Search - Little Feat :: Down Upon the Suwannee River

Don't give in to Nostalgia

Mark Diamond | Sydney, NSW Australia | 02/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good but not great double CD set. Some decent editing would have helped because frankly not all the tracks are worthy of release. 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."

They're still getting it done!!!

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 04/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Down Upon The Suwannee River shows Little Feat continuing to soar as a live unit. 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. 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."

Let's play some rock'n'roll

Alan Lockie | England | 02/09/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Yet another 2 CD live set from Little Feat - one of 4 in recent years. Some good versions of their more recent tracks but some real murder of the old Feat classics. 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."