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Down Upon the Suwannee River

Little Feat - Down Upon the Suwannee River Audio CD

A fair review of the Little Feat "Down Upon the Suwannee River" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Little Feat reviews here, or go back to the Little Feat tabs.

Band: Little Feat
Title: Down Upon the Suwannee River
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-08-12
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Introduction 2: All That You Dream 3: Spanish Moon 4: Skin It Back 5: Big Bang Theory 6: Bed of Roses 7: Cajun Girl 8: Sailin' Shoes 9: Rag Mama Rag 10: Let It Roll 11: Lafayette Railroad 12: Dixie Chicken 13: Tripe Face Boogie 14: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry 15: Oh, Atlanta 16: Willin' 17: Fat Man in the Bathtub

Classic Live Feat!
Same band, sure, but with different lineups and from different eras. I'm not sure why comparisons to Waiting for Columbus abound in this venue; the two two-disc sets can't be compared, nor should they be. I like W for C and I like Down Upon the Suwannee River; they both jam and they both kick. The musicianship on the latter is a trifle better (although no less raw), as it should be after playing together for over 30 years, although personally I felt the vocal tracks were buried. The set is perhaps not as eclectic as High Wire Act or Neon Park, but the extended versions of Dixie Chicken and Let It Roll are worth the price, while the cover of Dylan's It Takes a Lot to Laugh is a treat. Payne's classical interlude in Dixie Chicken has been criticized here; but I found the contrast with the rest of the piece an interesting departure, and give the Feat credit for taking risks with their improvisations.

Other notable tracks include All That You Dream, Fat Man in the Bathtub, Big Bang Theory, Bed of Roses, Cajun Girl, Oh Atlanta and Sailin' Shoes.

As for why disc 2 lists Lafayette Railroad instead of Dixie Chicken Intro - for the same reason why disc 1 doesn't list Spanish Moon as Skin It Back Intro: because it's a medley!

A must listen for music lovers of any era.

Superb live Feat!
This is a superb concert recording of the "new" Little Feat. Don't listen to the naysayers in this review section. Sure, the band no longer has the guidance of the late Lowell George, a musical visionary and genius lyricist, and their new studio material will never match those classic days of the mid-seventies. However, the members of George's Little Feat along with new members, Fred Tackett and Shaun Murphy have become the best touring rock act in America today. This CD proves my point with new jammed-out renditions of '70s classics like "All That You Dream", "Spanish Moon", "Skin It Back", "Tripe Face Boogie", "Oh Atlanta", "Fat Man In The Bathtub" and the latest version of the ever-evolving concert fave and greatest hit "Dixie Chicken". Will I ever tire of hearing these old songs? Not the way they play them! This disc features the best version of the post - Lowell George era classic "Let It Roll' I have ever heard. The guitar jam is total swamp-boogie groove. A great version of "Cajun Girl" on this disc and a version of The Band's "Rag Mama Rag" that absolutely kills it. These two songs feature Fred Tackett's considerable skills on mandolin. Oh, yes, there's a power-blues treatment of Bob Dylan's "It Takes A Lot To Laugh" showcasing the vocal talents of Shaun Murphy, and a very good new song, "Big Bang Theory", in which Shaun belts it out along with Paul Barrere. The action only slows down for "Sailin Shoes" on disc one and the countryish ballad "Willin" from the Little Feat's first record on the second disc. This band has the best drummer, the best bass player and keyboardist, two of the best guitarists, one of the best female vocalists and a singing conga player complimenting the thunderous rock-funk-boogie that little Feat is famous for. I saw the original band in 1975, and the new Feat the past two summers. This band is not about nostalgia. It is about showing how rock 'n roll should be done. Nobody does it like Little Feat, and this CD is a fine example. .

They're still getting it done!!!
The tight and eclectic musicianship, excellent vocals, and great songs, both old and new, show that the band is still near the top of their game. Down Upon The Suwannee River shows Little Feat continuing to soar as a live unit. Anyone who thought Little Feat died with the passing of Lowell George will think differently upon listening to this album.

The album begins with the funky "All That You Dream" which features excellent guitar work from Paul Barrere. The funky "Spanish Moon", featuring the soulful vocals of percussionist Sam Clayton, shows the band could still jam over a funky groove like no other. This leads right into a killer version of "Skin It Back" which blows the original away. The newer songs "Bed Of Roses" and "Big Bang Theory" as well as the classic "Sailin' Shoes" are all great tracks, particularly the latter which spotlight the great vocal interplay of Barrere and Shaun Murphy. And speaking of more live versions blowing away the original, "Cajun Girl" is fantastic, featuring an awesome mandolin solo from Fred Tackett. The killer jamming continues on their cover of the Band's "Rag Mama Rag" and the ultimate version of "Let It Roll" which features phenomenal solos from both Barrere and pianist Bill Payne.

And that was just the first disc!

Disc 2 concentrates more on the Little Feat classics. "Lafayette Railroad" is pure laid back jazz and features an emotional trumpet solo from Tackett. This leads to a 27-minute tour de force version of "Dixie Chicken. " Everybody gets to show off their chops here, especially Payne and bassist Kenny Gradney. The tune stays pretty laid back until Barrere's fiery solo kicks in around the 20-minute mark while Gradney and drummer Richie Hayward lay down a killer groove. This leads right into a sizzling version of "Tripe Face Boogie" which with Payne's piano work is much better than the more indulgent version on Waiting For Columbus. If that's not enough, Shaun Murphy's vocals bring the house down on the slow blues of Bob Dylan's "It Takes A Lot To Laugh. . " The versions of the classics "Oh Atlanta", "Willin'", and "Fat Man In The Bathtub" are all stellar, although the latter two don't quite sound the same without Lowell George's bluesy vocals. While not as essential as Waiting for Columbus, Down Upon The Suwannee River is an excellent album proving that Little Feat is still one of the best live bands around. .

Don't give in to Nostalgia
Some decent editing would have helped because frankly not all the tracks are worthy of release. This is a good but not great double CD set. Like all the best Feat fans I am loyal to the group and this live set is a lot of fun most of the time. If you only have the Goodbye Columbus set then this a neat modern day Feat set to buy. Just don't play them back to back because the comparison will hurt. The newer tunes actually work better so get this double CD set for them.

Let's play some rock'n'roll
Some good versions of their more recent tracks but some real murder of the old Feat classics. Yet another 2 CD live set from Little Feat - one of 4 in recent years. I kept staring at the box to remind myself I was listening to Lafayette Railroad. As for the 27 minute version of Dixie Chicken, I fell asleep in Bill Payne's piano solo - when I woke up I thought I was listening to Rachmaninov. It's a great rock'n'roll song, and Payne is a fine rock'n'roll pianist, so give the song the respect it deserves. If you must buy this, stick with the first disc or learn how to program your player to skip at least the first 2 tracks of the second disc.

You can see a complete list of all Little Feat discography, or go back to the Little Feat tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.