Little Feat - Little Feat - 180g LP

Product no.: MFSL1-299

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Little Feat - Little Feat - 180g LP
£44.99
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Mobile Fidelity - MFSL 1-299 - 180 Gram virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue 

 Numbered Limited Edition - Pressed at RTI  

Pure Analogue Mastered by Shawn R. Britton from the Original Master Tape at MFSL

AAA 100% Analogue This  LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only, from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head

1/4" / 15 IPS analog master direct to lathe

Sound-wise this album is not of sufficient strength to make it demo material, yet  these reissues are probably the best-sounding versions extant thanks to the remastering work performed by Mobile Fidelity’s Shawn Britton. The dense mix of Little Feat is cleaned up enough to allow the original four musicians’ efforts to be heard, as well as the use of horns that would soon come to be an integral part of the band's sound. Lowell George’s guitar sears through the mix, making its presence known at all times. Deep bass and extreme treble are both missing to a great extent, the lack of bass robbing the music of its drive.Soundstage

This is the 4th copy I have of this album, & by far the best sounding one! My advice is the same for the Little Feat fan and those intrigued by the description- get it! LP Review

Little Feat introduced Southern-fried accents and funny personality sketches to the West Coast’s country-rock template on its self-titled 1971 debut that remains singular in its aural and narrative visions of America.

Just as iconic illustrator Robert Crumb’s characters evoke weirdly sympathetic figures, so too do vocalist/guitarist Lowell George’s cartoonish character-driven narratives. His tales seem to come from a dusty, long-lost comic book—or a secret history of American culture that’s a helluva lot more exciting, fun, and authentic than most anything you’ve heard. Liberating, freewheeling, and lined with subtle streaks of dark humor, Little Feat is the musical companion to Easy Rider. And now, it has widescreen sonics to match. Sourced from the original analog master tapes, Mobile Fidelity's 180-gram LP of Little Feat is more raw, bluesy, immediate, and open than any previous version.

Little Feat was steeped in their love of rock, R&B, blues and country with just a pinch of New Orleans spice. After honing their unique blend in clubs and on the road, they were able to capture the magic of their live shows in the studio. The resulting release, tastefully assisted by guests Ry Cooder on bottleneck slide and Sneaky Pete’s pedal steel, was one of the most unpretentious and timeless recording debuts since “Music from Big Pink”. The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were among Little Feat's loyal fans; giving proof of their musical influence. 

It sold poorly (around 11,000 copies) and the band never cut anything like it again, but Little Feat's eponymous debut isn't just one of their finest records, it's one of the great lost rock & roll albums. Even dedicated fans tend to overlook the album, largely because it's the polar opposite of the subtly intricate, funky rhythm & roll that made their reputation during the mid-'70s. Little Feat is a raw, hard-driving, funny and affectionate celebration of American weirdness, equal parts garage rock, roadhouse blues, post-Zappa bizarreness, post-Parsons country rock and slightly bent folk storytelling. Since it's grounded in roots rock, it feels familiar enough, but the vision of chief songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Lowell George is wholly unique and slightly off-center.

He sees everything with a gently surreal sense of humor that remains affectionate, whether it's on an ode to a "Truck Stop Girl," the weary trucker's anthem "Willin'," or the goofy character sketch of the crusty old salt "Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie." That affection is balanced by gutsy slices of Americana like the careening travelogue "Strawberry Flats," the darkly humorous "Hamburger Midnight" and a jaw-dropping Howlin' Wolf medley guest-starring Ry Cooder, plus keyboardist Bill Payne's terrific opener "Snakes on Everything." The songwriting itself is remarkable enough, but the band is its equal -- they're as loose, vibrant and alive as the Stones at their best. In most respects, this album has more in common with George's earlier band the Factory than the rest of the Little Feat catalog, but there's a deftness in the writing and performance that distinguishes it from either band's work, which makes it all the more remarkable. It's a pity that more people haven't heard the record, but that just means that anyone who owns it feels like they're in on a secret only they and a handful of others know.

Fortified with some very strong songwriting from both lead guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne, such future Feat classics as Willing’, Truck Stop Girl, Snakes on Everything and Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie, plus a medley tribute to the Howlin' Wolf, help rank Little Feat along side Sailin’ Shoes, Dixie Chicken and Waiting for Columbus as one of their greatest albums. 

"[At] the Plaza...the attorney general, staying one floor above us, complained about me playing Little Feat records too loud last night...Band-wise, Little Feat is my favorite American group." - Jimmy Page, interviewed by Cameron Crowe (1975). 

"...and then I met Lowell George. I heard...'Sailin' Shoes' and went crazy. I got in my truck and drove to California...to work with Lowell. I'd have to say Little Feat was the biggest influence...Musically, they're my favorite band." - Bonnie Raitt 

• New liner notes by legendary producer Russ Titelman. (MoFi exclusive)

• Numbered, Limited Edition • 
• Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab • Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
• Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve • Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
• Mastered from the Original Master Tapes • Pressed at RTI
 
Lowell George - lead, rhythm and slide guitars, lead and backing vocals, harmonica
Bill Payne - keyboards, lead and backing vocals, piano
Roy Estrada - bass, backing vocals
Richard Hayward - drums, backing vocals
 
TRACK LISTING:
  1. Snakes On Everything
  2. Strawberry Flats
  3. Truck Stop Girl
  4. Brides Of Jesus
  5. Willin’
  6. Hamburger Midnight
  7. Forty Four Blues/How Many More Years
  8. Crack In Your Door
  9. I’ve Been The One
  10. Takin’ My Time
  11. Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie
  12. Little Feat - Little Feat - 180g LP

 

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GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.

The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)

First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.

As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.

RTI HQ-180 Vinyl
Record Technology is a world class record pressing plant located in Camarillo, California. We have been operating since 1974, pressing for most audiophile record labels and for many quality minded independent and major record labels from around the world.

 

 

 

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