Little Feat – The Last Record Album

Nothing but absolute art created by real artists in a real state of mind

As much as I dug The Last Record Album, especially considering numbers such as “All That You Dream,” “Long Distance Love” and “Romance Dance,” even though the Feat were seeing more commercial success, this time out the festivities lacked a bit of cohesion, leaving some to suggest that by this juncture, the Feat were getting close to running on fumes. Though still, there’s no way I was ready to venture down that oneway street.

If any dynamic changes were notable, it was that Little Feat and not Lowell George were in the creative driver’s seat, still shimmering America with their own relentless blend of rockin’ country mixed with soulful funk delivered with jam style musicianship. Of course, the notion of a more organic band meant that some songs lacked the established polished cohesive nature fans had come to expect, with that contributing to some material sounding a bit patchy. Nevertheless, all of the numbers were shrouded in that Little Feat spectrum of light, where any sense of unevenness allowed the stronger material to breathe with an expanded effortlessness.

On the other hand, and there are a number of other hands to be considered here, by this date Lowell George was dealing with his own personal issue, and with a band filled with such great individual musicians, it was easy for the other to follow Bill Payne and Paul Barrere into their fusion of jazz-rock, an aspect most fans were not sincerely ready for, including me, though once I exhaled and dropped my pretenses, along with the notion that I wanted more of the same material I was used to, I quickly jumped onboard with a mile wide smile.

The Last Record Album is simply wonderful, and if you were a fan at any time during the career of Little Feat, and think not, then perhaps you need to revisit this gem and let the adventure unfold with fresh ears and an unabated willingness.

Review by Jenell Kesler

Very nice sound on this; almost at the quality of a Dixie Chicken OG.

A tight slickly produced LP with some good ideas & that distinct southern harmony sound with a slow subtle shift to jazz rock fusion.
A triumph for the collective bunch of excellent musicians (with leader/guitarist Lowell George taking a more backseat role).
The last (truly great Little Feat) record album.

My copy matrix runout:
Side A: IS BS 2884-41156-1B TML-S A6

My copy is flat sounding. Missing a ton of mid range

Fantastic, punchy sound on this one. Terrific music and quiet pressing.

Comments don't lie. This thing is big. Full sounds and overall super satisfying pull from the collection anytime. Deserves to be turned up and the listen doesn't fatigue.

This sounds absolutely phenomenal. Huge soundstage! Thundering bass and drums.

I'm a little new to Little Feat. Bought a VG+/G+ copy of this pressing for $3. It sounds fabulous!

This press sounds really good, haven't got any others to compare to but if you are in the UK and want this album, the UK press is super nice!