insecurities of fame, (‘You think the sun rises and sets for you/But the same sun rise and set and shine/On other folks too‘), Barrere exerts himself as a lead guitarist, while excellent keyboard work from Payne and gospel-tinged harmonies add to the sultry feel.

The other track to come from outside of the group is side two opener ‘Fool Yourself‘ a composition by noted L.A. session guitarist Fred Tackett, who ironically would become a full-time member of Little Feat when they reformed in the late-80s.

With George delivering an expressive lead vocal through a country-rock song offering advice and support to a friend (‘And every time you know you play their game/They’ll knock you down and take your pride away’), the excellent harmony work and chattering clavinet are reminiscent of The Band, the world suitably wowed in 1973 had they come up with something so memorable.

The Barrere/Payne collaboration ‘Walkin’ All Night‘ also has overtones of The Band, right down to the Levon Helm-affected vocal of Barrere, although in the chorus it slides closer to Stones territory, the line ‘Seems that satisfaction just can’t be found‘ perhaps just coincidence.

While an encouraging first effort from the pair, their songwriting prowess as a duo would fully flower on the magnificent ‘All That You Dream‘ an inclusion (and another Feat song to be lovingly covered by Ronstadt) on the 1975 Little Feat release ‘The Last Record Album.’

Side one closer ‘Kiss It Off‘ is a curious George composition where an abstract lyric sits atop of the ominous synthesiser weavings of Payne. Some have taken certain lines as criticism of U.S. President Richard Nixon as the Watergate scandal continued gathering momentum, (‘They keep you around to watch their house of gold/Keep the hungry away from the sacred grove’). From start to finish the words are teasingly vague while underneath the electronic effects make things appear that for three minutes George has swapped the Feat for Focus.

From the propulsive rhythms that begin ‘Fat Man in the Bathtub‘ it is hard to keep track of all that happens both in the music and lyrics.

Only Little Feat could sound so loose yet so full of verve at the same time, serving as perfect foil for George as he recounts the tale of ‘Spotcheck Billy‘, a prostitute named ‘Juanita‘, the purchase of drugs and corpulent gentleman who has gone to bath – all of which happens on ‘the cheesy side of town.’

Some of the lines are ambiguous but for the most part it is wry and salacious, Billy even afforded a degree of sympathy amid the chaos in which he is embroiled:

‘Billy got so sad, dejected, put on his hat and start to run/Runnin’ down the street yelling at the top of his lungs/”All I want in this life of mine is some good clean fun”/”All I want in this life and time is some hit and run”‘

All through the melody shakes and swirls as the players and singers delight in the freedom they receive to create grooves and follow instincts, the overall feeling one of unmitigated relish, yet never with any recourse to self-indulgence.

‘Juliette‘ – another song written by George – is an altogether more sedate affair. Musically it is rich and dense, the jazz inflections fueled by a flute (played by the composer) and cool electric piano fills from Payne. Lyrically it depicts a female friend lost in loneliness despite the attention coming her way from several suitors:

‘Red, red roses, lyin’ on the ground/Heartache and pain/They call you by name/They follow you around.’

After such a haunting penultimate piece, the Feat decide to close things not with a glory dash to the horizon but by tip-toeing away, the album closing with the moody George/Payne instrumental, ‘Lafayette Railroad.‘

Despite the train inference of the title, it sounds more aligned to the soundtrack of an early ’70s urban drama, the slide guitar evoking wind blowing between tenement buildings, the understated keyboard runs and punchy percussion replicating the stop and go of downtown traffic.

While a somewhat plaintive way to close the record, a resounding triumph has already been achieved. The decision to continue in the wake of Estrada leaving has been completely vindicated, the enlisting of Barrere, Gradney and Clayton, a collective and unqualified success.

In the years ahead they would be named by Jimmy Page and Linda Ronstadt as their favourite rock band and go on to make a series of fine albums. Sales never threatened to rival those who cleaned up with a compromised, more commercial country-pop sound – yet their musicianship was supreme, Little Feat a sensational concert experience, exemplified by the brilliant 1978 double live set ‘Waiting for Columbus.‘

As for ‘Dixie Chicken‘, yes it failed to sell in any great quantity, but stands as their definitive statement, a sumptuous, high-spirited record – and played at sufficient high volume there is not a roof anywhere that ‘Fat Man in the Bathtub‘ could not raise.

Little Feat, God bless ’em. The best rock dance band on the planet.

This article is respectfully dedicated to the memories of Lowell George (1945-1979), Richie Hayward (1946-2010) and Paul Barrere (1948-2019).

LITTLE FEAT – ‘DIXIE CHICKEN‘ (Released January 25 1973):

Dixie Chicken/Two Trains/Roll ‘Um Easy/On Your Way Down/Kiss It Off/Fool Yourself/Walkin’ All Night/Fat Man in the Bathtub/Juliette/Lafayette Railroad

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