Down Upon the Suwannee River

Down Upon the Suwannee River Artist: Little Feat
Label: Hot Tomato Records
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Format: Live
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2


UPC: 606673020620
EAN: 0606673020620
ASIN: B0000A4GDX


Release Date: 2003-08-12

Down Upon the Suwannee River


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Blues Rock Blues Rock
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Rock Jam Bands Rock Jam Bands
Categories | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music
Jam Bands Jam Bands
Categories | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music
Southern Rock Southern Rock
Categories | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)
Categories | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

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

Tracks:

  1. Lafayette Railroad
  2. Dixie Chicken
  3. Tripe Face Boogie
  4. It Takes A Lot To Laugh
  5. Oh Atlanta
  6. Willin'
  7. Fat Man In The Bathtub

Similar Items:

  1. Kickin' It at the Barn
  2. Highwire Act Live in St. Louis 2003
  3. Raw Tomatos
  4. Live at the Rams Head
  5. Barnstormin Live Volumes 1 and 2

Amazon.com

It may have been the obtuse artistic and lyrical sensibilities of the late Lowell George that garnered Little Feat its cachet with critics, but it was the band's potent, Southern-rooted musical punch that carried it to fame in the late '70s. It's that dedicated sense of musicality--since infused with a little jazz, cool--that carried Feat onward for two decades, making them jam-band godfathers documented in this live set in the bargain. Recorded at a festival in Florida's Suwannee River Park, this double-disc's 17 live tracks pay early homage to George's legacy with swamp-savory workouts of "Spanish Moon," and "Sailin' Shoes." But any sense of nostalgia is blunted by the band's muscular groove in the show's first half and its adventurous, jam-savvy spirit in the last. There they range from lugubrious workouts of Bob Dylan's "It Takes A Lot to Laugh" and "Tripe Face Boogie" to a jazz and classically infused, near half-hour trek through "Dixie Chicken" and the gentle "Willin'" and rough-'n'-tumble "Fat Man in the Bathtub" that closes out the set. <I>--Jerry McCulley</I>

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Classic Live Feat!.......2006-07-06

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. Same band, sure, but with different lineups and from different eras. 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.

5 out of 5 stars Superb live Feat!.......2005-05-02

Don't listen to the naysayers in this review section. This is a superb concert recording of the "new" Little Feat. 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.

5 out of 5 stars They're still getting it done!!!.......2005-04-18

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.

4 out of 5 stars Don't give in to Nostalgia.......2004-02-14

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.

2 out of 5 stars

Music Album:

  1. The Absolute Game ~ The Skids
  2. Grown-Ass Man ~ Dump
  3. Dawn Explosion ~ Captain Beyond
  4. In Love and Death ~ The Used
  5. Disco Volante ~ Cinerama
  6. What You See Is What You Get ( WYSIWYG ) ~ Chumbawamba
  7. Very Best Album Ever ~ Pat Benatar
  8. Natural Born Boogie: BBC Sessions ~ Humble Pie
  9. Picture Postcard Walls ~ Far Too Jones
  10. Sonic Prayer ~ Earthless

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me ~ Freddy Cole

Joe Newman Quintet at Count Basie's ~ Joe Newman

Straight Street ~ Tom Williams

1923-1929, Vol. 1 ~ Jelly Roll Morton

To the Ends of the Earth ~ Monty Alexander's Ivory & Steel

After Hours ~ Brian Culbertson

Carnaval Habanero ~ Various Artists

World Flavours: Impressions of Middle East ~ Various Artists

Ost ~ Oh-Oku Chapter 1

Kiyotaka Sugiyama ~ Kiyotaka Sugiyama