Little Feat: Extended Versions: The Encore Collection (1998)

By

C. MICHAEL BAILEY,

C. Michael Bailey

Senior Contributor - Since 1997
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...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...

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Published: October 1, 2001

Little Feat not exactly batting a thousand.

Ain't Had Enough Fun (1995) and Live From Neon Park (1996) were two releases by the reunited Little Feat, sans Lowell George, released on Zoo Records. Zoo Records is a subsidiary of RCA, now a part of Bertelsmann, explaining the BMG Special Products Label gracing the Little Feat Extended Versions: The Encore Collection. This budget CD contains music ostensibly culled from the band's live performances during the tour that produced Live From Neon Park. We can't say for sure because the liner notes are mostly hypothetical.

All in all, this is not a bad release. Little Feat sports one of the greatest rhythm sections of all time in Sam Clayton, Kenny Gradney, and Richie Hayward. Guitarist/Vocalist Paul Barrere continues to hold his own, particularly when singing his originals. His voice is not what it once was, however. Neither is Shaun Murphy's, for that matter. What makes an otherwise better than average disc average is Murphy's feeble effort to sing the blues. She goes way over the top in "Sailin' Shoes" barking and growling all the way to the pound. She fares no better on "Hoy, Hoy" and the final verse of "Fat Man in the Bathtub". Yet, in spite of Ms. Murphy's contributions, this disc would be of interest to Feat enthusiasts (who are breathlessly waiting for the release of Late Night Truck Stop.)

Track Listing: Let if Roll; Feets Don

Personnel: Paul Barrere: Guitar, Vocals; Sam Clayton; Percussion, Vocals; Kenny Gradney: Bass, Vocals; Shaun Murphy: Percussion, Vocals; Bill Payne: Keyboards; Fred Tackett: Guitar, Vocals; Richie Hayward: Drums.

Record Label: BMG | Style: Fringes of Jazz