I have never been too keen on Little Feat's studio albums. Little Feat was a live band, and the two–record live album that was released this month in 1978, "Waiting for Columbus," proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt.
There is also no doubt that, as Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic.com observed, "the group had entered its decline" when the album was recorded — but "Little Feat in its decline was still pretty great."
Even if Little Feat was in its decline, as Erlewine wrote, "Waiting for Columbus" was still the best live album of its era.
Little Feat's studio albums never had the energy that their live performances had. Until I heard "Waiting for Columbus," I had never experienced Little Feat live completely, only in bits and pieces. "Waiting for Columbus," to put it bluntly, knocked my socks off.
It has been one of my favorite albums for a long time.
I was hooked from the first track, "Fat Man in the Bathtub."
That was one of the band's early songs, and years of playing it live really came through on the recording. It had a polish that most of the other songs lacked.
I guess an enduring favorite from Little Feat's repertoire was always "Dixie Chicken," and the live recording of that song was truly filled with energy.
But I always favored "Spanish Moon" and the contributions of the Tower of Power horn section.
I have never grown tired of "Waiting for Columbus," but the CD, which was expanded to include 10 previously unreleased tracks, was a new experience.
Those unreleased tracks were the initial attraction for me; the first time I heard them, I could understand why they were left off the original album, but the additional space afforded by the CD format meant there was no reason not to release them. They were good, just not up to the same standards as the ones included on the original album.
Of the 10, my preference was "Cold, Cold, Cold," which was one of the band's early songs. I didn't think it had the polish that "Fat Man in the Bathtub" had, but it could have been included on the original release of "Waiting for Columbus."
It was a little late in the game for Little Feat to be releasing a live album, though. Leader and founding member Lowell George, the band's heart and soul, died a little over a year later of a heart attack brought on by an accidental cocaine overdose.
Better late than never.
